Machico and Caniçal: where Madeira began, and the Whale Museum
Visiting Machico, where the first settlers landed, and Caniçal, the old whaling village with its excellent Whale Museum, plus the beaches and the walk to Ponta de São Lourenço.
Madeira’s story starts in the east. The Portuguese explorers João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira landed in the bay of Machico around 1420, and the town became one of the island’s first two captaincies. Just beyond it, Caniçal was for decades the centre of whaling in Madeira, and now tells the story of the whales in one of the island’s best museums.
Machico
- The beach. Machico has a sheltered bay with a beach of golden sand brought in to cover the original pebbles, one of the best family beaches on the island.
- The old town, with the parish church from the 1400s, the Capela dos Milagres and the small triangular fort on the seafront.
- Viewpoints on the hills above the bay, with planes landing at the airport just beyond.
- In summer and around the town’s festivals, the seafront fills with stalls and music.
Caniçal
Caniçal was a whaling village until whaling ended in the early 1980s. Today the protection of whales is the theme.
- Museu da Baleia, the Whale Museum. A modern, interactive museum with life-size models of whales, the history of whaling in Madeira and a lot about ocean conservation. Good for all ages and an excellent rainy-day choice. It is usually closed on Mondays; check opening times before you go.
- Prainha, a small natural black-sand beach, rare in Madeira, at the end of the road towards the eastern tip.
Ponta de São Lourenço
The walk across the wild eastern peninsula starts just beyond Caniçal. See Ponta de São Lourenço.
Getting there
Machico is about 25 minutes from Funchal by car and 10 minutes from the airport; Caniçal is 10 minutes further. SAM buses link both with Funchal and the airport.
Good to know
The east is often drier and sunnier than the rest of the island, but also windier. It is a good choice when clouds sit over the mountains.