Where to watch the sunset in Madeira

The best places to watch the sunset in Madeira are the high peaks, where the sun can go down over a sea of cloud, and the west coast, where it sets over the open Atlantic. Pico do Arieiro is the summit you can drive to, and our sunset tour takes you up and back down after dark. On the coast, the lighthouse at Ponta do Pargo stands at the island's western tip.

Sunset in Madeira comes at about 18:07 around the shortest day and about 21:20 in late June, Madeira time. The island is small, so the time barely changes between Funchal and the west coast. The sunset tour page lists sunset, pickup and last light for every month.

The sun also moves along the horizon. In midsummer it sets in the west-north-west, and in midwinter in the west-south-west. A coast that faces west sees it go into the sea all year. Funchal faces south, so for much of the year the sun sets behind the hills to the west of the town.

The strongest colours often come after the sun has gone. Stay until last light, when the sky over the sea or the cloud has turned pink and then dark blue.

Pico do Arieiro, at 1,818 m, is the high summit you can drive to, about 40–45 min from Funchal. On evenings when the cloud lies below the summit, the sun goes down over a sea of cloud and the ridges glow in the last light. On other evenings the top sits inside the cloud, so look at the summit webcam in the afternoon.

The Funchal bus goes up at 06:00 and 13:30 from the Teleférico (cable car) terminus, stop 4A, and down at 12:15 and 19:00 (18:00 in winter), €3 a trip paid on board, so the last one down leaves before sunset in every month. The road down is unlit and winding. Our Pico do Arieiro sunset tour picks you up at your hotel about 90 minutes before sunset and brings you back after dark, for €120 the car. Parking and the road up are in the Pico do Arieiro guide.

Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 m, is the highest point of the island, and no road reaches it. The shortest way up is the PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira, a moderate walk of 5.6 km there and back, about 1 h 30, on a well-made path with steps. For the sunset you walk down in the dusk and then the dark, so bring a torch for each walker and warm layers.

The walk needs a SIMplifica booking at €4.50 a person, which you make yourself, and the day is sold in entry slots, so check that one fits your sunset before you plan around it. The trail fees guide explains the booking. Achada do Teixeira is about an hour from Funchal: on the Santana hills hiking transfer, €160 for the car, your driver drops you there and collects you at the same spot after dark.

The lighthouse at Ponta do Pargo stands on the cliffs at the western tip of Madeira, its light 312 m above the sea, with a viewpoint beside it. Only the Atlantic lies to the west, so the sun goes down over the sea in every month. It is about an hour's drive from Funchal.

Further south, Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar sit at the foot of the cliffs, right on the water, and look out west over the sea. Stay for dinner in one of the villages and leave the dark road back to your driver.

Ponta do Sol and Calheta

Ponta do Sol, about half an hour west of Funchal, is a small town on a bay with a pier, and its name means the sunny point. Calheta, further west, has a sandy beach and a marina. From autumn to spring the sun goes down over the sea, while in midsummer it can set behind the headlands to the west.

Porto Moniz

Porto Moniz, at the north-west corner of the island, is known for its rock pools filled by the sea. In summer, when the sun sets furthest north, it goes down over the open sea beyond the pools. Porto Moniz is about an hour from Funchal.

Funchal faces south, so for much of the year the sun goes down behind the hills to the west, and the town is at its best in the afterglow, when the lights come on around the bay. Three places work well:

• Pico dos Barcelos, a viewpoint 355 m above the sea on the west side of town, looks over the whole bay and has a café.
• The waterfront, from the marina to the Lido promenade, has the sea at your feet and bars to wait in.
• Câmara de Lobos, the fishing harbour just west of Funchal, has the boats in the bay and the cliff of Cabo Girão behind them.

The glass platform at Cabo Girão, on a cliff 580 m high, is open 08:00 to 20:00 every day, so it suits a sunset only from October to March, when the sun goes down before it closes. Entry is €5 for visitors over 12, free for 12 and under.

The weather can differ from one side of Madeira to the other, and the peaks can stand clear above a layer of cloud while the coast is grey, or the other way round. Read the forecast for the place you're going, and for the peaks, look at the summit webcam.

• A warm layer: at altitude it turns cold as soon as the sun is down, and on the coast the wind picks up in the evening.
• A torch or a phone light for paths after dusk.
• Time to stay: the colours often peak after sunset.