Porto Santo
Porto Santo Island
About Getting there Gallery User feedback
Porto Santo Island Place: Porto Santo Photo: Turismo da Madeira
On Porto Santo Island we find a golden and blue refuge, a place where everything happens at a calm pace, inviting relaxation and relaxation.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 11 km long and 6 km wide, Porto Santo has long been called the Golden Island, due to its extensive and fantastic 9 km beach of fine, silky sand bathed by turquoise waters. Porto Santo's climate, moderate throughout the year and with a sea temperature that fluctuates between 17ºC and 22ºC, means that this island never loses its charm even in the winter months.
In 1418, Portuguese navigators, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira arrived at Porto Santo Island, the first of Portuguese overseas discoveries. Having been diverted by strong winds from their exploration route along the west coast of Africa, Porto Santo Island gave them a safe harbor, thus earning their name. In 1446, Infante Dom Henrique appointed Bartolomeu Perestrelo governor of the island, giving him reasons to become famous: Perestrelo's daughter married Christopher Columbus, who spent some time on this island preparing the great voyage of the Discovery of America. Today it is possible to visit the 15th century house that Christopher Columbus would have inhabited. Located in Vila Baleira, it displays portraits of Columbus and also maps with the different routes he took.
Porto Santo Island
About Getting there Gallery User feedback
Porto Santo Island Place: Porto Santo Photo: Turismo da Madeira
Photo: Madeira Tourism
On Porto Santo Island we find a golden and blue refuge, a place where everything happens at a calm pace, inviting relaxation and relaxation.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 11 km long and 6 km wide, Porto Santo has long been called the Golden Island, due to its extensive and fantastic 9 km beach of fine, silky sand bathed by turquoise waters. Porto Santo's climate, moderate throughout the year and with a sea temperature that fluctuates between 17ºC and 22ºC, means that this island never loses its charm even in the winter months.
In 1418, Portuguese navigators, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira arrived at Porto Santo Island, the first of Portuguese overseas discoveries. Having been diverted by strong winds from their exploration route along the west coast of Africa, Porto Santo Island gave them a safe harbor, thus earning their name. In 1446, Infante Dom Henrique appointed Bartolomeu Perestrelo governor of the island, giving him reasons to become famous: Perestrelo's daughter married Christopher Columbus, who spent some time on this island preparing the great voyage of the Discovery of America. Today it is possible to visit the 15th century house that Christopher Columbus would have inhabited. Located in Vila Baleira, it displays portraits of Columbus and also maps with the different routes he took.
Although small, the island's capital, Vila Baleira, has its attractions. The city is centered on its main square, around Largo do Pelourinho and Jardins do Infante. The streets lined with palm trees and bougainvillea are ideal for pleasant and relaxing walks. Restaurants abound, so there are plenty of opportunities to try the island's specialties: grilled beef kebabs on a bay leaf drizzled with garlic butter, or the famous bolo do caco, bread with sweet potatoes that is also served with butter. garlic. A walk along the pier allows us to see the handicrafts, made with local raw materials such as shells, palm leaves, reeds and clay. For a touch of history and culture, in addition to the Christopher Columbus house-museum, the beautiful tile panels in the nearby 17th-century Church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade are well worth a visit.
Porto Santo is livened up on the 23rd and 24th of June for the Festas de São João in honor of the island's patron saint. And the animation continues in August with the religious festivals of Nossa Senhora da Graça on the night from the 14th to the 15th, of Nossa Senhora da Piedade from the 30th to the 31st and at the end of the month with the Harvest Festival. In September, the Columbus Festival recalls the passages and experiences of this navigator through the Madeira archipelago, as well as the entire epic of the Age of Discovery. Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations continue until Three Kings' Day, when nightly festivities include visits to see the Lapinha (crib) and on the night of January 15th to celebrate Santo Amaro.
But Porto Santo's business card is undoubtedly its beach. Reputed to have healing powers, the sands and waters are rich in iodine, calcium and magnesium, making them very beneficial for the treatment of rheumatism and bone diseases.
At the Thalassotherapy Centre, we can try an anti-stress treatment and exercise our body on a walking tour to Ponta da Calheta. We can also release stress in a more active way, practicing one of the many varieties of outdoor activities that the island offers - boat trips, sport fishing, diving, windsurfing, kite surfing, water skiing, mountain biking, or paragliding. Golf lovers can also take a swing at Porto Santo Golf, designed by Spanish champion Ballesteros.
Alternatively, we can stroll around the island and discover the beauty of a landscape that was formed thanks to successive volcanic eruptions in one of the various viewpoints: Portela, with the surrounding windmills, Pedreira on Pico Ana Ferreira and, at the western end of the island, the viewpoint of flowers with a view over Madeira and the Desertas islands. Not to be missed, the climb to Pico do Facho, the highest point on the island at 517 meters, and to Pico do Castelo, from where you can see the recessed valleys and the islets that seem to have been “seeded” around.
With children, we can visit Quinta das Palmeiras and enjoy a mini-zoo and botanical mini-garden or else see the source of the sand and the erosion caused by the water in the rocks. To regain strength, have a picnic at Morenos and then take a dip in the crystal clear waters of the small Zimbralinho cove is a suggestion that the whole family will love.
To end the day, drinking a fruit juice or a Poncha on one of the several terraces by the beach, we let ourselves be rocked by the magic sound of the waves and at nightfall, at twilight time, we contemplate an indescribable sunset.