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Most visitors see Santa Cruz only from the plane: Madeira's airport lies in this municipality, in the parish of Santa Catarina. The Santa Cruz Madeira things to do list is longer than that, and it starts closer to Funchal than most expect: the Cristo Rei statue and the marine reserve at Garajau are 8.9 km from the city, about 12 minutes by road.
Santa Cruz is a municipality of about 43,000 people on the east coast, 81.5 km², covering Caniço, Garajau, Camacha, Gaula and the town of Santa Cruz itself, 19.0 km from Funchal, about 23 minutes. Two of its beaches carry a Blue Flag in 2026.
The east of the island by land, or the south coast by sea.
East
Most reviewedFrom Funchal: Ecological Catamaran Dolphin Whale Watching
The sea life off the south coast
Garajau: the statue and the reserve
The common mistake is to stop for the statue and miss the sea below it. At Garajau the two go together.
The Cristo Rei garajau viewpoint Madeira visitors photograph is a statue of Christ raised to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, inaugurated on 30 October 1927 and paid for by Aires de Ornelas, son of the last morgado of Caniço; the road from Cancela to the monument opened the same day.
Below it lies the Garajau Partial Nature Reserve, created in 1986 and the first exclusively marine nature reserve in Portugal, proposed by a group of divers. It covers 376 ha between Ponta do Lazareto and Ponta da Oliveira, about six miles of coast, from the high-tide line out to the 50 m depth line. It was created to stop the sea bed turning into a desert, and the water is clear enough for divers to see life at more than 20 m.
Santa Cruz from Funchal
| Place | From Funchal by road | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Garajau | 8.9 km, about 12 minutes | Cristo Rei statue, marine reserve |
| Santa Cruz town | 19.0 km, about 23 minutes | Municipal market of 1962 |
| Caniço | In the same municipality | Reis Magos beach, church of 1783 |
| Gaula | In the same municipality | Aquaparque da Madeira |
- From Funchal by road
- 8.9 km, about 12 minutes
- What it is
- Cristo Rei statue, marine reserve
- From Funchal by road
- 19.0 km, about 23 minutes
- What it is
- Municipal market of 1962
- From Funchal by road
- In the same municipality
- What it is
- Reis Magos beach, church of 1783
- From Funchal by road
- In the same municipality
- What it is
- Aquaparque da Madeira
The beaches, the town and the villages
People often drive through Santa Cruz on the way to Machico. Its beaches and villages are worth a stop of their own.
Two Santa Cruz beaches hold a Blue Flag in 2026: Palmeiras and the Reis Magos beach Caniço Madeira visitors swim from, in the parish of Caniço. 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.
In the town of Santa Cruz, the municipal market was built in 1962. Caniço's parish church, from 1783, stands between baroque and rococo and is the seat of one of the island's oldest parishes. Camacha's parish church is modern, from 1997, with seven pillars for the seven sacraments. The municipality's Capela do Sagrado Coração de Jesus, built in 1907, was rebuilt in 1987 after a fire.
For children, the Aquaparque da Madeira is in Gaula. The 2026 Blue Flag list names the beaches, and the Machico guide continues along the coast.
The Aquaparque da Madeira is located in Gaula within the municipality of Santa Cruz and caters to children and families.Common questions
How far is Santa Cruz from Funchal?
The town is 19.0 km, about 23 minutes by road; Garajau, in the same municipality, is 8.9 km, about 12 minutes.
Which Santa Cruz beaches have a Blue Flag?
Palmeiras and Reis Magos in 2026.
When was the Cristo Rei at Garajau built?
It was inaugurated on 30 October 1927, paid for by Aires de Ornelas.
Is the Garajau reserve good for diving?
It is a marine reserve of 376 ha, created in 1986, and the water is clear enough to see life at more than 20 m.