I live in Funchal - Madeira Island. I can advice

Hello Tony,

I have been visiting Madeira for nearly 30 years and was there for 2 weeks in August, so I will try to give you some pointers.

You will have to walk from the port towards town to find a taxi as they do not allow them onto the dock. The buses for Monte normally go from infront of the cable car but as the town is a building site at the moment they may have been moved.It should only cost you around 10 euros by taxi. A small number of taxi drivers will want to convince you to book a half day which is around 80 euros for 4/5 hours, but walk away and use the next one- they are all metered. You will need 2/3 hours at Monte Palace gardens. The toboggan ride is fun but at the end I dont think there is any local buses and be careful about the price of a taxi back to town ; again they should use the meter and again it should be around 8-10 euros.It takes 30 minutes to walk back down steep roads.

Hope this helps Roger

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We are just starting to plan for a cruise nearly a year from now. Can anyone give me advice on how to experience this island with our young children? This transatlantic cruise will be our first trip abroad and we definitely want to experience the different ports of call and let our children experience different cultures, foods, places, etc. Our children will be ages 10, 9, 6, 4, and 2 so we probably don't want a traditional tour through the cruise line.

I can recommend Daniels Taxis from a previous stop in Madeira.

 

I'm thinking of afternoon tea at Reids on our next visit in January - a private visit rather than a ship's tour.

 

I gather it's quite near the port.

 

Would appreciate any thoughts and personal experience.

 

Thank you

 

wft

Last time we were in Madeira we did the tobbogan ride and the cable car, followed by Madeira tasting - it was a great trip. I am wondering what would be best this time and came up with the Santana Theme Park but it has mixed reviews. My children are 10 and 12 if that helps.

 

We will be arriving on a Wednesday and would like to be DIY so I am open to other suggestions too.

 

many thanks

 

Jo

am i the only person who worries about geting into a car in a foreign country with complete strangers? or is it because i have two small children i worry far too much!

busymummy, I think you're pretty safe on the island of Madeira, especially if you stick to cab drivers that have credentials hanging in the cab, and/or stick to tour operators who have good reputations here on Cruise Critic. It's my opinion that people are more likely to be hurt on that crazy tobaggan ride that's offered in Monte than hurt by a taxi driver or tour operator. I don't have children, but I am a woman who has traveled alone quite a bit by taxi or tour operator, and the only place I felt creeped out was in Samana, Dominican Republic. There were a couple taxi drivers who offered a trip to the beach, but I declined.

 

However, if you want a more public way to travel, you might want to try the Hop On Hop Off bus. It goes around the city and also to the town that Churchill made famous (Camara de Lobos), which is nice to visit. I'm not sure how much this would entertain children, however, plus you need to check the frequency of the HOHO buses - not all that fantastic, especially if you want the part of the trip that goes to Camara de Lobos.

 

If you're lucky, perhaps you can find some other people on your Roll Call who have kids who would like to share a tour via Daniel's Taxi or other tour operator. Usually there's safety in numbers.

Hello Biaria

 

We are so grateful for your help.

 

On October 29 I will be in Funchal on the Norwegian Epic. I am interested in buying a very old bottle of Madeira wine. Recently one of the most eminent wine writers from the US spent three months in Portugal and made a side trip to Funchal. What he wrote about Madeira wines is revealing, to say the least.

 

Can you find me the addresses of

Vinhos Barbeito, and

D’Oliveira.

 

The reason I need this information is I am signed up for a tour and may have very limited time to shop for this bottle of wine.

 

Thank you.

 

WWLL;

This is a little late for you to use but for others who might be interested here is a site that shows the locations of the wineries in the city center:

 

http://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/madeiran-wine-tour-in-funchal-2956.html

 

Last spring we visited Blandy's and enjoyed the wine tasting very much.

We recently visited Funchal and used Daniel's taxis, as recommended on this thread ( bookings@danielmadeirataxis.com / www.danielmadeirataxis.com). We had a super guided tour with him, he speaks good English, has an extensive knowledge of Madeira and its history and knows the island sights and roads well. We both have mobility problems at the moment and Daniel was happy to tailor his tour to our particular requirements and seems to know all the best coffee stops/places to eat!

