Weekend in Santa Cruz

The main 16th-century parish church with a Manueline portal, Azulejo tile panels inside and a simple, peaceful interior. Donations welcome but no entry fee.

Tip: Pop in just before noon when the sunlight streams through the south window and lights up the gold-leaf altar. No photography during mass.

A small municipal museum inside a restored 17th-century convent, covering local archaeology, religious art and the island's volcanic geology. Free on Sundays.

Tip: Visit on a Sunday morning when entry is free. The cloister garden is a calm place to sit, and the ceramic tile panels in the chapel are easy to miss.

A small sheltered beach in the city centre with calm, shallow water, fine golden sand and a grassy park above. No entry fee, just walk down the stone steps.

Tip: Arrive before 10am to claim a shady spot under the pines. There's a public foot shower by the ramp.

A quirky five-storey house covered in thousands of broken pottery shards, bottle caps and seashells, built by an eccentric local stonemason over decades on a residential street.

Tip: Go in the late afternoon when the low sun catches the ceramic fragments. The house is private property, so just admire from the pavement.

A viewpoint atop the town's eastern hill with panoramic views over Santa Cruz, the Atlantic and the neighbouring island of Porto Santo on clear days.

Tip: Walk up the cobbled Largo da Luta path (steep but short). Bring water and binoculars — you can spot the airport runway from here.