Madeira
Santana & North Coast
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Traditional thatched A-frame houses, dramatic sea cliffs, and a genuinely greener, wilder island than the south.
The north coast of Madeira is a different island from the south: wetter, wilder, dramatically cliff-faced, and significantly less visited by the package-holiday market. Santana is the island's most architecturally distinctive village, famous for its palheiros — thatched A-frame houses painted in stripes that have been inhabited continuously since the 16th century. The cliffside drive along the ER101 north coast road, with its tunnel-and-gallery sections carved directly into the basalt face, is one of the most spectacular coastal drives in Europe. Visitors basing themselves here need a car but gain access to a version of Madeira that most tourists never see.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑The drive from Funchal to Santana via the north coast road (ER101) passes through landscapes that genuinely don't exist elsewhere in Europe — cliffs of 500m plunging to the Atlantic, waterfalls crossing the road surface, the Parque Temático da Madeira in Santana with its traditional architecture recreation, and the Penha de Águia (Eagle Rock) promontory rising 590m above the sea.
- ↑Queimadas forest park above Santana is the most atmospheric levada starting point on the island — the ancient forest of laurel and tree heath at 800m altitude, with its mist-draped levada channels leading into the Caldeirão Verde (Green Cauldron, a 100m waterfall in a circular volcanic crater), is one of the greatest levada walks available. The trailhead is 20 minutes above Santana.
- ↑Accommodation prices on the north coast run 30–50% below Funchal equivalents — traditional quinta properties and rural guesthouses offer a level of calm and local integration that the resort hotels of the Lido area cannot replicate.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Without a car, the north coast is largely inaccessible — bus services are infrequent and timed for local rather than tourist use. The rental car is a fixed cost of any north coast stay.
- ↓The north coast receives significantly more rain than Funchal — monthly averages can be 50–80% higher, and cloud sits lower on the hillsides more frequently. This is the ecological reason the forest is so extraordinary, but it does mean weather planning requires greater flexibility.
Best for
Avoid if
Other Madeira neighbourhoods
The island's vibrant capital — the cable car, the old town, the market, and the only real hotel choice.
The wild, windswept eastern peninsula — Madeira's most dramatic coastal walk with colour contrasts unlike the rest of the island.
The island's natural volcanic rock pools — a spectacular swimming experience at the dramatic northwestern tip.
Know where to stay — now find when to go.
Best time to visit Madeira →