The quick version
- Cabo Girão is approximately 15 kilometers west of Funchal, Madeira, on the same south coast road that runs past Câmara de Lobos.[1]
- Cabo Girão is 580 metres high, and the skywalk that juts out from the top was completed in October 2012.[2][3]
- Cabo Girão is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00, and entry costs €2, with residents and children up to 12 exempt.[2]
- Câmara de Lobos Bay was immortalised by Winston Churchill, who painted it in January 1950 from the Espírito Santo Viewpoint, facing the sea.[4]
- The 4WD tour booked from this site takes in the skywalk, Seixal, Porto Moniz and Fanal, from US$79, rated 4.87 from 9,297 reviews.[5]
- Top choice Skywalk, Seixal and Fanal from US$79 Duration8 hours[5]Rating4.87 from 9,297 reviews[5]Guide languagesPortuguese, Spanish, English, French[5]PickupIncluded, check availability[5] Check availability
- West Tour with Guide Fanal from US$42 Duration7 hours[6]Rating4.80 from 2,479 reviews[6]Guide languagesEnglish, Spanish, Portuguese[6]PickupIncluded, check availability[6] See this tour
- West Madeira Waterfalls from US$40 Duration8 hours[7]Rating4.70 from 3,827 reviews[7]Guide languagesGerman, English, Portuguese + more[7]PickupIncluded, check availability[7] See this tour
Entry - € 2, except residents and children up to 12 years old (included).
Verdict: pair the skywalk with Câmara de Lobos
Know before you leave
On the day
- Sun cream and a hat for the clifftop, where shade is limited at midday.
- A light jacket for the plateau and Fanal, which run cooler than the coast.
- Swimwear and a towel if you want to use the Porto Moniz natural pools.
- Small group departures fill quickly in high season, so reserve your places early.
Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão: the essentials
Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão share the same short stretch of Madeira's south coast, and most west coast itineraries pair them on the way out of Funchal. The town curls around a bay where fishing boats still line the seafront and small bars face the water. A few minutes further west, the headland falls away to the Atlantic with a glass platform bolted to the top. One is a lived-in harbour, the other is a viewpoint you feel in your stomach.
Cabo Girão is approximately 15 kilometers west of Funchal, Madeira.[1] The cliff and the harbour town sit on the same stretch of south coast road, so a tour or a hire car can take in both on one run west. Neither stop asks for hiking or special gear, just a little time and, at the platform, a head for heights.
A simple plan works well on your own. Drive or ride west in the morning, spend half an hour at the clifftop, then come back into Câmara de Lobos for coffee, a walk along the harbour and a look at the boats. If you would rather not drive, guided west coast days start with these two stops and then carry on to the north coast.
Câmara de Lobos: harbour, poncha and a famous easel
The bay is the reason the name travels so far. Câmara de Lobos Bay was immortalised by Winston Churchill, who in January 1950 sat at the Espírito Santo Viewpoint, facing the sea, and painted the view.[4] That viewpoint is a short climb above the seafront, and it still frames the harbour much as it did then, with the boats below and the cliffs running east towards Funchal.
Down at water level the town is everyday Madeira: colourful boats pulled up on the slipway, nets drying in the sun, small bars serving poncha and restaurants grilling espada, the black scabbard fish that comes ashore each morning. It is a working harbour rather than a museum piece. Parking near the seafront fills quickly in summer, so an early start or a tour drop-off saves you circling, and an hour or two is enough before you head west to the cliff.
The seawater pools at Porto Moniz are cut into black lava rock beside the Atlantic.
Cabo Girão Skywalk: standing over the drop
The skywalk is a small glass and steel platform that juts out from the clifftop, with a floor you can see through and a low wall around the edge. Cabo Girão is 580 metres high,[2] and the skywalk was completed in October 2012.[3] Below you the fields and terraces shrink to a patchwork, and on a clear day the coast runs east towards Funchal and west towards the next headlands.
Entry costs €2, except for residents and children up to 12 years old (included),[2] and the site is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00.[2] Wind up here is stronger than it looks from the car park, so a light jacket helps even in summer, and the platform fills up when coach groups arrive around the middle of the day.
The Fajã do Cabo Girão below is known for the impressive fertility of its agricultural land, and this narrow, lush piece of land can be accessed by cable car.[9] A return trip on the Teleférico do Rancho cable car costs 10 euros.[8] Farmers still work the small plots down there, and the ride gives you a close look at the slope you were standing above.
