Town · Madeira, Portugal · 32.74°N 16.74°W

Caniçal, Portugal

Caniçal is a town of 3,893 people in Madeira, with a hospital 17.0 km from the centre and Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC) 6 km away.

Updated 1 November 2026 · 10 of 10 core measures available · 16 open datasets · How we calculate this

Weather now

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Normal for November, 1991-2020

20°high · low 17°C · 15 rain days

Good fit for

  • Beach lovers
    A beach 0.2 km from the centre

Weaker fit for

Nothing stands out as a weaker fit.

What makes Caniçal stand out

A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Portugal, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.

Climate comfort

Not enough data

0% of its inputs are precise enough here; a score needs 60%.

Based on: Average daily high (January), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Tropical nights (recent), Frost days (recent)

Car-free living

44/ 100

Rank 456 of 797 in Portugal

Based on: Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (pharmacy), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station), Distance to nearest (bus station)

Built on 75% of its inputs; the rest are not published for this town.

Access to services

39/ 100

Rank 525 of 807 in Portugal

Based on: Distance to nearest (hospital), Nearest airport with scheduled flights, Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (doctor), Places within a 15-minute walk (school)

How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area

Caniçal compared with Porto

Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.

  • Average January highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniçal Regional18°CPorto 13°C
  • Average July highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniçal Regional24°CPorto 26°C
  • Days with rain per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniçal Regional118Porto 119
  • Days above 35°C per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniçal Regional0Porto 1.0
  • 48 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberCaniçal 10 h 00 minPorto 9 h 12 min

Housing & costs

Official · INE Portugal, Eurostat
Median rent €5.98/m²Per month, 2024, new leases · Portugal €7.97/m²
Sale price €2,070/m²2026 Q2, median of the last 12 months · Portugal €2,264/m²
Price change, 5 years +112%Since 2021 Q2 · Portugal +86%
Crimes per 1,000 residents 23.3Recorded by the police in 2025 · Portugal 32.0
Price level, Portugal 85EU average = 100 (whole country, 2024)

Caniçal is in the municipality of Machico. Rents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns.

Climate today

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020
Average daily high (°C)Average daily low (°C)
Days with rain 1181 mm or more, per year
Tropical nights 107Nights staying above 20°C, 2016-2025
Feels 32°C or hotter 0Days a year when heat and humidity feel like 32°C or more, 2016-2025
Daylight on 21 Dec 10 h 00 min14 h 19 min on 21 Jun
Sea temperature Modelled17 to 23°CMarch to September, open sea nearby
Windy days 8Hourly wind of 30 km/h or more, per year, 2016-2025
Wettest month Dec82 mm on average
Frost days 0Below 0°C, per year, 2016-2025
Days above 35°C 0Per year, 2016-2025
Highest UV index Modelled10June to August, noon on a clear day

Month by month

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020

August is the warmest month (26°C average high) and February the coolest (17°C). December is the wettest (82 mm) and July the driest (11 mm).

  • JanuaryAir 18° · Sea 18°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • FebruaryAir 17° · Sea 17°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • MarchAir 18° · Sea 17°12 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • AprilAir 19° · Sea 18°10 rain daysCrowds: High
  • MayAir 20° · Sea 18°8 rain daysCrowds: High
  • JuneAir 23° · Sea 20°5 rain daysCrowds: High
  • JulyAir 24° · Sea 21°3 rain daysCrowds: Peak
  • AugustAir 26° · Sea 23°4 rain daysCrowds: Peak
  • SeptemberAir 25° · Sea 23°11 rain daysCrowds: High
  • OctoberAir 23° · Sea 22°14 rain daysCrowds: High
  • NovemberAir 20° · Sea 21°15 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • DecemberAir 19° · Sea 19°14 rain daysCrowds: Medium

Crowd levels are for Madeira as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).

Is it getting hotter?

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis

Days above 35°C per year

1991-20000 days
2016-20250 days

Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bar scale runs to 10 days.

