Porto Santo. 🏝️ A golden beach for a day trip from Madeira

Porto Santo is the smaller of the two inhabited islands of the Madeira archipelago: 9 km of golden beach, a flat landscape and a slower pace than Madeira. In this guide you’ll find timetables and prices for the Lobo Marinho ferry and Binter flights, a plan for a day trip, getting around the island, the weather and the rules for travelling with a dog.

Porto Santo has been on my wish list ever since my month in Madeira. Locals told me it’s where they often go on holiday themselves. And that they’re still arguing over who makes the better pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts). I haven’t made it there yet: the way animals are carried was a deal-breaker for me, so I’m saving Porto Santo for a trip without Tesla, my mixed-breed dog. If that kind of transport doesn’t bother you, Porto Santo with a dog is perfectly doable: I cover everything in the section Porto Santo with a dog.

Every price and time here comes with the date I checked it and a source. If you’re only starting to plan your trip, begin with my Madeira guide.

Is Porto Santo worth a trip from Madeira?

Yes, if you’re missing a long sandy beach and a slower pace in Madeira. Porto Santo is completely different: it’s about 11 km long and 6 km wide, and its highest peak, Pico do Facho, is no higher than 517 m. Instead of steep slopes you get a flat horizon and golden sand along almost the entire south coast. Since October 2020 the island has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and according to tradition Christopher Columbus lived here.

The trip makes less sense if you only have a few days in Madeira and you’re there mainly for the levadas. Then a day on Porto Santo is a day taken away from the trails.

How to get to Porto Santo from Madeira

You have two regular options: the Lobo Marinho ferry from Funchal harbour or a Binter flight from Madeira airport. The ferry is usually cheaper and takes cars. The plane is fast and spares your stomach.

The Lobo Marinho ferry (Porto Santo Line)

The Lobo Marinho has sailed this route since June 2003. It’s a big ship: 112 m long, with room for 1153 passengers and 145 cars. On board there’s a restaurant, a buffet, bars, a cinema and a children’s room. There are no cabins, as the crossing is too short for them.

The ferry leaves from the harbour in Funchal. You can’t park at the port; the operator points you to the car park by the CR7 Pestana hotel (open 7:00–2:00 Sunday to Thursday, and round the clock on Fridays and Saturdays). On Porto Santo the ship docks at Porto de Abrigo, from where bus 995 runs to the centre.

The fuel surcharge is calculated at the rate for the month in question, and the fare list doesn’t give the amount. So expect the final price to be a little higher.

Ferry timetable: high season, winter and breaks

Times change from month to month, so always check your specific day in the Porto Santo Line timetable. The 2026 timetables follow this pattern:

• A normal day: from Funchal at 8:00. Return at 18:00 from late October to March, at 19:00 from April to July and in September and October (until 25 October), and at 20:00 in August. On Sundays usually an hour later.
• Fridays: in autumn (October and November 2026) most Fridays have only an evening sailing: 19:00 from Funchal, 22:30 back. A day trip by ferry is out on those days. In December 2026 the Friday morning sailings return.
• Winter: from November to March the ferry doesn’t sail on many Tuesdays (in December 2026 also on two Wednesdays). There are no sailings on Christmas Day, and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve the ship returns from Porto Santo before noon (24 December at 12:00, 31 December at 11:30).
• Maintenance breaks: in 2026 no sailings from 6 January to 5 February and from 14 to 22 October (drive shaft repair at the Astican shipyard in Las Palmas). The January overhaul happens every year: in 2025 it lasted six weeks, in 2026 about five.

Planning Porto Santo in January? Check the timetable especially carefully.

Timetables for October–December 2026 checked on 16 October 2026 at reservasc.portosantoline.pt. October break: Diário de Notícias, 1 October 2026. Overhaul in 2025: Diário de Notícias, 5 January 2025; in 2026: Diário de Notícias, 7 January 2026.

Binter flights from Funchal

The flight takes 25 minutes. The November and December 2026 schedule has two flights a day in each direction. You land on Porto Santo at 7:55 and fly back at 19:55, so you get about 12 hours on the island.

