Madeira with children

The most beautiful hikes, fun things to do, and tastiest delicacies

Our love for mountains and hiking began on Madeira. Known as the hiking island, Madeira features a rugged landscape. The Portuguese island enjoys a mild climate, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 24 degrees Celsius throughout the year. Due to its rugged terrain, Madeira has several microclimates, reflected in the diversity of exotic plants, flowers, and varying nature. In this blog, we share our tips for a family vacation in Madeira.

You can fly directly to Madeira, but you can also fly via Lisbon and add a city trip to Lisbon. We love this city! Check out the blog Lisbon with children for the best tips and must-see attractions.

This blog is written by Ellis.

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Hiking on Madeira with children

The many hiking trails on Madeira are so diverse that there are suitable walks for everyone. Additionally, the famous levada walks are mostly flat, making them accessible for children to join in as well. You can easily adjust the length of the hiking route to suit your kids.

Our top 3 most beautiful hiking trails with children are:

♥ PR1: The skywalk from Pico do Areiro to Pico Ruivo
♥ PR8: Ponta de São Lourenço, the easternmost point of Madeira. Take a speedboat back!
♥ PR9: Levada do Caldeirão Verde, one of the most beautiful levada hikes.

Tip: on vakantiesmadeira.nl/wandelvakantie, you can read all about hiking in Madeira.

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Madeira with children - What to do?

In addition to hiking, Madeira offers much more. You can immerse yourself in culture in the capital, Funchal. Funchal used to be an important port city and is rich in history. We took a tour with the Hop-on Hop-off bus, which takes you past all the attractions. You can easily order tickets online.

Various museums teach you all about the history of Portugal and Madeira. Or visit the natural pools in Porto Moniz. These pools were formed by solidified lava, and the sea rolls in and fills the pool. You won’t find a better wave pool than this!

Due to the high cliffs and rugged landscape, there are many beautiful viewpoints. For example, Cabo Girão, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The cable car at Achadas da Cruz is also highly recommended. A very steep cable car takes you down to a village at the foot of the cliffs. You’ll need to keep your nerves under control! If you enjoy hiking, you can also walk down and take the cable car back up.

Madeira with children - food and drink

And we haven’t even talked about the delicious food and drinks in Madeira. The local specialties include:

♥ Bolo do Caco, a bread roll made with sweet potato, among other ingredients. Thin, round rolls are placed in the oven with a generous amount of garlic butter. Delicious!!
♥ Espada com Banana. The name says it all—something with banana. The black scabbardfish (or knifejaw fish) is best not to Google; just try it! Surprisingly delicious.
♥ Limpets. These are sea snails, a delicacy in Madeira. A generous amount of garlic or herb butter is poured over them, then baked in the oven, making for a tasty snack.

About Ellis

Who are we?

We are an adventurous family who have traded everyday life for a traveling lifestyle. This wasn’t always who we were, but we needed a change. We sold our house and wanted to travel for a year. Ultimately, we traveled for 5 months through Southern Europe in our camper and over 4 months through Southeast Asia.

When we returned to our old hometown, we noticed that it no longer fit at all. We had changed too much. We started to figure out how we could travel full-time again, this time with online work. This has succeeded, and starting June 1, we will be traveling full-time again.

Our bucketlist

Now that we want to travel full-time, or rather explore full-time, our bucket list has grown. We have a bucket list on our site, but our top 3 is:

♥ Traveling through South Africa in a 4×4 with a rooftop tent.
♥ Learning to dive with my children in a tropical location.
♥ A camper trip through Canada or New Zealand. Or actually both…

Our happy place

During our 10-month journey, we saw a lot. From Southern Europe to Asia, experiencing different cultures, varying temperatures, and the diverse nature. Through the physical journey with its extremes, we also made an inner journey. Traveling has taught us so much. For instance, we discovered that our happy place is in the mountains. The tranquility, the nature, the fresh air combined with the most beautiful views. We enjoy being active in the mountains and take many beautiful hikes, often to the top to experience the ultimate view. The hikes have had a significant impact on our inner journey. Pushing through the tougher hikes gives us a tremendous sense of achievement. The children have learned to persevere, to look out for one another, and to help when needed, but most importantly, they’ve realized that they can do much more than they thought. Their self-confidence has grown immensely. Helping each other has brought us closer as a family. The most beautiful conversations arose at the summit or on the way up.

Our future

As we mentioned above, we’re far from done traveling and exploring. How long will we continue? We don’t know. As long as it feels right. We’re departing again on June 1. This time we’ll start in Norway, following the fjords up to the North Cape, and then head down through the Baltic states to Greece or Turkey. Georgia and Tunisia are also high on our wish list, as well as the entire Balkans. We’re not making a concrete plan. We’ve learned that we won’t stick to the plan anyway… Not having a plan but following our feelings is the ultimate freedom that camper life has taught us and given us.

Are you traveling with us?

Follow Ellis on Instagram: @ourjourney.nl and read all their travel stories on their website ourjourney.nl