Funchal Cable Car to Monte

The lower station of the Funchal-Monte line sits in the Jardim Almirante Reis garden, beside the Zona Velha, Funchal's Old Town. The operator's address for it is Rua Dom Carlos I, 9060-190 Funchal. It is close to the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Fortress of São Tiago.

Downtown Funchal is flat here, so you can simply walk to it from most central hotels. The top station is at Largo das Babosas 8, 9050-541 Funchal, on Monte. What to know before you set off:

• The station is at the east end of the seafront, by the Old Town, not at the marina to the west.
• Landmarks within a short walk are the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Fortress of São Tiago.
• The Monte Palace garden ticket office sits right next to the cable car exit at the top, at Caminho das Babosas A4.
• The Monte-Botanical Garden line has its own booking office on Avenida do Mar in Funchal, though you do not need it to board at Monte.

The Funchal-Monte line is run by Teleféricos da Madeira, trading as Madeira Cable Car. The shorter Monte-Botanical Garden line is run by MTA. Under 7s ride free on both.

The child rate applies from 7 to 14. The operator's own price page for the Funchal line lists only the standard fares below, even though the press reported a separate glass-floor fare after the 2026 modernisation, so we print no glass-floor price here.

Discounts And Fine Print

The Botanical Garden cable car gives a 10% discount on online sales, and its tickets are valid 12 months. E-tickets on the Funchal-Monte line are valid 60 days after purchase and let you go straight to boarding. Nobody publishes a family ticket or a combined ticket covering both cable car companies.

If you see one bundled, it is a reseller package, not an operator fare. For a wider view of entry costs on the island, see Madeira costs and our tickets overview.

The Funchal-Monte cable car publishes hours of 08:45-17:45 every day except Christmas Day. Another page of the same operator's site says opening at 09:00 with last boarding at 17:45. The operator's FAQ says the last boarding time is posted at the stations, so treat 17:45 as the time to be in the queue and check the board on site.

The Monte-Botanical Garden line runs 09:00-17:00 with last boarding at 16:50, daily except 25 December. For rain day planning, see Madeira in the rain.

Closures And Your Rights

Hours can change for very bad weather, extraordinary maintenance, power cuts or unusual passenger flows. The line closed for about three months of modernisation from January 2026 and reopened on 2 April 2026, according to regional press, not the operator. Cabin numbers rose from 39 to 44 and capacity reached 900 people per hour, with five new glass-floor cabins.

If bad weather, a power cut or a breakdown stops your return trip, holders of a valid ticket on the Funchal-Monte line get transport back to the starting station by other means, or a 50% refund. That commitment is written into the operator's conditions.

Cabins on the Funchal-Monte line seat 7. The average trip takes 18 minutes over 3.2 km of cable,. The maximum is 7 per cabin, and the minimum is 6 when passengers are waiting, which means couples and small groups should expect to share with strangers.

There is no eating, drinking or smoking in the cabins. Bikes and animals travel only at quieter times and with staff approval. Buy an e-ticket on the operator's site to skip the counter, or pay at the station.

Construction began in 1999 and the line was inaugurated in 2000, and the operator says the route was once travelled by train. The Monte Railway, opened in 1912, ran about 3.9 km from Pombal to Terreiro da Luta.

Wheelchairs, Pushchairs And Dogs

Boarding areas and cabins are accessible to people with reduced mobility, with adapted toilets at the stations. Cabins slow down inside the stations and staff can stop the line if needed, which also helps with pushchairs. Only one wheelchair is allowed per cabin for safety.

Dogs and other animals count under the animals rule, so travel at quiet times and ask staff first.

The Botanical Garden visit takes about 1h30 to 2h by the operator's own estimate, and Monte Palace recommends 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Add the 18-minute ride each way on the main line, the 9-minute hop on the Botanical line, and the sledge if you use it. Three realistic shapes of day:

The case for: it runs every day, the views back over the city and bay last the whole ride, and Monte itself has two gardens, the church and the sledge. The case against: a return ticket buys you the same view twice, and the operator publishes no queue times, so nobody can promise you a short wait. Our view is that a one-way up plus a different way down is usually the better plan.

Here is what a day costs for two adults, using the operator fares only:

The Same Cable Car

The simplest option. Ride back the way you came on the Funchal-Monte line for the return fare, $25.30 (€22) for adults against $18.37 (€16) one way. The return costs $11.48 (€10) less than two singles, our sum, but you see the same 18 minutes twice and you finish where you started, at the Old Town end of the seafront.

The Botanical Garden Cable Car

A second, separate line operated by MTA links Largo das Babosas in Monte with the Botanical Garden. One way is about 9 minutes, $12.63 (€11) for adults, and you can combine it with garden entry for $21.80 (€19). A return takes 18 minutes of riding in total, and you may break the journey at either end.

The Monte station is at Babosas Square by a terrace bar, a short walk from the main cable car exit. This is the ride that turns one garden day into two.

The Toboggan To Livramento

The wicker sledge run by the Carreiros do Monte covers 2 km in about 10 minutes, pushed and braked by two runners in white with straw hats. It costs $34.40 (€30) for one person, $45.90 (€40) for two and $68.90 (€60) for three, sold on the spot for the same day only, with no online booking. It runs Monday to Saturday 09:00-18:00 and closes Sundays and public holidays.

The arrival point is Livramento, not central Funchal, and no operator publishes a fare or transport for the leg back into the city. Full details in our Monte toboggan guide.

• If a breakdown, power cut or bad weather strands you, the Funchal-Monte operator owes valid ticket holders either transport back to the start or a 50% refund (madeiracablecar.com conditions of use).
• E-tickets on the main line stay valid for 60 days after purchase, so a ticket bought ahead does not have to be used that day (madeiracablecar.com).
• The Botanical Garden cable car lets you break the return journey at either end, so you can ride down, garden, and ride on (telefericojardimbotanico.com).
• Botanical Garden cable car tickets bought online carry a 10% discount, the only published discount on either line (telefericojardimbotanico.com).
• No operator publishes any price for getting back to Funchal from Livramento, where the sledge ride ends (Carreiros do Monte and Visit Madeira pages, checked for a return fare).

The natural shape of a Funchal day is Old Town first, Monte second. Walk to the Jardim Almirante Reis station in the morning from wherever you slept, using our where to stay shortlist if you have not booked yet. Ride up, do Monte Palace or the Botanical Garden, see the church, then come down by sledge from Monday to Saturday, or by the second cable car if you want the Botanical Garden included.

Neither of those drops you back at the Old Town: the sledge ends in Livramento and the second cable car at the Botanical Garden, so plan a taxi or a bus for the last leg, or ride the Funchal cable car back down to lunch near the market. If rain moves in, the views go first, and the rainy day in Madeira guide has more indoor pairings such as Blandy's Wine Lodge and the CR7 Museum. To place Monte inside a longer stay, follow Madeira in 3 days or the wider things to do index.