Planning your trip to Porto Santo

The Lobo Marinho links Funchal to Porto Santo's Porto de Abrigo in 2 h 30. Timetables and fares on portosantoline.pt.

1. Check the day's timetable and fares on portosantoline.pt.
2. Allow 2:30 for the crossing.
3. If you bring a car: the ship carries 145.
4. On board: cinema ten minutes after departure, self-service restaurant, children's room.
5. On arrival, bus 995 links Porto de Abrigo to the centre of Vila Baleira.
6. First swim possible at Penedo, the beach next to the harbour.

Nine kilometres of limestone sand, three lifeguarded stretches in 2026 and a sea at 24–25 °C in high summer.

1. Pick a supervised stretch: Fontinha and Cabeço da Ponta from 15 May to 31 October, Ribeiro Salgado from 1 May to 31 October.These are the three "praias de banhos" of the 2026 order; elsewhere no surveillance is guaranteed.
2. Follow the flags; in an emergency, do not go into the water and call 112.Advice of the National Maritime Authority for the bathing season.
3. Stay out of the sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and drink water.
4. Sandals to cross the sand: 65 °C at the surface in summer.
5. Take nothing away: no sand, pebbles, fossils or plants.The whole island has been a Biosphere Reserve since 2020; the municipality runs LIFE DUNAS on the dune belt and "Porto Santo sem Lixo Marinho" on marine litter.
6. To move along the beach: the 5 km cycle path follows the ER 111 from Ribeiro Cochino to Calheta.
7. Sand bath: 20 minutes in a tub at 40–42 °C, or in the open.

The three classified PS PR trails are booked and paid for since 1 January 2026; the Piano of Pico de Ana Ferreira is an easy-access geosite, not a classified trail.

1. Book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica: €4.50 per person, free for residents and children aged 12 and under.Regime in force since 1 January 2026 for the Region's classified routes; €3 with an operator under an IFCN protocol.
2. Check the day's status: PS PR3 is partly closed, its 530 m tunnel is closed.Official list of open and closed classified routes: PR1 open, PR2 open, PR3 walkable only between Camacha and the Graça chapel.
3. Do not walk alone, tell someone, finish before dark.
4. Water, spare food, suitable footwear and clothing, a phone.The IFCN's list; shade is limited to the Pico do Castelo pine wood and the Terra Chã cypresses.
5. Give up in heavy rain or strong wind.An explicit IFCN instruction; the prevailing wind comes from the north-north-east.
6. Stay on the yellow-and-red marked path: no fire, no picking, no litter.IFCN rules of conduct; the yellow-and-red marks are those of the Pequenas Rotas (PR).
7. Emergencies: 112; Civil Protection: 291 700 112.
8. The Piano (Pico de Ana Ferreira): easy access, 144 m from the tarmac road.
9. Pico do Facho is reached by an unmarked vereda from Pico do Castelo.
10. To land on an islet: prior authorisation from the IFCN.