Sao Vicente Holidays

Sao Vicente Holidays
Sao Vicente is a charming and authentic agricultural town, the largest and most populated in the north of Madeira. Situated on the north-west coast, Sao Vicente lies between Porto Moniz and Santana, and is considered to be one of the one of the most picturesque villages on the island. A busy working town, Sao Vicente is a relative newcomer to tourism, but recent development and investment in the area, together with the towns' famous landmarks such as the Sao Vicente Caves and the distinctive Sao Vicente Chapel, built inside a cave, help to attract visitors to the region.

Holidays in Sao Vicente - Enjoy the scenery along Madeiras'  'Gold Road'
Founded in the mid-fifteenth century, Sao Vicente developed into an important agricultural centre, and a large sugar producer. The town of Sao Vicente was largely buried in a massive landslide in 1928, but has since recovered and been re-built in the original style - an award-winning restoration project. The area is still full of elegant manor houses, mainly from the 1700's, where madeira wine production took place, and many of these have been converted into hotels and bed and breakfasts. The town of Sao Vicente itself is old-fashioned and quaint, with narrow streets full of basalt steps, local  shops and cafes and a small port down on the seafront. Visitors to Sao Vicente are rewarded with some of the most dramatic views on the island, with the town, and neighbouring villages in the north-west, only accessible by a notorious one-lane road, built after the Second World War and commonly known as the 'Gold Road'. Carved into the steep cliff face, the road precariously twists and turns, and motorists are treated to spectacular scenery of rugged cliffs, sweeping valleys and cascading waterfalls.

Holidays in Sao Vicente - Visit the fascinating Sao Vicente Caves  
The Sao Vicente Caves can be found beside the river of the same name, and are open to tourists, offering an educational insight into volcanic eruptions. These volcanic caves are a result of an eruption which occurred 400,000 years ago, and visitors can travel through the series of volcanic tunnels, and marvel at the stalactites and 'lava cakes' (lava accumulation) created. The 30 minute walk underground covers 700m, and the network of tunnels is the largest on Madeira.The other area of interest at Sao Vicente is the unique Chapel built in 1692 by Inacio de Sousa - it sits inside a large basalt rock at the mouth of the river that runs through the town and has become a distinct feature of Sao Vicente. Close to Sao Vicente, in the same district, is the village of Ponta Delgada, a former influential centre of the north, once home to distinguished nobility, and now a small coastal resort with hotels added to the old manor houses and farms.          

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