Exploring the 35 miles of Northern Madeira coastline has been amazing as there are so many beautiful villages along the way to stop and spend time in. Here are some of the fun areas we've enjoyed visiting on the eastern side.
Porto do Cruz
This is the first northeastern village you reach if you are driving from Funchal and takes about 35 minutes. Surfing is a popular sport here and we noticed several businesses on google maps related to this. It was quite cloudy on our first visit and after eating some yummy seafood rice we walked along the waterfront and passed what looked like a very cool pool that you could tell had been closed for a while. That path led to Alagoa beach which is a small bay where we had fun watching several surfers enjoying the large waves.
Visit a Surfing Beach
The next time we came to this area it was a gorgeous sunny day and we went to a larger surfing beach called Praia da Maiata where there were lots of people on their boards . Kim had fun doing a little art while I walked on the gorgeous black sand beach and we all watched the action.
São Jorge
This area is nestled right up against some incredible mountains and we found some great overlooks as well as an adorable lighthouse and a cute cat.
Then we had an incredible lunch at Cabo Aéreo Café which is situated on the edge of a cliff with beautiful views, lots of friendly cats and offers the best espetada we've had on the island. This is a traditional Portuguese dish which consists of large chunks of beef which are marinated in garlic and salt, skewered on long bay leaf sticks and cooked over hot coats on an open fire. The owner was so friendly (had LOTS of cute cats) and it was melt in your mouth and served with yummy potatoes and a large salad.
Arco de São Jorge
This was about 20 minutes further west outside of São Jorge and a stunning area. The dramatic vertical landscape against the blue water was just breathtaking. We loved seeing it from this viewpoint at Miradouro da Pipa.
Ponta Delgada
This section of the coastline continues to be super green and hilly and offers just one spectacular spot after another to stop and soak up the views.
November 2022
Oh my GOD, this one has all my favorites!! Every time I see our pics of Arco de São Jorge, I lose my mind. It didn't look any more real when I was there looking at it!! And that café with all the cats was out of this world. 🐈