Tuk-tuk tours in Funchal

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Funchal climbs steeply from the sea, and the sights above it, Monte, the gardens and the viewpoints, are a hard walk and a confusing bus ride away. A tuk-tuk solves the hills: a small open three-wheeler with a driver who is also the guide, collecting you at your hotel and stopping wherever the view is.

Seventy-three tuk-tuk tours run from Funchal, from 10 operators, and every one can be cancelled free of charge within its window. Most are short, from 1 hour to 2 hours, and 58 include pickup from a hotel in Funchal. Their ratings are high: half of them score 4.91 or more.

The most reviewed takes a tuk-tuk up to Monte for the toboggan ride and back through the old town in 1 hour 30 minutes, rated 4.87 from 968 reviews.

Monte and the toboggans

The common mistake is to assume the toboggan ride is in the price. On every tour, it is extra.

Nine of the tours are named for the toboggans, and eleven go to Monte. The tuk-tuk climbs to the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, and from there the toboggans, the wicker sledges steered by the carreiros, run about 2 km down to Livramento in about 10 minutes. The tuk-tuk collects you at the bottom and takes you back through the old town.

The toboggan costs €30 for one, €40 for two and €60 for three, paid on the day. The Monte Palace Tropical Garden, on several of the longer tours, costs €18 an adult, with children up to 14 free with an adult.

The most-reviewed tour, 1 hour 30 minutes, is not suitable for children under 3 or for people with mobility impairments, and the second, 1 hour 50 minutes, 4.92 from 436 reviews, not during pregnancy. For the garden and the toboggans together, allow 3 hours.

The alternative is the cable car: €16 one way and €22 return from the seafront. A 2-hour tuk-tuk tour ends at the cable car station for the ride down, with the ticket extra. The cable car guide covers it.

The toboggan costs €30 for one person, €40 for two, and €60 for three.

The old town and the gardens

Visitors often book a tuk-tuk for the old town and find they could have walked it. The tours earn their price on the hills around it.

Fifteen of the tours name the old town, from a 1-hour city loop to 2 hours with the viewpoints, and one ends with a drop-off at the CR7 museum. Rua de Santa Maria, with about 200 doors painted by artists, and the São Tiago fort are at the heart of it.

Eleven name a garden. The Madeira Botanical Garden, on four of them, costs €10 over 12, €3 for children of 6 to 12 and nothing under 6, open daily from 09:00 to 18:00 except Christmas Day. A 1-hour tour pairs it with the old town; a 2-hour private one adds more time in both.

Other tours go to the Monte Palace garden, the quinta gardens and the orchids, or to the Winston Churchill observation deck at Pico da Torre.

Garden tickets are extra on every tour, so budget them with the ride. Visit Madeira lists the gardens.

Viewpoints and the Nuns Valley

People often think a tuk-tuk cannot leave the city. Several go well beyond it.

Seven of the tours are named for the viewpoints, most of them 1 hour 30 minutes above the bay, among them the private tour rated 4.90 from 434 reviews.

Five go to the Nuns Valley. The Eira do Serrado viewpoint, at 1,095 m on the rim of the valley, looks straight down on Curral das Freiras, 21 minutes from Funchal by road; the tours take 2 to 3 hours, one of them rated 4.95.

To the west, six go to Cabo Girão, where the cliff rises 580 m above the sea and the skywalk costs €5 for visitors over 12, and four to the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos; the trips take 1 to 3 hours. To the east, three go to the Cristo Rei statue at Garajau, in 2 to 3 hours.

For these, choose a tour with pickup: all the Nuns Valley, Cabo Girão and Cristo Rei trips with ratings include it. Bring a layer: the tuk-tuks are open to the wind, and the valley rim is high.

What is included

The mistake is to compare tours by price alone. Check what the price covers.

Most tuk-tuk tours include the driver-guide, the ride and pickup and drop-off at a hotel in Funchal; pickup from hotels outside Funchal costs extra or is not offered. Several add insurance, and a few a blanket for the ride.

What is never included is the entry to the sights: the toboggans, the gardens, the cable car and the skywalk are paid on the day. Food and drinks are extra, except on the few tours built around a tasting.

Guides lead in English on all 73 tours, in Portuguese on 64, Spanish on 48, French on 15 and German on 2.

Several tours are not suitable for children under 3, or for people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users. A tuk-tuk takes a small group, and 17 of the tours are private by name.

For a cheaper climb, the city buses cost €2.05 a trip on board and €1.45 on a GIRO card, on the 2026 tariff.

Evenings, Christmas and longer days

Visitors often assume the tours stop at sunset. A few are made for the evening.

Three are night tours: a private tour of Funchal at night, 1 hour, rated 4.89 from 88 reviews, a private night tour of the old town and the city views, and a night tour of 2 hours 30 minutes with poncha and nikita. A sunset tour of 1 hour 30 minutes adds a drink tasting, and others pair the ride with Madeira wine and honey cake, or with poncha and rum.

In the Christmas season, which runs from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, two tours take in the Christmas lights of the city, in 45 minutes to 1 hour.

For a longer day, a private customisable tour of 6 hours, rated 4.97 from 39 reviews, lets you choose the stops, and private tours of 5 hours do the same. A tour of 3 hours 30 minutes covers three of the main sights in one.

For a whole day beyond Funchal, a jeep or an island tour goes further. The jeep tours guide compares them.

Common questions

Is the toboggan ride included in a tuk-tuk tour?

No. The toboggan is paid on the day, €30 for one and €40 for two; the tuk-tuk takes you up to Monte and collects you at the bottom.

How long is a tuk-tuk tour in Funchal?

Most last 1 hour to 2 hours; the Nuns Valley and garden tours take up to 3 hours, and private tours up to 6.

Do tuk-tuk tours pick up from hotels?

Most do: 58 of the 73 include pickup from a hotel in Funchal; outside the city it costs extra or is not offered.

Can children ride in a tuk-tuk?

Yes, from 3 on most tours; several are not suitable for younger children or for wheelchair users.