Porto Santo is the other inhabited island in the Madeira archipelago. This small island lies about 40 kilometers northeast of Madeira and has a permanent population of roughly 5,000 residents. The climate here is drier than on neighboring Madeira, and it never gets too cold or too hot. Even though it is part of Madeira and close by, Porto Santo has a character all its own.
What sets Porto Santo apart from Madeira is the long sandy beach that stretches along its entire southern side. Soft, fine sand runs for 7 kilometers, paired with pleasant weather year-round. That makes the island a true beach resort destination, with hotels, resorts, and vacation villas for a dreamy seaside getaway. All of it unfolds in one of the most isolated places in the world that still belongs to Europe.
Quick Navigation
How to Get to Porto Santo?
Porto Santo Airport | Aeroporto do Porto Santo
An airstrip runs across the center of the island and serves as its main gateway. Porto Santo Airport is an international airport (code PXO) that brings visitors to the island. It is fairly large for such a small place, partly because it also serves as an alternative airport for Funchal. Madeira’s main airport is well known for difficult landing conditions caused by strong winds. When the winds are too intense, flights are diverted to nearby Porto Santo, where conditions are usually calmer.
Flights to Porto Santo
The airport is connected mainly with Funchal, with flights lasting about 15 to 20 minutes. There are usually two daily flights, one in the morning and one in the evening, operated by Binter Canarias, the airline of Spain’s Canary Islands not too far away. In summer, additional flights from Funchal may be available.
There are also regular flights to Porto Santo from Porto and Lisbon.
In summer, or during events such as the island’s golf tournaments, flights to Porto Santo also operate from several Northern European countries, especially England and Germany.
Ferry from Funchal to Porto Santo
The ferry departs from the cruise pier opposite downtown Funchal. The sailing takes two and a half hours. Although Porto Santo is 40 km from Madeira, it is 72 km from Funchal itself.
The ferry usually leaves Funchal early in the morning and returns from Porto Santo in the evening, making a day trip to the island possible, with the crossing itself being part of the experience. You can bring a car on board, and it is best to book tickets in advance. Prices are not cheap, but it is worth remembering that this is a two-and-a-half-hour journey each way, which explains the cost. Rates vary by season, with summer being more expensive.
On board, there are restaurants, playrooms for children, and other amenities that help break up the long trip for younger passengers. Adults, meanwhile, can enjoy a drink on deck while taking in the wonderful island views.
Click here for more information about the ferry to Porto Santo…
Click here to find hotels and resorts on Porto Santo, where the season lasts all year…
Where to Stay in Porto Santo?
There are two main ways to visit Porto Santo:
- The first is as a one-day trip — you arrive by flight, stay one night, and then return to Madeira to continue your trip on the larger island.
- The second is for a beach vacation — after two or three intense days (or more) in Madeira, anyone looking for a quiet break on a warm, pleasant sandy beach will come here for two or three days, or even longer, on this remote and charming island.
Porto Santo does not have a huge number of hotels or lodging options, since it is small and really suits travelers looking for a peaceful, laid-back vacation with an old-world feel.
As noted, Porto Santo is Madeira’s go-to island for a classic fly-and-flop beach holiday. Most visitors come for a few relaxing days by the sea. The majority of hotels in Porto Santo are right along the waterfront on either side of Vila Baleira.
The island also has vacation apartments, better suited to travelers staying for a week or longer, or to families looking for a villa near the beach. These, too, are mostly clustered around Vila Baleira.
Click here to find hotels and resorts on Porto Santo…
Getting Around Porto Santo
With a maximum width of six kilometers and a maximum length of 11 kilometers, the island is relatively small, so distances between sights are short. In central Vila Baleira, you can easily get around on foot almost everywhere.
One of the best ways to experience the island is by bicycle, and there are several rental companies in town. Taxis are also a convenient option during a stay at one of the island’s hotels, since distances are short.
Still, anyone wanting to explore Porto Santo comfortably and freely is better off renting a car, even if only for a single day trip. Car rental is available at Porto Santo Airport and in the town center.
Public transportation does exist, mainly from the ferry terminal, and there is also a bus that circles the island. Service hours, however, are limited.
Click here to search for hotels and vacation apartments on Porto Santo…
Click here to find a place to stay on Madeira…
About Porto Santo
Porto Santo’s Unique Beach
Porto Santo’s beach is the only sandy beach in the Madeira archipelago. Surprisingly, it is considered one of the best swimming beaches in all of Portugal. On mainland Portugal, Atlantic waters are usually cool and windy, so beaches tend to be better suited to surfing. Here in Porto Santo, by contrast, you can swim in the sea year-round, perhaps with the exception of rainy days.
