Monte, the hill above Funchal

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Visitors in Funchal almost always go up to Monte, and most of them come back wondering whether they saw it properly. It is worth a day, not an hour: the parish on the hill above the city holds a church with an emperor's tomb, a 70,000 m² garden, the toboggans that race down its streets, a second cable car to the Botanical Garden, and the end of a levada walk.

Monte is a parish of 5,794 people, in 2021, spread over 18.59 km² of hillside above Funchal. Most visitors arrive by the cable car from the old town, which climbs to its top station at Largo das Babosas, €16 one way or €22 return. The toboggans, the carros de cesto, then take visitors about 2 km down to Livramento in about 10 minutes. The church holds the tomb of Emperor Karl I of Austria, who died in exile in Monte on 1 April 1922, and the Monte Palace garden costs €18 for an adult.

Getting up

The common mistake is to queue for the cable car at the last moment. It closes earlier than many expect.

The Funchal-Monte cable car leaves from the old town and climbs to its top station at Largo das Babosas 8, in Monte. It costs €16 one way and €22 return, and children up to 6 ride free; it runs daily from 09:00, with the last boarding at 17:45. The view over the city and the bay on the way up is part of the visit.

The city buses are the cheaper way up: routes 020 and 021 are both named Monte, and route 022 goes to Babosas, by the cable car station. A trip costs €2.05 on board or €1.45 on a pre-paid GIRO card.

Many visitors combine them: the cable car up for the view, the toboggan down, and a taxi or bus back to the centre from Livramento.

The Funchal-Monte cable car climbs to Largo das Babosas in Monte offering views over the city.

The church and the emperor

Visitors often walk past the church to reach the toboggans and miss why it matters.

The church of Nossa Senhora do Monte holds the tomb of Emperor Karl I of Austria, who died in exile in Monte on 1 April 1922 and is buried in the church. A bronze statue of him stands in front of it, rated 4.6 from 48 reviews.

Visit the church first, then the garden, and leave the toboggan for last, since it carries you down and away from the village.

Nearby, the Centro Interpretativo do Caminho de Ferro do Monte, at Largo da Fonte, is a small interpretation centre on the Monte railway, rated 4.5 from 12 reviews.

The church of Nossa Senhora do Monte holds the tomb of Emperor Karl I of Austria.

The Monte Palace Tropical Garden

The mistake is to give the garden half an hour. It covers 70,000 m².

The Monte Palace Tropical Garden spreads over 70,000 m² of the hillside, with a collection of tiles and a small museum among its gardens. It costs €18 for an adult, and children up to 14 enter free with an adult. The Monte Palace Madeira Museum inside is rated 4.7 from 100 reviews.

It closes on storm days, as on 14 and 15 December in one past notice, so check the weather in winter before planning a visit around it.

Allow two hours or more to walk it properly; the paths go up and down the slope. With the church, the toboggan and lunch, the garden turns Monte into a full half day.

The toboggans

People often expect a fairground ride. The carros de cesto are a working tradition, and the ride ends far from the centre.

The toboggans are wicker sledges driven by the carreiros, who have served visitors for more than 100 years; the baskets were once a quick way down from Monte to Funchal. The run is about 2 km, down to Livramento, in about 10 minutes. It costs €30 for one, €40 for two and €60 for three, at the operator's own prices, higher than some guides still print.

The ride ends at Livramento, not in the city centre, and taxis wait there for the rest of the way down. Plan that last stretch: a taxi, a bus, or a walk down.

The toboggan is the part of Monte most visitors remember, and it is a one-way trip: once at Livramento, the church, the garden and the cable cars are back up the hill. Save it for the end of the visit.

The cable car to the Botanical Garden

Visitors often go back down the way they came. There is a second cable car, and a second garden.

From Monte, the Botanical Garden cable car runs to the Madeira Botanical Garden: 1,600 m in about 18 minutes, from 09:00 to 17:00, with the last boarding at 16:50, every day except 25 December. It costs €11 one way and €16 return for adults, €6 and €9 for children from 7 to 14, and children under 7 ride free; with the garden entry included, €19 and €24.

The Madeira Botanical Garden itself costs €10 for visitors over 12 and €3 for children from 6 to 12, and opens daily from 09:00 to 18:00 except Christmas Day.

The two gardens make a pair: the Monte Palace, with its tile collection and its museum on the hillside, and the Madeira Botanical Garden, whose tickets are set by the regional forest institute, the IFCN, lower down the valley. A loop works well: cable car up to Monte, the church and the Monte Palace garden, the second cable car across to the Botanical Garden, and the bus down to the city.

Walks and viewpoints

The mistake is to think Monte is only for the cable car crowd. It is also the end of a levada walk.

The Levada dos Tornos walk from Palheiro ends in the village of Monte, at the top station of the cable car: 4 km, given 3 to 4 hours including lunch. It is not a classified trail, so there is no booking and no fee. Above Monte, route 029 goes to Curral dos Romeiros, the start of the walkable section towards Camacha.

For the views, the Miradouro do Pico, on Caminho do Pico, is rated 4.7 from 21 reviews, and the Miradouro do Largo das Babosas, by the cable car station, 4.4 from 21.

The levada walks guide maps the Levada dos Tornos in walking order.

Where to eat, and planning the day

People often skip lunch in Monte and eat back in the city. There are a dozen restaurants on the hill.

The most reviewed are Pátio das Babosas, at Largo das Babosas, rated 4.6 from 2,652 reviews, O Rústico, on Caminho do Monte, 4.5 from 1,010, Restaurante Alto Monte, 4.2 from 645, and Land Food & Coffee, 4.3 from 516.

A good Monte day starts early with the cable car, visits the church and the Monte Palace garden, takes the toboggan down to Livramento, and ends with a taxi back to the centre, or continues by the second cable car to the Botanical Garden. Monte is well above the seafront, so bring a layer.

The cable car's site has the current prices and hours, and the Botanical Garden cable car's site its own. For the other parts of the city, see the neighbourhoods guide.

Common questions

How do I get to Monte?

By the cable car from the old town, €16 one way or €22 return, or by city bus routes 020, 021 or 022.

How much is the toboggan ride?

€30 for one, €40 for two and €60 for three, about 2 km down to Livramento in about 10 minutes.

Where does the toboggan end?

At Livramento, not in the city centre; taxis wait there for the rest of the way down.

Who is buried in Monte?

Emperor Karl I of Austria, who died in exile in Monte on 1 April 1922; a statue of him stands in front of the church.