His office is out of town so don't plan to visit, use one of the methods above to make contact and plans. He will give you a fixed price before-hand and will gladly pick you up at your ship. We would definitely use him again.

I read on an earlier post that the toboggans close at 1 PM on Sunday does this continue to be true? As it would have it our ship arrives at noon

Hello all,

 

Forgive me if this has been asked before but this thread is massive and searching through it would take forever!

 

We are in Funchal on Saturday 20th June and would very much appreciate some recommendations for a place to eat lunch as well as somewhere to buy a bottle of the local Madeira wine.

 

We've never been to Madeira before so plan to take the ho-ho bus for a ride round and then just amble. Is there anything that we should definitely see/do?

 

Thanks in advance.

If you have the time (many cruisers don't due to short port calls) I would walk around the Zona Vehla (Old Town) area as it's a somewhat off the beaten path place (at least for cruisers). You can walk down the main street there and see, in a short time, a lot of fun painted doors on the old shops and restaurants. (The old fisherman and his colorful boat was one of my favorites.) You can also eat lunch there.

 

For other things about the city, look at tomsportguides.com and find the guide for Funchal. It's great for cruisers.

Thank you! :D

We've never been to Madeira before so plan to take the ho-ho bus for a ride round and then just amble. Is there anything that we should definitely see/do?

The HOHO bus will take up most of your day, if you go all the way to Câmara de Lobos + the extension to Cabo Girão, and all the way up to Pico dos Barcelos. And if the weather's nice, all of those are worth doing. You can have a lunch stop overlooking the port of Câmara de Lobos, very picturesque.

 

If you don't have time to visit a wine lodge, you can grab a bottle of Madeira in any gift shop, including the ones that you will pass right before entering the port to reboard your ship. (You will pay a few euros too much, but it's super convenient if you're short on time and need to rush back.)

I am thinking of booking a 8-hour West tour with MadeiraHappyTours. Anyone ever used them? If so, were you happy with their tour?

 

Thank you.

CPADWJ

 

Thanks for the link of wine stops in Funchal. I will be stopping in Funchal again this fall.

I read on an earlier post that the toboggans close at 1 PM on Sunday does this continue to be true? As it would have it our ship arrives at noon

 

Could someone confirm, thanks

I read on an earlier post that the toboggans close at 1 PM on Sunday does this continue to be true? As it would have it our ship arrives at noon

 

http://www.madeira-island-tours.com/Madeira-Cruiseship/Center_toboggan.html

 

Shows Sundays 9am - 1pm

We have been to Funchal twice before and are looking forward to our third trip.

I did not know there was a Hop-On, Hop-off bus available. Does it have a stop near where the ship docks?

Yes. Just get to the main promenade and you will see the bus. There are also plenty of booths around the inner harbour selling the tickets.

Yes. Just get to the main promenade and you will see the bus. There are also plenty of booths around the inner harbour selling the tickets.

 

Thank you. We will make a point to use the Ho-Ho bus next April when we are in Funchal.

 

I have now thought to google for information and found the site

http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/funchal-hop-on-hop-off-tour_23591

Edited September 5, 2015 by NMLady

I can advice...

1) Is it possible to do a morning tour and still do the cable car and the toboggan in the afternoon??

2) How far is that are from the port/ship??

3) How long should we schedule to do the cable car & toboggan??

Please advise..............thank you

The answer is in your other thread. On this one you have missed out you will be there on Christmas Day. You can't do the cable car as it will be closed.

 

The port is right in the centre of Funchal. Depending where you dock it could be a 15-20 minute, or a 5 minute walk to Funchal Centre.

PLEASE to assist, we have been to Funchal, several times, but not for several

years. We are interested in going to the B gardens again, last time did it by

local bus. Does any one know where to get the bus now downtown? And the cost. Thanking you for any help. We will be there in April.

I can advice...

 

To save me reading through all the pages of this post..What is the best way to get to the cable car ? We fancy going up in the cable car and coming down in a basket. Can we walk or is it easier to get a taxi from the ship to the place where the cable car starts from. I'd also read that it's easier getting back to the ship by taxi from where the baskets stop. ?