In a nutshell
- Have you already seen all the top attractions in Madeira and are now searching for hidden gems in Madeira? Then you’ve come to the right place.
- We’ll show you 5 secret spots in Madeira off the beaten path.
- From beautiful hiking trails and viewpoints to cool excursions on Madeira and hotel tips, we’ve got it all covered.
Promenade of São Vicente
The promenade in São Vicente is one of our favorite spots in Madeira – hardly any tourists know it, and the views are great.
It starts a little to the east of the town at the Clube Naval (where you can park for free) and ends at the Madeira Surf Center.
In total, the promenade is around 600 meters long. It’s great for walking and watching surfers in the water.
If you walk a little further along the main street from the Madeira Surf Center, be sure to stop off at the Hotel Calamar. It has a delicious restaurant and a beautiful natural swimming pool in Madeira where you can swim for free.
Our hotel tip for São Vicente: Quinta Vale Vatis
Caminho da Entrosa
The Caminho da Entrosa is a hidden gem among hiking trails in Madeira. For us, it is one of the most beautiful hikes in Madeira.
It starts in Arco de São Jorge and takes you all the way to Boaventura. The trail is 2 kilometers long and is doable for anyone who is reasonably fit. As you walk half of it uphill, it is nevertheless strenuous.
The trail runs along the coast, offering stunning views of the green cliffs and the sea throughout.
You will be rewarded at the end of the trail with the São Cristovão viewpoint – there is also a delicious restaurant here.
How to get to the Caminho da Entrosa
To avoid having to walk back the same way, take the bus or a cab. We took the bus from São Vicente to Arco São Jorge and from Boaventura back to São Vicente.
However, check the timetables of the bus provider Rodoeste in advance – the buses run very infrequently.
Porto da Cruz
Porto da Cruz is a small, pretty village in the east of Madeira that many tourists don’t even have on their radar. But it has a lot to offer.
The village has one of the most beautiful beaches in Madeira, which is particularly popular with surfers. Right next to it is the Pico do Fortim, a beautiful vantage point.
The highlight in Porto da Cruz is the traditional distillery. Here you can watch the distillation process and taste the typical passion fruit Poncha.
And another absolute secret spot for Porto da Cruz is the Miradouro do Cabo de Larano – you can get to the viewpoint in just under 15 minutes by car from Porto da Cruz.
Our hotel tip for Porto da Cruz: Jaca Hostel
Watch a Soccer Match
Attention soccer fans! We have a really cool activity in Madeira and non-touristy thing to do for you: watching a soccer match.
There are two professional soccer teams in Funchal, both of which play in the second division (as of the 23/24 season).
So there’s a very good chance that one of the teams will be playing at home when you’re in Madeira. You can usually buy tickets spontaneously directly at the stadiums.
There are the two teams and their stadiums:
- Clube Desportivo Nacional: Estádio da Madeira
- Club Sport Marítimo: Estádio dos Barreiros
The Estádio dos Barreiros is located in the center of Funchal. You can get there easily by bus.
The Estádio da Madeira is located at the top of a mountain near Funchal – it’s better to take a cab or hire a car to get there.
By the way: CD Nacional is Cristiano Ronaldo’s home club.
Discover Secret Viewpoints
Madeira is definitely a destination of beautiful viewpoints – there are an infinite number all over the island. Some better known than others.
In our opinion, you can skip the famous Cabo Girão and head to some of the less crowded viewpoints instead.
These are our 5 hidden gems for viewpoints on Madeira
- Miradouro Ponta da Ladeira
- Miradouro do Paul do Mar
- Miradouro da Portela
- Miradouro do Cortado
- Miradouro do Fio
We drove past the viewpoints more by chance on our Madeira road trip, but were really impressed by the view.
These were our 5 favorite hidden gems in Madeira
Did you explore any secret spot in Madeira? Or do you have an idea for non-touristy things to do in Madeira? Let us know in the comments!