Madeira Trip Guide
Madeira Towns: Eight Places, Three Coasts, One Map
Funchal has 105,782 residents and São Vicente around 6,000, so Madeira towns are not interchangeable. The south coast holds Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava and Calheta. The north coast has Porto Moniz, São Vicente and Santana. The east is Machico, where the first settlers landed. Each of these eight places plays a different role on a trip: a base, a lunch stop, a swim, a trailhead. This page maps the Madeira towns, says what each one is for, and routes you to the page for each town and to where to stay. The whole island is introduced on the Madeira island guide.
Quick answer Which town for what, and where to base yourself
Funchal is the base for most first-time visitors: it is the city of 105,782 residents where the tours pick up and the cable car to Monte starts. Câmara de Lobos, where Zarco first settled, is a half day with Cabo Girão. Ribeira Brava and Calheta are the south-west stops, Calheta with Rabaçal inland. Porto Moniz is the north-west day out for the $3.44 (€3) volcanic pools. São Vicente is a coastal stop now that its caves are closed. Santana has the thatched houses and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Machico is the historic east, with the bay and Ponta de São Lourenço.
Key takeaways
- Base in Funchal and day-trip the rest, see the Funchal guide and where to stay in Madeira.
- The north-west pools town is Porto Moniz, reached without a car on the Porto Moniz and Fanal 4WD tour.
- Santana pairs thatched houses with the laurel forest, see Santana or join the east tour.
- Machico holds the east, including Ponta de São Lourenço and its PR8 trail.
Eight Madeira Towns, Grouped by Coast and Numbered to the Map
The eight pins below are the Madeira towns this guide covers in depth, grouped south, north and east. Time to allow is our own estimate of how long a visit needs, not an official figure. Coordinates come from Wikidata at town level, so pins sit on the town, not on a street. Population figures are Visit Madeira's rounded municipal figures, printed with 'around'.
South Coast
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Funchal
City 2-3 days
The capital and the base city, built on an amphitheatre slope above the Atlantic. 105,782 residents at the 2021 census.
Tip: The tourist tax is $2.30 (€2) a night, capped at 7 nights.
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Câmara de Lobos
Town half a day
Zarco's first settlement, a fishing cove with xavelha boats and Cabo Girão's 580 m cliff on its edge.
Tip: The skywalk is ticketed: the regional SIMplifica ticket for the Cabo Girão skywalk is $5.74 (€5) per adult, free for children 12 and under and Madeira residents, daily 08:00-20:00.
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Ribeira Brava
Town a couple of hours
A working town named after its wild stream, with the Madeira Ethnographic Museum and around 13,000 inhabitants.
Tip: Fajã dos Padres, in this municipality, is reached only by cable car or boat.
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Calheta
Town half a day
The largest municipality on the island at 116 km², with one of its lowest rainfall rates according to Visit Madeira, and Rabaçal inland.
Tip: The last road section to Casa do Rabaçal is closed to private cars. Park above and walk down, or take a local shuttle van with no official fare.
North Coast
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Porto Moniz
Town half a day
The north-west tip, a fishing town with natural volcanic pools renewed by the sea, from $3.44 (€3).
Tip: Open 09:00-17:00 winter and 09:00-19:00 summer, all year.
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São Vicente
Town a short stop
A north-coast town of around 6,000 people, with a chapel built into basalt rock by the sea.
Tip: The caves and Volcanism Centre are closed for an indefinite period. Do not plan around them.
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Santana
Town half a day plus trailheadsbook-ahead tier 1 of 3
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2011, the triangular thatched houses, and trails over 120 km of laurel forest.
Tip: Trailheads here need a SIMplifica booking. Same day or next day only.
East
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Machico
Town half a day plus PR8book-ahead tier 1 of 3
Where Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira came ashore in July 1419, with a bay used for surfing and stand up paddle, and Ponta de São Lourenço to the east.
Tip: The PR8 trail, 4 km each way, needs a paid, booked slot.
Numbers match the list — tap a pin for the guide.
Coordinates from Wikidata (Q25444, Q623736, Q2420011, Q2933919, Q221412, Q2085813, Q49367020, Q693243), town-level, not street addresses.
