Francisco Álvares de Nóbrega Viewpoint

The whole of Machico lies below the railing — the town, the bay, and the coast running east until it narrows into the tip of Ponta de São Lourenço, the dragon's tail.

Sunset is the obvious hour, and leaving straight afterwards is the mistake. Stay on. Machico comes up in lights below, and the view holds in the dark.

Then there are the planes. When the airport is working the 23/5 approach, arriving aircraft pass right over the viewpoint on their way in, low enough to read the livery — and the airport is close enough that you can watch a flight go over, get in the car, and be there to meet it. Across the road there is a burger stand, which is more than most miradouros on the island offer.

• Parking: room for about six cars at the viewpoint itself; a free asphalt car park sits about 200 m away.
• On foot: the walk up from Machico takes around 15 minutes, about 20 minutes coming back down.
• No facilities at the viewpoint: the nearest free toilets are about 500 m off, drinking water about 270 m.
• Plane spotting: aircraft pass overhead only when the airport is using the 23/5 approach, so it is not an every-day thing.
• Across the road: a burger stand, handy if you are waiting out the sunset.

The road up from Machico runs past the viewpoint, so you can park and step out at the railing — no walk in, no steps. A bus stop sits about 50 m off. On foot it is a climb from the town, around 15 minutes going up and about 20 coming back down, and taking a taxi up and walking down is an easy way to do it.

Better: sunset, and stay on afterwards.

Avoid: counting on a space at the top — there is room for about six cars, with the free car park about 200 m back as the fallback.

Sunset earns the trip here because the view keeps working after it: the lights of Machico come up in the bay below, and the viewpoint is open around the clock, so the late hour costs nothing but the drive back down.