Miradouro da Portela

Porto Santo's classic lookout, just over a kilometre and a half from the centre at the eastern tip of the island. An avenue of palm trees and a windmill set the scene; below lies the whole south coast, with Vila Baleira in the middle, the golden beach and the turquoise sea, the Porto de Abrigo and the marina, then Pico de Baixo and Ilhéu de Cima. The Portela windmills, symbols of the island, are a short walk away. A few minutes further, a staircase at the place called Casinhas leads to the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Graça, standing alone on the slope of Pico do Castelo: founded in 1533, destroyed in 1812 and rebuilt in the 20th century, it houses a 16th-century Virgin from a Flemish workshop and often served as a refuge for islanders during pirate raids. Its feast, one of the island's best attended, is held on 15 August.