Monte Cable Car and Toboggan Tickets (2026)

Ticket Prices

These are the prices on the operator's own price block. Children pay half from age 7 to 14, and children up to 6 ride free. Buy online and the e-ticket stays valid for 60 days after purchase, so you can buy before the trip without locking in a day.

The Opening Time Conflict

The operator's price block says 08:45-17:45 every day except Christmas Day. Another page of the same operator, the how-to-get-there page, says opening 09:00 with last boarding 17:45. The FAQ says the real last boarding is posted at the stations and hours can change for weather, maintenance or crowds.

Treat 17:45 as last boarding and check the board at the station.

If The Return Fails

If the return trip becomes impossible because of bad weather, a power failure or a breakdown, a valid ticket gets you transport back to your starting station by other means or a 50% refund. That is written into the operator's conditions of use.

Access And Stations

Boarding areas and cabins take wheelchairs, one wheelchair per cabin for safety, with adapted toilets. Cabins slow down inside stations and staff can stop the line if needed. Cabins seat 7 and the average trip takes 18 minutes.

The line was built from 1999 and inaugurated in 2000.

• Lower station: Rua Dom Carlos I, 9060-190 Funchal, in the Jardim Almirante Reis garden beside the Zona Velha and close to the Mercado dos Lavradores
• Upper station: Largo das Babosas 8, 9050-541 Funchal, the square shared with the Botanical Garden cable car

Glass-Floor Cabins

Regional press reported that the cable car reopened on 2 April 2026 after about three months of works, with cabins up from 39 to 44 and five glass-floor cabins at reported fares of €26 and €32. That is press reporting, not the operator. The operator's price page lists only the €22 return and €16 one way and mentions no glass-floor fare.

Until the operator prints it, treat those figures as unconfirmed.

Prices Per Basket

You pay per basket, not per person. Two or three people share the fare, which brings the per-person cost down. The per-person figures are our sum, not the operator's.

Buying A Ticket

There are no online reservations and no advance tickets. Tickets are bought on site for the same day only, at the rank beside the steps of the Monte church. The ride is 2 km and takes about 10 minutes from Monte down to Livramento, steered by two carreiros in white with straw hats.

When It Does Not Run

Monday to Saturday 09:00-18:00. Closed Sundays and public holidays: Good Friday, 14 and 15 August, 25 and 26 December, and 1 January. It may also close early when many people are already waiting with tickets, or in bad weather.

The Rain Rule

No three-person rides in rain or on wet ground. Baskets for one and two may still run, but the operator gives no written guarantee. If the weather turns, go early in the day rather than last thing.

The Honest Answer

No. Teleféricos da Madeira, the Associação dos Carreiros do Monte and MTA are three separate operators and none of them lists a combined cable car plus toboggan ticket on its price pages. No official ticket combines the Funchal cable car with the toboggan, or with Monte Palace Tropical Garden either.

The One Official Combo

The only combined ticket we found is from MTA, the third operator: the Monte-Botanical Garden cable car sold together with entry to the Botanical Garden. Adult $21.80 (€19) one way or $27.60 (€24) return, child 7-14 $10.33 (€9) one way or $13.78 (€12) return. Online sales carry a 10% discount and tickets are valid 12 months.

Bundled Rides Through Tours

The only way to pay once for a cable car or toboggan ride with transport attached is a guided listing. The Funchal Monte toboggan and Old Town tour by tuk-tuk includes the toboggan ride with hotel pickup, and the Funchal 2-hour tuk-tuk tour with cable car finale includes the cable car up but not the toboggan. These are tour listings, not operator tickets.

Monte Palace Tickets

Monte Palace Tropical Garden charges $20.70 (€18) and sells online on its own site at the same price. Online tickets are valid 365 days from issue and use a Fast Track lane at the office next to the cable car exit and at the Belvedere entrance. Tickets bought on site are valid only that day and there are no refunds or date changes.

The Bus

Horários do Funchal lines 20, 21 and 22 all list a stop named CZ Livramento on their way down to central Funchal. The on-board municipal fare is $2.35 (€2.05) and a prepaid GIRO trip is $1.66 (€1.45). Here is the catch: no official page gives the walking distance from the toboggan arrival to that stop, so check where the stop is when you arrive, or plan a taxi.

