Drive Distance: 42km from Funchal
Funchal is well known for its high standards of accommodation and modern, luxurious resorts, but if you want to see the 'typical' side of Madeira you should get your red pen out and start scribbling circles and stars around Santana.
Santana's iconic thatched cottages are charm personified. When you're after that picture postcard snapshot of "ye olde" Madeira, look no further than the town's brightly painted triangular shaped houses.
Drive Distance: 35km from Lisbon
It may just be just a 40-minute drive from the Portuguese capital, but Cascais is a world away from the frenetic buzz and clanging trams of Lisbon. From the moment you clap eyes on the sun-scorched terracotta rooftops and hypnotic black and white cobbles you can't help but feel you're being lulled into summer holiday mode.
Drive Distance: 40km from Faro
Spanning both sides of the Rio Gilao, Tavira is one of the Algarve's most photogenic towns that makes wonderful use of its picturesque river setting. Local attractions worth pointing your lens at include the preserved ruins of the hilltop castle, the ancient Roman bridge and a selection of Gothic and Renaissance churches. That is of course if you can bear to drag yourself away from the town's many fine restaurants and bars.
