Things to do in Porto da Cruz

Porto da Cruz sits at the point where the north coast road stops being straightforward: a fishing village wedged into a bay closed off by sheer cliffs, with the Penha de Aguia rock standing guard to the east.

It is roughly 30-35 minutes by car from Funchal, mostly on the VR1 and then the older coast road, and it makes a natural stop between Porto da Cruz and Sao Vicente rather than a destination for a full day. There is a small pebble beach and a seawater lido, best visited outside winter swell.

Beyond the village, the road east towards Boaventura and the Faial side narrows and climbs, which is worth building into a schedule rather than discovering at the wheel.