The bailinho
The bailinho
Read the evening the way the dance itself moves — a handful of verses, each one carrying the night a little further, from the first knock on your hotel door to the drive back.
- First Verse
The knock at the door
The evening starts at your own accommodation in Funchal, Caniço or Câmara de Lobos — checked against the hotel list at checkout — with a driver collecting you rather than a taxi to arrange yourself.
- Second Verse
The glass of Madeira
At the restaurant, the meal opens with a glass of Madeira wine before a spoon is picked up — the fortified, oxidised wine the island gave its name to, poured as a welcome rather than a course.
- Third Verse
Soup and bolo do caco
Tomato soup arrives with bolo do caco alongside it, the round flatbread Madeira cooks on a hot basalt stone rather than in an oven — the table's first taste of the island's own bread before the main course lands.
- Fourth Verse
Espetada on the table
The main course is espetada — cubes of beef seasoned with salt, garlic and bay leaf, cooked on a skewer — served with french fries, vegetables, salad and milho frito, fried cubes of maize, alongside it.
- Fifth Verse
The music starts
As plates clear, the evening's entertainment begins — a Madeiran folk group or a fado concert, by the operator's own account of the night, with wine, beer and soft drinks still moving freely around the room.
- Sixth Verse
Dessert, then the road back
Dessert is a choice between coffee mousse and a fresh fruit salad, followed by coffee and a digestive Madeiran liqueur, before the same pickup loop runs in reverse to drop each table back at its hotel.
The evening runs about 3 hours; your pickup time is set on your booking confirmation.
The Madeiran table
The Madeiran table
You're collected from your hotel and taken to the restaurant as part of the evening, where a fixed three-course menu is served.
A three-course menu, not a buffet
Everyone at the table works through the same three courses: soup with bolo do caco, espetada as the main, then a choice of dessert — a plated sequence rather than a spread to help yourself from.
Drinks kept topped up
Red wine, white wine, beer and soft drinks are included through the meal, poured as often as you'd like rather than to a set allowance per person.
The music and the bailinho
The music and the bailinho
Machete, rajao and cavaquinho
Madeiran folk music is built on a small family of stringed instruments — the machete, the rajao and the cavaquinho — plucked rather than strummed, and small enough for a folk group to carry from restaurant to restaurant. The rajao itself is a five-string instrument roughly 70cm long, tuned in a reentrant pattern, and it left the island in the 1800s with Madeiran cabinet-makers who helped shape what became Hawaii's ukulele.
The brinquinho keeps the beat
Alongside the strings sits the brinquinho, a percussion instrument unique to Madeira: a cane pole strung with tiers of small dressed dolls, each holding a castanet, that click together when a hidden wire is pulled from the base. It likely dates to the 19th century and still turns up in folklore performances across the island as both an instrument and, frankly, a bit of a spectacle in its own right.
The bailinho da Madeira
The dance this music serves is the bailinho da Madeira — the island's best-known folk dance, danced to the machete, rajao, cavaquinho and brinquinho together. It's a dance built for a room rather than a stage: quick-footed, sociable, and traditionally one that pulls bystanders in rather than keeping them seated.
Folk group or fado
The entertainment on this evening is either a Madeiran folk group or a fado concert, played live by local musicians rather than through a recorded soundtrack.
The options on this ticket
The options on this ticket
| Option | What's included | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup area | Hotel pickup and drop-off in Funchal, Caniço or Câmara de Lobos — not from Funchal Port | Anyone staying in one of these three areas |
| Dessert | Coffee mousse or a fresh fruit salad, chosen at the table | Whichever suits you after espetada and wine |
| Group booking | The same three-course dinner and show, booked for a larger table | Birthdays, anniversaries and family groups |
Not sure your hotel is on the route? Check your hotel on the pickup list ↗
More Madeira evenings
Check dates and book
Other Madeira activities GetYourGuide lists nearby, on their own booking pages.
Pickup and getting there
Pickup and getting there
Pickup in Funchal, Caniço or Câmara de Lobos
Pickup and drop-off run from your own accommodation in Funchal, Caniço or Câmara de Lobos — not from Funchal Port — with the specific hotel list shown when you book at checkout. The evening runs about 3 hours from pickup to drop-off.
No restaurant address to find
Because the evening runs on hotel pickup rather than a published venue address, there's nothing to navigate to yourself — the one practical step on your side is making sure your hotel and room details are correct when you book.
Check your own pickup time
Pickup time is set by your own hotel's place on the route — check the time printed on your booking confirmation once it's issued.
Read more
Read more
A Madeira dinner show evening, step by step
From the knock at your hotel door to the drive back — what the ticket actually covers, roughly in order.
Read the guide →what's on the plateEspetada, bolo do caco and the Madeiran table
The three dishes that actually define this dinner, and where each one comes from on the island.
Read the guide →what's in the glassMadeira wine and poncha: what you'll be poured
The fortified wine that opens the meal, the island spirit that isn't part of this ticket, and what actually is.
Read the guide →the instruments and the danceThe music: brinquinho, rajão and the Bailinho da Madeira
What's actually being played when the folk group takes over the room, instrument by instrument.
Read the guide →choosing your optionPickup areas and choosing your option
One pickup area across three towns, and the two things that are actually yours to choose: dessert and a larger table.
Read the guide →planning aheadPlanning a group dinner on a Madeira holiday
What to think through before booking this evening for more than two people.
Read the guide →FAQ
Before you book
What's actually included in the price?
Hotel pickup and drop-off, a three-course Madeiran dinner starting with a glass of Madeira wine, red wine, white wine, beer or soft drinks through the meal, and a performance by a Madeiran folk group or a fado concert.
Will the entertainment be a folk group or fado?
It's either a Madeiran folk group or a fado concert — both live, local musicians rather than a recorded track.
Where is the restaurant?
You're collected directly from your hotel and driven to the restaurant as part of the evening.
Is pickup available from the cruise port in Funchal?
No — pickup is from your own accommodation in Funchal, Caniço or Câmara de Lobos, not from Funchal Port. The specific hotel list is shown when you book at checkout.
Can I choose my dessert?
Yes — coffee mousse or a fresh fruit salad, chosen at the table, followed by coffee and a digestive Madeiran liqueur.
Is there a vegetarian option?
The published menu is a fixed sequence built around espetada. If a dietary need matters to your evening, message your booking through GetYourGuide before the date to check, rather than assume.
What time will I be picked up?
The evening runs about 3 hours; your specific pickup time is set on your booking confirmation.
Is poncha part of the drinks included?
The welcome glass is Madeira wine, and red wine, white wine, beer and soft drinks are poured through the meal.