Porto Santo Island
Travel Guide • Madeira
Porto Santo Island
A surprising, charming and captivating island
Thought that Madeira was just one island? Madeira is a group of islands and one of them will delight those in love with kilometric sandy beaches: Porto Santo.
Originally the main island of Madeira is volcanic and did not have any beach. So recently, two small artificial beaches have been built on the main island to allow residents and visitors to get to the sea. Locals and tourists go on cruise to Porto Santo and enjoy the “kilometric” beach.
Porto Santo is also known for the therapeutic properties of its sand (we recommend the hotel “Hotel & Spa Porto Santo”) and its famous golf course, ranked among the finest in the world.
Porto Santo is a surprising, charming and captivating island, a small paradise lost in the ocean with only 5,000 inhabitants. A large part of that small island is even deserted and if you have the opportunity to visit it, you will see the house of the last implacable person who lives in the only house in the East of the island, Ingrid, a German lady in love with peace and tranquility.
One single day in Porto Santo and you will enjoy the beach, golf, but also many sport activities. The most beautiful moment in the journey is certainly the discovery of the island of Porto Santo upon your Ferry arrival and the discovery of the main island of Madeira on your way back. Those moments will put you in the skin of the great explorers who successively discovered those beautiful islands.
Want to get to Porto Santo? One solution: the boat! It is not very fast (2 hours), the departure is at dawn (08:00 am).
Porto Santo 1-Day Cruise and Tour
from Funchal
Discover the beautiful island of Porto Santo, 43 kilometers off the northeast coast of Madeira, on a full-day tour from Funchal. Cross the ocean by boat and then journey around the island by 4WD jeep. Get panoramic views of the coast and interior.
Take the ferry from Funchal to Porto Santo
and explore the island by 4WD jeep
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