Machico, Madeira
The verdict
- Best for: Travellers who want soft golden sand and calm swimming with a real town attached, families and arrival or departure days given how close it sits to the airport.
- Best spot: The central golden sand near the breakwater for the calmest water, then a table in the old town for grilled fish and a glass of Madeira wine.
- Know this: This is imported golden sand in a made bay, soft and easy but busy in summer, and planes pass low overhead, which most people enjoy rather than mind.
Published 22 February 2026. Last reviewed 8 April 2026
Machico is the rare Madeira beach that comes with a town worth the visit on its own. This is where the island's story starts, the first place the navigators came ashore in the fifteenth century and Madeira's original capital, so behind the soft golden sand there is a genuine old centre with a historic church, the small Chapel of the Miracles and a square where locals actually sit. The beach itself is the Banda d'Alem, a made bay of yellow sand imported from Morocco, one of only two golden beaches on the main island. For a traveller who likes a swim wrapped in history and a proper lunch, Machico delivers more than the sand alone.
The honest read is to take it for what it is, an easy, sheltered, soft beach rather than a wild one. A breakwater protects the bay, so the water is usually calm and the shore shallow, which makes it one of the gentlest swims on the island and a sound choice for children and cautious bathers. It is busy in high summer and the sand is engineered rather than natural, so it has a resort ease rather than a sense of discovery. And the airport sits right beside the bay, so planes lift off low overhead through the day. Far from spoiling it, most people find the planes a small pleasure, and the nearness is a gift on travel days.
What lifts Machico for the curious is the way the beach and the town feed each other. Swim through the warm middle of the day, then walk back into the old streets for grilled fish straight off the boats, limpets sizzling in garlic butter, espetada threaded on a bay leaf skewer and the island flatbread bolo do caco, washed down with poncha or a glass of Madeira wine. The town has the restaurants and the character that a pure resort beach lacks, and because it is minutes from the airport you can fold a real Madeiran meal and a soft golden swim into the very start or end of a trip. That combination is why we rate it above its quiet reputation.
Loungers and town tables
Machico is a sun lounger beach and a real town to eat in rather than a styled daybed scene. Compare the island's swimming in our Madeira beach clubs directory.
Machico beach concession
The golden Banda d'Alem beach runs a paid sun lounger and parasol service through the warm season, with water craft for hire and showers behind, the simple way to settle in for a calm day by the sheltered bay. It is a relaxed public beach concession rather than a styled club, and the daily rate and any service are to be confirmed, so ask when you enquire and arrive early on summer weekends.
Machico old town restaurants
The seafront and historic centre carry restaurants and cafes serving fresh fish, limpets and espetada with the bay or the square in view, the real reward of a Machico day. These are independent town venues rather than a single club, warm and well rooted, and specific operators, hours and prices are to be confirmed, so check ahead in the quieter months when some keep shorter hours.
Machico sits on the east coast around twenty five minutes from Funchal on the fast road and only a few minutes from the airport, which makes it one of the easiest beaches to reach on the island and a clever bookend to a trip. There is parking near the seafront and buses run along the south coast, and once you are there the beach, the town and the restaurants are all within an easy flat walk of one another, so a car is soon forgotten for the day.
You need carry little, since loungers, showers and food are all on hand, though sun cover and water are wise in the eastern light. The bay is usually calm behind its breakwater, but it is still the open Atlantic beyond, so read the flags, keep children in view and treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed. The real pleasure here is to slow down, swim, then give the historic town the time it deserves over a long lunch of fish and the island's wine.
Reserve a day in Machico
Tell us the date and party and we will match you to a lounger day or a town table at Machico and pass on your request. No obligation, and we reply within 24 hours.
Common questions
Does Machico have golden sand?
It does, and it is one of only two golden sand beaches on the main island. The Banda d'Alem beach at Machico was created with yellow sand imported from Morocco, so it offers soft golden grit in place of Madeira's usual dark pebble. Together with Calheta it gives the island its two classic sandy bays, while Porto Santo across the water holds the long natural golden beach. For an easy, soft, family friendly day in the east of Madeira this is the obvious choice.
Is the water at Machico calm enough to swim?
Usually yes, which is much of its appeal. The bay is sheltered and a breakwater protects the golden beach, so the water tends to be calmer and shallower near the shore than on the open coast, which suits children and easy swimmers. There is lifeguard cover in the warmer months, though seasons change, so read the flags and treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed. On a settled day it is one of the gentlest sea swims on the island.
Is Machico close to Madeira airport?
Very close, just a few minutes by car, which makes it a clever first or last stop on a Madeira trip. The bay sits east of the runway, so you can swim or eat with planes lifting off in view, an oddly enjoyable sight. That nearness makes Machico ideal for the morning of departure or the afternoon of arrival, a soft golden beach and a historic town within minutes of the terminal rather than a long drive into the mountains.
What is there to see in Machico town?
More than most beach towns. Machico is where Madeira's story began, the first place the navigators landed and the island's original capital, so the old centre carries a historic church, the small Chapel of the Miracles and a relaxed square set back from the sand. It is a real working town rather than a resort, which gives it character and good simple restaurants. A wander through the centre pairs naturally with a swim on the golden beach.
Where do you eat at Machico?
Machico is a fine place to eat because it is a genuine town, not a strip. The seafront and old centre carry restaurants and cafes serving fresh grilled fish, limpets, espetada on a bay leaf skewer and the island flatbread bolo do caco, with poncha or a glass of Madeira wine to follow. Eat with the bay or the square in view, then walk it off through the historic streets. Specific venues, hours and prices are to be confirmed.
