Machico | The bay from above, sand and port in one look

Machico Aerial

MachicoLive

Southeast

The road from Funchal

Visit Madeira’s east-coast page, read 7 October 2026, places Machico "a 22 km do Funchal, sensivelmente". The same page places Santa Cruz 18 km from the capital, and says the Aeroporto Internacional da Madeira Cristiano Ronaldo is there. Neither page prints a driving time from Funchal to Machico, or from the airport to Machico. The getting-around page does print one time, and it is the other way: airport to Funchal, "cerca de 20 a 25 minutos", by Aerobus, taxi, transfer, or hire car.

The regional roads search calls the concession "VR1 Concessão Rodoviária da Via Rápida Ribeira Brava - Machico", and a works title writes "Via Rápida Ribeira Brava/Machico". The expressways list, dated 13-01-2025 on that page, names two sections whose management sits with SREI-DRE: VR1/ER 101, Machico (Nó de Machico Sul to Fazenda, ER 106), and VR1/ER 106, Machico (Fazenda, ER 101) to Caniçal (ER 214). The same search writes ER 106 [VR1] for Machico / Caniçal. Visit Madeira says the expressways and the main roads have no toll, for residents or for visitors. None of those pages prints a speed for the Machico stretch, or a driving time.

Parking

Banda d'Além is the yellow-sand beach, on the right bank of the mouth of the Ribeira de Machico. Visit Madeira says it has a car park. It does not print a charge or a count of ordinary spaces. The Blue Flag file for the same beach, code PTMK9E, gives the address as Rua do Leiria and says there are 3 parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility, plus an adapted toilet and access walkways. The concessionaire on that file is Câmara Municipal de Machico, 291 969 990, ambiente@cm-machico.pt. The file also names Departamento Marítimo da Madeira - Capitania do Porto do Funchal as the maritime authority on the application. It does not print a 2026 flag year in the text that could be read.

São Roque is the pebble side of the same bay, between the river mouth and the chapel built in 1489. Visit Madeira says to use the Fórum Machico car park nearby. It does not price that car park. The Fórum is at Edifício Fórum, Praia de Machico, 9200-108 Machico. The building is open Monday to Friday, 09h às 17h30, phone (+351) 961 190 526. Those hours are the cultural centre. The page does not say the car park keeps the same hours.

The getting-around page describes parking colours for the island, not a tariff for this beach: white lines free (some of them for residents only), blue lines paid, yellow lines no stopping. Payment is generally Monday to Friday 8h-20h and Saturday 8h-14h. Sundays and holidays are free. Pay at the meter or in the iPark Driver app. The beach pages do not say which colour the sand car park uses.

Bus

SIGA’s page for this town is titled Machico. On 7 October 2026 it showed the old number 23 and the new number 701, and it links sam_23.pdf. The page says the timetable viewer is still in development. The PDF header is Companhia de Autocarros da Madeira. The renumbering sheet, in force from 09/03/2026, is the CAM page, and the row is 23 to 701, Funchal / Machico. The SIGA notice of 20/03/2026 says the new numbers do not change the route or the timetable. Stops change over to the new numbers gradually, digital first. 23 701 Funchal / Machico. 130 725 Machico / Água Pena - Sant'ana. 201 726 Machico / Ribeira Seca - Pastel. 202 727 Machico / Maroços. 9 500 Aerobus - Aeroporto. 113 702 Funchal / Caniçal - Baía D'abra.

The legend that could be read in sam_23.pdf dates the school period and the school holidays to 2024, and the English half says "25 th December" buses do not run. The sheet mixes those columns with other CAM lines. No departure clock is copied here. Open the PDF before you travel.

The same SIGA page gives these phones for timetable trouble: CAM +351 291 201 151, Horários do Funchal +351 291 705 555, SIGA Rodoeste +351 291 220 148. imt@madeira.gov.pt, +351 291 145 180, 9:00-12:30, 14:00-17:30. Horários do Funchal is a contact on that page. The PDF is CAM’s. Aerobus, old 9 and new 500, is named Aerobus - Aeroporto on the CAM sheet. Visit Madeira names Aerobus for the airport to Funchal. The sheet does not call it a Machico bus.

