Stay in Madeira - Day 6: An island of contrasts

Madeira is also a central cordillera with sharp peaks, a maritime capital with an urban atmosphere, countless subtropical green hills, arid wilderness with vertiginous cliffs, a humid laurel forest in the tropics ...

The first stop of the day is called Eira do Serrado, a viewpoint overlooking the village of Curral das Freiras (Nuns' Valley) nestled in a mountain cirque. It would have been born when in 1 566, the Clarisse Sisters took refuge there, fleeing the corsair Bertrand de Montluc and his men who pillaged Funchal ...

Then we will continue to gain altitude by following this air route that leads us to the third highest peak of Madeira, Pico Areeiro, culminating at 1818m for alpine landscapes where often the summits seem to float above the clouds...

We continue towards the north coast to the village of Porto da Cruz where you can visit the rum distillery "Engenho do Porto da Cruz", the only one in Europe whose machinery still works with steam ...

You will have lunch in the restaurant Cantinho da Serra which proposes a card valuing the soil. Generous portions are served in a rustic setting on the edge of the forest.

A small walk follows along a wide and easy path, bordered by ferns, hydrangeas and laurels, to the Queimadas Forest Park and its iconic thatched cottage.

We then leave towards the eastern tip of Madeira, the rocky point of Baia d'Abra, where a unique, semi-arid landscape awaits you, where the multicolored volcanic rocks are exposed to cliffs plunging into the sea. The impression to be at the end of the world...

 You will stop at Machico, the first city founded in Madeira, home to the oldest church dating from the 15th century, before returning to Funchal.

In the heart of the old town of Funchal, we will make a stop at the Flair Spot Bar to drink an exotic cocktail prepared by the very creative bartender Hernan Silva, multiple times champion of Portugal ... followed by a dinner at the restaurant A Bica, famous for the good taste of its local traditional cuisine and its very friendly welcome.

Overnight in Funchal, in the hotel of your choice: Hotel Castanheiro, Hotel Quinta Penha da França, Hotel Penha França Mar, Hotel Orquidea or Apartamentos São Paulo & Alegria (for more information, please consult the list of partners).