Madeira with children: what families should know before they book.
Madalena do Mar beach.
Madeira is brilliant for families. But is it the easiest destination with small children? Honestly, no.
We have hills. Lots of them. Steps, narrow roads and, once you leave some of the more central areas, pavements that occasionally seem to just disappear. It is, after all, a mountainous island. That's part of what makes Madeira so beautiful, but it's also something worth knowing before you arrive with a toddler, a pushchair and visions of walking everywhere.
Funchal, the capital of Madeira, is relatively easy to get around, particularly around the centre and waterfront. Stay in one of the villages, however, and it's a different story.
Would that stop me recommending Madeira for a family holiday? Absolutely not. I live here with my family and I've also spent years working in hospitality and planning stays for families visiting the island.
If anything, I've learnt that the difference between a brilliant family holiday here and one that feels like hard work often comes down to something quite simple: Choosing the right place to stay. Get that right, and Madeira is pretty difficult to beat.
Where you stay really matters
For families, I'm a huge fan of staying in a private house or villa. There are some beautiful family-friendly villas in Madeira, with private pools, gardens and enough space that you aren't all living on top of each other for a week.
More importantly, you can actually relax. Nobody needs to be dressed in time for breakfast. The children can jump in the pool while you're still drinking coffee. Lunch can happen at 2pm because nobody is particularly hungry yet.
And if you decide you're doing absolutely nothing that day, you can. Especially when travelling with children, that freedom is a luxury in itself. But I would always look beyond the beautiful photographs when choosing a house.
That incredible view usually comes with a hill
There's a reason so many houses in Madeira have ridiculously stunning ocean views. They're built into the side of a mountain. And that can mean steps. Lots of them. The beautiful three-storey villa with the infinity pool might be perfect for a family with teenagers and completely impractical for a family travelling with a two-year-old. With younger children, I'd pay particular attention to stairs, the pool and whether there's somewhere safe to play.
With teenagers, the priorities change, space, a good pool, Wi-Fi and things to do suddenly move much higher up the list. The best family villa isn't necessarily the most impressive one.
It's the one that works for your family.
Bringing a pushchair? A little planning goes a long way
Funchal is much easier with a pushchair, particularly around the centre and along the waterfront. Outside Funchal, I wouldn't assume you'll be walking everywhere.
Some villages have pavements, some roads don't, and distances can be very deceptive when hills are involved. Google might tell you the restaurant is only a ten-minute walk away. Google doesn't have to push the buggy back up the hill afterwards.
If you're staying outside Funchal, I would generally recommend hiring a car or arranging transfers. And if you have a very small child, bringing a baby carrier as well as a pushchair isn't a bad idea.
The good news is that you don't necessarily have to bring your entire house with you.
A friend of mine, and fellow mum, runs Carry Baby Madeira, where you can hire pushchairs, car seats, baby carriers and travel beds for your stay. They can even deliver to your accommodation or the airport, which makes travelling with little ones considerably easier. I always like supporting other women running businesses here on the island, particularly when it's a service that's genuinely useful for families visiting Madeira.
A few practical things worth knowing
Particularly for longer family stays, there are a few practical things worth thinking about when choosing a house.
Can you park close to it? How far is the nearest supermarket? And if you're travelling with younger children, where are their bedrooms in relation to yours? It's also worth knowing that outside Funchal, supermarket delivery isn't really an option.
If you're staying in one of the villages, having a car makes life considerably easier. They're small details, but when you're travelling as a family, they make a difference.
Madeira isn't really a sandy-beach holiday
Madeira isn't the Algarve. Most of our beaches are pebble or rock rather than sand, which personally I prefer, the sea is beautifully clear.
With young children, though, it isn't always the easiest option. Pebbles, little feet and getting three children in and out of the sea isn't always the most relaxing combination. I've been there and done it. Water shoes definitely help.
Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives. Funchal has four main public lido and bathing complexes, which are great for families and make spending a day by the sea much easier with younger children. If you want sand, Calheta and Machico have man-made golden-sand beaches, and we also have volcanic black-sand beaches, including Ribeira Brava and Seixal. Personally, with children I'd choose Ribeira Brava.
Seixal is beautiful, but it can get very busy, particularly in summer. Ribeira Brava tends to be less crowded and during the summer there are often activities for children, such as creative play and painting. You can also rent kayaks there, which is great if you're travelling with older children.
Then, of course, there are Madeira's natural swimming pools and other bathing areas around the island, including Porto Moniz. So no, Madeira isn't the typical sandy-beach family holiday, but you certainly aren't short of places to swim. And personally, I'll take our clear Atlantic water and rocky coastline over a crowded sandy beach any day.
And then there's Porto Santo...