The sand and São Roque

Visit Madeira, read 7 October 2026: Banda d'Além is about 70 metres long and 100 metres wide. The sand is yellow, from Morocco. The Portuguese page says areia amarela, proveniente de Marrocos. The English page says golden sand, imported from Morocco. It lists a lifeguard during the bathing season, changing cabins, showers, toilets, a car park, access walkways, and conditions for people with reduced mobility. It does not print the months. It does not print a price for a sun lounger.

São Roque is rolled pebble, free to enter, with toilets, showers, a first-aid post, a parasol area, and restaurants and bars nearby. Visit Madeira says lifeguards during the bathing season and does not print the months.

Portaria n.º 206/2026, 13 de maio de 2026. PTMU7X Alagoa, dash, 8 de junho a 27 de setembro. PTMK9E Banda d'Além, praia de banhos, 16 de junho a 27 de setembro. PTMT8M Maiata, dash, 8 de junho a 27 de setembro. PTMU8H Prainha, praia de banhos, 30 de junho a 27 de setembro, praia de uso limitado. PTMD2C Ribeira do Natal, praia de banhos, 16 de junho a 27 de setembro, praia de uso limitado. PTMU2P S. Roque, praia de banhos, 26 de junho a 27 de setembro. PTMW3X Quinta do Lorde, dash, 1 de junho a 30 de setembro. A praia de banhos is a beach where lifeguards are present during the bathing season. Article 2 says a bathing water that is not a praia de banhos did not have bather surveillance assured on the day the ordinance was published. On 7 October 2026 the Banda d'Além season in that ordinance had ended. The portaria does not say who is on the sand once it has ended.

On 20-06-2026 the regional health authority lifted a temporary ban on bathing at Banda d'Além, after a new sample on 18 de junho de 2026, under Decree-Law 135/2009. The season dates are not a promise the water stayed open every day inside them.

The airport, Caniçal, and PR8

Machico and the airport are on the same east coast. Santa Cruz is the airport municipality, 18 km from Funchal on the Visit Madeira page. Machico is the next municipality east, "a 22 km do Funchal, sensivelmente". The only timed drive on the getting-around page is airport to Funchal, "cerca de 20 a 25 minutos". This site has the airport pictures.

Visit Madeira’s Machico page says the municipality has about 20 mil inhabitants on 68 km², in five parishes: Água de Pena, Caniçal, Machico, Porto da Cruz, and part of Santo António da Serra. The landing it dates is July 1419. Ponta de São Lourenço, on that page, is nove quilómetros long and a partial nature reserve.

Toward that peninsula the expressway section is VR1/ER 106, Machico (Fazenda, ER 101) to Caniçal (ER 214). SIGA’s page for the last bus is titled Caniçal - Baía D'Abra. On 7 October 2026 it showed the old number 113 and the new number 702, and it links sam_113.pdf. The viewer on that page is still in development. No departure clock is copied here. PR8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço starts at Baía d'Abra. The fee is on the Visit Madeira PR8 page. It is not copied here. Prainha, in Caniçal, is a beach of natural volcanic sand, copper-coloured, with the Dunas da Piedade, and Visit Madeira says it has a car park. It does not price it. This site has the Caniçal pictures.

What the picture shows

The picture on this page is the NetMadeira camera, over the bay. Use it for cloud on the valley and for the colour of the water before you go down. It is not a lifeguard flag, and it does not show a free space in the car park.

The sand picture is Madeira-Web Beaches Live. That one is the beach and the port, not a boarding time and not the trail at Baía d'Abra.

Sources, read 7 October 2026

Wind22 km/h

Air Temp20°C

Cloud67%

07:03 WET

Picture is live

What this picture is for

The view: A public lookout for this spot. Use the picture to judge cloud, light, and how busy it looks.
Useful for: Check the weather and the crowds before you go.
It will not show: You only see what this camera faces. Side paths and indoor queues are out of the picture.
After dark you mostly see whatever lights are on.
The camera: Image by NetMadeira
Getting there: Follow the signs for the viewpoint. Read the parking notices when you arrive.