Linking the skywalk with the harbour town
The drive from Cabo Girão to Câmara de Lobos runs back east along the south coast road, with the sea on your left and terraced slopes climbing on your right. It is the same road that links the cliff with Funchal, so buses, taxis and guided tours all cover it. On a tour, this leg usually comes at the start or the end of the day, depending on which loop the operator drives.
Walkers can link the two on foot instead. The Levada do Norte walk runs from Estreito de Câmara de Lobos to Cabo Girão, following the irrigation channel above the coast.[10] The path stays roughly level for long stretches, past market gardens and smallholdings, with the sea far below. Allow more time than the map suggests, since the coast road is slow and a stop for a drink tends to stretch.
from US$79
The 4WD tour booked from this site takes 8 hours and pairs the Cabo Girão skywalk with Seixal, Porto Moniz and the Fanal forest.[5]
Tours that put the skywalk and the west in one day
The tour booked from this site is the Madeira: Skywalk, Porto Moniz, Seixal, and Fanal 4WD Tour. It runs 8 hours and starts from US$79, and it is rated 4.87 from 9,297 reviews.[5] Pickup is included, with 11 pickup location options and 11 drop-off locations listed.[5] The route takes in the Cabo Girão Skywalk, Seixal, Porto Moniz and the Fanal Forest, and private or small groups are available.[5]
Other days cover similar ground at different prices. The Funchal: Enchanted Terraces, Porto do Moniz and Fanal 4WD Tour runs 8 hours from US$80.[11] The Madeira: West Tour With Guide Fanal Forest SykWalkExperience takes 7 hours and starts from US$42.[6] The From Funchal: West Madeira Waterfalls and Fanal Forest Tour runs 8 hours from US$40.[7] Live guides on these three speak a mix of languages, and pickup is included on each.[6][7][11]
All of them offer reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[5][6][7][11] The practical difference is the shape of the day: some routes spend longer at the pools and in the forest, while others move faster between the best-known viewpoints.
Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal: the rest of the west
The west coast day does not end at the skywalk. Porto Moniz is the draw at the far end, where lava has been shaped into seawater pools. The swimming area is 3,800 m2 and 2 metres deep, holding around 7,600 m3 of seawater, with a lounging area of approximately 3,217 m2.[12] The water is clear and brisk, and the pools are why many people pack a towel and swimwear into a day bag.
Inland, Fanal is a different world. Madeira's tourism board presents it as a mystical century-old forest that visitors are invited to discover.[13] The Laurissilva forest around it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.[13] Old trees stand in open pasture, hung with moss and lichen, and mist drifts through the branches even when the coast below is sunny.
On the way you pass Seixal, with its dark volcanic sand and roadside waterfalls, and the Véu da Noiva viewpoint, where water drops straight towards the sea. Further along the north coast, the Guindaste Viewpoint sits on one of the slopes of the Foz da Ribeira do Faial in Santana and offers a wide view over the north coast.[14] Villages such as São Vicente and Ribeira da Janela break up the driving with coffee and cake.
When to go, what to pack and how to book
Madeira has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with even temperatures all year round, and an average annual temperature of 20°C (67°F).[15] Spring and autumn bring softer light and quieter roads, summer brings warm sea and full departures, and winter is often mild on the south coast while the high plateau sits under cloud. Booking is flexible on these tours: reserve now and pay later, a live guide, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[5]
Pack for two climates in one day. The clifftop can be bright and breezy while Fanal is cool and damp, and the pools at Porto Moniz need swimwear and something to dry off with. Shoes with grip beat smooth soles on wet rock, mossy forest paths and steep village streets, and a small day bag is easier than a suitcase when the vehicle stops at viewpoints.
West Madeira tour prices at a glance
From-prices per person on GetYourGuide for west Madeira days:[5][6][7][11][16]
Compare west coast tour from-prices
Per-person from-prices on GetYourGuide:[5][6][7][11]
When to plan your visit
Plan your west coast day
Pick your base
Most west coast departures leave from Funchal and pick up along the south coast, so a base in or near the capital keeps the morning simple.
Choose the route
Decide between a shorter west tour and a full four-wheel-drive day, then compare duration, group size and price across the listings before you reserve.
Reserve and stay flexible
These tours offer reserve now and pay later, plus free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[5]
Pack for two climates
Shorts and sun cream for the south coast, a light jacket and grippy shoes for the misty laurel forest and the wet rock at the natural pools.
Start at the skywalk
Coach groups cluster around the middle of the day, so an early stop at Cabo Girão gives you clearer views and a quieter platform.
Make the skywalk the first stop of your west coast day
from US$80Reserve now & pay later
