Madeira to Porto Santothe Lobo Marinho ferry (2026 fares, timetable, October stop) or the flight

Fares read on 9 October 2026 and timetables re-checked on 11 October 2026 on Porto Santo Line’s own pages. The operator notes that “this timetable might be changed”. Check before you book.

The Lobo Marinho ferry from Funchal to Porto Santo costs €58.90 return for an adult from October to March and €72.02 from April to September, plus a fuel surcharge [1][3]. It usually leaves Funchal at 08:00 and returns from Porto Santo at 18:00 or 19:00 [5][6][7]. Three things to check before you plan around it: no sailings from 15 to 22 October 2026 for scheduled maintenance [4][5], a current warning that crossings take 3 hours 15 minutes instead of the usual 2 hours 15 [2][3], and several days each month with no boat at all [6][7]. The alternative is a 15-minute flight [10].

Fares 2026

Tourist class, the price a visitor pays (without the residents’ Social Mobility Allowance) [1]:

Ticket	Return Oct–Mar	Return Apr–Sep	One way Oct–Mar	One way Apr–Sep
Adult	€58.90	€72.02	€37.12	€43.83
Child 5–11	€29.44	€36.00	€18.56	€21.92
Child 0–4	Free, ticket required	Free, ticket required	Free	Free
European Youth Card	€47.46	€63.66	€25.27	€31.55
Car, category A (up to 7 seats)	€195.74	€250.40	€115.25	€149.43

• Fuel surcharge: “These prices do not include the fuel surcharge at the month’s rate” [1]. The amount is not published on the pages we read.
• First class: adult return €89.28 (Oct–Mar) or €101.36 (Apr–Sep) [1].
• Bicycles travel free with a passenger ticket [1].
• Day trip: the operator’s “One Day Cruise” starts at €58.90 for the ferry alone and €65.70 with transfers [9].

Timetable and days without a sailing

The usual pattern is Funchal 08:00, back from Porto Santo at 18:00 or 19:00 [5][6][7]. The exceptions matter more than the rule:

Month (2026)	What changes [5][6][7][4]
October	Extra departure from Funchal at 06:00 on 14 Oct, with no return that day; no sailings 15–22 Oct (scheduled maintenance); regular service from 23 Oct. Some Fridays and Sundays have a second round trip; Fri 9 and 30 Oct only an evening sailing (Funchal 19:00 on the 30th).
November	No sailings on Tuesdays 10, 17 and 24 Nov. On Fridays 13, 20 and 27 Nov the only departure from Funchal is at 19:00, back from Porto Santo at 22:30.
December	No sailings on 2, 9, 15, 22, 25 and 29 Dec. Early returns from Porto Santo on 4 Dec (16:00), 24 Dec (12:00) and 31 Dec (11:30).
January 2027	Not published yet. In January 2026 the timetable showed no sailings at all from 7 to 31 January [8].

If you are planning a winter stay that depends on the boat, assume a January break until the 2027 timetable says otherwise.

Crossing time and check-in

• Crossing: about 2 h 15 min according to the operator’s FAQ [2]; Visit Madeira says around 2 h 30 [10]. The operator’s homepage currently says that, “due to technical reasons”, trips are expected to take 3 hours and 15 minutes; the notice has no date [3].
• Check-in: at least 30 minutes before departure; drivers must be at the car deck one hour before [2].
• The ship carries up to 1,153 passengers and 145 cars, and has no cabins [2].

With the longer crossing, an 08:00 departure arrives around 11:15. Allowing 30 minutes’ check-in, an 18:00 return leaves at most about 6 h 15 on the island and a 19:00 return about 7 h 15; with a car (one hour), 5 h 45 or 6 h 45, before disembarking.

Flying instead

Visit Madeira describes a 15-minute air shuttle between Madeira and Porto Santo [10], and Binter sells flights to Porto Santo on its website [11]. We could not read Binter’s schedule or fares with our tools, so check its site directly. A flight is the fallback in the weeks the ferry does not run. Porto Santo’s airport (PXO) and the direct flight from Lisbon: flights to Madeira.

Which to choose

• Day trip, April to October: the ferry, on a day with the 08:00/18:00 or 19:00 pattern.
• A week or more on Porto Santo with a car: the ferry, which takes the car; compare the car fare with hiring one on the island.
• Mid-October, Tuesdays in November, several December days and January: check the flight.
• Seasickness-prone children: a 15-minute flight against a crossing of over two hours; we found no data on sea conditions to say more.

More on the island itself: Porto Santo.

Sources

Numbered references match the source list on this page. All read on 9 October 2026.

1. Porto Santo Line: 2026 Price List (PDF)
2. Porto Santo Line: FAQs
3. Porto Santo Line: homepage (EN)
4. Porto Santo Line: homepage (PT)
5. Porto Santo Line: Timetable October 2026
6. Porto Santo Line: Timetable November 2026
7. Porto Santo Line: Timetable December 2026
8. Porto Santo Line: Timetable January 2026
9. Porto Santo Line: One Day Cruise
10. Visit Madeira: How to get here
11. Binter: Porto Santo