I checked prices on 11 October for a flight on 29 October 2026. The cheapest Mini and SuperPromo fares were sold out. What was left: €54, €70 and €80 one way. The evening return cost from €56. Fares “from €16” are, according to a notice in Binter’s booking engine, for Porto Santo residents only.

I explain how to get to the airport in my guide to Madeira airport. When it’s windy, have a look at my Madeira airport wind checker.

Ferry or plane?

• Price: off-season the ferry works out cheaper. A return flight on the date I checked costs from about €110.
• Time on the island: up to 12 hours with the plane, about 7–9 with the ferry, depending on the return time.
• Car: only the ferry takes one.
• Mix and match: out by ferry, back by plane. You buy the tickets separately.

Porto Santo as a day trip or overnight?

One day is enough for the beach, the town centre and two or three viewpoints. For a sunset at Calheta, a hike or lazing on the sand without checking your watch, stay the night. I want to come back by plane the next morning myself, to compare both options.

Porto Santo Line offers a ready-made One Day Cruise package. The crossing alone costs the same as a regular ticket, and with transfers in Funchal or Caniço and on Porto Santo it’s €65.70 off-season and €77.90 from April to September. There are also versions with a bike, an island tour, a jeep or golf, and you can add lunch at the Torre Praia hotel to any of them (€22 off-season, €26.40 in season). The transfer on Porto Santo takes you to the Torre Praia hotel, not to the centre (One Day Cruise 2026 fares, checked 16 October 2026).

If you’re staying overnight, look at the ferry + hotel packages. A return crossing and a night with breakfast at the 3* Praia Dourada hotel cost from €85.90 per person in a double room (January–March and November–December 2026). That’s only €27 more than the ticket alone. From 16 July to 25 August this package costs €129.02. The package with the 4* Torre Praia hotel starts at €100.40, and the 2026 price list only covers March–October (2026 package price lists, checked 16 October 2026).

Packages carry the fuel surcharge on top, plus the local tourist tax, which the municipality introduced in February 2025: €2 per person per night from age 13, for a maximum of 7 nights (Regulamento n.º 1421/2024). Would you rather book just the hotel, without the ferry package? You can check prices and reviews for both hotels on Booking.com: Praia Douradaaffiliate link (3*, about 200 m from the beach) and Torre Praiaaffiliate link (4*, on the beach). You can compare other places to stay in the search box below.

Porto Santo beach: 9 km of sand

This is why most people sail to Porto Santo. The beach stretches for about 9 km, from near Vila Baleira to the rocks of Ponta da Calheta. The sand is calcareous: crushed shells, corals and calcareous algae, hence its yellow colour, with a sprinkling of dark volcanic grains.

And the healing properties? Madeira’s regional geosites portal says the sand was used in psammotherapy, i.e. sand baths for bone and muscle complaints. Visit Madeira writes about proven therapeutic properties. I’m not a doctor, so I treat this as an interesting fact rather than a promise of a cure.

The stretches with facilities are Fontinha by the old pier in the centre, Pedras Pretas, Ribeiro Salgado by the hotels, and Calheta. Penedo beach is said to be quieter.

What to see on Porto Santo

Vila Baleira and Casa Colombo

In the centre stands Casa Colombo (Museu do Porto Santo e dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, the Columbus House museum). According to tradition, Columbus lived here after marrying Filipa Moniz, daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, the island’s first captain-donatary (hereditary governor). In 2023 the museum was extended into the neighbouring 17th-century “Baiana” building. It’s open Monday to Friday 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:30, Saturdays 10:00–13:00, and closed on Sundays and public holidays. An adult ticket (26–64) costs €6, young people aged 13–25 and seniors €3, family ticket €10 (Direção Regional da Cultura, as of 16 October 2026).

Next door is the 15th-century Nossa Senhora da Piedade church, sacked by French corsairs in 1566 and rebuilt in 1667. From the old pier a promenade runs along the dunes, with the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument to the Discoveries beside it.