Healthcare & getting around

Town-level · straight-line distances

Within 1.2 km of the centre

  • Grocery stores2
  • Pharmacies0
  • Doctors & clinics0

30 min by car

  • Hospitals3
  • Sea beaches11
  • People88,278

60 min by car

  • Towns over 10,0005
  • Hospitals5
  • Sea beaches25
  • People267,369
  • Nearest train stationNone within 60 km
  • Nearest bus stationEstação de Autocarros (Machico)3.4 km
  • Nearest hospitalCasa de Saúde Câmara Pestana17 km · 28 min by car
  • Nearest airport with scheduled flightsCristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)5.6 km · 12 min by car

Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.

Daily life

Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0

Within 1.2 km of the centre

  • 2Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
  • 0PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
  • 4CafésPortugal median: 4
  • 11RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
  • 3BakeriesPortugal median: 2
  • 0Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
  • 1SchoolsPortugal median: 2
  • 0Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1

Nature & surroundings

Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMap
Parks within 1.2 km 0Portugal median: 0
Nearest sea beach 0.2 kmPraia da Prainha
Distance to the coast 0.2 kmStraight line from the town centre
Tree cover within 1.2 km 18%Portugal town median: 29%
Terrain SteepAverage slope 21%; 742 m between the lowest and highest land within 5 km
Protected nature 0.8 kmPico do Facho (Natura 2000)

People & community

Modelled · EU Census 2021 grid
Population 3,893Town figure from GeoNames
Population change since 2013 −6%Municipality of Machico · Portugal +7% (official estimates)
Age structure
Caniçal
Median town in Portugal

Under 1515 to 6465 and over

International residents

Share of residentsCaniçalMedian town in Portugal
Born in another EU country0.4%1.6%
Born outside the EU3.9%5.5%
Moved here from abroad in the past year0.9%1.1%

4.3% of residents were born abroad, against 7.1% in the median town in Portugal (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (3,513 residents counted).

Environment & natural hazards

  • Earthquakes1 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.3.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
  • WildfireNone nearbyNo fire of 30 ha or more burnt within 10 km of the centre in 2016-2025.Town-level · EFFIS

Places like Caniçal

Common questions about Caniçal

What is the weather like in Caniçal through the year?

January averages a high of 18°C and a low of 15°C; July averages 24°C and 20°C. There are about 118 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

How many very hot days does Caniçal get?

Caniçal had no days above 35°C in 2016-2025, nor in 1991-2000. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

Does it freeze in Caniçal?

Caniçal averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

What is within walking distance of the centre of Caniçal?

Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 2 grocery stores, 0 pharmacies, 0 doctors and clinics and 4 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest bus station is 3.4 km away, the nearest hospital is 17 km away, the nearest beach is 0.2 km away and the nearest coastline is 0.2 km away.

What is the nearest airport to Caniçal?

Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC), 5.6 km from the centre in a straight line.

How much daylight does Caniçal get in winter?

10 h 00 min on 21 December, against 14 h 19 min on 21 June.

Who is Caniçal a good fit for?

By the published rules: beach lovers (A beach 0.2 km from the centre).

Sources & methodology

Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.

"Who Caniçal suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.

DatasetUsed forVersionLicence
Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation)Elevationglo30_s120Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution)
Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS)Wildfires2016-2025CC BY 4.0
ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store)Sea temperaturemonthly_1991-2020CC BY 4.0
ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store)Climatepoints_1991-2025CC BY 4.0
ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover)Land coverv200_2021CC BY 4.0
EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat)Census gridV3Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy)
Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12)Crowds2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind)Price level2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
GeoNamesPlace names and populations2026-10-31CC BY 4.0
INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population)Rents, house prices, crime and population2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024)Protected areasend2024CC BY 4.0
OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts)Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline2026-10-31ODbL 1.0
OurAirportsAirports2026-10-31Public domain
Overture Maps placesAmenities2026-10-21.0CDLA-Permissive-2.0
TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA)UV indexv2.0_clim_2004-2020Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used
USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat)Earthquakes2026-10-31Public domain