Further Afield

The island of Madeira does not stand alone. In the same archipelago you'll find the island of Porto Santo with its expanse of golden sandy beaches - it's a popular destination for locals wanting a short break and you can fly or take a day trip by ferry during most of the year or stay over in one of the island's hotels.

Also part of the Madeira Autonomous Region are the Ilhas Desertas (Desert Islands), lying around 25km from the easternmost point of the island and now a protected nature reserve. It is possible to visit (though there are significant restrictions), taking a sea route on which you can expect to encounter whales and dolphins. 

The Ilhas Salvagens (Wild or Savage Islands) are part of Funchal for administrative purposes but are 280km south of Madeira and the southernmost point of Portuguese territory. They also form a protected nature reserve. 

If you want to explore other areas of Portugal, there are several flights  a day to both Porto and Lisbon and a regular service to the Azores, Portugal's other autonomous archipelago.

From Porto you can also reach the historic northern cities of Braga and Guimarães by train or take Portugal's one remaining international rail service to Vigo in the Galician region of Spain.

From Lisbon there is a train service south to the Algarve. 

Mainland Portugal is also served by a network of coach and bus routes.