Viewpoints and trails

Closest to the centre is the Portela viewpoint, looking out over the whole south coast and the beach. You can drive up Pico do Castelo (437 m) or walk there on the PS PR 2 trail from Moledo (3.2 km and 1.5 h, or 4.6 km and 2 h 15 min, officially an easy route). At the top are the remains of a fort where islanders sheltered from pirates, and the Miradouro do Canhão viewpoint. From Miradouro das Flores you’ll see the beach and the islets, and on a clear day even Madeira.

The PS PR 1 trail leads up Pico Branco (450 m) via Terra Chã: 2.7 km one way, about 1.5 h, moderate difficulty, starting by the ER 111 road. On PS PR 1 and PS PR 2 a €4.50 ticket applies for everyone over 12, paid through SIMplifica (Visit Madeira, as of 16 October 2026; both trails were open at the time). I explain how to buy the ticket in my guide to Madeira trail tickets.

Pico Ana Ferreira and Fonte da Areia

On Pico Ana Ferreira (283 m) there are prismatic columns of solidified magma, nicknamed the “piano” or the “organ pipes”. They’re best seen from Miradouro da Pedreira by the golf course. Fonte da Areia on the north coast is a set of wind-carved calcareous sandstone rocks (the same deposits that the beach sand came from) and an 18th-century spring. A raw landscape, completely different from the south.

Ponta da Calheta and Zimbralinho

At Ponta da Calheta the golden beach ends and the rocks begin. Opposite lies the islet of Ilhéu da Cal with its old lime mines. There’s parking, toilets and a restaurant, and Visit Madeira recommends it for sunset. You can get there on bus 994.

Zimbralinho is a small rocky cove with pillow lava. The regional geosites portal rates access as difficult, about 930 m from the tarmac, so only in sturdy shoes.

Getting around Porto Santo

Bus. The SIGA network lines here are run by CAM. Line 994 Centro – Calheta runs along the beach and the hotels: a dozen or more departures a day, from 7:45 to 23:00, with a gap between 16:00 and 20:30 on school days. From the airport it only leaves at 8:05 and 19:45, timed for the Binter arrivals. Line 995 links the centre with the port and is timed to the ferry: on days without a sailing (winter Tuesdays) it doesn’t run. You’ll find PDF timetables at siga.madeira.gov.pt (as of 16 October 2026).

Taxi. The main taxi rank is in the centre, by the petrol station next to the bus stop.

Bike. Almost 5 km of cycle path runs along the ER111 road, from Ribeiro Cochino to Calheta beach. You can hire a bike on the island or bring your own on the ferry for free.

Car. There’s a Rodavante desk at the airport (the Moinho desk was temporarily closed according to the airport website on 11 October 2026, but the company has offices on the island). Taking a car on the ferry costs €195.74–250.40 return, so for a short stay it usually makes more sense to hire a car on the island. You can compare car hire prices on Porto Santo on DiscoverCarsaffiliate link.

Don’t fancy driving? One of the best-rated Porto Santo tours on GetYourGuide is a full-day 4×4 island touraffiliate link with pick-up from your hotel or the ferry terminal (7 hours, guide in English and Portuguese). Kayaking, diving and hikes are among the other Porto Santo toursaffiliate link. You buy the ferry separately.

Read nextThings to do in Madeira. 🏝️ 20 places worth seeingLevadas, viewpoints, gardens and lava pools: 20 places worth seeing on Madeira itself.

Porto Santo weather and the best time to go

According to IPMA averages for 1991–2020, the warmest months are August and September (average maximum temperature 25.7 °C and 25.4 °C), and the average annual temperature is 19.1 °C (IPMA, 1991–2020 normal). The island gets 382 mm of rain a year, compared with 574 mm in Funchal, and almost none in July and August (the August normal is about 4 mm). What surprised me: in this data Porto Santo comes out slightly cooler than Funchal, by about 1 °C in August.

For the beach, June to September is best. For sightseeing and hiking, spring and autumn. Winters are mild, but remember the ferry’s maintenance break and the Tuesdays without sailings. I’ve gathered forecasts on my Madeira weather page.

