PR 11 · Madeira
Vereda dos Balcões
A flat half-hour through the laurel forest to a balcony looking straight at the island's highest peaks.
- Distance 1.5 km
- Walking time 1 h 30
- Highest point 880 m
- Difficulty Easy
- Route There and back
Official figures. Walking times are moving times: they assume you never stop.
The route
The walk
This is the one for the person in the group who does not walk.
Half an hour, flat, through the forest from the road at Ribeiro Frio, and then it opens onto a viewpoint looking up the Ribeira da Metade valley. Pico Ruivo, Pico das Torres and Pico do Areeiro are lined up in front of you and you have done nothing to deserve them.
The chaffinches on the path will land on your hand. Please do not feed them. They are quite bold enough as it is.
Go in the morning if you want the peaks out of cloud. There are restaurants and toilets at the start, which on a Madeiran trail is worth mentioning.
Very little to warn about. The surface is uneven in places and it is not a pushchair route.
Before you go
Where to park
On the ER 103 at Ribeiro Frio. Roadside, tight, and shared with the restaurants.
Getting back
Back the way you came, to the same spot.
By bus
Lines 801 and 850/860 (formerly 56 and 103) from Funchal pass Ribeiro Frio in around 40 minutes, but not every run goes over the mountain — some take the tunnel and skip it entirely. Check the specific departure on the SIGA timetable rather than the line number.
When to go
An hour and a half at an easy pace. The peaks are usually clear early and gone by afternoon.
Toilets, water and food
Restaurants and toilets at Ribeiro Frio, at the start.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 11
- You, on the line The whole trail on the map with your position on it, from the car park to the end.
- No signal needed Kept on your phone for the valleys and tunnels where the network goes.
- Today's free slots Every half hour of the day, live from SIMplifica, and booking in a tap.
- A timer for the walk Private, it counts from the trailhead and stops by itself at the end.
- To do, and done Mark the walks you want to do and the ones you have walked.
- Open or closed, every morning The IFCN status on every trail, read again each day.
Questions people ask
Is PR 11 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 11 (Vereda dos Balcões) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 11?
Yes. Every visitor over twelve books an entry slot on SIMplifica, the regional government's portal, before walking, and pays €4.50. Madeira residents, children aged twelve and under and people with a disability of 60% or more do not pay, but still register.
How long does PR 11 take?
The official walking time is 1 h 30 for 1.5 km. It is a moving time that assumes you never stop, so allow more for photographs, food and rests.
Where do I park for PR 11?
On the ER 103 at Ribeiro Frio. Roadside, tight, and shared with the restaurants.
How do I get back after PR 11?
Back the way you came, to the same spot.
Can I get to PR 11 by bus?
Lines 801 and 850/860 (formerly 56 and 103) from Funchal pass Ribeiro Frio in around 40 minutes, but not every run goes over the mountain — some take the tunnel and skip it entirely. Check the specific departure on the SIGA timetable rather than the line number.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 11 (1.5 km, 1:30, easy, 870–880 m)
- IFCN / SIMplifica (licence and fee)
- Bus lines 56 and 103 via SIGA and Horários do Funchal timetables; the tunnel-route caveat is repeated across several 2026 guides
Status as the IFCN publishes it. This page was last rebuilt on 15 October at 07:00, Madeira time. Trails close without warning after storms: check again on the morning you walk.
Guides that mention this trail
Trails nearby
All 43 trails
PR 10 Open Levada do Furado
Eleven kilometres of levada from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, through some of the oldest laurel forest on the island.
- 11 km
- 5 h
- Moderate
- One way
Vereda do Burro
Down from the Pico do Areeiro car park to Ribeira das Cales, mostly through heather and then laurel forest. A descent, not a climb.
- 7.2 km
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- One way
PR 1 Open Vereda do Areeiro
Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo
The high ridge walk between the island's two tallest peaks, through tunnels and along staircases cut into the rock.
- 6.1 km
- 3 h
- Moderate
- One way