This guide is for you if you are staying on Madeira, or arriving on a cruise ship, and the west of the island is the side you want to see: the sea cliff at Cabo Girão, the high plateau of Paul da Serra and the rock pools at Porto Moniz. It helps you settle the questions that change the day before you book it: when the pools are worth a swim, whether to add a levada walk and how to reserve it under the trail booking rules, and what to pack for two coasts with different weather.
When to go
The pools at Porto Moniz are the stop that depends most on the calendar. They have a formal bathing season, which the regional government sets each year. In recent years it has started on 1 May and run to mid-October, and the council says it can run to the end of October. Inside those months the pools work as a proper bathing complex. Outside them you still see the rock and the Atlantic breaking over it, but if a swim is the reason you are going, travel between late spring and mid-autumn and check the dates for your year before you go.
The weather is the other variable, and it is less predictable than the season. The north and the south of Madeira can have different weather on the same day, so a grey morning in Funchal tells you little about Porto Moniz. Up on Paul da Serra you are often above the cloud. The island's tourism board warns that mountain weather changes quickly, and that is true on this route, which climbs from sea level to the plateau and back down again in a few hours.
How the day fits together
The day starts early. You are collected at 07:00 in Funchal or anywhere else on the island, and you reach Câmara de Lobos half an hour later, while the fishing boats are still pulled up on the shingle. Cabo Girão follows at 08:00. The glass platform there stands 580 metres above the terraced fields at the foot of the cliff, and if you do not like heights you can stay on the solid part of the viewpoint.
From there the road climbs to Paul da Serra, reached at around 10:00, and then drops to Porto Moniz at 11:30. That is the long stop: about two hours for lunch and the pools. After it you follow the north coast to Seixal and São Vicente, with waterfalls coming down the cliffs onto the coast road, and cross back over the mountains. You are at your hotel at around 15:00.
The driver handles the roads, which climb and fall steeply. Because the car is yours for the day, the order can change. If the plateau is in cloud when you get there, you can move on and stop again later. If you would rather swim for longer and skip a viewpoint, say so in the morning.
The pools at Porto Moniz
The pools are volcanic. They formed over thousands of years as lava cooled at the edge of the sea, and their shape lets the Atlantic flow in all the time, so the water is constantly renewed. The swimming area covers about 3,800 square metres and is roughly two metres deep, with a separate area for sunbathing on the rocks around it.
It is a managed complex, not a wild swim. There are changing rooms, a first-aid post, a children's pool, a playground, a snack bar and step-free access for people with disabilities. Sunbeds and parasols can be rented. Entrance to the pools is not included in the tour, and you pay it on the day. Lunch is not included either; you eat in Porto Moniz, at the place your driver suggests or one you choose.
Bring a swimsuit and a towel, and wear something you can change out of easily. The water comes straight from the open ocean, so do not expect the warmth of a heated pool.
Adding a levada walk, and the booking rules
Several of Madeira's levada paths start on or near this route, and the tour can be built around a walk. Tell us how long you want to be on foot and we will plan the stops around it.
Plan ahead for this. Since 1 January 2026, every classified walking trail on Madeira, the routes with a PR number, needs a reservation made in advance on the regional government's SIMplifica portal. This applies to walkers on their own, in groups and with a guide. The tourism board lists the Levada das 25 Fontes and the Levada do Risco among the trails covered.
- Each trail runs on 30-minute entry slots, and you have to start inside the one you booked.
- You add every member of your group to the booking. A fee is paid online for each walker.
- Bookings open up to 30 days ahead, and payment is due 48 hours before the walk or the booking is cancelled.
- Keep the confirmation on your phone or on paper. It can be checked on the trail, and walking without one can lead to a fine.
Popular trails fill up, so book as soon as your dates are fixed, and tell us the slot. We then fit the drive to it. Before the day, check that the trail is open: the tourism board publishes whether each one is open, restricted or temporarily closed.
For any walk, wear proper walking shoes and carry a layer against wind and rain, water, a snack, sun cream, a hat and a charged phone. The emergency number in Portugal is 112.
Driving yourself or a private day
You can hire a car and do this route yourself. Be honest with yourself about the roads, though: they climb and fall steeply, and the driver on a self-drive day sees less of the view than anyone else in the car.
A private day takes that job away. You are collected from your door, you are dropped back there, and the stops bend to the weather and to how long you want at the pools. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits families well. The children's pool and the playground at Porto Moniz give younger ones something to look forward to after the morning in the car, and the day finishes in the middle of the afternoon.
Cruise passengers can be collected at the port in Funchal; send us the name of the ship. The tour is back at around 15:00, but check your all-aboard time and tell us, so the day can be shortened if your ship leaves early.
Think twice if you get carsick on mountain roads, since much of the day is spent climbing and descending. And if heights are hard for you, know that Cabo Girão is the first big stop: you can enjoy the view from the solid edge and leave the glass floor to the others.
Questions people ask
Should we take the west or the east tour?
If the pools and the sea cliffs matter most, the west. If you want the mountain summit and the thatched houses of Santana, take the Pico do Arieiro and Santana day. Our guide to private tours in Madeira compares the two side by side.
Can the levada walk be on the same day as the pools?
Yes, if the walk is a short one. A long walk takes time out of the other stops, so tell us which matters more to you and we will plan the day around it.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you get a full refund. The details are on our cancellation page.
What if there are more than 16 of us?
Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Booking the day
Pick a date in the bathing season if a swim is the point, reserve any levada walk on SIMplifica as soon as you know your dates, and pack a swimsuit and a warm layer. The timings, the pick-up and what is included are on the Madeira West private tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