If you're travelling with very young children and what you really want is more of a traditional beach holiday, Porto Santo is worth considering too. It's a tiny island, around a two-hour ferry ride from Funchal, and completely different to Madeira. The long sandy beaches are divine, the island itself is very pretty and everything feels a little slower.
For families with small children who simply want sand, sea and easy beach days, it works really well. You don't necessarily need to choose between the two either. Spending a couple of days in Porto Santo as part of a longer Madeira holiday is a lovely combination, particularly if the children are desperate for proper sand. Personally, I like October. Summer can be incredibly busy, whereas October tends to feel much calmer and you can actually enjoy the island without quite so many people around.
What to do in Madeira with children
Whale and dolphin watching is an obvious one, and rightly so. Being out on the Atlantic and seeing dolphins in their natural environment is pretty special at any age. There are boat trips, cable cars, gardens, swimming, snorkelling, kayaking and plenty of ways to get children outside.
With older children and teenagers, Madeira becomes even more fun. Depending on their age and confidence, there's canyoning, coasteering, surfing, paddleboarding, diving, mountain biking, hiking, 4x4 trips, horse riding and plenty more.
Madeira is particularly good with teenagers. I have teenagers myself, and there's no shortage of ways to get them outside and away from a screen for a few hours. It's also a great island when you're travelling with children of different ages because not everybody has to do everything together.
But my biggest piece of advice? Don't turn the holiday into a military operation.
Leave some days empty
It's very tempting when you arrive somewhere new to fill every day. Dolphins at 9am. Lunch reservation. Cable car. Gardens. Dinner. Tomorrow we're hiking. By Wednesday, everyone needs another holiday.
If you've rented a beautiful house with a pool, use it. Have breakfast outside. Let the children swim all morning. Go somewhere for lunch. Come home. Decide at 5pm that you fancy heading out for dinner.
Not every day needs a plan. Some of the best family stays I've seen in Madeira have been a mixture of proper days exploring the island and days where very little happened at all. And that's usually when everyone actually relaxes.
Sometimes, let Madeira come to you
For longer family stays, instead of constantly moving everyone from one place to another, bring some of the experience to the house. Have a private chef cook dinner one evening. Arrange yoga in the garden. Have a massage at the villa while the children are in the pool. Order lunch and don't go anywhere.
It doesn't need to be extravagant. It's simply about making sure the holiday feels like a holiday for the parents too.
Because there's a very real difference between taking your children on holiday and actually getting a holiday yourself.
And if you prefer a hotel?
I'm obviously a fan of villa stays for families, but they aren't right for everyone. Sometimes having breakfast downstairs, housekeeping taken care of and everything on your doorstep is exactly what you want from a holiday.
In Funchal, Savoy Palace is one I like for families. It has family suites, several pools, including a children's pool, and facilities for children. And, perhaps just as importantly, there's a very good spa for tired parents.
If being beside the beach is more important, Calheta Beach is another good option. It's not quite the same level of luxury as Savoy Palace, but for families it's incredibly easy. There are family rooms and suites, pools and facilities for children, and Calheta's golden-sand beach is literally on your doorstep.
For longer stays, larger families or anyone wanting more privacy and space, I'd still personally choose a villa. But if you want the convenience of a hotel, both are good options for very different reasons
So, where should you stay in Madeira with children?
This completely depends on your family. If you want to walk to restaurants, cafés and shops and have plenty happening around you, Funchal is the obvious place to start.
If you want more space, privacy and slower days, I love the southwest. Ponta do Sol, Ribeira Brava and Calheta all have some beautiful private homes and work particularly well for villa stays. I would just recommend having a car. The north is greener, wilder and incredibly beautiful, but again, you're choosing a completely different type of holiday.
Before deciding where to stay, I'd ask yourself one very simple question: What do we actually want our days to look like? Not what you've saved on Instagram. Not the ten places someone on TikTok says you absolutely cannot miss.
Do you want to walk out for dinner every evening? Spend half the holiday beside your own pool? Explore every day? Do you have small children who still nap? Teenagers who want adventure? Grandparents travelling with you?
Start there.
So, is Madeira good for a family holiday?
Yes. Very. Is it the easiest destination with a toddler and a pushchair? Probably not. But come knowing that Madeira has hills, choose where you stay carefully and don't try to fit the entire island into one week.
With older children, it becomes one enormous outdoor playground. With younger ones, take things a little slower. Swim. Eat. Explore. Come home when everyone's had enough.
The island will do the rest.
Planning a family stay in Madeira?
Through Madeira in Style, I work with a small collection of beautiful homes that work particularly well for families.
From there, I help plan the stay around your family, where to stay, what to do, the practical details and the experiences that will genuinely add something to your time here.
You might want to explore the island from morning until evening. Or you might want a beautiful house, a pool, a few great experiences and plenty of time together doing very little.
Tell me how your family likes to travel, and I'll help you style your stay in Madeira. Start planning your stay →
