Best way to get around Madeira from Funchal

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Visitors arriving in Funchal usually want to know which ticket to buy, and whether they need a car at all. The best way to get around madeira from a Funchal base is a mix: on foot in the centre, the city buses and the cable cars up the hill, the interurban buses or a tour for the rest of the island, and a car only for the days that need one.

Each has its price and its place. A city bus is €1.45 on a pre-paid card. The cable car to Monte is €16 one way. A day tour replaces a hire car on the mountain roads. A taxi from the rank works to a table of fixed fares.

On foot

The common mistake is to take a bus for a distance that is shorter on foot. Central Funchal is small.

The seafront, the Sé cathedral, the Mercado dos Lavradores, the old town of the Zona Velha and the marina all sit within the centre, close to each other along the bay. The market opens Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday to 14:00, and the cathedral is free to enter, so a morning on foot covers both.

What makes walking hard is not distance but height. The city climbs steeply from the sea to Monte, and the streets above the centre are steep. Walk along the bay and through the old town; ride up the hill.

Wear shoes with grip for the slopes, and more so after rain, which in the winter months is frequent.

The Mercado dos Lavradores opens Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 19:00.

The city buses

People often think the city buses are only for locals. They are the cheapest way up the hill.

Horários do Funchal runs 59 urban routes across the municipality. A trip costs €2.05 bought on board, or €1.45 on a pre-paid GIRO card, which costs €0.50 and is recharged; day tickets start at €4.95. Children from 6 to 12 count as children on the fares and pay about half.

The routes visitors use most have names that say where they go: 020 and 021 to Monte, 031 to the Botanical Garden, 131 to the Botanical Garden cable car, 029 to Curral dos Romeiros, where the Levada dos Tornos walk begins, 043 to Praia Formosa, and 022 to Babosas, by the Monte cable car station.

Timetables change on holidays: on 25 December there is no service, and on 24 and 31 December, Carnival Tuesday and the Thursday before Easter the Saturday timetable applies. The Funchal bus routes hub has every route with its stops, and the 2026 fare table lists every ticket.

Cable cars and the toboggan

Visitors often ride up to Monte and wonder how to get down. The hill has three ways, and one of them is a basket.

The Funchal-Monte cable car leaves from the seafront and climbs to Monte, €16 one way or €22 return, daily from 09:00 with the last boarding at 17:45; children up to 6 ride free. From Monte, a second cable car runs to the Botanical Garden, €11 one way or €16 return for adults, 1,600 m in about 18 minutes, daily from 09:00 to 17:00 except 25 December.

The way down most people remember is the toboggan, the carros de cesto, whose carreiros have served visitors for more than 100 years: about 2 km down to Livramento in about 10 minutes, €30 for one, €40 for two and €60 for three. It ends at Livramento, not in the city centre, so plan the rest of the way down by taxi, bus or on foot.

A day that combines them works well: cable car up, Monte's church and garden, toboggan down, bus or taxi back to the centre.

Around the island

The mistake is to assume the city buses go everywhere. For the rest of the island, the interurban lines, tours and cars take over.

The interurban buses reach several of the classic days out. Line 103 runs from Funchal via Ribeiro Frio to Santana, and line 56 also goes to Santana, 75 to 90 minutes away. Line 113 goes to Baía d'Abra for the Ponta de São Lourenço, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Route 181 goes to Curral das Freiras, and a bus goes to Pico do Areeiro. The regular SAM lines 113, 20 and 53 also serve the airport.

Where the buses stop, tours and transfers begin. Rabaçal and Fanal have no regular bus, and the north-west and the west are long days by public transport; a day tour covers them with a driver, and a hiking transfer drops you at the trailhead and collects you at the end.

A hire car does the same on your own schedule, for the days you want it. The guide to whether you need a car weighs the choice, and the car rental guide covers pickup, licences and parking.

Taxis, the ferry and the night

People often assume island taxis are a gamble. Madeira's work to a table.

Madeira's taxis follow an official price table approved by the regional government and the taxi association, with fixed prices for set routes. From the airport to central Funchal, the usual fare is about €25 to €35 by day and up to about €40 at night. From Santana to Queimadas, the start of PR9, one is reported at about €12. Ask the fare before setting off if it is not shown.

At night, taxis are the main option: the Aerobus from the airport stops at 22:00, and the city buses run to their timetables.

For Porto Santo, the neighbouring island, the Lobo Marinho ferry leaves Funchal, from €33.90 and about 2 hours 15 minutes each way; it stops for annual maintenance in January. Porto Santo's beach runs for 9 km.

For the full list of city routes with their stops, see the Funchal bus routes hub, and for the airport, the guide to getting from the airport to the city. The Funchal-Monte cable car's own site shows the current prices and hours.

Common questions

What is the cheapest way to get around Funchal?

On foot in the centre, and the city buses for the hill: €1.45 a trip on a pre-paid GIRO card, or €2.05 on board.

How do I get to Monte?

By the Funchal-Monte cable car, €16 one way, or by city bus routes 020 and 021.

Where does the toboggan end?

At Livramento, about 2 km below Monte, not in the city centre. Continue by taxi, bus or on foot.

Do buses run on Christmas Day?

No. On 25 December the city buses do not run; on 24 and 31 December the Saturday timetable applies.