Madeira in winter is the easy answer to a grey British December: just under four hours from London, Funchal usually sits around 20°C, with gardens in flower. Two days give you the old town, Monte, a glass of Madeira wine, a mountain sunrise and a levada walk. It suits walkers, garden lovers and couples, and anyone who wants Christmas lights without the frost.
Why go to Madeira in winter
Funchal climbs from a deep bay up a steep green amphitheatre, with most sights on the waterfront or a cable car ride above it. In winter the island keeps its colour: flowers stay out, the market fills with tropical fruit and the laurel forest is at its greenest.
The season also has its own reasons to come. The island’s Christmas and New Year festivities run from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, when Funchal’s streets and the hillside above the bay are strung with lights. On 23 December, Market Night (Noite do Mercado) turns the Mercado dos Lavradores into a late-night street party. And at midnight on 31 December, fireworks are fired from the amphitheatre, the seafront and boats in the bay. In 2006/07 Guinness World Records named it the largest fireworks display in the world.
Funchal
Don’t miss
The places that make the trip, and why each one deserves your time.
Luke H. Gordon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Mercado dos Lavradores
Funchal's 1940 art deco market is lined with tile panels, and its stalls are heaped with passion fruit, custard apples, flowers and the long black scabbardfish laid out downstairs.
Go in the morning, when the fish hall is busiest.
Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Zona Velha and Rua de Santa Maria
The old fishermen's quarter has turned its front doors into an open-air gallery, with painted panels down the cobbled lanes and small restaurants filling the street at night.
Come back after dark for dinner and the lights.
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
Terraced paths drop through tree ferns, koi ponds, Buddhas and centuries of Portuguese tiles, with the whole of Funchal and the bay laid out below.
Ride the cable car up; open daily except 25 December.
H. Zell / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Blandy's Wine Lodge
Old timber lofts in the heart of Funchal hold casks of Madeira wine warming slowly under the roof, the gentle heat that gives the fortified wine its toasted, nutty depth.
Book a guided tour on the lodge's website.
Krib / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Pico do Areeiro
Madeira's third-highest peak, at 1,818 m, often rises above a sea of cloud, and at dawn the jagged ridges towards Pico Ruivo turn pink and gold.
Pack a warm layer; it is far colder than Funchal.
Pásztörperc at Hungarian Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Levada do Caldeirão Verde
A narrow irrigation channel leads through laurel forest and rock tunnels to a waterfall dropping into a green pool, one of the classic levada walks of the north.
Check the trail status and register online before you go.
Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Cabo Girão
A sheer sea cliff of about 580 m, with a glass-floored platform at the top where you look straight down to terraced fields and the Atlantic surf.
Pair it with Câmara de Lobos late in the afternoon.
The 48-hour route
Day 1
Morning: Start at the Mercado dos Lavradores, Funchal’s art deco market, opened in 1940. Look at the tile panels on the facade, then work through the fruit stalls and down to the fish hall, where the long black espada (scabbardfish) is laid out on marble. Walk east into the Zona Velha, the old town, and down Rua de Santa Maria, where local artists have painted the front doors of the street’s houses.
Afternoon: The Funchal cable car leaves from the edge of the Zona Velha and climbs 560 m to Monte in about 15 minutes. It runs daily from 9am and is closed on 25 December. At the top, spend a couple of hours in the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, a steep terraced garden of tree ferns, koi ponds, pagodas and centuries of Portuguese tiles. It is open every day except 25 December. Then ride down the classic way, in a wicker toboggan on wooden runners, steered by two drivers in straw boaters down the lanes towards Livramento.
Evening: Back in the centre, walk to Blandy’s Wine Lodge on Avenida Arriaga for a tasting among the old casks; book a guided tour on the lodge’s website. In December, stroll the lit-up Avenida Arriaga and the seafront before dinner in the Zona Velha.
Tip: The cable car up and the toboggan down make a neat loop, but the toboggans stop partway down the hill. Allow time for a taxi or bus back to the centre.
Day 2
Morning: Drive up to Pico do Areeiro for sunrise. The summit is reached by road from Funchal in about an hour, and in winter the sun rises late, at around 8am, so this is less brutal than it sounds. The famous PR1 ridge path to Pico Ruivo reopened in 2026 after the 2024 wildfires. It now runs one way only, from Areeiro to Ruivo, with a limited number of booked places each day.
Afternoon: Head north to Queimadas Forest Park near Santana for the Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR9). The path follows the water channel through laurel forest and four rock tunnels to a waterfall dropping into a green pool. The full trail runs 8.7 km each way, so plan a long walk or turn back at the waterfall. Bring a torch for the tunnels.
Evening: Drive back along the south coast to Cabo Girão, one of Europe’s highest sea cliffs at about 580 m, and step onto the glass-floored platform. Finish in Câmara de Lobos, the fishing harbour Winston Churchill came to paint, with a glass of poncha by the water before dinner.
