A glass-floored platform on one of Europe's highest sea cliffs, about 30 minutes east of Calheta.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A clifftop skywalk with a glass floor, around 580 m above the sea |
| From Calheta | ≈35 km · 30 min |
| Cost | Free; paid parking |
| Best for | Twenty minutes and a photograph |
Cabo Girão is exactly what it promises: a platform hung over an enormous drop, with terraced fajãs farmed on the shelf at the bottom. Go early, look down through the glass, and move on — it is a stop, not a day.
Clifftop platform with a glass floor
Morning, before the coach tours
Around 580 m above the sea, which puts it among the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The skywalk platform juts out over the drop with a glass floor.
The viewpoint and skywalk are free to visit; parking nearby is paid. It gets busy with coach groups from mid-morning.
About 30 minutes on the expressway. It is a 20-minute stop rather than a destination — pair it with Câmara de Lobos below or Funchal beyond.
The fishing town Churchill painted, and the home of poncha — about 40 minutes east of Calheta.
Madeira's capital — the market, the cable car to Monte, the wine lodges and the harbour, 35–50 minutes east of Calheta on the expressway.
Calheta's nearest neighbour on Madeira's sunny south-west coast, fifteen minutes east — a pebble shore, a tunnel-lined seafront and a quiet evening.