Madeira Towns Compared: What Each One Is For
This table compares all eight Madeira towns side by side: which coast each sits on, the municipal population as Visit Madeira rounds it, what we think each town earns its place for, and one paid thing worth knowing at that town. Prices are the official figures from the operators' or councils' own pages.
| Town | Coast | Population (municipality) | Good for | One paid thing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funchal | South | 105,782 (2021 census) | Your base. Food, history, Monte, tours | Funchal tourist tax, $2.30 (€2) a night, capped at 7 nights |
| Câmara de Lobos | South | around 35,000 | Fishing cove, Zarco's first home, Cabo Girão | Rodoeste bus from $1.49 (€1.30) for one zone |
| Ribeira Brava | South | around 13,000 | Ethnographic Museum, both-coast viewpoint inland | Rodoeste bus from $1.49 (€1.30) for one zone |
| Calheta | South | around 12,000 | Driest corner, sand, Rabaçal trailheads | 25 Fontes trail $5.17 (€4.50), booked on SIMplifica |
| Porto Moniz | North | Volcanic pools, Fanal's laurels nearby | Natural pools $3.44 (€3) | |
| São Vicente | North | around 6,000 | Coastal stop, surf beaches | Nothing to buy, the caves are closed |
| Santana | North | around 8,800 | Thatched houses, laurel trailheads | One trail $5.17 (€4.50), booked on SIMplifica |
| Machico | East | around 20,000 | First landing site, bay, Ponta de São Lourenço | PR8 trail $5.17 (€4.50), booked on SIMplifica |
Population figures are Visit Madeira's rounded municipal counts, except Funchal's census figure. No population was found for Porto Moniz on the pages we read, so that cell is empty. Figures current in Q3 2026.
Tours That Reach the Towns Without a Car
Most first-time visitors sleep in Funchal without a hire car, and the north and west towns are a long way out. These day tours and transfers pick up in Funchal and cover the Madeira towns that are hardest to reach by bus, from the Porto Moniz pools to Santana's thatched houses and the Machico trailhead. Prices are the platforms' listed US dollar prices.
from $79.00
Madeira Skywalk, Porto Moniz, Seixal & Fanal 4WD Tour
A full-day open-roof Land Rover tour reaching Porto Moniz, Seixal, Fanal forest and Ponta do Sol, with a lunch break and free pickup.
Check Availability
from $79.00
Enchanted Terraces, Porto do Moniz & Fanal 4WD Tour
A full-day 4WD tour of the terraced west coast, the Porto Moniz volcanic pools and Fanal forest, with pickup in central Funchal.
Check Availability
from $80.00
Madeira Full-Day Jeep Tour: Porto Moniz, Seixal & Volcanic Pools
An 8 hour open-top jeep loop of Madeira's west coast, taking in Seixal's black-sand beach and the Porto Moniz volcanic pools with hotel pickup from Funchal.
Check Availability
from $39.00
West Madeira Waterfalls and Fanal Forest Tour
A full-day west-coast tour of coastal waterfalls and the fog-shrouded Fanal laurel forest, with hotel pickup from the Funchal area.
Check Availability
from $42.00
Madeira East Tour: Pico Arieiro, Santana & Laurissilva
A full east-coast day linking Pico do Arieiro's viewpoint, the flat Balcões levada walk, Ribeiro Frio's laurel forest and Santana's thatched houses.
Check Availability
from $40.00
Eastern Madeira Full-Day Tour with Rum Tasting
An 8 hour eastern Madeira circuit with the Balcões walk, Santana's thatched houses, a rum tasting at Porto Cruz and free entry to the Guindaste skywalk.
Check Availability
from $19.00
Funchal Old Town Walking Tour
A 2 hour small-group walk through Funchal's Old Town, the Jesuits' College, the Farmers' Market, a wine lodge and a historic sweet factory.
Check Availability
from $109.00
Madeira Food and Wine Walking Tour in Funchal
A small-group Funchal food and wine walk with 11 food tastings and 6 drinks across local taverns and the market, limited to 10 guests.
Check Availability
from $36.00
Caniçal Transfer for the PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço Hike
A shared transfer to the PR8 trailhead at Ponta de São Lourenço, Madeira's easternmost tip, with the trail permit and a digital map included.
Check Availability
from $46.00
Ponta de São Lourenço Snorkeling Boat Trip
A boat trip along the cliffs of Ponta de São Lourenço with a snorkeling stop, gear included, departing from Quinta do Lorde marina.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
The South Coast Towns
The south coast gets the sun and holds four of the eight Madeira towns, from the capital west through fishing coves and banana country to the driest corner of the island. This section says what each south-coast town is for on a 4-7 day first trip.
Funchal
Funchal is the base most first-time visitors should pick, and it earns it. The city sits on a slope facing the Atlantic shaped like a natural amphitheatre, named after wild fennel. King Manuel I made it a city on 21 August 1508. 105,782 people lived in the municipality at the 2021 census, across ten parishes including Monte.
