Cabo Girão Skywalk

Cabo Girão is a cliff on Madeira's southern coast that drops about 580 metres straight into the sea, among the highest in Europe by the usual measures. In 2012 a viewing platform was built out from the rim with a glass floor, so visitors stand over the drop and look through it to the water and to the fajãs below - narrow shelves of land at the cliff base that were farmed for generations by people who reached them by boat or by rope, and which are now served by a cable car from Rancho. The name comes from Zarco, who is said to have turned his ship around here in 1420 - girão, the turning. It is free, has a car park, a café and a chapel, and it is on every Madeira coach itinerary, which means it is busy between mid-morning and late afternoon.

What you actually see

• The glass floor - a platform built out over a 580-metre drop, seeing straight down.
• The fajãs - farmed shelves at the cliff base, reached historically by boat and rope.
• The cliff - among the highest sea cliffs in Europe.
• The name - from Zarco's ship reportedly turning back here in 1420.

When to go

Year-round. Thirty to sixty minutes. Early morning or late afternoon avoids the coach traffic; midday is at its busiest.

Honest expectations

The glass floor genuinely unsettles people and some cannot step onto it. Very crowded with coach groups through the middle of the day. Strong wind on the rim. The platform is small and photographs are hard to take without others in them.

Nearby

Câmara de Lobos is east; the Rancho cable car to the fajãs is nearby.