Fajã dos Padres is a strip of shoreline below the cliffs of Madeira's south coast, at Quinta Grande. A cable car runs from the clifftop down to a working farm at sea level, where bananas, avocados and mangoes grow beside guesthouses, a restaurant, an old pier and a pebble beach. Visitors come for the ride down, a swim off the pier and guided tours of the fruit plantations, which finish with a tasting.
Fajã dos Padres beach
Bananas, avocados and mangoes ripen at sea level here, at the bottom of a cable car ride down the cliff face.
- Entrance
- Access is by cable car: €14 return, as reported in mid-2026. Credit and debit cards accepted.
- Parking
- Car park at the cable car station (Teleférico da Fajã dos Padres), 249 m away; a second car park lies 806 m out. When it is busy, cars line the road above.
- Difficulty
- The drop from the clifftop is made by cable car. At the bottom the shore is pebble and stone, awkward underfoot.
- Transport
- Nearest bus stop: Quinta, 807 m away.
- Advance booking
- The plantation tour can be booked online in advance.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, seven days a week.
What makes it special
The beach is pebble and stone, and the farmland behind it runs down almost to the water. A cable car brings visitors from the clifftop to the shore, and what stands at the bottom is a working estate: plantations of banana, avocado and mango, guesthouses, a restaurant and an old pier. People jump from the dam there to swim. Guided tours walk the organic fruit plantations and finish with a tasting of whatever is ripe, and the restaurant does sandwiches, tuna and hummus starters. Loungers and umbrellas are for hire on the stones. Not everyone is won over — one visitor found the cable car overpriced and the shoreline a jumble of farm buildings, guesthouses and scrap metal.
Good to know
- Underfoot — the shore is pebble and stone, not sand; footwear you can walk into the water in helps.
- Loungers — €5 to hire, umbrellas too, or spread a towel on the stones.
- Busy days — the place draws a crowd, and cars stand along the clifftop road above it.
- Eating — there is a restaurant down at the bottom, beside the beach and the plantations.
Getting there
The approach is by car, along the clifftop road above Quinta Grande. Park at the cable car station and ride down the cliff face; the cable car covers the drop to the shore, and the beach, the restaurant and the plantations all sit at the bottom of it. On busy days cars stand along the road up top, which slows the last stretch of the drive.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you get down to the beach?
By cable car from the station on the clifftop, which runs down the cliff face to the shore. The car park is up at the station.What does the cable car cost?
€14 for the ride down and back up, as reported in mid-2026. Credit and debit cards are accepted.Can you swim, and is there anywhere to lie down?
People swim off the pier and jump in from the dam. The shore is pebble and stone; loungers and umbrellas are for hire at €5, or bring a towel.Is there food at the bottom?
Yes, a restaurant sits down at the shore, with sandwiches and starters such as tuna and hummus.Can you see the plantations?
Guided tours run through the organically grown fruit plantations — mostly bananas, with other fruit as well — and end with tasting what is ripe. They can be booked online.