The northeast coast of Madeira describes destinations on Madeira in the "upper right" area of the island. This is where the last remaining part can be found, which is not yet fully accessible through the tunneled under coastal motorway VR 1 and the snow road VE 1. Between Santana and Ponta Delgada The old ER 101 coastal road winds its way into the interior of the country, partly following the course of the valley, only to get back to the sea in very tight bends over steep cliffs. In this area a certain originality has been preserved, on the other hand, active vacationers have to plan longer travel times in this area.
Regions
The northeast is administratively comprised of the counties of Santana and Machico. A special attraction is the variety of landscapes in the area. Some coastal towns are enthroned over deep cliffs, at the bottom of which stony bays promise bathing opportunities or steep hiking opportunities. Driving the old coastal road is an experience in itself. On the upstream ridges below the High mountains can be in Caldeirão Verde Go hiking along the levadas. The elongated peninsula Ponta de Sao Lourenço on the northeastern tip of the island, on the other hand, offers a more gently tapering impression with spectacular views of the north and east coast and steep cliffs on its northern edge.
places
- In the picturesque village Ponta Delgada begins the adventurous section of the coastal road.
- Below the place set back from the coast Boaventura it reaches its narrowest bottlenecks.
- São Jorge and before Arco de Sao Jorge are places above the steep coast with typical, small bays deep below the places on the coast. These stony beaches can either be reached by car or through beautiful hiking trails, including between the bays along the coastline.
- Santana has lost the former charm of well-kept original gabled houses, but is next to Machico a tourist center of the region with a good infrastructure; a stone beach below the village and the easily accessible hinterland as an advantage. The expanded part of the expressway from Funchal and the airport ends here, so that there is also a quick connection to the rest of the island. The Madeira Theme Park can be used as fiction on cold days for lost originality.
- The same applies to the neighboring towns Faial and Porto da Cruz.
- The port cities Machico and Caniçal you can of course notice their economic background. This includes an efficient infrastructure and its location as the "gateway" to the peninsula Ponta de Sao Lourenço.
- Santo da Serra is already settled again in the higher elevations in the hinterland of the east coast.
Other goals
- Starting from the hamlet Queimadas 4.5 km above Santana hikes ins Caldeirão Verde or further into Caldeirão do Inferno. They are among the most beautiful that the island has to offer, but especially the latter only for experienced hikers.
- Trout farming of Ribeiro Frio with an excursion restaurant and, in addition to several other alternatives to Portela, a simple short hike to a beautiful vantage point (Balcoes) with a view of the entire northeast coast to the Porto Santo archipelago.
- Excursion to the lookout point at Pico do Arieiro and hike there and / or to Pico Ruivo.
getting there
Most vacationers will be on Madeira's only one Santa Cruz Airport arrive. From there, package tour operators offer direct transfers to your place of residence. Individual tourists pick up their rental car here or use the airport buses to Machico and Santana. The heavily tunneled coastal motorway VR 1 and the expressway VE 1 enable you to reach all coastal towns up to Santana with your own vehicle within a maximum of twenty minutes. Places further to the west demand another hour, depending on their location.
mobility
As a rule, your own rental car is the best alternative in this area.
Public bus transport is run by the operators SAM and Horarios do Funchal and offers frequent and fast connections along the coast between Funchal, Santa Cruz Airport, Machico and Santana. Connections in the hinterland via Ribeiro Frio or Camacha - Santo da Serra are based on the needs of schoolchildren and commuter traffic and are served 2-3 times a day at best.
For hikers there are individual taxi companies who specialize in a delivery and collection service for this clientele.
kitchen
nightlife
Real night life takes place in the capital, Funchal. Locally, most likely in smaller bars in Santana or Machico.
security
The single emergency number 112 also applies in Madeira.
climate
The average maximum daily temperature fluctuates between 19 degrees in December and January and 25 degrees in July and August. Usually it rains more often in the northern part of the island than in the south. This fact has led to the construction of the typical levadas, which are supposed to direct the water from the rainy northern regions to the south. Ultimately, however, there are many typical microclimates on Madeira. This means that the current weather situation at any point on the island can be completely different from what the viewer's current position would suggest. In Madeira, you are never safe from surprises, both positive and negative. The Sao Lorenzo peninsula in particular has the longest average duration of sunshine, which is of little help in individual cases.
literature
Web links
- Official Madeira Tourism Website
- Travel and hiking reports of the first author
