Porto Santo: nine kilometres of sand, and what it costs to get there
Madeira has cliffs and stones. Porto Santo, 25 minutes away by plane and a morning away by boat, has nine kilometres of sand and almost nothing else. That's the whole trade, and the only real question is whether you go for a day or stay the week.
- The beach
- 9 km of sandone continuous beach down the south side of the island, and the reason people comeVisit Madeira, read 23 September 2026
- Ferry crossing
- 3 h 15 minthe Funchal to Porto Santo run is timed at three hours and fifteen minutes at the momentPorto Santo Line, read 23 September 2026
- Day trip by ferry
- from €72.02same-day return, ferry only · €77.90 with transfers · €86.70 with a bicycle · €101.50 with an excursionPorto Santo Line, read 23 September 2026
- By air
- 25 minutesBinter flies from Madeira every day, morning and afternoon, from €36.25 with cabin and checked bags includedBinter, read 23 September 2026
Porto Santo has an IPMA station of its own, so this is the weather here rather than a forecast for the island. Observed 23 September 2026 at 18:00, Madeira time. Every station.
What it is
A small, dry, low island north-east of Madeira, with one town, one long beach and a golf course. The sand runs nine kilometres down the south side.
People come for the beach and the water, which is calm in a way the north coast of Madeira never is. If you want levadas and laurel forest, stay on the big island.
The ferry
The Lobo Marinho sails from Funchal, and the crossing is timed at 3 hours and 15 minutes at the moment.
A same-day return starts at €72.02 for the ferry alone. With transfers on the island it's €77.90, with a bicycle €86.70, and with an excursion €101.50.
Do the sums before you book. A day trip is about six and a half hours on a boat for a few hours on the sand, and plenty of people find that a poor swap in a rough month.
Flying instead
Binter flies from Madeira every day, morning and afternoon, and the hop takes 25 minutes. Fares start at €36.25, with cabin and checked bags included.
For a day trip the plane wins by a distance. You lose 50 minutes to travel instead of six and a half hours, and the price gap is smaller than people expect.
The beach
Nine kilometres of it, gently shelving, on the sheltered side of the island. The sand is the local golden kind, not the black grit of Seixal or the imported yellow of the Funchal lidos.
The water is warm by Atlantic standards and swimmable most of the year. There's a promenade of sorts at the town end and empty sand at the far end, and the walk between them is the day.
A day or a week
A week is the honest answer. This is a beach island, and the things to do run out by the second afternoon unless the beach is the point.
For a day, fly out in the morning and back in the evening, and don't try to see the island as well. There's one packaged day trip on the marketplace we work with, and it sits below our bar for reviews, so it isn't on the site.
The island has its own weather station, and the reading at the top of this page comes from it, with Funchal's beside it for comparison. Check both before you book a crossing.
Questions before you go
How long does the ferry to Porto Santo take?
3 hours and 15 minutes each way at the moment, from Funchal harbour on the Lobo Marinho.
How much is a day trip to Porto Santo?
A same-day ferry return starts at €72.02. With transfers it's €77.90, with a bicycle €86.70, and with an excursion €101.50. Flights start lower, at €36.25 with Binter.
Is it quicker to fly to Porto Santo?
Much. The flight takes 25 minutes against 3 hours and 15 minutes on the ferry, and Binter runs morning and afternoon every day.
How long is the beach at Porto Santo?
Nine kilometres, running down the sheltered south side of the island.
Is Porto Santo worth a day trip?
Only by plane. Six and a half hours of ferry for an afternoon on the sand is a hard swap, and the sea can make the return uncomfortable. If you like a beach, go for three days.
Is there anything to do besides the beach?
A golf course, some diving, a few walks over the hills, and the house where Christopher Columbus lived. It's a short list, and the beach is the reason to come.
Sources
- Visit Madeira, the regional tourism board: Porto Santo, read 23 September 2026.
- Porto Santo Line, the ferry operator: crossing time and day-trip packages, read 23 September 2026.
- Binter, Madeira to Porto Santo flights: time, frequency and fares, read 23 September 2026.
- IPMA open data, observations from the weather station in Porto Santo, re-read at every build.
- IFCN, table of classified routes: the status of the marked routes above.
Who checked this
Roman Antonov, editor. Prices and opening hours come from the municipality and the regional tourism board, the bus times from the operator's own timetable, each with the date I read it. The weather is live from the island's station. If something has changed on the ground, tell me and I will re-check it.
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