🇵🇹Portugal · Places to discover
What to see in Santana?
12 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Santana, on Madeira's north coast, owes its reputation to its palheiros-thatched-roof houses that descend to ground level, which have become the island's unwitting symbol. Yet reducing the village to these structures would be to miss the essential: an agricultural plateau carved into green terraces, levadas threading into the laurel forest of Madeira's Natural Park, and a rural life that scarcely needs to prove anything to tourists.
Spring and autumn offer the best conditions for hiking without summer heat or January rains. Allow a day from Funchal, accessible by hire car-buses exist but schedules complicate hiking. Avoid confining yourself to the Parque Temático da Madeira, an attraction designed for coach groups: the levadas around Queimadas are far better worth your time.
Landmarks & heritage
2 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Landmark
Casas de Colmo de Santana
Traditional Madeiran houses with thatch roofs descending to ground level, a unique architectural symbol of the region. A living village, not an open-air museum, where families still inhabit these dwellings.
- 2
Landmark
Landmark
Ponta de São Jorge
Coastal village clinging to cliffs with a baroque church perched at the cliff edge and flower-lined alleyways. One of the most dramatic coastal panoramas in northern Madeira.
Religious sites
2 places
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5Religious site
Church of Santana
Eighteenth-century parish church at the heart of the village, distinguished by its white bell tower and sober baroque interior. An architectural landmark around which local life revolves.
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Religious site
Religious site
Church of São Jorge
Baroque church of the 17th century, listed as a national monument, with an interior entirely covered in azulejo tilework and gilded sculptures. Among Madeira's finest rural churches, often overlooked by tourist circuits.
Nature
1 place
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Nature
Levada do Caldeirão Verde
One of Madeira's most spectacular levadas, winding through laurel forest to a 100m waterfall in a volcanic cirque. Allow 4 hours return for complete immersion in nature.
Parks & gardens
1 place
- 6
Park
Park
Queimadas Forest Park
UNESCO-listed laurel forest with traditional moss-covered forest houses beside a small pool. The starting point for Caldeirão Verde, it exudes a storybook atmosphere.
Viewpoints
2 places
- 7
Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Miradouro do Pico do Suna
Discreet viewpoint above Santana offering a rare vista of the village's thatched roofs and cultivated terraces descending to the sea. Reached by a farm track, it draws mostly locals.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Farol da Ponta de São Jorge
Isolated lighthouse on a wind-battered rocky promontory, commanding dramatic views down the coastal cliffs to the Atlantic. The footpath from São Jorge offers exceptional vantage points.
Activities
3 places
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Mercado Municipal de Santana
Covered market where local producers sell exotic fruits, mountain vegetables and fresh cheeses. Saturday mornings bring the residents of the concelho together in bustling fashion.
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Madeira Thematic Park
Thematic park tracing Madeira's history and geography through scale models and interactive exhibitions. Ideal for gaining a thorough understanding of the island before exploring the region.
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Activity
Activity
Quinta do Furão - Vineyard
Terraced wine estate on the Santana cliffs, producing table wines under the Madeirense appellation. Vineyard tours and tastings with views over the Atlantic—a rare experience in the north of the island.
Beaches
1 place
- 12
Beach
Beach
Piscinas Naturais de São Jorge
Natural pools carved into volcanic rock at São Jorge, less well-known than those at Porto Moniz. Clear, wild waters, popular with local families in summer.
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