Towns & villages · 452 m above the sea
Ponta do Pargo
Madeira's westernmost parish, named for the fish once hauled from these cliffs.
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The place
Ponta do Pargo is farmland and cliff at the very edge of the island, named for the pargo — a bream-like fish — once common in the waters below. It's quieter than the coast villages further east, with the lighthouse as its main draw, plus old water mills and levada walks nearby. It's the natural last, or first, stop on a west-coast loop.
When to come
Late afternoon into sunset, timed to combine with the lighthouse viewpoint on the same visit.
Worth knowing
- About 51 km, roughly an hour, from Funchal
- Sparser services than São Vicente or Porto Moniz — fuel up before arriving
- Levada do Moinho and other walks nearby pass ruined water mills
- Weather can differ sharply from the coast a few minutes away, since the parish rises onto the plateau