Ribeira Brava

Ribeira Brava shares several characteristics with Machico - the municipality, parish and town share their name with the river that passes through them - though Ribeira Brava takes its name from the river rather than the other way around. They're both on the coast, they both have beaches (though there is no golden sand in Ribeira Brava), they were both formerly centres of sugar production and they both serve as public transport hubs: for the buses of Rodoeste in the case of Ribeira Brava.

Ribeira Brava means Angry River, or Wild River and, although it's normally a modest stream in an unusally wide bed, if there's prolonged and heavy rain in the upland areas it can turn into a raging torrent of water and debris. Ribeira Brava also shared the same devasation as Machico during the catastrophic flood of 9th October 1803 which swept away many buildings including some of the original fortifications.

The 16th Century São Bento Church survived, however, and if you visit around the time of the Festa do Senhor (usually in early July)  you can see the elaborate flower carpets (example above) that are created for the procession. The image in the church of Our Lady of the Rosary is believed to be Flemish and dates to approximately 1520. There's a small shopping area and a number of cafés and restaurants.

The principal attraction, though is the sea front which is of a typical Madeiran type.

  

In addition to a bathing area protected by a breakwater, the beach offers separate pools for young children.

On the sea front and you'll find the remains of the fort that weren't swept away by the flood (the interior can be visited) and higher up on the cliff, the small rectangular lighthouse that is a local feature.

In the centre of the town, by the bus station, the former location of a sugar-cane mill and brandy distillery has been turned into Madeira's Ethnographic Museum which has exhibitions covering local produce, the history of transport, housing and the evolution of shops.

Getting there 

Ribeira Brava is served by Rodoeste buses from Funchal (Rodoeste stops on Rua do Visconde de Anadia and north side of Avenida do Mar), including an express service that travels from the centre of Funchal along the Via Rápida, reaching Ribeira Brava in about 30 minutes. This is usually bus number 7, but can be 4, 6, 80, 107, 139, 142 or 146 depending on the direction of travel, time of day and day of the week (there are few express services on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). To further complicate things, two buses with the same number can arrive at the same time, one of which will be express and one won't - look for Via Rápida on the destination board. At present, the Rodoeste timetable page will give you a timetable for all the services to Ribeira Brava - just select Ribeira Brava from the dropdown menu. Whether this convenience survives after the SIGA transition remains to be seen.

Rodoeste buses also serve many other destinations on the north and west of the island including Calheta, Ponta do Pargo, Ponta do Sol, Porto Moniz and São Vicente.

There is ample parking in Ribeira Brava if you're driving.