Exclusive Madeira Wine Tour.

At a glance

Trip Summary

Day one of your Exclusive Madeira Wine Tour

Upon arrival at the airport in Madeira you will be met by your driver who will take you to your chosen hotel. Once you have checked into your room, take some time to relax and look forward to your welcome meal at the hotel this evening. *Please note that drinks are not included.

Day two of your Exclusive Madeira Wine Tour

Today you will discover Funchal, the capital city, and its bay where architecture and nature are charmingly combined. Discover the narrow traffic-free streets paved with black and white mosaics and lined with Jacaranda trees.  In the old town the Farmers Market offers you a display of the great variety of local flowers, fruits and vegetables, the result of Madeira’s rich, volcanic soil. Experience the hustle and bustle of the market, admire the flower sellers dressed in their traditional Madeiran costumes and taste fruit directly from the stands.

Following breakfast at the hotel, at 9.00 am you will meet your guide for a walking tour – the perfect introduction to Funchal. You will enjoy food and wine tastings and identify the most important monuments, museums, and gardens along the way. A visit to the Cathedral is included in the tour. This tour is the perfect introduction to the history, people and, of course, the local food and wine you will enjoy for the duration of your stay.

Continue through the town to try the local biscuits at the bakery and coffee and chocolate at the chocolatiers before arriving at the historic Madeiran Wine Lodge where you will enjoy a private, premium wine tasting including five wines and a platter of local delicacies for wine pairing.

Lunch in a local restaurant in the centre of town. Enjoy a three-course lunch with ½ bottle of wine per person included.

After lunch (approximately 3.00 pm) you will be free to enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure or there is the option to continue the tour (3.00pm to 6.00 pm) with your guide and spend the afternoon visiting the Monte Palace Gardens. Catch the cable car in the old part of town and spend approximately 15 minutes travelling up to Monte Village followed by a guided visit of Monte Palace Tropical Garden and Museum, which dates back to the 18^th Century and is set in Quinta Monte Palace. The garden occupies an area of 70,000 square metres  and has been replanted with exotic flora from different continents and with typical plants from the Laurissilva Forest, classified as a UNESCO World Nature Heritage Site in 2000. The paths in the garden are decorated with panels of 16^th to 20^th century tiles and 40 panels depicting scenes from Portuguese history. There will also be the option to participate in the traditional 10-minute wicker toboggan ride from the top of the hill. (it is not possible to pre-book this activity so this will be dependent on the length of the queue on the day) .

Before returning to Funchal, explore the village of Monte with its lush vegetation and visit the church of Our Lady of Monte, patron of the island.  Please note that this afternoon extension involves a considerable amount of walking and is very hilly (*Supplement of 70€ per person applies for Full Day Tour)

The evening will be free for you to do as you please. We would be delighted to reserve you a table for dinner if required.

Day three of your Exclusive Madeira Wine Tour 

After breakfast meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel at 9.00 to depart for a full day vineyard tour with Madeira wine and Rum tasting.  You will head to the South coast of the Island to Estreito de Calheta to the family-owned Quinta das Vinhas.

Here you will visit the vineyard and learn about the history of the Quinta, Madeira wine and grape varieties followed by a tasting, in the wine bar, of three types of Madeira wine accompanied by some local snacks.

The next visit today will be at the family’s new rum distillery, Engenho Novo da Madeira where you will taste three different types of local rum. The family history in the production of sugar cane dates to 1845 when William Hinton opened the first distillery in Funchal.  It closed in 1986 as over time the distillery stopped production.  In 2006 William Hinton’s heirs relaunched the production in a new distillery. In the first half of the 20th century, Madeira was known as the island of rum. The geographical location, the climate, the landscape and the historical link to the sector make the rum produced here unique.

Following the distillery visit and tasting you will have the opportunity to stretch your legs with a short “Levada” walk, the well-known irrigation channels that cover the island.

Following the Levada walk, it will be time to return to your hotel.  The evening will be free for you to do as you please. We would be delighted to reserve you a table for dinner if required.

Day four of your Exclusive Madeira Wine Tour

Spend today relaxing at your leisure.  Choose to return to Funchal and take a leisurely stroll along the seafront promenade, explore the Monte Palace Tropical Garden and Monte Palace Museum with its fascinating collection of African and Portuguese art or relax at the beach or pool. We can also suggest Dolphin watching or a Sunset Catamaran trip,  please get in touch for more details on these excursions.

Day five of your Exclusive Madeira Wine Tour

After breakfast meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel at 9.00 to depart for a full day exploring the west of the island including Porto Moniz. Also, to look forward to is a traditional lunch and wine tasting at a vineyard.

The West of Madeira boasts the most dramatic scenery on the island and today’s first stop is the skywalk viewpoint at Cabo Girão, the highest sea cliff in Europe and the second highest in the world at 580 m. From here you will travel inland across the mysterious plateau of Paúl da Serra to Porto Moniz where you will find natural volcanic rock pools.

The next stop is São Vincente, a pretty mountain village situated along the northwestern coastal road where waterfalls cascade down the rockface into the deep blue ocean.  Our next stop will be at a vineyard where you will enjoy a private visit with tastings and lunch – a memorable experience not only for the food and wines but the remarkable views over the valley and surrounding mountains.

Please note that access to this winery and other stops today are along uneven and sometimes unmarked roads so transportation will be in a Jeep Wrangler. * a supplement applies if this tour takes place on a Sunday or Public holiday. Tour not available on Mondays.

The evening will be free for you to do as you please. We would be delighted to reserve you a table for dinner if required.

Day six of your Luxury Madeira Wine and Gastronomy tour

Day six is departure day.  Following breakfast and check out it will be time for your transfer to the airport. Departure time will be arranged to allow plenty of time for you to catch your return flight.

Package Prices

• These prices are per person and based on two people travelling together and sharing a twin or double room.
• These are realistic guide prices, based on travel in standard season (usually April to the end of October). Discounts often apply for travel out of season (usually November to the end of March) or if there are more than two of you travelling together. Please let us know your preferred travel dates for a definitive price.
• Although we propose specific hotels as part of our standard packages, we enjoy excellent relationships and preferential rates at the majority of the hotels in each of our featured destinations. Therefore if you would prefer to stay in a different hotel, this can be arranged. Please contact us for the relevant supplements/discounts.
• Other room grades are available at most of the hotels that we work with. Just let us know which hotel you prefer and we will send you the relevant supplements for the various room grades.
• Single supplements and extra night prices are available upon request.

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