Getting Around Madeira Islands

By Air

The two airports in the Madeira Islands- Funchal and Porto Santo- are connected to each other by air. Flights are operated by TAP Air Portugal and are the quickest way to get from one island to the other.

By Sea

Ferry services operate between Porto Santo and Funchal, taking anywhere between an hour and a half to three hours to complete the trip, depending upon the weather. If you want to go to one of the smaller islands, boats can usually be hired from agencies along the waterfront of either Funchal or Porto Santo.

By Road

Hiring a car from one of the car rental agencies in Funchal or Porto Santo is a convenient way to get around the islands on your own. Roads are, by and large, fairly good, although petrol pumps are few and far between outside the main cities. For those who’d rather let someone else do the driving, there’s a bus network which connects all the towns and villages on each island.