Towns & villages · 9 m above the sea
Fajã dos Padres
Cable car down a 300 m cliff to a Jesuit-planted vineyard and its own restaurant
See it on the 3D islandOpens in your browser, on a phone or a computer.
The place
Jesuit priests planted vines and vegetables on this coastal terrace centuries ago, and it's still only reachable by boat or the panoramic cable car installed in 2016 — there is no road down. The on-site restaurant grills the day's tuna and swordfish and pours the estate's own Malvasia. It is Madeira's most theatrical lunch commute.
When to come
Midday, to ride the cable car down in daylight and catch a table before the kitchen's afternoon cutoff
Worth knowing
- Cable car is the main way in beyond a private boat or a steep goat path
- Book the restaurant ahead: +351 291 944 538
- Kitchen hours shrink outside summer (roughly 12:00-15:30 low season)
- Try the estate's own Malvasia wine with the fish