FUNCHAL

Situated in a bay bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south coast of the island of Madeira, Funchal is the capital of Madeira.

This town that dates back some 600 years, since 21st August 1508, owes its name to a sweet-smelling wild herb, the “Foeniculum Vulgare” traditionally known as fennel [funcho], which existed in abundance at the time of its settlement.

Funchal is the largest tourist, cultural and commercial center of the archipelago of Madeira. This city offers a wide range of leisure activities, from visits to museums, monuments and other landmarks, to walks in its beautiful gardens, walks along the Marina of Funchal , shopping and going out at night to bars and nightclubs.

In the form of an amphitheater, the Municipality of Funchal stretches along a hillside that goes from sea level to the Pico de Areeiro, at 1 818m altitude.

CALHETA

The Calheta municipality, home to close to 12 thousand people, is located between the southern and western end of the island of Madeira, and its area of approximately 116 Km2 makes it the longest of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

It is thought that the origin of the name derives from the small bay or cove, which serves as its port, where Zarco entered when he intended to go ashore, because this is the meaning of Calheta.

This locality houses the Arts Centre “Casa das Mudas”, a project designed in complete harmony with the surrounding landscape, which features a wide cultural offer. “Casa das Mudas” holds exhibitions of various kinds, plays, musicals, conferences and many other events.

CÂMARA DE LOBOS

The name of this parish comes from the fact that at the time of the discovery of the island loads of sea lions were sighted at that cove that still retains the same configuration. Currently these animals appear only occasionally on the south coast of the island, with a colony preserved in the Desert Islands.

Câmara de Lobos was the first place where João Gonçalves Zarco, the navigator who discovered the island lived between 1420 and 1424. This was the first settlement established in Madeira by João Gonçalves Zarco himself, which became parish in 1430.

Here you can climb to the islet of Câmara de Lobos a cliff overlooking the sea that resembles an island. This area has recently been refurbished and adapted to host cultural activities, featuring a beautiful garden with magnificent views of the city, the sea and the surrounding area, including Cabo Girão.

RIBEIRA BRAVA

Located on the south coast of the island, the municipality of Ribeira Brava has an area of approximately 65.10 km2 with about 13 375 inhabitants. Ribeira Brava became a village on May 28th 1928.

Its main economic activity is agriculture; from the cultivation of land comes sweet potatoes, beans, vegetables, some cereal, fruit and wine.

PONTA DO SOL

Situated on the south coast of the island, Ponta do Sol is currently the county seat, and has about 8,200 inhabitants in its area of 43.3 km2.
This is considered the hottest municipality of the island; it is also here where the sun shines for more hours.

Economic activity is based on the primary sector, which includes agriculture, predominantly the production of sugar cane, banana, horticulture and floriculture. Another highlight is the traditional trade and hotels. In the municipality there is a company exporting plants.

This municipality has the Paul da Serra, which is distinguished for being the only plateau on the island of Madeira, and this at an altitude of 1,500 m. This site has unique natural features, due to its size and location, as nuclei of indigenous vegetation, wildlife species and migratory birds. In Paul da Serra there are wind turbines that produce electricity in a non-polluting manner.

PORTO MONIZ

Located in the north of the island of Madeira, the municipality of Porto Moniz has about 3,000 inhabitants distributed over a geographical area of 80.40 km2.

Porto Moniz was finally connected to the rest of the island after World War 2, when the emblematic road connecting Porto Moniz to the municipality of São Vicente was built. This road was literally dug into the hillside, and is occasionally crossed by waterfalls that flow into the sea. This is considered one of the most beautiful roads in wood. For safety reasons, due to falling rocks, today there are tunnels that shorten the distance, but still allow the passage through the most emblematic places along the road.

SÃO VICENTE

The municipality of São Vicente is located on the north coast of the island, characterized by green nature and abundant forest, modelled by volcanic forces and erosion in its beautiful slopes. One of the most representative symbols of the picturesque town of São Vicente is the small chapel built inside a basalt rock at the mouth of the stream that runs through the town.

From the Encumeada Belvedere, in Ribeira Brava, we have magnificent views of the mountain range that crosses Madeira and various areas of São Vicente, namely the Laurel Forest.

In the parish of São Vicente there is an extensive area of Laurel Forest. The importance of laurel is due to both its representation in terms of diversity of species of flora and fauna and the respective state of conservation. The Laurel Forest was classified as a Natural Heritage Site of UNESCO in 1999.

SANTANA

The municipality of Santana, located on the north coast of the island, because the municipality was inaccessible by sea and land, its inhabitants have preserved features that have not suffered outside influences. One example that comes from this isolation is the typical architectural style of their houses with thatched roofs known as “casinhas de Santana” (little houses of Santana).

In June 2011, the municipality of Santana received the distinction of “Biosphere Reserve” by UNESCO recognizing the richness of an ecosystem where it seeks to reconcile biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

In Santana, one finds Biosphere walking routes that span over more than 120 km and allow visitors to enjoy the vast natural heritage, contemplate the landscaped surroundings, enjoy nature, meet the cultural richness of the places and engage with the local population. Here you find the pedestrian trails of Vereda do Pico Ruivo, Levada do Rei and Levada do Caldeirão Verde.

MACHICO

Located on the east coast of Madeira Island, approximately 22 km from Funchal, this municipality has a great historical significance.

It was here that Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira disembarked, in 1419, when they discovered Madeira.

Machico became town on 2nd August 1996 and has about 20,000 inhabitants distributed among its 68 km2.

Legend has it that already a century before this discovery, Robert Machim and Anna d’Arfet had found refuge here. The distortion of the name Machim resulted in the name of this city.

SANTA CRUZ

It is in this county on the east coast, situated about 18 km from the capital, that the Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport is located.

Throughout several cultural exhibitions that display works by regional artists and others take place at Casa da Cultura de Santa Cruz (Quinta do Revoredo).

PORTO SANTO

Porto Santo is the second largest island of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, with 42.48 km2 and 5 483 people.

The early history of Porto Santo is still covered in the mists of time. The best known version involves a storm in 1418, catching off-guard the seafarers João Gonçalves Zarco, Tristão Vaz an Bartolomeu Perestrelo sent by Henry the Navigator, who were sailing in another direction. After countless hard days at sea, they arrived at an island that they would name Porto Santo (” Holy Harbour”).

The island is known for its large fine yellow sandy beach, stretching close to 9 km, running along the island’s entire southern coastline, between the harbour and Calheta. Above all, it offers peace and quiet and a catching charm, which doesn’t leave any visitor indifferent. A particular highlight is the island’s sea water temperature; it is really warm all year round. Porto Santo’s climate is dry and stable, with little variation in warmness from season to season, therefore is usual to go to the beach throughout the year.

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