The days fill easily: the Farmers' Market, opened in 1940, the cable car up to Monte, the toboggan ride that dates from the early 19th century, and Blandy's Wine Lodge. A small-group old town walking tour covers the ground in two hours, and a food and wine walk works the same streets through taverns and the market. If you want more, our Funchal page and where to stay guide go deeper.
Funchal is the practical answer to the best town to stay in, not because it is the prettiest but because everything starts here.
Câmara de Lobos
This was the first place inhabited by João Gonçalves Zarco, who stayed between 1420 and 1424, and the parish was founded in 1430. The name comes from the sea lions, lobos-marinhos, once in the cove. Around 35,000 people live in the municipality today.
Fishing boats called xavelhas still work the bay, and Visit Madeira notes that Winston Churchill painted this view. The municipality stretches inland to Curral das Freiras, named after nuns of the Santa Clara Convent who fled there in 1566 when pirates attacked Funchal. At the coast, Cabo Girão drops 580 m and carries a suspended glass platform.
Our reading: Câmara de Lobos is a half-day, not a base. It is close to Funchal, easy to reach, and pairs well with Cabo Girão. Details on the town page.
Ribeira Brava
Ribeira Brava has been a town since 26 May 1928, named after its wild-flowing stream. Around 13,000 people live in the municipality, where agriculture leads: sweet potato, sugar cane, vineyards and bananas. The town's own draw is the Madeira Ethnographic Museum, and the parish list includes Campanário, whose Fajã dos Padres is reached only by cable car or boat.
Inland, the Boca da Encumeada viewpoint at 1,007 m sees both coasts, over the Ribeira Brava and São Vicente valleys. Our reading: this is a working town, not a sight. Stop for lunch, see the museum, and carry on west toward Calheta.
More on the Ribeira Brava page.
Calheta
Calheta is the largest municipality in the Autonomous Region at 116 km², with about 12,000 inhabitants across eight parishes. Visit Madeira says it has one of the lowest rainfall rates on the island. Its parishes include Jardim do Mar, Paul do Mar with its fishing fleet and surfers, and Ponta do Pargo, flat terrain with a historic lighthouse.
Rabaçal sits on the Paul da Serra plateau inside this municipality, which makes the town a gateway for the Levada das 25 Fontes walk. Note the constraint: the last road section to Casa do Rabaçal is closed to private cars, so you park above and walk down or take a local shuttle van, with no official fare. Calheta is a reasonable alternative base for repeat visitors.
See the town page.
Sources: Visit Madeira, Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Calheta.
The North Coast Towns
The north coast holds three of the Madeira towns: the pools at Porto Moniz, the closed caves at São Vicente and the thatched houses of Santana. It is also where most of the laurel forest and its trailheads sit.
Porto Moniz
Porto Moniz sits at the island's north-western tip, and fishing still matters here. The town's reason for a visit is the natural volcanic pools, carved from rock and renewed by seawater, entry $3.44 (€3) for anyone over 3. They open all year, with longer summer hours listed on the Porto Moniz page.
Nearby are the black sand of Seixal and Ribeira da Janela Beach, which Visit Madeira names for surfing. Above town stand the centenary laurels of Fanal, where no entry fee is published. The Laurissilva laurel forest covers 15,000 hectares, 20% of the island, and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999.
Without a car, take the Porto Moniz and Fanal 4WD tour or the jeep loop of the west coast, both with Funchal pickup. For the cliff-top ride nearby, see the Achadas da Cruz cable car page: $3.44 (€3) one trip, $5.74 (€5) return, with no hours printed on the municipal page.
São Vicente
Around 6,000 people live in São Vicente, across three parishes: Boaventura, Ponta Delgada and São Vicente itself. The town's signature sight is the São Vicente (Calhau) Chapel, built inside a basalt rock by the sea. The volcanic caves here formed about 890 thousand years ago after an eruption on Paul da Serra, with an underground trail about 700 metres long.
Do not plan around them: the São Vicente Caves and Volcanism Centre are closed for an indefinite period for maintenance works, per the caves' own site and the council. The status is on our caves page. What remains is the north-coast experience itself, with beaches Visit Madeira names for surf and bodyboarding.
Our reading: São Vicente is a stop, not a destination, until the caves reopen.
