If you’re planning to visit Madeira, there is one thing you should know: The sunsets in Madeira are immaculate. Hence, you should definitely know the best sunset viewpoints in Madeira in advance. This ensures that you can be at the right place once the golden hour casts its enchanting glow over the breathtaking landscapes of Madeira. Today we’re sharing our favorite sunset viewpoints in Madeira with you and explain how you can reach them in detail.
Madeira, also known as the flower island, is one of the best destinations if you’re a sunset enthusiast. Since the island is relatively small, you can easily be at the north coast for sunrise and then at the south coast for sunset. Of course, we also read everything about the best sunset viewpoints in Madeira that we could find before visiting. Since we visited them all, we made sure to take photos of the spots for you to get an idea of the respective sunsets and decide for yourself which ones you want to visit.
Best Sunset Viewpoints in Madeira: 5 Miradouros not to miss
Firstly, we’d like to introduce you to the word Miradouro. You will most likely see this word a hundred times during your time in Madeira. „Miradouro“ is the Portuguese word for „Viewpoint„. Hence, whenever you see a sign pointing to a „Miradouro“, it’s a viewpoint and maybe it’s also worth stopping by.
Within the next passages, we’ll share our favorite 5 Miradouros that you cannot miss for a great sunset view in Madeira.
1. Pico do Arieiro: Miradouro Ninho da Manta
Pico do Arieiro is a spot that cannot be missed when visiting Madeira. It’s one of the most beautiful hikes on the island called „PR1 Pico to Pico“ hike, a great photo spot, and one of the best things to do in Madeira. Drive through the winding roads of ER103 and admire the stunning views of the several valleys until you reach the Pico do Arieiro parking lot.
How to get to this sunset viewpoint in Madeira?
First of all, you need to get to the Pico do Arieiro parking lot. This can be found easily by just typing „Pico do Arieiro“ into Google Maps. The navigation will automatically guide you to the parking lot.
Afterwards, you need to walk a few minutes to get to the best sunset spot, namely Miradouro Ninho da Manta. It’s part of the PR1 hike, but it’s relatively close to the starting point. Hence, you won’t need hiking gear in order to reach the spot.
From the parking lot, walk to the Kiosk and then start your journey. After around 10 minutes, you’ll arrive at Miradouro Ninho da Manta.
Tips for a sunset at Miradouro Ninho da Manta
For a sunset at Miradouro Ninho da Manta, we’d recommend to arrive at least an hour before the sun actually sets. You might want to arrive last minute, but keep in mind that you still have to walk to the viewpoint.
Since the weather on Madeira is quite unpredictable, you should google for the Pico do Arieiro webcam before driving up the winding roads. Below you may still think that the weather is too bad for a beautiful sunset, but trust the process. Most of the times it might be cloudy in Funchal and when you’re driving up to Pico do Arieiro, you’ll drive through thick fog, before eventually ending up above the clouds. Did you know that Madeira is one of the best places in the world to watch a cloud inversion?
2. Ponta da Ladeira sunset viewpoint
When it comes to the best sunset viewpoints in Madeira, Ponta da Ladeira is on top of every list. And this is not without reason, because Ponta da Ladeira is located on the north coast of Madeira and offers mesmerising views of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding mountains.
During our first time in Madeira, we visited Ponta da Ladeira twice, because watching the sunset here is one of the best things to do in Madeira. If you want to see a video of Ponta da Ladeira, we posted one on our Instagram.
How to get to this sunset viewpoint on Madeiras north coast?
Again, you can just type in „Miradouro Ponta da Ladeira“ into Google Maps and the navigation will bring you to a parking lot. From the parking lot you have to walk left to the top of the cliff. After 5 minutes you’ll arrive at one of the best viewpoints to watch the sunset.
Tips for a sunset at Miradouro Ponta da Ladeira
If you want to watch the sunset at Miradouro Ponta da Ladeira, you can easily combine it with a visit to Porto Moniz and maybe also check out the natural swimming pools of Porto Moniz.
Otherwise, we also recommend arriving a bit earlier to this sunset viewpoint as it’s really popular amongst tourists and can easily fill with people.
3. Cascata dos Anjos
Have you ever seen a waterfall pouring down onto a road? Madeira is one of those places where anything can happen. Cascata dos Anjos is one of the most popular waterfalls on the island. Mostly because it’s easily accessible and you don’t have to do a hike in order to reach it. However, it’s also a perfect sunset viewpoint in Madeira since it’s located at the side of a road with stunning ocean views to your left. Or right, depending from which direction you’re approaching Cascata dos Anjos.
How to get to this sunset viewpoint in Madeira?
