The Far West
The steepest cable car in Europe
- Half daystart to finish
- 31 kmof road
- 6stops with a story
You own this tour. It is waiting in the app.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Before you buy
Hear how it begins
The end of the island, one way. From the lighthouse at Ponta do Pargo, where nothing lies between you and the Americas, round the corner onto the wet north coast: a gorge with a waterfall falling into the sea, the steepest cable car in Europe dropping to a vineyard, and a viewpoint over Porto Moniz that hardly anybody knows. A voice in the car that knows where you are, and tells you what you are looking at.
These are the first twenty seconds of the tour's three free blocks. In the app the three play in full, and the rest of the tour starts by itself as you reach each place.
On the road
- 24stories along the way
- 3free to hear first
- Ponta do Pargo Free sample
On the way
Questions about this tour
Do I need a car?
Yes. Thirty kilometres from Ponta do Pargo to the viewpoint above Porto Moniz, on the ER101 with two short gravel detours. Any rental car copes; go slowly on the gravel.
Do I need a car?
Yes. Thirty kilometres from Ponta do Pargo to the viewpoint above Porto Moniz, on the ER101 with two short gravel detours. Any rental car copes; go slowly on the gravel.
Where does it start, and where does it end?
It starts as you reach Ponta do Pargo, at the top of the climb from Paul do Mar, and ends at the Miradouro da Ponta da Ladeira above Porto Moniz. It is one way; Porto Moniz and the natural pools are fifteen minutes down the hill from the end.
Where does it start, and where does it end?
It starts as you reach Ponta do Pargo, at the top of the climb from Paul do Mar, and ends at the Miradouro da Ponta da Ladeira above Porto Moniz. It is one way; Porto Moniz and the natural pools are fifteen minutes down the hill from the end.
How long does it take?
About an hour of driving. Plan on four and a half hours with the stops, and an hour more if you ride the cable car down to the fajã.
How long does it take?
About an hour of driving. Plan on four and a half hours with the stops, and an hour more if you ride the cable car down to the fajã.
Is the cable car included?
The tour takes you to the top station and tells you what it is. The ride itself is a separate ticket, about five euros return, bought at the station. It closes for lunch and sometimes for maintenance; the viewpoint at the top is worth the drive either way.
Is the cable car included?
The tour takes you to the top station and tells you what it is. The ride itself is a separate ticket, about five euros return, bought at the station. It closes for lunch and sometimes for maintenance; the viewpoint at the top is worth the drive either way.
Does the driver have to touch the phone?
No. Every story plays on its own as you reach it. Mount the phone, press Begin Tour before you set off, and leave it alone until the last viewpoint.
Does the driver have to touch the phone?
No. Every story plays on its own as you reach it. Mount the phone, press Begin Tour before you set off, and leave it alone until the last viewpoint.
Plan the day around it
This tour is also in a bundle
Drive round the whole island
Five drives, one purchase. The whole coast of Madeira from one tip to the other, and the wild north in between: by the end you know the island from top to bottom.
- 5tours, yours to keep
- 201km of road
- 72stops with a story
almost −30% compared with buying them one by one. Free samples on every tour before you buy.
The other tours
The app
The Far West, in your pocket
Buy it once and it is yours on every phone you sign in to. Download it over wifi, put the phone away, and each story starts as you reach the place it is about, with no signal needed.
On a computer? Point your phone's camera here.
