Activities when it rains:
Sao Lourenco peninsula
Go karting under the airport
Climbing under the airport
Funchal market hall
Funchal Toy Museum
Viva Bowling Camacha
Cable car Achada da Cruz
Aquarium Porto Moniz
Lava cave Sao Vicente
North Mills Destillerie Porto da Cruz
Rainbow hunt, whole island
If you don't feel like getting wet during a hike in Madeira in
rain or bad weather, there are still numerous
activities in and around Funchal and in the north
of the island.
Many of the things to do are free and take place protected from rain
under a large roof or completely indoors. Let yourself be inspired and put together
your own personal experience for bad weather.
Visit the kart track or the artificial climbing wall under the airport's extended
runway, immerse yourself in the world of the lava caves in Sao Vicente, visit the
North Mills Distillery in Porto da Cruz or take the steepest cable car in Europe
to the Achada da Cruz plain. Many great adventures are open to you.
Please make sure to inquire about the opening times before you set off.
We at Casa Vento Madeira are always on the hunt for great experiences on our favorite
island, which we have been living on since January 2020.
If you are hard-boiled and don't shy away from wet clothes, you can go hiking
in the normal way even when it rains, on some levada hikes you cross waterfalls
anyway, but some Madeira visitors prefer to switch to activities that take place
indoors in bad weather. Since the temperatures are pleasant even in the cold season,
we will use the term a little broader.
Basically, Madeira is an island with a microclimate, i.e. when it rains in the north,
the south often awaits you with a bright blue sky. A very detailed weather forecast,
ideally with rain radar, is helpful when it comes to finding a dry spot. When the
clouds are very low, it can be sunny and warm at Pico Arieiro, for example.
For the few days of the year when the entire island is haunted by the life-giving
water, we have selected a handful of alternative activities for you.
You will not always find such fantastic conditions for your activities in Madeira. The north of the flower island in particular is more often under clouds. As long as it doesn't rain from it, it can have its very special charm and many hikes only then get a corresponding visual drama, which is particularly expressed in pictures.
Clouds are created by moist air that cools down as it rises - then the moisture condenses. Therefore, the coastal strip in the south is mostly cloud-free and dense clouds only form at altitudes above 600 meters. Depending on the weather, these have a different vertical extension. On the day above, the Paul da Serra plateau was in bright sunshine..
On the rare rainy days, Madeira is a perfect destination for hunting rainbows due to the rapidly changing weather. Where it has just rained, the sun wins the battle against the clouds. With her in your back, shining examples of how water droplets in the air break light are created in the remaining rainy areas.
We have the following suggestions for bad weather on the flower island:
We have sorted the activities geographically from the east in a clockwise direction.
The level indicates the rain resistance and the general climatic conditions. A
low level means firstly dryness and secondly also pleasant temperatures. Karting
under the airport runway is always dry, but also fully exposed to the temperatures.
Admission prices always refer to an adult visitor.
