Porto da Cruz

 

Porta da Cruz is a small, coastal village on the north-east side of the island whose main feature is the imposing Penha d’Águia (or Eagles' Cliff) which rises almost 600m above the water and opposite which is a headland forming a bay in which the surf school now operates. The cliff separates Porto da Cruz from Faial.

Tucked into the north-east corner of the headland is a natural harbour whose discoverers apparently marked with a cross, giving the location its name. Apart from its port, the village was a centre for the production of sugar and, later, spirits.

The main visitor attraction (apart from the scenery) is the working distillery, Engenhos do Norte. There were other attractions on a similar theme, but they mostly failed to survive the pandemic. The swimming pool on the headland was closed until recently for boundary repairs but reopened on 13th July, 2024. The surf school is popular and there are a couple of beaches - one where the surfers are and the other reached by walking south-east from the swimming pool along the coast.

The present church is modern, though there has been a church here since the 1570s - there's a catalogue note in the Madeira archives that refers to the old parish church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, unjustifiably demolished around 1960. The older cemetery is on a small strip of land that clings to the side of river and its modesty is in stark contrast to the elaborate interior of the church.

There's a small viewpoint above the town on the ER108 road, but you get a better view from the top of the headland (Pico do Fortim), though be aware that there are no proper paths, the wind can gust strongly and there's a sheer drop on one side. 

There is a selection of cafés and restaurants and some visitor accommodation. On Sundays and Mondays many commercial activities are closed.

Porto da Cruz's parent municipality - Machico - promotes itself as Madeira's Trail Capital and there are three training routes of different lengths around Porto da Cruz as well as an annual competition. One of the routes connects up to the Vereda do Larano via the Caminho do Larano, offering a walking/running route to Machico of around 15km - but also with a continuous climb of around 370m regardless of which end you start.

Getting there

CAM buses run from Funchal and Machico (where you may need to change if coming from Funchal). There's a small bus station in Porto da Cruz - but most buses don't stop there, it's largely used by the infrequent shuttles that start and terminate there. There are stops along the road in the centre of the village where you should find timetables posted. The main route is 208 which goes on to Faial, though not all buses cover the entire journey (though most run at least between Machico and Porto da Cruz). A very small number of services are provided by routes 53 or 78.