PR 19 · Madeira
Caminho Real do Paul do Mar
The old royal road down the cliff from Prazeres to the fishing village of Paul do Mar. All descent, 534 metres of it.
- Distance 1.8 km
- Walking time 1 h 20
- Highest point 550 m
- Difficulty Moderate
- Route One way
Official figures. Walking times are moving times: they assume you never stop.
The route
One way. The trail ends somewhere else from where it starts, so plan how you get back before you set off.
The walk
Before the tunnels and the coast road, this is how people got down to Paul do Mar. One point eight kilometres, and in that distance you drop from 550 m to sea level.
The Calheta council recommends walking poles for it, and it is right. Steep, paved in places, and exposed enough on the cliff sections that they have put fences at the worst points. There is a resting place roughly halfway.
Now the part that catches people out. Buses out of Paul do Mar run twice on weekdays — early morning and early afternoon — and not at all on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. If you walk down on a Sunday, your options are climbing back up 534 metres or a taxi you have arranged in advance.
Continuous steep descent on eroded coastal ground. The council asks for good footwear and poles.
Before you go
Getting back
Downhill only, ending at sea level. Weekdays there are two buses out of Paul do Mar, early morning and early afternoon, changing at Ribeira Brava for Funchal. At weekends and on holidays there is no bus at all — arrange a taxi or accept the climb back.
By bus
Prazeres, at the top, is well served from Funchal on lines 390, 380 and 372 (formerly 142, 80 and 107). Paul do Mar, at the bottom, is not: two departures on weekdays, none at weekends.
What to bring
Poles if you have them.
Toilets, water and food
A resting point about halfway down.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 19
- 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 19 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 19 (Caminho Real do Paul do Mar) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 19?
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 19 take?
The official walking time is 1 h 20 for 1.8 km, one way. It is a moving time that assumes you never stop, so allow more for photographs, food and rests.
How do I get back after PR 19?
Downhill only, ending at sea level. Weekdays there are two buses out of Paul do Mar, early morning and early afternoon, changing at Ribeira Brava for Funchal. At weekends and on holidays there is no bus at all — arrange a taxi or accept the climb back.
Can I get to PR 19 by bus?
Prazeres, at the top, is well served from Funchal on lines 390, 380 and 372 (formerly 142, 80 and 107). Paul do Mar, at the bottom, is not: two departures on weekdays, none at weekends.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 19 (1.8 km, 1:20, moderate, 16–550 m)
- Câmara Municipal da Calheta, PR 19 page: one way, regular/steep, footwear and poles recommended, safety fences, halfway rest point
- Rodoeste timetables for Paul do Mar and Prazeres: no Saturday, Sunday or holiday service from Paul do Mar
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 trailsVereda do Jardim do Mar
The neighbouring descent to Paul do Mar's, this one down to Jardim do Mar. Closed at the moment.
- 1.9 km
- 1 h 30
- Moderate
- One way
Levada Velha do Rabaçal
The old channel above Rabaçal, from Pico Gordo down to the forestry house.
- 5 km
- 2 h
- One way
Vereda do Túnel do Cavalo
Into Rabaçal through an 800-metre tunnel cut between 1863 and 1877, from the Caldeira side.
- 2.3 km
- 45 min
- One way