Timetables are in the operator's timetable book.

Line 22 Back Up

Line 22 runs to Babosas, the square with both Monte stations. That matters if you rode the toboggan down and left something up top, or if you want to continue to the Botanical Garden cable car instead of going into town. There is no service on 25 December.

Taxi

A taxi from Livramento to central Funchal is the simple option, especially in rain or with tired children. We publish no fare because no official Livramento taxi tariff is published. See Madeira taxi and getting around Madeira for how fares work on the island.

Our Pick

Buy a one-way cable car ticket up at $18.37 (€16), ride the toboggan down, then take a bus or taxi from Livramento. A return cable car ticket is $25.30 (€22), so the one-way saves $6.89 (€6) that you would never use, because you come down the hill in a basket. Our sum for two adults: $18.37 (€16) plus $45.90 (€40), that is $64.30 (€56) for the pair, which is $32.10 (€28) each, before the bus or taxi.

If You Want The Botanical Garden

Change the shape of the day. Ride up on the Funchal cable car with a one-way ticket, walk across to Babosas square, take the Monte-Botanical Garden cable car down to the garden with the combined ticket at $27.60 (€24) return including entry, then break the return so you ride back up to Monte and finish with the toboggan. MTA allows you to break the return at either end, which is exactly what this plan needs.

If You Prefer Zero Logistics

Take the Funchal Monte toboggan and Old Town tour by tuk-tuk at $46.00 as listed by the operator. The toboggan ride and hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so the Livramento problem is solved for you.

The Three Calendars

The Funchal-Monte cable car runs 08:45-17:45 daily except Christmas Day. The Botanical Garden cable car runs 09:00-17:00 with last boarding 16:50, also daily except Christmas Day. The toboggan runs Monday to Saturday 09:00-18:00 and stops completely on Sundays and public holidays.

Public Holidays For The Toboggan

The operator names the closures: Good Friday, 14 and 15 August, 25 and 26 December, and 1 January. Other public holidays count too, since the rule is Sundays and public holidays generally. A Sunday visit means cable cars and gardens only.

Weather

Both cable car lines can pause for bad weather, and the toboggan may close early in rain or when the ground is wet, with no three-person rides at all in those conditions. The Monte hill sits at about 500 m altitude, so cloud can sit on it while Funchal is clear. If the basket is the point of the day, go in the morning.

The 2026 Works

The Funchal cable car closed for about three months of works in early 2026 and press reported it reopened on 2 April 2026, with cabins increased from 39 to 44 and five new glass-floor cabins reported at €26 and €32. That reopening date and those fares are press reporting. The operator's price page lists only $25.30 (€22) return and $18.37 (€16) one way and confirms no glass-floor fare.

The Missing Facts

We checked every official page for the three operators. None of the following appears anywhere on them.

• No combined cable car plus toboggan ticket, at any price
• No toboggan refund policy of any kind
• No queue times or expected waits for either cable car or the toboggan rank
• No walking distance from the toboggan arrival in Livramento to the CZ Livramento bus stop
• No operator statement on how long the whole Monte hill takes end to end

What That Means For You

Any combined ticket you see advertised is a tour operator's product, not an official one. Any refund promise for the toboggan comes from the seller, not the carreiros. And budget your own time between the rides, because nobody official will tell you how long the whole thing takes.

Our estimate is half a day with the Botanical Garden added, but that is ours, not theirs.

Start at the lower cable car station in the Jardim Almirante Reis garden, an easy walk from central Funchal. Take a one-way ticket at $18.37 (€16) and ride up in about 18 minutes. At the top you step out at Babosas square, which holds both cable car stations. If the gardens are on your list, ride the Botanical Garden line down with the combined ticket, or walk to Monte Palace Tropical Garden next to the cable car exit.

After the gardens, head for the toboggan rank at Caminho do Monte, Entrada 151, Porta 4, beside the Monte church steps, and buy your basket ticket for the same day. The 2 km run to Livramento takes about 10 minutes. From the arrival point, find the CZ Livramento stop for lines 20, 21 or 22 into town, or take a taxi. Keep the day to the morning if rain is forecast, because wet ground rules out three-person baskets and can close the run early.