Tip: If you don’t want to drive mountain roads, book a guided levada walk or a sunrise tour from Funchal. Most include transfers and a guide who knows the current trail conditions.
Madeira weather in winter
Funchal has one of the mildest winters in Europe. According to IPMA, Portugal’s weather service, the Funchal station’s 1991–2020 averages are:
| Month | Average high | Average low |
|---|---|---|
| December | 21.0°C | 15.5°C |
| January | 20.0°C | 14.3°C |
| February | 19.9°C | 13.9°C |
| March | 20.6°C | 14.3°C |
December is the wettest of these months, so expect a few showery days between long sunny spells. The figures are for the coast. The mountains are a different world: Pico do Areeiro can be cold, windy and wrapped in cloud while Funchal sits in sunshine. Pack a fleece, a waterproof and walking shoes with good grip.
Levada safety, closures and the trail fee
Levadas are narrow paths beside irrigation channels, often with sheer drops on one side. Rain, wind and fog can close trails at short notice, and each is listed as open, restricted or closed. Check the status on the morning of your walk and stay on the marked path.
Non-residents pay a fee to walk the island’s classified trails (the PR routes). Pay online in advance on SIMplifica, the regional government’s digital services portal, because mobile signal in the mountains is patchy. Residents of Madeira are exempt. The PR1 from Pico do Areeiro also needs a booked entry slot, also through SIMplifica.
Where to stay
- Zona Velha (old town): Lanes of restaurants, the cable car and the market on your doorstep. Best for first-timers and food lovers.
- Sé and the centre: Around the cathedral and Avenida Arriaga, close to the Christmas lights and the wine lodges. Best for short stays and New Year’s Eve.
- Lido and the Hotel Zone: West of the centre, with sea-view hotels, pools and the seafront promenade. Best for a resort-style break.
- Câmara de Lobos: A short drive west of Funchal, quieter and closer to Cabo Girão. Best for couples who want a fishing-town feel.
What to eat and drink
- Espada with banana: Pan-fried black scabbardfish with fried banana. Better than it sounds.
- Espetada: Beef cubes on a bay-wood skewer, grilled and hung at the table.
- Bolo do caco: Round flatbread baked on a stone slab, served warm with garlic butter.
- Lapas: Grilled limpets with garlic and lemon, sizzling in their own pan.
- Bolo de mel: The dark, spiced honey cake made with sugar-cane honey, a Madeiran Christmas staple.
- Poncha and Madeira wine: Poncha mixes sugar-cane rum, honey and lemon. Madeira wine runs from dry Sercial to rich, raisiny Malvasia.
Where to go:
- Mercado dos Lavradores (Zona Velha): Tropical fruit, flowers and the fish hall; the setting for Market Night on 23 December.
- Blandy’s Wine Lodge (Avenida Arriaga): The best-known place in Funchal to taste Madeira wine, with guided tours through the lofts.
- Fábrica de Santo António (Travessa do Forno): The island’s first biscuit factory, baking since 1893, and the place to buy bolo de mel and broas to take home.
Tip: Bolo de mel keeps for months and survives hand luggage well, so make it your last stop before the airport.
Getting around
Central Funchal is walkable, though the streets climb steeply from the seafront. The cable car runs to Monte, and city buses and taxis cover the hills.
Getting there: Madeira Airport Cristiano Ronaldo sits on the east coast, about 20–25 minutes by road from Funchal. Direct flights from London take just under four hours. From 26 October 2026, Jet2 adds a new route from London Gatwick, flying on Mondays and Fridays.
For the mountains and the north coast, hire a car or book a tour. Roads are good but steep and winding, and fog can roll in fast up high.
Good to know
- New Year’s Eve: Funchal fills up for the fireworks, so book accommodation well ahead.
- Closed on Christmas Day: The cable car and the Monte Palace Tropical Garden both close on 25 December.
- More winter sun: Compare Madeira with our Canary Islands guide, Fuerteventura, Sicily and Spain’s best holiday destinations. Add a mainland city with our Lisbon weekend.
- What’s on: See this weekend’s picks for events across Europe.
FAQ
Is Madeira warm in winter?
Mild and often sunny. IPMA’s long-term averages for Funchal give daytime highs of about 20–21°C from December to March and lows of around 14–15°C. The mountains are much colder.
Where is the best place to watch the Madeira New Year fireworks?
The fireworks are fired from the hillside amphitheatre, the seafront and boats in the bay, so anywhere along Funchal’s waterfront or on the hills above it has a view. Hotels with balconies over the bay are the most comfortable option.
Do you have to pay to walk the levadas in Madeira?
Yes, on the classified PR trails. Non-residents pay a trail fee online through the regional government’s SIMplifica portal before walking, and the PR1 from Pico do Areeiro also needs a booked slot.
Is a weekend in Funchal enough?
Two days covers Funchal, Monte, a levada walk and a mountain sunrise at a brisk pace. Stay three or four days to add the north coast and the island’s west.
