Caniço

Between Funchal and the airport, the south coast of Madeira rises in terraces of gardens and hotels: this is Caniço, the parish of the Santa Cruz municipality that has become the island’s second tourist centre. Warmer and calmer than the capital’s steep streets, it offers the island’s mild climate at its most comfortable, with the Atlantic always in view.

Cliffs, gardens and the Cristo Rei

Caniço runs down to the sea at the Ponta do Garajau, where the statue of Cristo Rei stands on the headland above deep water, looking much like its more famous Lisbon namesake and reached by a clifftop walk and a cable lift. Below it the Garajau beach sits in a protected marine area, and the beaches of Reis Magos curve along the shore to the east. The capital and its harbour lie a short drive west, and the island’s whole south coast opens from here — Funchal for the city and its gardens, or east towards the hills and viewpoints of Madeira Island beyond Santa Cruz.

What to see

• The Cristo Rei statue on the Ponta do Garajau
• The Garajau beach and its protected waters
• The beaches of Reis Magos
• The gardens and hotel terraces of the south coast
• The cliff-top walk between Caniço and the headland

Practical information

Caniço stands on Madeira’s south coast in the Santa Cruz municipality, a short drive east of Funchal and close to the island’s airport. The clifftop paths are steep in places: bring comfortable shoes and sun protection, and check the cable lift’s operating days before planning the walk down to Garajau.

Image credit: Madeira-Canico-Ponta do Garajau-Christo Rei statue by Asurnipal — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.