Porto da Cruz

Porto da Cruz is a village on the northeast corner of the island of Madeira, an island belonging to Portugal. It is popular with surfers, sunbathers, and hikers. It got its name because the founder of the town marked the harbor with an iron cross.

Porto da Cruz with the public swimming pools next to the sea in the foreground

Understand

Porto da Cruz has a nice waterfront and small sandy pocket beach. It is also well connected to levadas and mountain hikes. The heart of the village sits on the Atlantic Ocean, with houses stretching into the mountainous terrain that surrounds the area. A striking escarpment, Penha da Águia (Eagle Rock) looms over Porto da Cruz.

From 1858, an aguardente factory (sugarcane mill and rum distillery), one of many on the island, formed part of Porto da Cruz's industry.

The houses in and around the village are surrounded by trellised gardens and farms on the steep hills, irrigated by levadas and growing a variety of fruit and vegetables, including sugarcane still today.

Get in

By bus

Porto da Cruz is reachable from Funchal or the airport on S.A.M. bus routes 53, 78, or 208. Note that these routes have a number of "variations", so check the schedule carefully. The Expresso variations can be twice as fast from Funchal than a normal line, but less scenic.

Beware: many of these variations skip the airport. If you are coming from the airport, it's often faster to catch any bus to Machico and transfer to the 53, 78, or 208 to Porto da Cruz.

By car

From Funchal or the airport, take the highway heading toward SANTANA, then follow signs for "PORTO da CRUZ". Parking in the village is easy and free.

By foot

Backpackers will enjoy hiking along from Machico to Porto da Cruz. Vereda do Larano is a good route along the coast: see details under #Do.

See

The old rum factory

• 🌍 Fort Ruins (Fortim do Porto da Cruz). Walk up a small hill on the waterfront (behind the rum factory) to see the stone ruins of a 18th-century fort. Free. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Companhia dos Engenhos do Norte & Casa do Rum (Rum Factory & tasting house), ☎ [phone]. M–Sa 09:00–18:00. Museum showing the workings of a now-defunct sugarcane and rum processing plant. Operating during the Industrial Revolution, all the machinery is steam-powered. The steam was produced by burning the chaff of the sugarcane. Quick, self-guided tour of the equipment in Portuguese, English, French, and German. Next door is a tasting room. Free. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Engenho Velho Museum, Rua Sousa e Freitas 10. Tu–Sa 10:00–13:00 & 14:00–18:00. A short self-guided walk through dark rooms of a motley collection of antique tools and machinery. There is a viewpoint, but it's not much different from the publicly-accessible view of the beach that you see just north of the museum. €4, includes alcohol tasting. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Watch Surfers (pocket beach). Go to the beach around low tide to watch surfers catch some waves. Free. (updated Apr 2016)

Do

The settlement of Ribeiro Frio, at the end of the path Levada do Castelejo

• 🌍 Vereda do Larano. This hike connects Machico and Porto da Cruz along the north coast. From Madeira, begins with Levada do Caniçal and via the Boca do Risco viewpoint. Bus routes or your car can take you back, or some tour companies offer this. Be safe: have a map and a buddy. 12 km/5 hours one-way. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Surf (Madeira Surf Camp), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Group surf or stand-up-paddleboard (SUP) lessons. Customized to any skill level, including beginner. Often held at the Porto da Cruz pocket beach, but if wave conditions require a different part of the island, they'll drive you to the best beach. €35 for 2-hr lesson and equipment. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Levada do Castelejo (Porto da Cruz to São Roque do Faial). This levada hike takes you into the mountains and lush pine and native laurel forest, past waterfalls, to the Ribiero Frio (Cold River)—one of the most important sources of water for the north of Madeira, including this levada's source. To find the trailhead, take any of the main roads from the center of Porto da Cruz, uphill (about 40 minutes hiking, or 10 minutes driving). At the blue bar, there's a sign pointing the way. When this road forks, take the right (dry levada) fork a few hundred meters until you see the well-marked trailhead and map. From here it's an easy and tranquil 8.6km/3hr round-trip hike with virtually no elevation change. At the opposite terminus the trail ends at a huge boulder and the Ribeiro Frio. Free. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Vereda da Penha d'Aguia (Eagle Rock). This strenuous hike takes you to the 590-meter-high massif overlooking the sea and village. To find the trailhead, take any of the main roads from the center of Porto da Cruz, uphill (about 40 minutes hiking, or 10 minutes driving). Just before the blue bar, a blue and white "Verada da Penha d'Aguia" sign will point to a levada threading between houses: Follow this 100 meters until another sign (whose backside is facing you) points to a left-turn away from the levada and up a steep, windy trail. After 40–60 minutes the trail forks: turn right to overlook Porto da Cruz, or turn left to overlook São Roque do Faial. (4–5hr round-trip). (updated Apr 2016)

Eat

The church

Always busy with locals, the best and most popular restaurant in Porto da Cruz is 🌍 Snackbar a Pipa, ☎ [phone]. Tu–Su 10:00–midnight. 

Beyond that, there are a handful of restaurants along the waterfront, all virtually the same quality and price, although you'll get a somewhat wider view of the ocean at 🌍 Snackbar Piscinas (near the swimming pool). €9. (updated Mar 2019)

There is a small grocery store on the main square, facing the church.

Drink

• 🌍 Dino's Bar (in the main square, facing the church). The main bar in town and really the only place to join locals to watch a football match. (updated Mar 2019)

However all restaurants in town will serve similar drinks.

Sleep

• 🌍 Madeira Surf Camp, Rua da Piedade 4 (The only green building in the center of town), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Small, clean hostel with a gorgeous balcony in the village center. Includes one 4-person dorm and two private rooms. By appointment only. Optional surf lessons leave from the site. €20 per person for dorm bed or a private double room, €25 July/Aug/Sep. Breakfast included. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Jaca Hostel, R. Dr. João Abel de Freitas Nº1, ☎ [phone], [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Cozy hostel next door from A Pipa. Owner-run by a young couple and a great atmosphere. Dorms start at 12€, single and double rooms available.. (updated Jan 2019)

Go next

• Machico — second biggest city on Madeira
• Santana