Santana
Santana was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011, and its triangular thatched houses are the island's most recognisable image. Around 8,800 people live in the municipality, which stretches from the north coast up to Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 m the highest point of the archipelago, with Pico do Areeiro at 1,818 m nearby. The biosphere carries hiking trails over 120 km, and the short route to Pico Ruivo, PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira, is 2.8 km each way on the IFCN register.
Every classified trail now needs a prior booking, with entry by slot. Other draws: the Madeira Theme Park, the Rocha do Navio Natural Reserve and the Ribeiro Frio Forest Park. Without a car, the east tour to Pico do Arieiro and Santana or the eastern circuit with rum tasting both reach the thatched houses from Funchal.
Details on the Santana page.
Sources: Visit Madeira, Porto Moniz, São Vicente, Santana, Câmara Municipal do Porto Moniz, pools.
Machico and the East
The east is where the Madeira towns begin, in every sense. Machico claims the first landing, and its municipality runs out to the bare eastern tip at Ponta de São Lourenço. One town owns this section.
Machico is where Madeira starts. Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira came ashore here in July 1419, and the town's name carries the legend of Robert Machim and Anne of Arfet. Around 20,000 people live in the municipality, which also takes in Caniçal and Porto da Cruz.
The bay itself is usable, with surfing and stand up paddle, which makes Machico one of the few Madeira towns where history and a beach day sit side by side. The municipality's eastern edge is the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula, nine kilometres long and a Partial Natural Reserve. The PR8 walk runs 4 km each way along an exposed ridge, and since 1 January 2026 it needs a booked, paid slot for non-residents at $5.17 (€4.50).
If you have no car, the Caniçal transfer for the PR8 hike includes the trail permit, and the snorkeling boat trip from Quinta do Lorde marina sees the same cliffs from the water, 2 hours with gear included. Our reading: Machico deserves half a day plus the peninsula, more if you swim.
Sources: Visit Madeira, Machico, IFCN classified trails.
Which Town to Stay In
The best town to stay in Madeira depends on how you travel. This section compares the four realistic bases among the Madeira towns, with the trade-offs stated plainly. No hotel names and no prices here, just the shape of the choice.
Short answer: for a first trip of 4-7 days, base in Funchal. Almost every tour on this site picks up there, and the city holds the cable car, the market and the old town. The full reasoning, area by area, lives on the where to stay page.
The table below sets out the four workable bases and the cost of each choice. One tax note: the Funchal tourist tax is $2.30 (€2) per person per night, capped at 7 nights. Whether other councils charge a similar tax is not verified on their own regulations here, so this page prints no figure for them.
| Base | Suits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Funchal | First-time visitors without a car, anyone on 4-7 days | Tourist tax of $2.30 (€2) a night, capped at 7 nights |
| A south-west town, Calheta or Ribeira Brava | Repeat visitors who want one of the drier corners and Rabaçal inland | Fewer tour pickups: the Rabaçal transfer lists Ribeira Brava, most other tours list only Funchal and Caniço |
| A north-coast town, Porto Moniz, São Vicente or Santana | Walkers who want to start at laurel-forest trailheads | Tours pick up in Funchal, so without a car you are on the bus network |
| Machico | Travellers who want the east and Ponta de São Lourenço | The PR8 transfer lists Machico for pickup, the west-coast tours do not |
If the choice still feels close, the where to stay guide breaks the island into areas, and the day trips page shows what leaves from Funchal. For a first visit our pick stays Funchal, because the tour pickups and the Monte cable car start there. Arrival logistics are on the Madeira airport page.
Sources: Funchal tourist tax FAQ, and the meeting point fields of the tour listings on this page.
Where Madeira Began: The Towns in Six Dates
The Madeira towns carry the island's whole settlement story in their dates, from the first landing in 1419 to a town charter in 1928. This table lines up six of those moments and where each one happened, using Visit Madeira's municipality pages as the source.
Settlement started in the east, moved west along the south coast, and reached its modern shape in the 20th century. The dates below are the ones worth remembering when you walk these towns, because they explain the buildings you are looking at.
| Date | Town | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| July 1419 | Machico | Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira came ashore here, the first landing on the island |
| 1420-1424 | Câmara de Lobos | João Gonçalves Zarco's first place of habitation |
| 1430 | Câmara de Lobos | Parish status, among the first settlements on Madeira |
| 21 August 1508 | Funchal | Elevated to city status by royal charter of King Manuel I |
| 1566 | Curral das Freiras | Nuns of the Santa Clara Convent fled here when pirates attacked Funchal |
| 26 May 1928 | Ribeira Brava | Elevated to town, the newest town charter on this page |
Sources: the Visit Madeira municipality pages linked above.
