Camara de Lobos

On coastal route N101, you'll pass many banana plantations on the way to Câmara de Lobos—a former fishing village made famous by Winston Churchill, who came here (in a borrowed Rolls-Royce equipped with a bar) to paint pictures of the multicolor boats and the fishermen's tiny homes. A plaque marks the spot where he set up his easel. Although the coast here is changing as Câmara de Lobos becomes more suburban in character, with many people commuting to Funchal, the boats are still pulled up onto the rocky beach during the day, while children run and play in the narrow streets and grizzled old fishermen stand around chatting.