PR11: Is the Levada dos Balcões open today?

Book it. PR11 on SIMplifica

Short and easy — but you still need to book, and being family-friendly it fills up.

1. Book your €4.50 slot on SIMplifica in advance, in a 30-minute window. Under-12s are free but must be on the booking.
2. Aim for a clear day. The viewpoint's whole point is the peaks — Pico do Areeiro, Pico das Torres and Pico Ruivo — so pick a bright morning if you can.

Getting there. Ribeiro Frio

The walk starts at Ribeiro Frio, a small forest village on the ER103 — about 40 minutes from Funchal.

• Very few parking spaces in Ribeiro Frio, and they go fast: come by bus or taxi if you can. There's a café and a trout farm for afterwards.
• The path follows the Levada da Serra do Faial — wide, level and shaded through laurel forest — a gentle 1.5 km to the Balcões miradouro (viewpoint).
• It's the easy win: nearly flat, short, and doable with kids or on a day you don't want a big climb.

Where to park for PR11?

Ribeiro Frio is a village, not a car park. People live here, and the ER103 is their road. Every weekend it's lined with hire cars, most carrying two people, and the police have to direct traffic. You don't need a car for this walk: the bus takes 40 minutes (€2.65), and a shared taxi back costs about €9 each (€35 for four, indicative). Leave the car in Funchal.

On weekdays the bus works both ways (see Plan your day by bus). You can even pair Balcões with PR1: bus to Ribeiro Frio, then a taxi to Pico do Areeiro, and the same taxi picks you up at Achada do Teixeira.

How to get to Ribeiro Frio by public transport

Ribeiro Frio is on CAM's Santana line from Funchal. The ride takes about 40 minutes and covers 19 km: up through Monte and over the Poiso pass at about 1,370 m, then down to Ribeiro Frio at about 870 m. Departure times are in PR11 by bus from Funchal below.

• Funchal stop: Almirante Reis, bay (doca) 7, CAM's Santana-line departures, at 32.64755, −16.90271. The departures board is at the stop.
• Second stop: near the Mercado dos Lavradores (the farmers' market), on the way out of the city. The shelter says MONTE on top.
• Get off at Ribeiro Frio, by the café and the trout farm. Both walks start here.

Stop 1 in Google Maps Stop 2 in Google Maps

Driving instead? The same route as a GPX file works in any car navigation app.

Download GPX: Funchal → Ribeiro Frio Download GPX: PR11 Vereda dos Balcões

Two walks from Ribeiro Frio: PR10 and PR11

• PR10 Levada do Furado: Ribeiro Frio to Portela, about 11 km one way, around 4 hours, moderate. It ends at Portela, not back at the start, so plan the return.
• PR11 Vereda dos Balcões: 1.7 km one way on our GPS track (the official figure is 1.5 km), flat and easy going, to the Balcões viewpoint and back the same way.

Both start from the same spot by the road in Ribeiro Frio, and each needs its own €4.50 SIMplifica ticket. The parish's map board beside the road lists PR10 as 10.7 km and PR11 as 3 km there and back. On PR11, tickets are checked at a wooden booth at the start of the path.

PR11 route and altitude profile

We walked PR11 with a GPS logger and a signal recorder, from the PR10 start at Ribeiro Frio to the Balcões viewpoint. Our track measures 1.7 km one way (the official figure is 1.5 km), and it stays between 865 and 887 m: the path follows the levada, so it is flat.

Altitude profile, coloured by mobile signal strength

Download GPX: PR11 Vereda dos Balcões

Altitude from the phone's GPS, corrected to sea level (±10–20 m), so small bumps are noise. Each column shows the phone signal at that point on the path, from excellent to none.

What you see from the Balcões viewpoint

IFCN's panel at the viewpoint (860 m) names the skyline: the central mountains from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, with Fajã da Nogueira deep in the valley below. In cloud the peaks can be hidden, so a clear morning is best.

