Madeira

Eastern Madeira: the Valley of the Nuns, Pico do Arieiro, Santana….

We take you on a tour of the eastern part of the island. It is here that you can see traditional huts with sloping roofs, a picturesque village in a valley, and Madeira’s highest peaks.

We have already written about one of the most beautiful spots in eastern Madeira, the São Lourenço peninsula, here. It is a place poor in vegetation and very windy, but well worth walking a total of 8 kilometers (a two-way road). What else is worth seeing in the eastern part of the island?

The northeastern part of the island is poor in beaches, hotels or resorts, but I guess that’s not why you fly to Madeira to bask in the sun in a hotel pool? There are other types of places in this region that allow you to learn about the island’s history, hike the highest peaks, as well as drive a car on the sharp mountain serpentines. It’s here that you’ll find traditional triangular houses with thatched roofs, a beautifully situated so-called “thatched roof”. Valley of the Nuns, which will require concentration and many turns to reach.

And yes, it has to be said straightforwardly here that these attractions may not be comparable to top European attractions, and the mountains are definitely lower than those on the mainland, but they are places surrounded by nature, full of peace and quiet, where time seems to pass more slowly. There are no crowds of hikers on the trails here, there are more locals than tourists, and on top of that there is very little chance that you will be run down by an Asian tour :)

Intrigued? Well, here we go with a list of places we discovered in the east of the island.

Table of contents

Winding and dangerous roads in Madeira

How to get around Madeira? From Funchal (the capital of Madeira) there are numerous excursions to the places mentioned a few paragraphs above – you have a guide, you will see the most important places, but you also have then very limited time. You can also go by local transportation, but unfortunately you have to reckon with the fact that the bus will not take you everywhere and you have to fully adapt to the timetables, which, however, are not made for tourists.

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Therefore, we preferred to rent a car and drive independently. Unfortunately, this independence comes with many challenges – the roads here are often narrow, winding, along cliffs. They require a great deal of caution and concentration, so whoever happens to be driving will have to focus more on the road itself than on the views (fortunately, viewpoints where you can stop are not in short supply!).

We are “turned on” by such roads, and especially Paweł loves to drive them, although not everyone likes it or tolerates it well. Especially since, in addition to frequent and sharp turns, changes in altitude and associated pressure changes can be troublesome.

We have written more about driving such difficult mountain roads, among other things, here.

Valley of the Nuns

One of the most winding roads in Madeira can be found in the Valley of the Nuns (Curral das Freiras). Driving from Funchal, the valley is reached through a tunnel, but we recommend turning just before entering the tunnel in the direction of Eira do Serrado. It is a pass with a vantage point over the valley and the village below – weather permitting, beautiful views on both sides guaranteed.

We just happened to have the opportunity to experience and see how different the weather can be on the two sides of the pass – we were climbing from the Funchal side in the clouds and had great doubts whether we would see anything in the valley. We were even already planning another day to return to the area, because with every meter up, our hope diminished. Luckily for us, the clouds stopped on the mountain range and on the other side the sun was waiting for us, illuminating the entire valley. If one would like to stay longer and enjoy the views, there are, of course, a café, restaurant and stores on site.

There is a tiny village in the Nunnery Valley that looks best from the vantage points above. We, admittedly, would not be ourselves if we did not throw ourselves down the serpentines, but frankly, it is definitely more impressive from above. It’s worth the trip down if you want to try your hand at winding roads.

Why exactly the Valley of the Nuns? It was here that the nuns of Funchal escaped and found refuge during a pirate attack on the island in the 16th century (wow! :-)). Currently, in addition to beautiful views, chestnut sweets and fancy liquors await tourists. The geological history of the valley is still unknown – is it a typical mountain valley or perhaps a volcano crater?

Pico do Arieiro

Since we’re already in the mountains (although it’s hard to find non-mountainous areas in Madeira), why not climb some higher peaks? It turns out that the peaks are easily reached, that you don’t even have to climb. For Madeira’s third highest peak, Pico do Arieiro (1818 m. n. p. m.) we can enter by car. Literally! The road leads almost to the top, only the last few meters have to be climbed. With our last strength we still managed to jump with happiness ;)

There is a convenience store and a cafe next to the parking lot. More importantly, however, it is a good place to set off for Pico Ruivo, Madeira’s highest peak.

Santana and Madeira cottages

While in the east of the island, it is also worth going to the town of Santana, which is located on the northeastern coast. It is famous for its reconstructed, typical Madeiran houses with thatched roofs. To reach them, take the main VR1 road through the city and head to the city center itself. The houses are located at the main intersection, where there is a large parking lot, a market and several stores and services. Head for the tourist information desk, as it is located in the aforementioned cottages.

These were mainly rural huts, used by local farmers, when settling on the island. They feature a triangular shape, and the ones you can see and visit in Santana have updated red windows and doors surrounded by blue trim. It is precisely such houses that we will see most often on postcards and magnets brought from Madeira.

You can take a tour and look inside, but it is not a typical open-air museum. The cottages are located in the center of the city and are surrounded by tiny gardens.

This is a place made for tourists to see how life used to be in Madeira. Unfortunately, real, more historic cottages are hard to come by, although they can reportedly still be seen in the villages. A few are also hidden in the farther parts of Santana, but they are not so neat anymore (yes, it’s hard for us to get along ;-)).

Not far from Santana is the town of Sao Jorge, where we recommend you stop for a meal at Casa de Palha. Good and fresh food, and the dishes are quite large.

Road to Sao Vicente

Although the village of São Vicente itself is located in the central part of Madeira, accessing it from the east allows you to see more impressive cliffs emerging from the water. The drive along the northern coast road is recommended to you even more than the town itself. São Vicente can also be reached very quickly from Funchal by taking the road that runs through the center of the island and then heading east.

Driving on the road connecting Santana and São Vicente until it’s hard not to stop every now and then. Each “mirador,” or viewpoint, is a mandatory stop, but we didn’t have enough of that either, as we drove the whole way glued to the windshield admiring the steep slopes, winding roads, cliffs and cliffs.

Summary

This is exactly what Madeira is like – full of hills, winding roads and sharp cliffs. An interesting coastline, small villages located in valleys and near the shore, and mountains nearly 2,000 meters high. And it may not be an island where you can spend a lazy vacation, but for us it was perfect.