Towns & villages · 69 m above the sea
Grutas e Centro de Vulcanismo de São Vicente
900,000-year-old lava tubes below the village — currently closed, check first.
See it on the 3D islandOpens in your browser, on a phone or a computer.
The place
This two-part attraction pairs a walk through lava tubes roughly 890,000-900,000 years old with an interactive volcanism museum, and it was one of the north coast's most-visited paid sights before it shut. It's been closed since March 2020 pending a structural safety review, and as of 2026 there's still no confirmed reopening date — one estimate floated 2028. Worth knowing about so you don't build a stop around it by mistake.
When to come
Not applicable while closed — check cm-saovicente.pt or the site's own page before routing a visit around it.
Worth knowing
- Closed since March 2020, no confirmed reopening date as of 2026
- Regional government says reopening depends on a 'maximum safety' certification still pending
- Don't trust older guidebooks or map pins showing it as open
- The surrounding São Vicente village is still well worth the stop