Machico | Eye level: sand and harbour

Machico Port / Sand beach

MachicoOffline

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 Madeira-Web Beaches Live camera, on the sand and the port. It is not a lifeguard flag, and it does not show a free space in the car park.

The wider bay picture is NetMadeira. Use that one for cloud on the valley. Neither picture is the trail at Baía d'Abra.

Sources, read 7 October 2026

Wind22 km/h

Air Temp20°C

Cloud67%

07:03 WET

Picture is off for now

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 Madeira-Web Beaches Live
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

The river can brown the corner after rain. Eye level: sand and harbour. More sheltered than the north.

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

The river can brown the corner after rain.

Read more about this webcam

The river can brown the corner after rain.

The river can brown the corner after rain. Eye level: sand and harbour. More sheltered than the north.

About this webcam

Quick facts

Location: Machico, Madeira
Category: Southeast
Best time to watch: Daytime for beach activity; late afternoon for scenic 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

Sheltered sandy beach
Harbor and bay views
Mountain backdrop

Nearby attractions

Machico promenade
Beach facilities
Historic center

Travel tips

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

Photo: Vitor Oliveira CC BY-SA 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 shore

•The river can brown the corner after rain.
•Eye level: sand and harbour. More sheltered than the north.

Highlights

✓Eye level: sand and harbour. More sheltered than the north.
✓The river can brown the corner after rain.

Machico Golden Sand Beach

Machico Bay Solarium

Imported golden sand beach protected by two curving rock breakwaters for calm swimming
Historical landing site where Portuguese navigators Zarco and Vaz Teixeira first stepped ashore in 1419
East-facing bay receives early morning sunshine and remains warm throughout the afternoon
Gentle ocean conditions make it one of the safest family swimming beaches on Madeira's east coast

Coast & terrain

Landscape & geography

The road

East of Funchal. The runway is the next town, not this beach.

Related Views

10 webcams in Southeast

Browse all Southeast webcams →

Approach & Planning

Visitor logistics

Before a swim

Eye level: sand and harbour. More sheltered than the north.
The river can brown the corner after rain.
East of Funchal. The runway is the next town, not this beach.
Image by Madeira-Web Beaches Live.

From our visits

A Local Guide

Location history

The road The decision is the water on the stones, not the colour of the roofs. White water means the terrace, not the steps. A still pool is not a still sea. If the wall is awash, the swim is off, and the picture will not sell you a ticket either way. Funchal can be an easy afternoon while this coast is not. That is normal. Look before the drive, especially if the road goes through the north-coast tunnels or down a steep lane. Black sand and pebbles lose the sun once the cliff takes it, often after the middle of the afternoon. You can see the shade from here. Do not block the lane. The frame is the shore. It is not the inside of a bar and not a promise that the complex is open. An hour is a long time on this coast. Blue water before you left can be white water when you arrive, especially if the swell is from the north and it is still building. Watch a few sets from the terrace before anyone uses the steps. The steps are slippery after rain and after any sea that has been over them. You enter off rock, not off a beach of sand. Keep a dry layer in the car. The wind here does not feel like the marina in Funchal. A full car park means the next village, not a car abandoned in the lane. If shade was the reason you looked, look again after lunch. The cliff decides when the sun goes. 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-SA 2.0 Wikimedia Commons