The beach’s southern exposure and its position within a natural bay — which is why it is also called a porto, meaning bay in Portuguese — make it calm almost all the time. It also appears regularly on lists of Europe’s best beaches, largely thanks to the feeling of being on a remote island with a peaceful stretch of sand all to yourself.
Once you move a little farther from shore, the water becomes very deep. In fact, Porto Santo is the peak of a mountain rising from the depths of the sea, just like Madeira. So despite their proximity, the waters between them reach depths of nearly 4,000 meters. As Porto Santo lies in the Atlantic, tides are part of everyday life here. They are most noticeable along the island’s rocky sections, but they also affect the sandy beach, which narrows and widens accordingly.
Because of Porto Santo’s distinctive geology, swimming here is also believed to have healing properties. The clear waters off the beach are rich in minerals, which is one reason the island also attracts wellness tourism.
Click here to search for hotels and resorts on Porto Santo…
The History of Porto Santo
Porto Santo was the first island reached by the Portuguese, as early as 1418, when they discovered Madeira. The explorers João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira were blown off course from the coast of Africa and landed on the small island. Because they were saved when they anchored there, they named it “Holy Harbor.”
Voyages to the Americas and other discoveries around the world always passed through the Atlantic islands including The Azores, and especially Madeira and the Canary Islands. In the past, ships always sailed with stopovers, mainly to take on water and food, and also according to prevailing winds, since there were no engines. The islands therefore served as waystations. Christopher Columbus himself lived in Porto Santo, and his house is still on display in Vila Baleira today.
Life in Porto Santo’s early years was not easy, mainly because of the lack of water. Later, however, as trade with the West expanded and Madeira became a regular stop for passing ships, Porto Santo developed as well.
From the second half of the 20th century onward, the island’s economy became increasingly tourism-oriented, and when the airport was expanded in the late 1990s, Porto Santo turned into a tourist destination known for its stunning beach and castaway-island atmosphere.
Two golf courses were also built on the island, along with a few small resorts, and it remains especially beloved by vacationers coming here for a truly clear-headed escape.
Click here to search for hotels and resorts on Porto Santo, where the season lasts all year…
Sights and Attractions in Porto Santo
The Island’s Highest Peak — Pico do Facho
The summit is the highest point on the island, rising to 517 meters. A ring road from the island’s small road network loops around the mountain, so you can reach the top from either side. On the way up, there is a small forest and, of course, excellent viewpoints.
From these overlooks, you can see the little islets scattered around the main island, as if someone had sprinkled salt across the sea and it never dissolved.
Town Center — Largo do Pelourinho
The center of the small town of Vila Baleira is clustered around Teixeira Avenue (R. Dr. Nuno Silvestre Teixeira). It functions as the heart of a classic resort town, with restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, and a lovely palm-lined promenade above a basalt-paved street descending toward the sea.
There is also a large square facing the modern town hall, where local events are held mainly in summer. Christopher Columbus’s house stands behind the town’s large church, which also sits on the square.
Christopher Columbus House | Casa de Cristóvão Colombo
Bartolomeu Perestrello was Porto Santo’s first governor beginning in 1445. He was also a sailor and explorer, and some claim that he, rather than Teixeira and Zarco, was the one who discovered Porto Santo in 1419.
One of his daughters, Filipa Moniz Perestrello, married Christopher Columbus, and the two lived in Porto Santo for several years. They also had a son named Diego, who later became a sailor himself.
The 15th-century house where Christopher Columbus and his wife lived stands in the center of town. Beyond the house itself, which is worth seeing on its own, the interior contains paintings, maps, and objects that tell the story of the great explorer.
Click here to search for hotels and resorts on Porto Santo…
Vila Baleira Pier | Cais do Porto Santo
The pier stands on the seafront opposite central Vila Baleira. You can walk all the way to the end for views of the sea and the island’s mountains. A few benches line the pier, making it a lovely spot for a short stroll in the early evening.
Hiking Trails in Porto Santo
Madeira is famous for its hiking trails along the levadas, some of them quite challenging. Here on Madeira’s little sister island, there are also two interesting routes that let you explore parts of the island on foot. Both trails lead to Porto Santo’s peaks, where the island’s soothing landscapes open up before you.
