Terra Grande Viewpoint looks out over the valley from Terra Grande, on Madeira, Portugal. It is a pull-in beside the road with picnic tables, benches and a rubbish bin, set among flowers, and a flight of steps that climbs from the parking to the picnic area and on to the top of the point. The top is where the valley opens out furthest. It works as a lunch stop as much as a viewpoint, and it stays quiet.
Terra Grande Viewpoint
Local name: Miradouro da Terra Grande
A picnic table with the valley below it, and a stairway behind the table that climbs to the very tip of the point.
- Entrance
- Free.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible parking; the picnic area and the upper viewing point are up steps.
- Parking
- Free lay-by at the viewpoint, room for about 10 cars; a second car park about 230 m away. Free street parking.
- Difficulty
- Steps from the parking up to the picnic area, then further steps to the top of the point.
- Transport
- Bus stops about 230 m from the viewpoint.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, every day.
What makes it special
Pull in off the road and the valley is already there, dropping away below the lay-by. The stop comes furnished: picnic tables and benches, a rubbish bin, flowers growing thick around the edges. With the seating there, a stop here easily turns into lunch. Behind the tables, steps climb to the top of the point, and that is the view worth the walk — the parking gives you most of it, the top gives you all of it. It stays quiet.
Good to know
- No toilets on site. The nearest are about 400 m away, with drinking water about 390 m off.
- Cloud ends the visit. The valley is the entire reason to stop, and in low cloud there is nothing to see and nothing else to do.
- Carry your lunch up. The picnic tables and benches sit above the parking, reached by steps, and the seating is what makes people stay.
Getting there
Access is by car, and the lay-by is the viewpoint itself: it opens straight off the road, so the view starts at the car door. Steps lead up from the parking to the picnic area, and past the tables they carry on to the top of the point. The other spot worth leaving the car for is down the road from the parking — at the corner, on the grass at the roadside, the valley lines up for a photograph.
Best time to visit
Better: a clear, sunny day, when the valley is open below and the far side of it stays sharp.
Avoid: low cloud — the view is the whole of the place, and in cloud there is none of it.
It stays quiet here whatever the hour, so the weather decides the visit rather than the crowds do.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Terra Grande Viewpoint on the map
The photo spot below the parking is reached by walking down the road itself, on the verge at the corner. Traffic passes close — keep off the carriageway and watch for cars.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there an entrance fee?
No. The viewpoint is open ground beside the road, free to visit and open around the clock.Is there parking at the viewpoint?
Yes — a free lay-by at the viewpoint itself, with room for about 10 cars, and a second car park about 230 m away. Street parking is free as well.Are there toilets?
Not at the viewpoint. The nearest toilets are about 400 m away, and drinking water about 390 m off.Can you get there by bus?
There are bus stops about 230 m from the viewpoint.Is it suitable for wheelchair users?
The parking is wheelchair-accessible and the view opens from the roadside, but the picnic area and the top of the point are reached by steps.