From cultural heritage to natural and geological landscapes
We have to go through the pages of Machico's History to get to the origins of Madeira's human occupation. This is because it was here that, in July 1419, Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira set ashore when they discovered the island. Therefore, this municipality is specially symbolic for all Madeirans.
However, legend has it that a century before this seminal event, Anne of Arfet, an English lady, and Robert Machim, a legendary knight of the court of King Edward III of England, had found refuge here. In fact, it was after the name Machim that Machico was named.
Currently, this municipality has around 20,000 inhabitants, spread over a total area of 68 km². In this territory, there are five parishes: Água de Pena, Caniçal, Machico, Porto da Cruz and part of the parish of Santo António da Serra. Most of this area enjoys a wide perspective over the magnificence of the Atlantic.
If you're looking for things to see in Machico, there's no shortage of options. The city's elegant bay invites you to take a pleasant stroll along the crystal-clear sea that bathes the entire municipality. In addition, this municipality, marked by unique cultural traditions, has several viewpoints, historical monuments, beaches and green areas.
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With a rich History and an important natural heritage, the municipality of Machico has several unavoidable points of interest, where the close relationship with the Atlantic reigns supreme.
