Madeira · With kids

A fifteen-minute cable car above Funchal, then wicker toboggans steered downhill by two men in straw hats. Ages 6+ for the toboggan run.

Volcanic pools on the north coast, filled and flushed by the sea, with shallow sections and ladders. Ages 4+; check the swell before going.

Catamarans leave Funchal marina for two and a half hours. Pilot whales and dolphins are resident and turtles are common. Ages 5+.

At Santana, with pavilions on the island's history, a lake with rowing boats and traditional triangular houses outside. Ages 4–12.

The island is switchbacks and tunnels, and car sickness is genuinely common. Many levadas have unfenced drops; Balcões and Caldeirão Verde are the flatter routes.