Cabo Girão skywalk: ticket, hours and the way back

How much the Cabo Girão ticket costs and where to buy it

From January to July 2026, nearly 447,000 people paid to enter the Cabo Girão skywalk, and the revenue for those seven months, €2.2 million, is already 85% above the whole of 2025. Much of the difference is the price. Until March 2023 you walked in without a ticket, then it was €2, then €3, and since 1 January 2026 it is €5. Some pages still show the old prices, so trust only SIMplifica.

• On SIMplifica. Non-residents do not need to register: open the Cabo Girão viewpoint page and click Solicitar, the request button. Pay by credit card, Multibanco or MB Way, and the ticket arrives by email as a PDF, with a file for your phone wallet.
• At the kiosks. There are three at the viewpoint, and they take cash, Multibanco, credit cards and MB Way.
• Validity. A ticket is valid for 180 days after issue and has no time slot.

Buy on your phone before you leave. You skip the kiosk queue and, if the cliff is in cloud when you arrive, the ticket keeps for another day. If the portal is new to you, our SIMplifica guide explains how it works.

What changed with the turnstiles

Cabo Girão is no longer a quick roadside stop. It is now a site with opening hours, every day from 08:00 to 20:00, and you enter through turnstiles that read the QR code on your ticket. Some sites say it opens at 08:30, but the official time is 08:00.

• Sunset. With closing time at 20:00, sunset only fits into a visit from late September to late March. The rest of the year the sun sets after the site has shut.
• Groups. A group ticket is a single code. After the first scan the turnstile stays unlocked up to the number of entries: go through one after another, because the count stops if there is a pause or if the code is scanned again.
• Residents. They hold their SIMplifica resident card, which has a QR code, to the reader.

How to get to Cabo Girão by bus and, above all, how to get back

Getting there is simple. Bus 340 leaves Funchal at 09:00 every day, passes Câmara de Lobos at 09:30 and Estreito at 09:40, and reaches Cabo Girão at 09:50. It costs €2.65 on board, cash only; the new route numbers and passes are in our guide to Madeira without a car. Getting back is what ruins the day for people who have not read the timetable: the 341, which returns from Porto Moniz in the afternoon, takes the Encumeada tunnel and does not come this way.

Few trips pass the viewpoint. On the SIGA sheet they appear under the old route 7, marked “via Cabo Girão”; the new number is 267, Funchal to Ribeira Brava via Cabo Girão and Aviceiro.

The sheet does not print the time at Cabo Girão. The 340 takes 35 minutes between the two points, so expect the bus about half an hour after it leaves Ribeira Brava. That puts the last bus back at around 13:10 on weekdays, 14:05 on Saturdays and 16:05 on Sundays. The 15:30 from Funchal on weekdays has no bus back.

What about the 253? Several sites present it as the Cabo Girão bus. SIGA calls it Funchal to Furneira via Francelheira, and its sheet does not name the viewpoint. On weekdays the only midday departure is at 11:30, and the useful return is at 13:00 from Fontainhas. Do not build your day around it.

These sheets date from 2024 and still use the old numbers, and Rodoeste warns that times can change without notice. Confirm your return with SIGA or with the driver when you arrive.

Getting to Cabo Girão by Bolt or taxi

It is 12.8 km from Funchal, so a Bolt gets you there in under 20 minutes. There is no published fare for this trip. Your reference points are a short ride in Funchal, €4 to €8, and the airport to the centre, €18 to €28 (indicative figures from September 2026): Cabo Girão falls between the two, and the app shows the price before you book. With three or four people the gap to the bus almost disappears.

The doubt is the way back. TVDE licences have been frozen since September 2025 and there may be no car nearby when you want one. Open the app before you decide the visit is over, and keep the time of the next bus to hand. The Yellow Bus sightseeing service also goes up from Câmara de Lobos to Cabo Girão on its own ticket; confirm times and prices with the company. By taxi, agree the return or the wait before you get out.

Driving to Cabo Girão and where to park

From central Funchal it is 12.8 km and about 17 minutes, on the expressway and then up a steep, signposted road. Spaces by the entrance are few for the demand, and the regional press has described the same problem here as at Pico do Areeiro: cars on the verges and tour coaches struggling to turn. Arrive before 10:00 or after 16:00, and park only where it is allowed.

What you see and how long you need

The platform stands 580 metres above the sea. The glass floor is what people photograph, but the view happens over the railing: below you, the green terraces of Fajã do Rancho and Fajã do Cabo Girão; to the east, Câmara de Lobos and Funchal. Thirty to forty-five minutes is enough. Nearby is the chapel of Nossa Senhora de Fátima, from 1951.

One correction: many sites call it the highest sea cliff in Europe. It is one of the highest, but there are taller ones in Norway and the Faroe Islands.

You see the fajãs from above. To reach them there is the Teleférico do Rancho, a cable car in a different spot, about 4 km away by road. Published prices are around €10 to €12 return, with no official price list: check on site.

Low cloud wipes out the view. Before you leave, open the Câmara de Lobos bay webcam on Netmadeira: if the top of the cliff is covered, do the town first and save the viewpoint for the end of the day.

Day plan: Cabo Girão and Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is next door, 5 to 6 km by road, and rounds off the visit well. Zarco settled here from 1420 to 1424, in the island’s first settlement, and the name comes from the monk seals, lobos-marinhos in Portuguese, that once filled the bay. Today it has painted fishing boats called xavelhas, poncha in the bars and the same bay Winston Churchill painted.

• Without a car, on a weekday. Take the 340 at 09:00 and arrive at 09:50. At around 11:35 the bus that left Ribeira Brava at 11:00 comes through towards Funchal. Ask the driver to stop in Câmara de Lobos, have lunch and return to Funchal on the 202 or another Rodoeste bus.
• Without a car, at the weekend. The first bus back leaves Ribeira Brava at 11:45 and comes through at about 12:20. You have time for the chapel and a coffee.
• By Bolt. Go up late in the afternoon, when there are fewer people, drop down to Câmara de Lobos for dinner and return by bus or Bolt.
• With a car. Reach the viewpoint before 10:00 and drive down to the town for lunch. With the afternoon free, add Curral das Freiras or Funchal on foot.
• On a cruise day. The bus leaves no margin: go by Bolt and work back from your boarding time, not your sailing time. See our Funchal cruise guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Cabo Girão cost in 2026?

€5 from age 13, since 1 January 2026. Children up to 12, Madeira residents and people with reduced mobility go free.

Do I need to buy a Cabo Girão ticket in advance?

No. You can buy it on SIMplifica, with no registration, or at one of the three kiosks at the viewpoint. The ticket is valid for 180 days with no time slot, so buying early only saves you the queue.

What are the Cabo Girão opening hours?

Every day from 08:00 to 20:00. From late March to late September the sun sets after closing time, so sunset only fits into a visit in the rest of the year.

How do I get from Funchal to Cabo Girão by bus?

On route 340, at 09:00 every day, arriving at 09:50, or on the 267, the old route 7 via Cabo Girão. It costs €2.65 on board, cash only.

How do I get back from Cabo Girão without a car?

The return buses stop early: the last one comes through at around 13:10 on weekdays, 14:05 on Saturdays and 16:05 on Sundays. After that, count on Bolt or a taxi.

How long do you need at Cabo Girão?

Thirty to forty-five minutes is enough for the platform and the view. Add Câmara de Lobos, 5 to 6 km away, and it fills a morning.

Is Cabo Girão the highest sea cliff in Europe?

No. At 580 m it is one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, but there are taller ones in Norway and the Faroe Islands.