The quick version
- On an 8 hour west-side loop the Porto Moniz stop is the natural lunch window; eat properly there and keep the Fanal forest leg light.[1]
- West coast eating is mostly a seafront question: grilled fish, limpets and espetada, with quick snack bars for days when you want to keep moving.
- Ask your accommodation in Funchal about the tap water, fill a bottle before pickup, and top it up at coffee stops. The island averages 20°C (67°F).[2]
- Eat a proper vegetarian lunch in the capital before the tour, then ask about vegetable dishes at the stops, where west coast menus lean on fish.
- Plan toilet breaks around the listed stops and keep small change for kiosks; use a card at bigger places in the towns.[1]
- Top choice Skywalk and Porto Moniz 4WD from US$79 Duration8 hours[1]Rating4.87 from 9,297 reviews[1]Group sizePrivate or small groups available[1]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours ahead[1]Stops includeSkywalk, Seixal, Porto Moniz, Fanal[1] Check availability
- Enchanted Terraces 4WD from US$80 Duration8 hours[3]Rating4.78 from 5,647 reviews[3]Group sizePrivate or small groups available[3]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours ahead[3]Stops includePorto Moniz pools, Seixal, Fanal[3] See this tour
- West Madeira Waterfalls from US$40 Duration8 hours[4]Rating4.70 from 3,827 reviews[4]Group sizePrivate or small groups available[4]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours ahead[4]Stops includeFanal Forest, Porto Moniz pools[4] See this tour
The uniqueness of the Câmara de Lobos Bay was immortalised by Winston Churchill, on the day when, in January 1950, sitting at the Espírito Santo Viewpoint, facing the sea, he set up his easel and painted a picture that he would never forget.
Our verdict on eating and drinking on the west tour
Eating and paying on the road
- Lunch arrives mid-route, so eat when the vehicle stops
- Carry small cash for kiosks and village bars
- Mention vegetarian or vegan diets when you book
- Order the dish of the day rather than the longest menu
Water, sun and comfort on the route
- Refill your bottle at every coffee stop
- Coastal sun is stronger than the air temperature suggests
- Pack a warm layer for the Paul da Serra plateau
- Use the washroom at each village stop while you can
The Lunch Break: Timing and Where You Stop
The west-side 4WD tour runs for 8 hours, collecting in Funchal and its neighbours before heading out through Quinta Grande, Campanário, Ribeira Brava and Serra de Água.[1] Cabo Girão sits around 15 kilometres west of Funchal.[5] The morning is a run of short viewpoint pauses rather than a sit-down meal, so keep breakfast solid and the snacks light. A coffee and a pastry at one of the south coast stops will hold most people until the north coast.
By the time the road reaches the north coast the light has changed completely. Porto Moniz is the natural place for the main meal of the day, and it appears among the stops along with Seixal, São Vicente and Véu da Noiva.[1] After lunch the route climbs to Paul da Serra and the Fanal Forest, the coolest and dampest stretch of the afternoon, where a warm drink counts for more than a dessert.
If you would rather not sit down at all, eat in two smaller sittings: coffee and a pastry in Ribeira Brava in the morning, then soup, a sandwich or an ice cream on the north coast. The day is long enough to hold two meals comfortably, and nobody minds a passenger with a paper bag of bolo do caco.[1]
What to Eat: Madeira Dishes Worth Ordering
West coast cooking is sea-facing and unfussy. Grilled limpets with garlic and lemon, black scabbard fish, tuna steaks, octopus salad and espetada skewers grilled over bay laurel are the dishes to look for. Bolo do caco, the flat bread baked on a hot stone and served with garlic butter, arrives with almost everything and is worth ordering on its own. If you only have one sit-down meal on the island, this is a good place to spend it.
In Porto Moniz the seafront restaurants do the long menu, and the fish usually comes off boats working the north coast. For the Porto Moniz where to eat question, walk the seafront first, see what is on the grill, and pick the place that looks busy rather than the one with photographs of every dish on the door.
A Porto Moniz snack bar is the quick option: prego in bolo do caco, sandwiches, milho frito, sopa de legumes and ice cream for the children. Two people can usually share a starter and one main, and if you are staying near the village for the evening, save the long dinner for later.
A natural rock pool on Madeira's north coast, the sort of stop that breaks up the drive west.
Vegetarian and Vegan Eating in Funchal and the West
Funchal vegetarian food is straightforward in the capital, which has vegetarian kitchens alongside restaurants that will build a plate around beans, pulses, mushrooms and vegetables. Eat a proper meat-free lunch before the tour leaves, and mention your diet when you book so your driver can point you at a suitable stop along the route.
