Rum Tour: Madeira rum where it's made
The island's sugar-cane rum, from the old cane mill at Porto da Cruz on the north-east coast to the engenhos of Calheta in the west.
€260 per car for 1 to 4 people, €300 for 5 or 6, for about 8 hours. Tastings are paid at each distillery.
- Up to 6 guests in one car
- Zero drinks for your driver
- Booked every tasting, before the day
Your driver speaks EnglishPortuguêsРусский
The day's price, per car
| Route | Time | Price per car, 1–4 people | Price per car, 5–6 people | Status | Book |
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| Rum Tour: the sugar-cane distilleries Private tour | 8 h | €260 | €300 | On request | Book: Rum Tour: the sugar-cane distilleries |
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Private tour
Rum Tour: the sugar-cane distilleries
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| Your own route, half day Your own route | 4 h | €1501–6 peoplenight €173 | On request | Book: Your own route, half day | |
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Your own route
Your own route, half day
All details
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A half day covers Porto da Cruz and its masterclass alone. Pickup is included in Funchal, Caniço, Santa Cruz, Machico, Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava.
Prices checked on 25 September 2026. Every price is per car, in euro, for the whole group.
The distilleries
Engenhos do Norte, Porto da Cruz. A working distillery by the beach on the north-east coast, with the old cane mill in its hall. The masterclass takes 1.5 hours and 7 rums, €30 a person, booked a day ahead.
Engenhos da Calheta. On the south-west coast, open every day from 10:00 to 18:30, with a museum of the old machinery, a tasting room and a shop.
Engenho Novo, Estreito da Calheta. William Hinton's distillery in the hills above Calheta, by appointment only, with tastings from €20 to €50 a person.
A sample weekday, coast to coast
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09:00
Pickup at your hotel
At a hotel your driver waits at the main entrance, and for a holiday rental in a narrow street we send a map pin the evening before for the nearest point where the car can stop.
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10:00
Engenhos do Norte, Porto da Cruz
The masterclass, then a look at the mill and the stills.
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12:30
Lunch by the sea
In Porto da Cruz or on the way west; tell us if you'd like a table booked.
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14:30
Engenhos da Calheta
The museum and the tasting room, about an hour across the island.
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15:45
Engenho Novo, Estreito da Calheta Optional
When the distillery gives us a slot for your date.
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About 17:00
Back at your hotel
Forty minutes or so from Calheta to Funchal.
The rules for a tasting day
- 18 and over to taste. Children ride along: Portuguese law bans alcohol for anyone under 18. Child seats are free, so tell us each child's age when you book and we fit the right seat.
- No open drinks in the car. Bottles you buy travel sealed in a cool box in the boot.
- Sundays. Engenhos do Norte is closed, so a Sunday Rum Tour stays in the west.
Rum Tour questions
What is Madeira rum?
Rum distilled from fresh sugar-cane juice, like French rhum agricole, and the base of the island's poncha.
When is the best time for a rum tour?
Spring, when the cane is cut and the mills press it: at Engenhos do Norte from March to May, at Calheta after Easter, at Engenho Novo from April to early June. The rest of the year you see the stills, the casks and the tasting rooms.
Can we add wine or poncha?
Yes. A lodge tasting in Funchal or a poncha in Câmara de Lobos fits on the way back. For a whole day of either, see the Wine Way and the Poncha Path.
Tell us your date, and we'll book the masterclass.
We reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00 with a route for your day of the week and the price for the car. Booking is on request, and we confirm your date in that reply.
Rum Tour: the sugar-cane distilleries €260 per car for 1 to 4 people, €300 for 5 or 6