A curving valley filled with banana plants, a pebble beach beside a promenade and a festival celebrating Madeira bananas give Madalena do Mar a distinctive character. The town offers several different highlights to help you plan your trip: walks by the sea, paths through banana terraces, religious architecture, as well as diving and paragliding. If you are looking for a hotel, you can first decide whether the coast, landscape, festival or culture should shape your stay.
Coast and Banana Landscape
Praia da Madalena do Mar lies in front of imposing rocky cliffs and is connected to a promenade along a pebble beach, making it suitable for walks by the sea. Three specific features come together on the shore: the beach, the walking path and the rocky backdrop. Another aspect of the landscape that shapes Madalena do Mar is its curving valley filled with banana plants. For planning purposes, you can distinguish between a walk by the sea and an interest in the banana landscape.
The Rota da Banana uses former paths through Madalena do Mar’s banana-growing terraces as walking routes. It therefore connects banana cultivation with exploring the area on foot: the terraces are not only a feature of the landscape, but also the focal point of a route. If you plan to use these paths, check local trail conditions before setting out.
The Banana Festival in July
The Mostra Regional da Banana is held every year in July in Madalena do Mar. The exact event dates may vary from year to year, so if you are planning your trip around the festival, check the dates for that year. The Mostra showcases the cultural and gastronomic richness associated with the well-known Madeira banana, the Autonomous Region of Madeira’s most important export product. Two different aspects help put this into perspective: the festival is an annual event in the town, while the banana also has particular significance for Madeira as a whole.
Fishing Village and Religious Architecture
Madalena do Mar is a distinctive fishing village. The Igreja Paroquial da Madalena do Mar, also known as Igreja de Santa Maria Madalena, is an example of religious architecture with Mannerist and Baroque features. Inside are altarpieces made by regional workshops from around 1760 onward. The church offers a chance to see both its different architectural features and a specific detail of its interior. Along with the banana festival, the church adds religious architecture and its furnishings to the town’s cultural profile.
Diving and Paragliding
The activities on offer also differ considerably. Divers can reach the sunken ship “Bowbelle,” which lies 180 metres off the coast. On Madeira, the Miradouro da Madalena do Mar is a launch site for paragliding. These are two different types of activity: a dive site off the coast or a launch site for an activity in the air. Which one interests you for your trip depends on whether you would rather focus on diving or paragliding.
Discover more destinations: Faial, Arco Da Calheta, Prazeres, Ribeiro Frio, Quinta Grande, Caniçal, Estreito Da Calheta, Lombada Velha.
For the broader travel overview: Madeira.
