Cabo Girão Skywalk
Cabo Girão
One of Europe's highest sea cliffs, with a glass viewing platform projecting 580 meters above the ocean. Below your feet lie the Atlantic and terraced fields at the base of the cliff.
Cabo Girão lies about 15 km west of Funchal, in Câmara de Lobos. Its sea cliff rises about 580 meters and is one of the tallest in Europe. In 2012, a cantilevered glass-floor viewing platform, the Skywalk, was built at the clifftop. Standing on it, you can look straight down through the glass floor to the Atlantic and to the Fajã below. A fajã is a narrow flat area formed by collapsed rockfall, where local farmers have cultivated vineyards and vegetable plots. Looking east, you can see Funchal city and its bay. The viewing platform currently charges a small fee of about €2, subject to change on site, and there is a café and a souvenir shop next to it. To see the scenery at the base of the cliff, you can take the small Teleférico do Rancho cable car from nearby down to the Fajãs do Cabo Girão, for a round trip of about €5–10. Getting there: about 20–25 minutes' drive from Funchal, or take bus 4, 7 or 154. It is also a must-stop on west-coast day tours, and it can be combined with Ponta do Sol, Porto Moniz and the São Vicente Caves to form a west-coast loop. Notes: those afraid of heights should avoid the glass floor. Tour groups gather around midday, so going early makes for a better experience.
Opening hours
About 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (extended to 8:00 p.m. in summer)
Nearby sights
- Câmara de Lobos
- Pico dos Barcelos Viewpoint
- Curral das Freiras & Eira do Serrado
- CR7 Museum
- Blandy's Wine Lodge
- Funchal Cathedral (Sé)
- Mercado dos Lavradores
- Ponta do Sol