On the west coast the standbys are sopa de legumes, tomato soup, grilled vegetables, salads, bolo do caco with cheese and rice dishes. Ask early in service rather than in the middle of the rush, and a plate of vegetables, potatoes and salad is much easier to arrange. Soup with bread is often the quickest meat-free plate on a menu, and it usually arrives in minutes.
A small cafe in Porto Moniz usually has something meat-free, and vegetarians travelling with meat eaters can order from the same menu. Vegan travellers should ask about butter and cheese, which turn up in a lot of Madeiran cooking even when a dish sounds plain.
Bringing Your Own Food and Drink
A small day bag with a refillable bottle, fruit, nuts, crackers and a couple of sandwiches buys freedom on a route that crosses the south coast, the north coast and a high plateau in a single day.[1] A slow kitchen or a long queue at the pools cannot swallow the afternoon if you have your own supplies in the vehicle.
Buy what you need in Funchal the evening before or the morning of pickup. Bakeries open early, and bread, cheese and fruit from a supermarket make a decent backup if lunch runs late. Stick to food that survives a warm vehicle, such as nuts, apples, crackers and hard cheese, and carry your own rubbish back to town rather than leaving it at a viewpoint on the plateau.
A flask of coffee or tea is welcome up on the high ground, where the air is cool and damp for much of the year. Ask your hotel to fill it before you leave, and pack a cloth or a small bag for the empty cups so nothing leaks across the seats.
from US$79
The Skywalk, Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal 4WD Tour runs 8 hours, with pickup options across Funchal and the south coast.[1]
Payment Methods: Cash and Cards at Stops
Carry a small amount of cash in euros for kiosks, village shops and tiny snack bars, and use a card at larger restaurants and supermarkets. Small notes and coins are more useful than one large note, and a modest cash reserve covers a meal if a card terminal is unwilling.
Card readers need a connection, and signal is not guaranteed on the high ground or the north coast. Keep enough cash that a dead terminal cannot cost you lunch, and if you want to leave a tip for good service, cash is the reliable way to do it.
Village kiosks, viewpoint vans and small family bars are the places most likely to take coins and notes only, and they are also the places where you will want a cold drink or a coffee. Keep a few coins separate from the rest of your money so you are not digging through a backpack at the counter.
Toilet Facilities Along the Route
The west tour runs 8 hours and covers a lot of ground, and toilet planning matters more than most people expect.[1] The simplest habit is to use the washroom wherever you buy a coffee. Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, São Vicente, Seixal, Porto Moniz and Véu da Noiva all appear among the stops.[1] With children or older relatives on board, aim for a pause every hour or so rather than waiting for the big lunch break.
Cabo Girão, the skywalk viewpoint, is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00, and there is an entrance fee of €2, except for residents and children up to 12 years old (included).[6] The skywalk was completed in October 2012, which makes the platform a young landmark above a very old cliff.[7]
In Porto Moniz the natural swimming pools give you a longer pause: a lounging area of around 3,217 m2, a swimming area of 3,800 m2 that is 2 metres deep, holding around 7,600 m3 of seawater.[8] Bring a towel and change at the pools, and families will find this an easy stop for a proper break before the forest section.
Water and Refreshment Points During the Day
Tap water is worth sorting out before you arrive: ask your accommodation in Funchal, fill your bottle before pickup, and top up whenever the vehicle stops for coffee. Bottled water is sold in shops, supermarkets and cafes along the west coast, so running dry is a choice rather than a risk, and filling up early saves you buying drinks all day.
Madeira has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with even temperatures all year round and an average annual temperature of 20°C (67°F).[2] Carry more water than you think you need, especially on the open coast. The Fanal Forest sits inside the Laurissilva, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and the air there is cool and damp even when Funchal is hot.[9]
Refill points matter most on the north coast, where the pools and the village centre are the natural pause in the day. Take a spare bottle for the group, keep it out of the sun under a seat, and remember that the plateau and the forest are the longest stretches between stops.
From-prices on west Madeira group tours
From-prices in US dollars on these GetYourGuide west-side listings.[1][3][4][10][11][12]
What the west-side day tours cost
From-prices in US dollars for these GetYourGuide listings.[1][3][4][13][14]
When to book and what to plan around
Eating and drinking stops
Before pickup
Fill a bottle and eat a proper breakfast in Funchal; the first stops are quick ones and the coast road comes before any long pause.
The south coast run
Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava are listed among the stops, and both are good coffee and pastry pauses.[1]
Cabo Girão
Open daily from 08:00 to 20:00, with a €2 entrance fee, except residents and children up to 12 years old (included).[6]
Porto Moniz
The natural place for the main meal, and the spot to refill bottles and let lunch settle before the climb.[1]
Fanal and the plateau
Keep water and a snack handy for the Fanal Forest, inside the Laurissilva, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.[9]
Book the west-side 4WD day and let the route look after lunch
from US$80Reserve now & pay later
