Ponta do Sol

The beach of the island's sunniest little town: a pebble cove of about 160 m squeezed between the cliffs of the valley, known for the quality of its water. Changing rooms and toilets adapted for people with reduced mobility, a bar, a games area and even a summer library. In the evening the sunset reflects on the sea — the best moment. Parking spaces nearby. Bathing season 2026: 10 June – 14 September, a supervised beach with lifeguards assured. In a swell follow the flags: red = no bathing.

On the west coast, the one with the most hours of sunshine, at the place called Anjos in the parish of Canhas, between Ponta do Sol and Madalena do Mar. Basalt pebbles and black sand; in season, a bar with terrace, toilets, parasols, and wooden decks that make getting into the water easier and safer. Access by Caminho dos Anjos and a wooden staircase. A sunset people come for. Bathing season 2026: 10 June – 14 September, but lifeguard cover not yet confirmed; classified as a limited-use beach. In a swell follow the flags: red = no bathing.

At Banda de Além, below the cliffs of Madalena do Mar, a beach of pebbles and black sand washed by clear water, mild all year and with low swell. A restaurant-bar with terrace, toilets, changing rooms, a sun deck and a small playground; access by two ramps from the promenade, car park next door. The 2026 Portaria did not classify it as a supervised beach at publication. Bathing season 2026: 10 June – 14 September, but lifeguard cover not yet confirmed; classified as a limited-use beach. In a swell follow the flags: red = no bathing.

The waterfall falls onto the old ER 101 road, at Ponta do Sol. It circulates widely on social media — and the tourist office published a page to say the opposite: access to the site is officially prohibited by the authorities on safety grounds. The road is closed regularly because of the high risk of landslides, the surface becomes very slippery in rain, and accidents have already happened there. The barriers and signs in place must be respected. The regional portal points instead to the safe waterfalls: Véu da Noiva, Garganta Funda, PR 9, 14 and 16.

The only tidal lagoon in the whole archipelago, on the south-west coast, in the parish of Ponta do Sol. Many migratory birds stop or nest here, which makes it the island's best birdwatching spot: the official page names the little egret and the moorhen, uncommon elsewhere in Madeira. The mild conditions of this slope partly explain the richness.

A museum devoted to the Madeira banana and its place in the island's economy, at Lugar de Baixo. The route is cut into themed rooms — history, transport, nutritional role — with holograms and photographs. The visit takes in the experimental fields: bunch transport systems and equipped greenhouses. The bar serves banana-based products, including a banana beer, and a shop closes the route.

In the centre of the little town, one of the west coast's most visited cultural venues, dedicated to John dos Passos, the American modernist writer whose grandfather, Manoel Joaquim dos Passos, was born in the municipality before emigrating to the United States; the author visited the island as a child in 1905, then with his wife and daughter in 1960. Housed in a 19th-century building that belonged to relatives of the writer, bought in 2000 by the Regional Government: a permanent room on his life and work, two museum areas, a library, temporary exhibitions and an auditorium.

A late nineteenth-century palace on the slope of Lugar de Baixo, also called Palácio dos Zinos, with an attached chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony. The outer patio, 1,103 m², looks over the marina and the Lugar de Baixo lagoon. The building served as a practical and elementary school of agriculture and then as a primary school, before being left empty from 1976 to 2002, when the regional government restored it. Since 2020 it has held a nine-room hotel with restaurant, bar and meeting room.

The south-western municipality that generally counts the most hours of sunshine on the island: 43.3 km², about 8,200 inhabitants and three parishes (Ponta do Sol, Canhas, Madalena do Mar), where bananas and sugar cane, flowers and vegetables grow. The little town takes its name from a rocky point that runs into the sea and reflects the sun; its 160 m pebble beach in a cove, the Nossa Senhora da Luz church (15th century), the John dos Passos cultural centre — the American writer whose grandfather was born here — and the romantic Lugar de Baixo palace, near the archipelago's only tidal lagoon. On the heights, Paul da Serra, the island's only plateau, belongs to the municipality.