Is there phone signal on the Balcões walk?

Some, but not much. We measured the signal every few metres along the path with a phone that could use any Portuguese network.

• Ribeiro Frio and the first 300 m: good signal.
• About 300 to 600 m in: none. Calls drop and nothing loads.
• From 600 m to the viewpoint: poor to fair, with a few spots with none. Calls and messages mostly work; maps and photos load slowly.

PR11 by bus from Funchal (CAM)

Getting there: Funchal → Ribeiro Frio

Trips via Ribeiro Frio only, as on CAM's board at the stop. The ride takes about 40 minutes; the “Via Rápida” trips on the same board don't stop there. A single ticket, bought on the bus, costs €2.65.

From Almirante Reis, bay 7.

Getting back: Ribeiro Frio → Funchal

Catch the bus to Funchal at the same stop.

* 13:15 in school term, 13:45 in school holidays. At weekends, after the morning bus, 18:30 is the only one back.

Plan your day by bus

• Weekdays: no car, no taxi. Take the 08:10 (at Ribeiro Frio about 08:50), book a 09:00 or 09:30 slot, and catch the 11:40 back, in Funchal at 12:30. The 10:00 also works, with the 13:15 or 13:45 back. Bus both ways: €5.30.
• Weekends: bus up, taxi back. The morning bus back leaves at 07:25 on Saturdays and 08:50 on Sundays, before anyone can finish the 1h30 walk, and the next one is at 18:30. So it's a taxi back (about €35, about €11 each for four with the €2.65 bus up; indicative) or a long wait.

Times as printed on CAM's Santana network timetable; times at intermediate stops are approximate and can change with traffic or bad weather. No buses on 25 December. Check before you travel with CAM: info@cam-madeira.pt, +351 291 201 151 (weekdays 08:30–17:30).

What's the weather at Vereda dos Balcões (PR11) now?

The status card above shows the latest measured reading from the IPMA Pico do Areeiro station, the regional weather station nearest the trail: temperature, wind and whether it is likely in cloud. Expect the mountains cooler and cloudier than Funchal.

Weather near the trail (IPMA Pico do Areeiro station, 09:10): 7 °C, wind 19 km/h.

Official weather warnings for the Madeira mountains: IPMA.

Closed or full? Your options

• If IFCN closes PR11 on your date, email helpdesk.ifcn@madeira.gov.pt within 10 working days with your tickets and invoice, and ask for a new date within a year or a refund. Rain or a change of plans doesn't count, and the SIMplifica contact centre can't change bookings.
• Other gentle options: check the live board — or pair it with the summit via Pico Ruivo on a clear day.

Three things people find out too late

• You still have to book. It's the easiest walk on the island, but it's booking-only on SIMplifica like the rest.
• The view needs a clear day. In cloud the miradouro is just white — check the forecast for the peaks, and the live status here.
• It's popular because it's easy. Family groups fill the slots, especially midday — book ahead and go early for a quiet path.

Questions people ask

PR11: Is the Levada dos Balcões open today?

Vereda dos Balcões (PR11) is OPEN on IFCN's official trail-warnings list. Access is €4.50 through the SIMplifica portal; children under 12 are free but must be on the booking.

Is the Balcões walk easy and good for kids?

Yes — it is Madeira's easiest levada walk: about 1.5 km each way, nearly flat (870–880 m), on a wide levada path through laurel forest to a viewpoint. It suits families and anyone wanting a short, gentle walk.

Do you need to book the Balcões trail?

Yes. Even though it is short and easy, PR11 requires an advance booking and €4.50 payment through SIMplifica, in a 30-minute entry slot. Under-12s are free but must be on the booking.

Where do you park for the Balcões?

There are very few parking spaces in Ribeiro Frio, on the ER103, and they go fast. Come by bus from Funchal (about 40 minutes) or by taxi. The trail starts by the road; the village has a café and a trout farm for afterwards.