The island next door
Madeira's small neighbour, with nine kilometres of golden sand and the house where Columbus is said to have lived.
Porto Santo was reached in 1418, a year before Madeira itself. Where Madeira is steep and green, Porto Santo is low, dry and edged by one long beach of pale sand.
Christopher Columbus lived here after marrying the daughter of the island's first governor. The house in Vila Baleira linked to him is now a museum.
A tipIt works as a day trip by ferry, but one night lets you have the beach to yourself in the evening.
- Distanceabout 43 km north-east of Madeira
- Getting thereferry, about 2.5 hours, or a short flight
- Beach9 km of sand
Taken home
At the end of the route, in Funchal, four artists draw whatever you bring back from the island: a place, a flower, a word, a set of coordinates.
The outline of the island
Madeira in a single line.