Machico

Igreja Matriz de Machico (church)

Constructed in 1425 at the bidding of Teixeira’s daughter, the Igreja Matriz de Machico, now also known as Matrix Machico, is dedicated to the Nossa Senhora de Conceiçao. Although the Igreja Matriz has undergone several restoration and remodeling periods, particularly during the fifteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, the parish church has retained its Manueline features, notably the ornate gothic basalt portal, the gilded baroque altarpiece, and the rose window.

Statue of Teixeira
Just outside the Igreja Matriz de Machico, on the town’s main square, the Largo do Municipio, stands a statue of Tristão Vaz Teixeira, one of Machico’s discoverers and the city’s first captain.

Address: Largo de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, 9200-095 Machico, Madeira Island

Machico Waterfront

The coastline of Machico is steep and stony, but this does not prevent tourists and locals from flocking to the beach, especially during the summer, when they can stroll along the seafront promenade and sample a number of seaside cafés serving the day’s local catch. There are also shops for renting water skis, windsurf boards, and canoes and arranging other water sports activities.

Forte do Nossa Senhora do Amparo (fort)

Also fronting the shores of Machico is the eighteenth-century Forte do Nossa Senhora do Amparo, a triangular, pale-yellow fort that is one of several strongholds that protected the island of Madeira from pirates and privateers. It was the last fort to surrender when the Miguelite troops took over the island and ousted the Liberal Regime in Madeira in 1828. Today, the fort houses Machico’s tourism office and is classified as a cultural heritage building.

Address: Largo Dr. José Antonio de Almada, 9200 Machico, Madeira Island
Telephone: +351 291 965 339

Fórum Machico Cultural Center

Not so far away from the weather-worn Forte do Nossa Senhora do Amparo is the contemporary glass and concrete Fórum Machico, the city’s Cultural Center. The Fórum houses a 280-seater auditorium which also doubles as a multi-purpose room, two 80-seater conference rooms, two 80-seater cinemas, and the Biblioteca de Machico (Library of Machico). On the first floor is a seafront restaurant that is big enough for 300 guests and offers sweeping views of the breathtaking Machico Bay.

Capela de São Roque (chapel)

On the western end of the promenade stands Capela de São Roque, a small chapel that was built in 1739 in honor of the saint who spared Machico from plague. The capela, which is due to open to the public after efforts of restoration are complete, showcases several azulejos, baroque tiles narrating the life of São Roque during his mission to help the victims of plague.

Address: São Roque Largo, 9200 Machico, Madeira Island

Capela dos Milagres (chapel)

The oldest chapel in Machico is the Capela dos Milagres, situated on Largo dos Milagres on the other end of the promenade, right above the site where Robert Machim, after whom the city was named, and Anne d’Arfet are said to be buried. The chapel was named such when American seamen miraculously recovered a medieval cross at sea, which was washed away during a flood in 1803 that destroyed the original building. The anniversary of the recovery is celebrated by Machiquensis every October 8.

Address: Largo do Senhor dos Milagres / E. R. 212, 9200 Machico, Madeira Island

Ponta de São Lourenço

On the easternmost tip of Machico, in the fishing community of Caniçal, is the spectacular Ponta de São Lourenço, one of the last untouched nature reserves in the whole of Portugal. The Ponta, which offers breathtaking views of the sea from its highest peaks, is home to a diverse combination of flora and fauna. Hikers, picnickers, and bird-watchers who regularly visit the place enjoy sightings of rock sparrows, goldfinches, and Madeira lizards, as well as exotic plants such as flowering thistles, ice plants, and the pride of Madeira.

Pico de Facho

Pico do Facho, is a lookout point and site of the old bonfire which used to be lit to warn the residents of Madeira of incoming pirate attacks. Visitors can reach the peak by driving a two-kilometer drive on the old roads of Caniçal and turning right after the Restaurante Tipico O Tunel just before the tunnel. The road ends on a rough dirt trail, where visitors can hike a kilometer up to the peak while enjoying views of the valley of Machico and the neighbouring island of Porto Santo.

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