The sand on the beach at Calheta came from the Sahara, poured into an artificially created bay, and it is the only sandy beach on Madeira's south coast. The town was founded in 1430 and was the centre of the island's sugar industry; the name is Portuguese for small bay. Agriculture and fishing still pay the bills here — bananas, wine, horticulture, and boats out of Paúl do Mar. Two of the fishing villages, Paúl do Mar and Jardim do Mar, were venues for the World Surfing Championships in 2001.
Calheta
- Currency
- Euro, in place of the escudo since 2002. Multibanco and ATM Express cash machines take international cards almost everywhere and mostly charge nothing of their own, while the Euronet machines clustered in tourist streets take high fees and give poor rates. VAT is already inside every price in shops and restaurants: 23% standard on the mainland, 22% in Madeira and 18% in the Azores.
- Language
- Portuguese, spoken here with a heavy accent even by mainland standards. English gets you about as far as it does on the mainland, and an attempt at a few Portuguese words is always taken well.
- Power plug
- Type C / F, 230 V, 50 Hz
- Visa
- Schengen: entry and short-stay limits follow the common Schengen rules.
- Time zone
- UTC+0 (UTC+1 in summer)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink across the country. Bottled spring water (água mineral) is sold everywhere for those who prefer it.
- Tipping
- Not expected, appreciated for good service. Around 8–10% in a restaurant if the service was exemplary, and it is perfectly acceptable to leave nothing if it was not. No tip for a coffee or a cake; €1–2 if you eat a full meal in a café. Nothing in pubs and bars. In a taxi, round the fare up and add €1–2.
- Emergency
- 112
When to go
High season
Jun – Sep
Swimming weather, and the sandy bay is where everyone goes. The sun stays on this coast into the evening, which is the best of the day for the marina and the worst for photographs of the beach.
Shoulder
Oct – Nov
The sea holds its warmth after the crowds thin out, and the terraces above the town are still green with banana.
Low season
Dec – Mar
Cloud sits on the hinterland for days at a time while the coast stays mild; the fishing villages are back to their own rhythm, and there is little to do in the rain beyond eating well.
Shoulder
Apr – May
Clear light on the west coast and quiet roads towards Paúl da Serra, before the summer traffic finds them.
How long to stay
Two or three days is a fair measure for Calheta itself: the bay and the marina, the fishing villages down at the water in Paúl do Mar and Jardim do Mar, and an evening with nothing planned. Give it longer and it turns into a base for the whole western half of Madeira — the coastal motorway runs east to Ribeira Brava and Funchal, and country roads climb to the Paúl da Serra plateau and on along the west coast to Porto Moniz. Anyone sleeping up in Arco da Calheta or Estreito da Calheta, both of which reach far into the hills, should count the driving into the day.
Getting around
Rodoeste runs the buses, and the link to Funchal is quick and frequent. Other places on the island can come down to one or two departures a day, so check before you build a day around a single bus. Inside the municipality a car does most of the work: parts of Calheta lie in hilly to mountainous hinterland, and your own vehicle is the sensible answer up there.
From Ribeira Brava the ER-101 expressway arrives through a chain of tunnels and puts you close to Calheta Beach, though some corners of the municipality are easier from the coastal road via Madalena do Mar. Watch the names when you book. Tourist information often lumps Calheta with its port together with Arco da Calheta, which climbs the hills towards Funchal, and Estreito da Calheta, which spreads northwest into the foothills — all three run far inland. Without a car, check exactly where the address sits before you agree to it.
What to see
Destinations in Calheta
Frequently asked questions
Is the beach at Calheta natural?
No. The bay was created artificially and the sand was brought in from the Sahara, which is how the south coast of Madeira ended up with its only sandy beach. The small marina beside it, Calheta Beach, is the centre of tourism in the town.How far is Calheta from the airport?
Madeira has one airport, at Santa Cruz, and Calheta is reached within 40 minutes of it on the coastal motorway.Can you visit Calheta without a car?
The town itself, yes — Rodoeste buses connect it quickly and frequently with Funchal. Beyond that it gets thin: some places on the island see only one or two buses a day, and the parishes in the hilly to mountainous hinterland really want a vehicle of your own.What should you eat and drink here?
Lapas, the limpets that live on the rocks at the beach in Paúl do Mar, traditionally fried in garlic and taken with a lager; and espada, the black scabbard fish that comes up from thousands of metres down. Local drinks are Brisa Maracujá, a passion fruit fizz made only in Madeira, and Coral lager. Order a bica and you get an espresso; a chinesa is a cappuccino.Where do people surf in Calheta?
Paúl do Mar and Jardim do Mar, two historic fishing villages on the coast below the town, were venues for the World Surfing Championships in 2001.