This picture

Favorable Conditions07:03

What does this picture show, and what does it leave out?

Warm twilight light over the bay with calm sheltered south coast conditions.

Air Temperature20°C

Wind22 km/h

Cloud67%

Weather nearbyThe picture is the check

What this picture shows

It shows what is in front of the camera. It does not show the rest of the island.

Optimal Hours & Parking

Recommended hours: Golden hour through dusk

Parking access: Standard municipal and roadside parking areas.

Recommended Gear & Footwear

Shoes you can walk in, and something for the sun.

Informational travel guide for visitor planning. Always check official advisories from IFCN, Capitania, and Civil Protection before outdoor mountain or coastal activities.

When to go

Madeira time: 12:00

Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay. The bay from above, sand and port in one look.

More beach and pool cameras on Madeira Island are on the Madeira beach live cameras page. Madeira beach live cameras

Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay.

Read more about this webcam

Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay.

Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay. The bay from above, sand and port in one look.

About this webcam

Quick facts

Location: Machico, Madeira
Category: Southeast
Best time to watch: All day; morning for calm sea, evening for golden light
Coordinates: 32.7167, -16.7667

Weather Information

Madeira has a mild climate year-round. Use the webcams for real-time conditions (visibility, sea state, wind).

About the area

This page belongs to the Southeast category in Madeira and groups 10 related webcams. Use the category link to explore nearby views and compare conditions.

Quick Tips for Visitors

Check local visibility and ocean conditions via the webcam before heading out.
Madeira weather changes fast: bring a light jacket.
Respect signage and local guidance.

Highlights

Aerial bay and town perspective
Sheltered sandy beach
Historic landing site of Madeira

Nearby attractions

Machico beach
Historical church
Levada walks

Travel tips

Assess entry and swell before swimming.
Bring sun protection and water.
Respect flags and local notices.

Photo: Vitor Oliveira CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons

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Elevation: Sea level
Coordinates: 32.7167, -16.7667
Region: Machico
Camera: Live picture

Frame and highlights

The view

The place

•Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay.
•The bay from above, sand and port in one look.

Highlights

✓The bay from above, sand and port in one look.
✓Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay.

Machico Valley View

Machico Coastal Valley

Panoramic overview across Machico town, the river valley, and the golden sand beach
Shows both the sheltered inner bay and the open sea approach around the eastern headland
Historic bay where Portuguese navigators first came ashore on Madeira in 1419
Valley catches passing weather systems moving around the eastern tip of the island

Coast & terrain

Landscape & geography

Getting there

East on the VR1. The airport is the next town.

Related Views

10 webcams in Southeast

Browse all Southeast webcams →

Approach & Planning

Visitor logistics

What this is not

The bay from above, sand and port in one look.
Brown after rain shows here. This is not Funchal’s cruise quay.
East on the VR1. The airport is the next town.
Image by NetMadeira.

From our visits

A Local Guide

Location history

Getting there What is missing matters more than a pretty frame. A hull at the quay does not mean you can board. The Porto Santo ferry, about 2 hours 30 minutes, does not show its queue here. Grey hills behind a bright front mean the road up is in cloud. Look at that before you commit to the climb. On a cruise morning the harbour pavement fills. An empty walk in the picture is a different morning. This is not the runway, even when the airport is the next headland. And the runway picture is not this square. If your road is the VR1, stay on it until the exit. The expressway is not a viewpoint. Park properly and walk. The quay and the square are close. The VR1 is not the entrance. A cruise morning shows itself as a hull and a full pavement. You already saw that. If the ridge behind the roofs is grey, spend the hour in town and try the climb after lunch, once you have looked again. Cloud on those hills lifts or it does not, and the picture is the cheap way to find out. A boarding pass is not in the frame. Neither is a free table. A bus stop is not a parking space. Look before you set off, and look again while you can still change the plan. Funchal's sky is a weak guide to the rest of the island. Keep a jacket in the car. Do not leave the car in a lane. When the picture and the town disagree, the picture wins. Ten minutes is a fair second look. An hour can be a different shore.

Photo: Vitor Oliveira CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons