Plan Your Trip to Madeira
What a day costs, airport transfers, driving yourself vs a hire car, and ready-made 3, 5 and 7-day plans – the practical side of a Madeira trip.
- Airport transfer
- Funchal ~20 min, from ~€30
- Mid-range daily budget
- ~€80–120 per person
- Car needed?
- Only for the west coast & peaks
- Currency & language
- Euro (€), Portuguese, English widely spoken
Madeira Without a Car: How to Get Around & See the Island (2026)
You don't need to hire a car to see Madeira. Base in Funchal, use the SIGA buses where they work, and book a tour for the rest. Here's the 2026 car-free playbook.
Read the guideCar or no car is the first decision
Funchal, the east coast and most organised tours don't need a hire car – see Madeira without a car for how far buses and taxis actually get you. If the west coast, Fanal Forest or the central peaks are the priority, renting a car is genuinely worth it – Madeira's roads are steep and winding, so budget more driving time than the map suggests.
Airport transfers land you 20 minutes from Funchal
Madeira Airport (Cristiano Ronaldo Airport) sits east of Funchal on a cliff-edge runway – a private airport transfer takes about 20 minutes into the centre and is worth pre-booking to skip the taxi queue.
How many days is enough
Three days covers Funchal and one big day trip; five adds the west or east coast properly; seven lets you add a hiking day or a Porto Santo add-on without rushing. The 3-day, 5-day and 7-day plans lay each one out hour by hour.