Getting Between the Towns
You can see the Madeira towns without a car. The expressways VE1 to VE4 and their tunnels are toll-free, you drive on the right, and the buses were reorganised in 2024 into one system. This section gives the fare rules, with no drive times, because no official source we read publishes them.
Driving costs nothing in tolls, because the expressways and their tunnels are free. Without a car, the island's buses were reorganised in 2024 into the SIGA system, and the eastern company once called SAM is now CAM, which serves the Machico side. Rodoeste runs the western routes from Funchal, to Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Calheta, Porto Moniz and São Vicente, and its on-board single fares are charged by zone.
The fare table below is from Rodoeste's own fare page. Children under 6 ride free and ages 6-12 pay half. For timetables and the full network, see getting around Madeira.
| Rodoeste ticket, Funchal routes | Price on board |
|---|---|
| 1 zone | $1.49 (€1.30) |
| 2 zones | $2.53 (€2.20) |
| 3 zones | $3.16 (€2.75) |
| Up to 8 zones | $6.89 (€6) |
Source: Rodoeste fares.
Where to Go Next
Six pages carry this one forward: the town pages with the most to say, plus the two planning questions every reader has after picking a base. Start with the town you will sleep in, then the one you will day-trip first.
Funchal
The base city in full. Read the Funchal guide.
Câmara de Lobos
The fishing cove and Cabo Girão next door. See Câmara de Lobos.
Porto Moniz
The volcanic pools and the north-west tip. Plan Porto Moniz.
Santana
The thatched houses and the Biosphere Reserve trails. See Santana.
Where to Stay
The bases compared area by area. Choose where to stay.
Getting Around Madeira
Buses, car hire and the toll-free expressways. Read getting around.
Madeira Towns: Questions
What are the most beautiful towns in Madeira?
That is a judgement, not a fact, so here is our reading. Santana wins for looks because the triangular thatched houses have no equivalent anywhere else, and the setting runs up to Pico Ruivo at 1,862 m. Câmara de Lobos wins for atmosphere, a working fishing cove with xavelha boats under the 580 m cliff of Cabo Girão. Porto Moniz earns the north-west with its volcanic pools. See each case made on the Santana, Câmara de Lobos and Porto Moniz pages.
What is the best town to stay in Madeira?
For a first visit of 4-7 days, Funchal. Almost every tour on this site picks up there, and the Old Town, the market and the Monte cable car are on the doorstep, so you lose the least time transferring. The area-by-area reasoning is on where to stay.
What are the major towns on Madeira?
The eight this page covers: Funchal, 105,782 residents at the 2021 census, Câmara de Lobos around 35,000, Ribeira Brava around 13,000, Calheta around 12,000, Machico around 20,000, Santana around 8,800, São Vicente around 6,000 and Porto Moniz, whose figure is not stated on the sources we read. Population counts are Visit Madeira's rounded municipal figures. Each town has its own page, starting with Funchal.
Which Madeira towns can you reach without a car?
Funchal, Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava sit close to Funchal on Rodoeste routes, where on-board singles run from $1.49 (€1.30) for one zone. For the far north and west, the Porto Moniz and Fanal 4WD tour and the west coast jeep loop pick up at your Funchal hotel. Bus details are on getting around Madeira.
What are the Madeira villages, as opposed to towns?
The villages most visitors ask about are the small settlements inside these municipalities: Curral das Freiras, the nuns' refuge village in the Câmara de Lobos hills, Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar on the Calheta coast, and Caniçal in Machico's municipality. All are covered under their parent towns, for example Curral das Freiras and Calheta.
Do the north coast towns need more than one day?
Usually no, and the weather decides. Porto Moniz is a half-day around the pools, Santana is half a day plus trailheads, and São Vicente is a short stop now that the caves are closed, per the caves status page. Our reading: one overnight in the north only makes sense for walkers who want an early start at a booked trail slot, as on the Santana page.
Madeira Towns on Film
Three short films on the towns, two of them covered on this page and one south-coast village beside them.
7 FACTS about Câmara de Lobos - The Fishing Village of Madeira
Seven facts about the fishing town west of Funchal, filmed around its harbour.
Video: Hit The Road MadeiraMadeira's Santana Village Is Weirder Than You Think
The thatched houses of Santana and what the town around them is like.
Video: allout.travelPonta do Sol: The Village Madeira's Tourists Ignore
A south-coast village between Ribeira Brava and Calheta, for readers building a west-side base.
Video: allout.travelVideos load from YouTube only when you press play.
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