Madeira’s smaller neighbour, Porto Santo, boasts the archipelago’s only big beach. In the prosaic town, Vila Baleira, is a house where Columbus lived (he married a local girl). The 15-minute flight from Madeira is pricey, but ferries leave hourly from Funchal marina. From there you can also take boat tours to see the world’s second-tallest cliffs at Cabo Girão, or to spot whales.

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