As already mentioned, this sunset viewpoint in Madeira does not include any hiking whatsoever. You can easily reach it by car and then just walk the last few meters to the waterfall itself. We’d recommend parking in Ponta do Sol as the streets can fill up really quick and you’ll end up in a traffic jam consisting of people who’d like to see the waterfall. From Ponta do Sol it’s only a 10 minute walk to the waterfall.
Tips for a sunset at Cascata dos Anjos
First of all, you have to know that due to the position of this waterfall, it can be crowded. However, it’s not impossible to take great shots of the waterfall and enjoy the sunset. Once you’re done with your photos, you can walk a few meters and enjoy the sunset completely alone. When we visited Cascata dos Anjos, there only were a couple of other people who were all really friendly.
4. Miradouro da Rocha do Navio
This is a hidden gem as most people don’t know about this sunset viewpoint in Madeira yet. Miradouro da Rocha do Navio is located on the north coast of Madeira and offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, the surrounding mountains, and you also can see waterfalls from this viewpoint.
How to get to Miradouro da Rocha do Navio for sunset?
Actually, the way to Miradouro da Rocha do Navio is quite easily accessible by car as well. You can just type it into Google Maps and then park your car at the parking lot. From here you’ll see a hiking path on the left and a gondola to the right. Go to the gondola and voilà, you’re already at one of the best sunset spots without any other people.
Tips for a sunset at Miradouro da Rocha do Navio
If you want to visit Miradouro da Rocha do Navio for sunset, bring some snacks and drinks, chill down on one of the benches and enjoy the clouds turn pink. Since there is a gondola, this viewpoint in Madeira also has a toilet and trashcans. Remember to be respectful with the property.
5. Fanal Forest
You might know Fanal Forest as the mythical forest that is covered in fog, right? Well, turns out it’s also a wonderful sunset viewpoint. From here you can watch the sun set behind the mountains. Thus, you won’t see the sun dropping into the ocean. Nonetheless, the sunset at Fanal Forest was one of our favorites on the island. The otherwise mythical forest turned completely golden and it looked like we’ve stepped into a fairytale.
How to get to this sunset viewpoint in Madeira?
Getting to Fanal Forest is a bit tricky, because there are different places named „Fanal Forest“ on Google Maps. Be sure to tap onto „Posto Florestal do Fanal“ to get the right estimation of time and the right directions of course. After arriving at the Fanal parking lot, just go straight to the forest.
Tips for a sunset at Fanal Forest
Honestly, this is one of the hardest places to estimate if it’s a good sunset or not. Since there is no webcam at Fanal Forest it’s a little gambling. Of course, if the sky is crystal clear and you can see the trees from the distance, the chances are high that the sunset will be great. But that does not mean that it cannot get foggy once the temperatures drop a little.
Best sunset viewpoints in Madeira: General Tips & Recommendations
Do you need a car to travel Madeira?
We don’t say that you absolutely have to rent a car to travel Madeira since you can also drive up to the viewpoints by taxi. However, the public transportation system is nothing that I would rely on – especially if you’re not used to the island and want to arrive to certain spots at a specified time. Hence, we’d definitely recommend renting a car when you’re in Madeira.
Where to stay on Madeira?
Typically, the south coast of Madeira is a bit warmer and also sunnier than the north coast is. If you want to do our 7-day Madeira itinerary for example, we’d recommend staying nearby Funchal. This allows you to have the best experience in Madeira since you can drive up to most places within a short amount of time. Especially if it’s your first time in Madeira, it’s great to explore Funchal in the evening after a day in the nature.
During our last time on the island, we stayed at Sentido Galosol. This is a four star hotel located in Caniço. From there you can reach popular hiking spots like Ponta de São Lourenço within 25 minutes, be at the Pico do Arieiro within 40 minutes and visit Funchal within only 15 minutes.
The hotel offers continental breakfast with fresh fruits, smoothies, bread & croissants, pastel de nata, cheese & cold cuts as well as a live cooking station. You can order fresh pancakes, waffles or eggs at the live cooking station. Moreover, the hotel also has yoghurt, muesli and salads for breakfast.
What we loved most about Sentido Galosol was that the sun rises directly in front of the hotel. So, if you’re sitting outside for breakfast, you can watch the sunrise while sipping on your morning coffee.
When staying at Sentido Galosol in Caniço, you can choose from different room categories. We had a „Sentido Side Sea View“ room. From the balcony you can see the ocean from the left side. If you’re like us and you’re exploring during the day, this room category is more than fine. On another note, the beds and the room itself were fairly new and really comfortable.
This trip was kindly supported by the Madeira Promotion Bureau. Opinions and experiences are nevertheless uninfluenced.
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