Ponta do Sol Madeira Portugal town guide

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Travellers heading west from Funchal often drive past Ponta do Sol without stopping. The Ponta do Sol Madeira Portugal town visitors stop for is one of the island's oldest: founded in 1440, it grew rich on sugar in the 15th century and lives today mainly from bananas.

It is a municipality of about 8,900 people on the south-west coast, 23.5 km from Funchal, about 26 minutes by road. Its sights fit a half day: a stone pier of 1849 with a round basalt arch, a church from the end of the 15th century, a romantic 19th-century manor, and the Paul da Serra plateau in the hills above.

The pier and the beach

The common mistake is to look for a sand beach. Ponta do Sol's seafront is about the pier and the rock.

The town's landmark is its pier, inaugurated in 1849, with a round arch of basalt. The Ponta do Sol beach Madeira visitors swim from lies in the small cove in front of the town: a pebble beach of about 160 m between the cliffs of the valley.

It has changing rooms and toilets adapted for people with reduced mobility, a bar, a games area and, in summer, a small library, with parking nearby. The stones are hard on bare feet, so bring shoes for the water. The sea on the south coast is warmest from June to October, above 20 °C at Funchal, and at its peak, about 22.9 °C, in September.

For sand, Calheta, further west, and Machico, in the east, are the south coast's sand beaches; the Madeira beaches guide compares them.

The beach at Ponta do Sol is accessible via a basalt arch and has temperatures peaking around 22.9 °C in September.

The town, the plateau and the surf coast

People often leave after the pier. The town's history is a short walk inland, and the name itself, 'sunny point', says why people settled here.

The church of Nossa Senhora da Luz was built at the end of the 15th century, when the town lived from sugar. The Capela de São Sebastião, in the mannerist style, dates from the end of the 16th century, and the Palacete do Lugar de Baixo is a 19th-century manor in the romantic style.

Above the town, the municipality reaches up to the Paul da Serra, the island's only plateau, at about 1,500 m.

West along the coast, Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar are known as surf breaks. The surf guide covers them, and Visit Madeira's page on Ponta do Sol lists its monuments.

Common questions

How far is Ponta do Sol from Funchal?

23.5 km, about 26 minutes by road.

Is there a beach at Ponta do Sol?

Yes: a pebble beach of about 160 m in the cove in front of the town, with changing rooms, toilets and a bar.

What is there to see in Ponta do Sol?

The 1849 pier with its basalt arch, the church of Nossa Senhora da Luz from the end of the 15th century, and the Palacete do Lugar de Baixo.

When was Ponta do Sol founded?

In 1440. It grew on sugar in the 15th century and lives today mainly from bananas.