Machico and Caniçal

Machico and Caniçal lie on the eastern side of Madeira, Portugal, 25 to 30 km from Funchal, and offer a quieter, drier day trip than the mountains. Machico is one of the island's oldest settlements and, according to tradition, the place where the first Portuguese explorers landed in the early 15th century. The old town centres on Largo do Município, with the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, a Manueline-style church, and a waterfront promenade. A small beach of imported golden sand lies beside the bay. The SAM intermunicipal bus runs from Funchal to Machico in about 45 minutes, continuing to Caniçal, for a cash fare of €2.60. A taxi takes about 25 minutes, and a hire car on the Via Rápida is equally quick. Caniçal, a short distance further east, is a former whaling village with a museum devoted to the island's whaling history, and it is the gateway to the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula, a dry, rocky headland with a coastal hiking trail. Guided east-coast tours include a stop at Ponta de São Lourenço. The east of the island receives less rain than the north and the mountains, and May to October is the warmest and driest period. A suggested arc starts with a morning bus to Machico, a walk around the old town and the church, and coffee on the waterfront. Lunch can be taken at a seafront restaurant serving fresh fish and local dishes. In the afternoon, a bus or taxi continues to Caniçal for the whaling museum or a visit to the beach at Prainha, one of the few natural dark-sand beaches on the island. Those with energy and a car can add a section of the Ponta de São Lourenço trail, which is exposed and has little shade. Arriving by mid-morning suits both the town and the coastal walk, and the return bus should be checked in advance as services thin out in the evening.