Porto Santo with children

Children up to 4 travel free on the ferry (with a ticket), and those aged 5–11 pay half. On board there’s a children’s room and a cinema. On the island, kids might enjoy Quinta das Palmeiras west of the airport: a small garden and mini zoo with parrots. Neither Visit Madeira nor the municipality gives opening hours or prices, so ask at your hotel or the tourist information office before you go.

Read nextMadeira with a dog. 🐶 A month in Funchal with my mixed-breed dog TeslaFlying with a dog, getting around, trails, beaches and vets: everything about travelling to Madeira with a dog.

Porto Santo with a dog

You can get to Porto Santo with a dog by ferry or by plane. On the ferry your dog travels in a separate area for animals, while a small dog (up to 8 kg including the carrier) can fly with you in the plane’s cabin. Places for animals are limited, so plan your trip early. I explain how to fly to Madeira itself with a dog and what to prepare in Madeira with a dog.

Dogs on the Lobo Marinho ferry

On the ferry, dogs and cats travel in cages on the car deck: there are 10 cages for animals up to 15 kg and 4 for bigger dogs, and the fee is €10. If you’re travelling with your car, your dog can stay in it. Only assistance dogs, notified at least 48 h in advance, are allowed in the passenger area (Porto Santo Line, 16 October 2026). I’ve listed the cage sizes and the other rules in Madeira with a dog.

Dogs on Binter flights

Binter takes a dog or cat in the cabin if the animal plus its carrier weighs up to 8 kg (carrier max. 45 × 35 × 25 cm), for €9 per leg. A bigger animal flies in the hold in a carrier of up to 100 × 60 × 80 cm for €20 (Binter pet travel rules, as of 16 October 2026).

With a dog on the island

Before heading onto the beach, check the sign at the entrance. In Portugal, dogs are usually not allowed on lifeguarded bathing beaches and Blue Flag beaches during the bathing season, while on unguarded beaches they’re usually allowed unless a sign says otherwise. I didn’t find a separate regulation for Porto Santo.

In summer, bring water and a bowl for your dog, and plan beach walks for the morning or evening, when the sand is cooler. I couldn’t find a confirmed vet clinic on the island, so before you go, save the contact for the 24-hour veterinary hospital in Funchal from my Madeira with a dog guide.

Practical tips before you go

• Ferry tickets can be bought directly at portosantoline.pt or at the Porto Santo Line ticket office in Funchal (at the passenger terminal they sell tickets until 15 min before departure). In high season I wouldn’t leave it to the last minute.
• Check the day of the week: autumn Fridays, winter Tuesdays and Sundays at Casa Colombo.
• Seasickness: if you don’t cope well with rolling seas, ask at a pharmacy for a travel sickness remedy and take it before the crossing. A seat closer to the middle of the ship and looking at the horizon help. Or fly with Binter.
• Track the ship: Porto Santo Line has a live map showing where the Lobo Marinho is.

FAQ: Porto Santo

Been to Porto Santo recently? Tell me in the comments what surprised you. After my own trip I’ll add my impressions and photos here.

This guide contains affiliate links. If you book a car, a stay or a tour through them, I earn a small commission and you don’t pay a penny more.

Sources I used (20)

• Visit Madeira (visitmadeira.com)
• Visit Madeira (visitmadeira.com)
• operator’s FAQ (portosantoline.pt)
• reservasc.portosantoline.pt
• Diário de Notícias, (dnoticias.pt)
• Diário de Notícias, (dnoticias.pt)
• Diário de Notícias, (dnoticias.pt)
• pet travel rules (bintercanarias.com)
• One Day Cruise (portosantoline.pt)
• Porto Santo Line (portosantoline.pt)
• Regulamento n.º 1421/2024 (diariodarepublica.pt)
• geodiversidade.madeira.gov.pt
• Visit Madeira (visitmadeira.com)
• Câmara Municipal do Porto Santo (cm-portosanto.pt)
• Portaria n.º 206/2026 (bathing season) (joram.madeira.gov.pt)
• Direção Regional da Cultura
• IPMA, 1991–2020 normal
• Porto Santo Line (portosantoline.pt)
• portosantoline.pt
• live map of the Lobo Marinho’s position (portosantoline.pt)