Balcones de Madrid viewpoint, in Parada de Sil

On the Ourense bank, on the outskirts of Parada de Sil, granite blocks jutting out over the void form natural balconies with wooden railings and low stone walls. From them you see the Sil hundreds of metres below and the vineyards of the Lugo bank opposite. Turismo de Galicia presents it as perhaps the best natural viewpoint in the Ribeira Sacra, and Turismo Ribeira Sacra as the best known in the area. It is also called the Os Torgás viewpoint.

Why it is called that

It is not that you can see Madrid. From here, says Turismo Ribeira Sacra, the women used to say goodbye to their husbands when they left to work away. Many were wafer sellers from Parada de Sil who toured the fiestas of Madrid and other Spanish cities with their wafers and their songs. In the village there is a monument to the wafer seller.

What you see

The balconies are on several levels, linked by stone steps, with benches to sit on. Opposite, across the canyon, the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain association points out the sanctuary of Nosa Señora das Cadeiras, on the Lugo bank, and in the distance, Monforte de Lemos. Below, the river is wedged between forested slopes and vine terraces. Turismo Ribeira Sacra recommends going at dusk, when the water seems still and turns a dark blue. Early in the morning, with luck, the mist still fills the bottom of the canyon.

Getting there

By car, from the municipality of Parada de Sil, take the carretera do Castro to the OU-0605 in the direction of A Teixeira; after 160 metres turn left following the signs. It is about four minutes. You leave the car in the designated car park and walk about 200 metres along a dirt track to the balconies. On foot, from the centre of Parada de Sil, it is about a kilometre. It is free and open at any hour.

The PR-G 98 route also passes here. From Doade, via the Ponte do Sil bridge and Castro Caldelas, allow about 50 minutes of mountain road.

With children and to combine

With children, hold their hands: the balconies have railings, but the stone steps to the lower levels call for care and the ground around is not protected. The viewpoint is a short stop that fits well with a visit to the Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil monastery, about ten minutes by car from the village, or with a catamaran trip from Ponte do Sil, which sees the same canyon from the water.