Madeira boasts more than twenty panoramic observation decks. One of the most spectacular 360-degree views can be found in Machico, near the island’s capital. Half an hour to the airport, another ten minutes to the point of Pico do Facho, and your heart soars somewhere in the sky with the airliners departing from the airport. You see the truly mesmerizing sight of a large steel bird running along a runway (it seems to fly straight into the ocean) and becoming a small dot in the sky.

The observation deck provides tables and resting benches, as well as a fast-food outlet. By the way, the local seller has a schedule for all takeoffs and landings at the airport. In addition to the runway and planes, you can also enjoy the panorama of the city of Machico: traditional white houses, tiled roofs, and a history of more than five hundred years. This place is known for one of the most fertile lands on the island. The city and its residents have become rich thanks to the production of sugar cane, which began almost immediately with the arrival of people here.

The symbol of Machico’s prosperity is the ancient temple with a modest exterior and richly decorated interior, built in the typical Portuguese Manueline style. Full of fun life, the city invites tourists to the festivals of fishing art (in July) and local gastronomy (in August). All the caught fish and seafood get to the local catering within a few hours. So the local mussels in oil and fish soup (served in almost any restaurant) are especially tasty.

Another attraction in Machico is so familiar elsewhere but so rare on the island—the sandy beach. The local sand was brought from Morocco, which is only five hundred kilometers away (that is exactly twice as far as mainland Portugal). If you look the other way from the Pico do Facho, you see a thin strip of land several kilometers long. Even its color is different from the rest of Madeira’s surface. It is a special place with its own microclimate, the easternmost point of the island called Saint Lawrence.