Trail to Pico Castelo | Vereda do Pico Castilo
This trail is marked PR2. It is a circular route of nearly 7 kilometers with a moderate difficulty level. While it is uphill, the path is fairly comfortable and well maintained. The route begins through forest, and near the end there is a split where you choose whether to continue to the top of Pico Castelo or to the neighboring summit, Pico do Facho. Both offer wonderful views. From Pico Castelo, there is an easy-access viewpoint with a panoramic outlook, including the inhabited part of the island and the airport set against the ocean on all sides.
Pico Branco Trail | Pico Branco e Terra Chã
This trail is marked PR1. The Pico Branco and Terra Chã route explores the remote northeastern tip of the island. It is 2.7 kilometers long and passes unusual geological formations, trees planted on this side of the island in the 20th century, and of course wonderful ocean views. The trail is moderately difficult. At times it crosses slopes, and the terrain feels very raw and untouched.
Click here to find hotels and resorts on Porto Santo…
Porto Santo’s Old Windmills | Moinhos de Vento de Porto Santo
These stand just above the ferry dock on the road circling the slopes of Pico do Facho. Starting in the late 18th century, the island’s winds were used to grind grain, which was then exported as flour. Because winds in Porto Santo come from several directions, windmills were built so they could rotate to face whichever way the wind was blowing.
Today the windmills are a romantic reminder of the past, and beside them is a stunning viewpoint over the island’s beach.
The Southernmost Tip of the Island | Ponta da Calheta
Ponta da Calheta can be reached by car. There is a small parking lot here, a restaurant, and a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the small rocky island opposite. The main attraction in the area is the sandy beach tucked between black, jagged rocks that look as though they came from Mars.
The waters all along Porto Santo’s beach, but especially here at Ponta da Calheta, are said to have healing properties. The island’s unique rock formations contain iodine, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals that make a dip in the water especially soothing and beneficial.
Be sure to keep the tides in mind when heading down to the beach. At high tide, the water sometimes covers much of the beauty of these unusual rock formations.
Miradouro das Flores – Stunning Panoramic Ocean Vistas
There are not many places in the world where you can gaze out at an island that looks completely alone in the middle of the ocean without being on a boat. Porto Santo is one of them.
This viewpoint sits just above the southernmost section of the island’s sandy beach at Ponta da Calheta, and it is accessible by car.
From the Flores viewpoint, you look almost straight across at the small island that continues on from Porto Santo, though still separate from the main island. This small, uninhabited islet is called Baixo, meaning “low island,” or Cal, meaning “lime island.” In shape, it somewhat resembles the Berlengas Islands off the surfer town of Peniche in mainland Portugal. Since the viewpoint faces southwest, the sunsets here are spectacular.
Click here to search for hotels and resorts on Porto Santo, where the season lasts all year…
The Unusual Rock Formations of Pico de Ana Ferreira
This summit in the south of the island is a wonderful viewpoint, looking out over the plain where the airport is located as well as the island’s northern side. Beyond the views, the site is known for its striking rock formations. You can see how the rocks have folded here, with layers lying horizontally rather than vertically.
Farther up the route there is also a hollow cave, popular for photos, with magnificent views over the island’s north and the sea.
The climb to the summit is moderately difficult, and the terrain is not especially easy.
Click here to search for hotels and vacation apartments on Porto Santo…
Porto Santo with Kids
The beach is the main attraction for children just as it is for adults in Porto Santo. Still, there are a few other activities that are especially well suited to anyone vacationing on the island:
- Quinta das Palmeiras — a kind of artificial oasis with fish ponds, lots of palm trees, and other vegetation in the west of the island. There is also a small zoo-like area that children may enjoy.
- Stargazing — islands in general are wonderful places for stargazing, and Porto Santo even more so thanks to its isolation and very sparse population. You can head up to Pico do Facho, or simply find a dark spot a little outside the resort areas, and enjoy the remarkable sight of the stars, especially on moonless nights.
- Water sports — several water sports and boating options are offered along the beach, suitable for children as well as adults.
- Praia do Zimbralinho — at the southwestern tip of the island. A rocky path leads down to a small bay with turquoise water. It is not suitable for very young children, as the route is steep and has makeshift railings. Here too, it is important to keep the tides in mind.
Click here for our top tips on visiting Madeira with kids…
Click here for our top tips on visiting Portugal with kids…
