Madeira is a beautiful island and there are many places to visit and you can find many places to go do outdoor activities or to stay in, and in this article, you’ll discover some of the best places for you to know where to stay in Madeira.
Have a look at our 10 Locations on where to stay in Madeira.
Little house of Santana
1. Funchal
Funchal is the place where most of the Hotels are so if you want to explore the main city and stay in a place where most people stay then you should stay here. There are many things to see in this city like museums, monuments and you have many activities that you can do. You can travel to other parts of the island easily if you travel by bus.
Image of Funchal
2. Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is also another beautiful city and it is good to stay in if you want to do more outdoor activities because you have many places where you can go hiking, like the Levadas and if you have children you can go to the Aquapark, there’s are also public pools in the main part of the city. You can also see the whitewashed terraced properties with terracotta tiled roofs in one of the oldest cities on the island. The airport is in this city and Funchal is close, you only need a 15-minute bus ride.
Image of Santa Cruz
3.Machico
Machico is a good city to visit and stay in because it’s next to a marvellous yellow sand beach, and there are also some monuments in the city. You can also find some whale watching trips. This city is chosen by a lot of people. Here you can find the main Church of Machico (Igreja Matriz de Machico) which dates back to the 15th-century.
Image of Machico
4.Calheta
Calheta is a good place to stay if you like the sun and exploring, this city has things to do like visiting the art museum and going to the sea resorts, you can also find the Calheta’s parish church, dating back to 1430. There is also the Lighthouse in Ponta do Pargo which has a beautiful view, and close to Calheta there is Prazeres and there is a mini zoo there called Quinta Pedagógica dos Prazeres.
5.Caniço
Caniço is an attractive city, offering a host of different activities. Visitors can enjoy gorgeous landscapes, delightful beaches, a pleasant climate, and excellent infrastructure, some of them being bars, restaurants and shops. If you’re visiting in September you can go to the Noites da Promenade do Caniço festival.
Image of Caniço
6.Camacha
Camacha may not be known by a lot of people but it’s a village near Caniço but a bit closer to the mountains, there you can stay in Quinta da Moscadinha, in Casas Valleparaízo or in Quinta Das Faias. In the village, you can find some of the places where wickerwork(“Obra de vimes” as we say it) used to be done in the past. There are also a lot of levadas that you can walkthrough.
Imagem da camacha (wikimedia Photo by Stephen Colebourne)
7. Caniçal
Caniçal is said to be the oldest municipality in Madeira, it is a small fishing village on the east coast of the island, between São Lourenço and Machico. There is the whale museum, where it tells the history of the people in Madeira and whale hunting. There are some black sand beaches and the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy on top of a hill and you’ll find a lot of seafood restaurants.
Image of Caniçal
8.Ponta do sol
If sunshine is your top priority when choosing where to stay in Madeira, then Ponta do Sol is the place for you. The area is made up of three parts Ponta do Sol, Canhas, and Madalena do Mar. Seafronts are picturesque areas of tall colourful hotels and apartments above local businesses on the one side, and pebble beaches with palm trees lining the promenades on the other.
Image of Ponta do Sol
9.Câmara de Lobos
Camara de Lobos has many attractions on its own, because of its big number of European visitors. The village was founded around 1430 and is a place with many rocky coves, coastal cliffs and fishing boats. In the area, you can go to Cabo Girão(580 meters high you will find a glass skywalk, the highest in Europe, was fitted to the top of a cliff), Fajã dos Padres(A cable car, with a beautiful view, which goes down the side of a cliff is the only way to reach the guesthouses and restaurant on the beachfront.). If you go to Câmara de Lobos it is a good idea to rent a car so you can see a lot of places.
Image of câmara de lobos
10. Jardim do mar
Jardim do Mar is a small village next to the sea and so comes his name, in English, the garden of the sea. The only vegetation around is inside the village, it has three small pebble beaches Portinho, Enseada, and Ponta Jardim, and the sea in the area is a deep blue. It’s known as the best surfing spot in Madeira. If you are still wondering where to stay in Madeira Island and all you want to do is relax, Jardim do Mar is the place for you.
Image of Jardim do mar
Conclusion of the suggestions about where to stay in Madeira Island
I hope that with this article you now know where to stay in Madeira Island and you got to know some of the cities and villages that you can go find while you’re on vacation there. Just know that wherever you go on the island there will always be something you can do, whether it is visiting a museum, having a walk on the trails or even going to the beach.
Do you need to go around the island and have free mobility on where to go?
Why don’t you check out our vehicle here at 7M Rent a car, you can check out a wide number of vehicles and one of them will be the perfect choice for you. And to help you know where to go we have this article about driving on the island the Top 5 secret places you should visit!.
