Portugal
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
40.5km²
Area
74km
Coastline
516m
Highest point
Pico do Facho
5,149
People
23°C
Warmest sea
September
626km
To the mainland
When to go to Porto Santo
Best for the beach from August to September.
The sea is warmest in September (23 °C) and coolest in March (18 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to November.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Municipality in Madeira, Portugal
Porto Santo is an island in Portugal. It covers 40.5 km², with 74 km of coastline. Its highest point, Pico do Facho, rises to 516 m. About 5,149 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 626 km away.
Getting there
- Porto Santo Airport (PXO)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at PXO airport (Vila Baleira)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 626 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From August to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Porto Santo.
- 15beachesFontinha, Pedras Pretas, Ribeiro Salgado and 12 more
- 20viewpointsFonte da Areia, Morenos, Pico do Castelo and 17 more
- 2lighthouses
- 1ferry terminalsPorto Santo
- 1marinasPorto Santo
- 27named peaksFacho, Gandaia, Branco and 24 more
- 1waterfalls
- 1castles and fortsForte de São José
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesAbrigo do Pico do Castelo, Cais do Forno da Cal
- 4waymarked walking routesPR1 - Vereda do Pico Branco e Terra Chã, PR 2 - Vereda do Pico do Castelo (West), PR 2 - Vereda do Pico do Castelo (East) and 1 more
- 23hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 59restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Porto Santo in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Porto Santo, each with its own numbers.
7beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
23.4°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
7 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Praia do Penedo23.4°C
- Porto De Frades Beach23.4°C
- Praia do Zimbralinho23.4°C
- Praia Cabeço da Ponta23.4°C
- Porto das Eirascove23.4°C
- Porto dos Porcoscove23.4°C
- Porto da Morenacove23.4°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 113 m above the sea. 87 % of it is below 200 m.
- 23 %0–50 m
- 65 %50–200 m
- 13 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Camacha5,149 people
- Vila Baleirano census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| Night low (°C) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Sea (°C) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 |
| Rain (mm) | 28 | 36 | 34 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 34 | 40 | 40 |
| Wet days | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Sun h/day | 4.8 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 24 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +1.2 | +0.9 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.9 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.2 | −0.3 | −0.4 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| 2023 | +1.3 | +0.5 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +1.9 | +1.9 |
| 2024 | +2.2 | +2.1 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +1.5 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.2 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.3 |
| 2025 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.2 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q27320) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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