Madeira / The verdict
Are Monte and the wicker toboggan ride in Funchal worth it?
Yes: cable car up over the bay, the 70,000 m2 Monte Palace garden, then a wicker sledge steered downhill by two straw-hatted carreiros makes Madeira's most original half-day. Reports love the garden unreservedly and call the toboggan silly, short and worth it at least once. The catch is logistics: midday queues of one to three hours, cash-only tickets and a finish in Livramento rather than town.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.
The Madeira story
Madeira earns its reputation as the island where a proper city, serious mountains and a working laurel forest sit forty minutes apart. Funchal is a real place rather than a resort set, the levada walks and sea cliffs are as good as the brochures claim, and the mild spring-like climate is not marketing: travelers swim and hike in the same week in November.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Go
Yes: cable car up over the bay, the 70,000 m2 Monte Palace garden, then a wicker sledge steered downhill by two straw-hatted carreiros makes Madeira's most original half-day. Reports love the garden unreservedly and call the toboggan silly, short and worth it at least once. The catch is logistics: midday queues of one to three hours, cash-only tickets and a finish in Livramento rather than town.
Go if
- You want Madeira's signature combo day: cable car up, garden, wicker sled down
- You are traveling with kids or anyone who would enjoy a gentle, novel ride over a steep hike
- You have a full morning or afternoon to give Monte
Skip if
- You only care about the toboggan and would resent queueing an hour or more for a ten-minute ride
- You are visiting on a Sunday, when the sledges do not run
- Wet weather is forecast: the toboggans stop on wet roads and cable cars can pause in wind
What it costs
- Funchal-Monte cable car, one way: €16 (Round trip EUR 22; children under 7 free, 7 to 14 half price; open 08:45 to 17:45 daily except Christmas Day). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Monte Palace Tropical Garden, adult: €18 (Includes the museum; children up to 14 free with an adult; garden 09:30 to 18:00, museum 10:00 to 17:00). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Wicker toboggan, one person: €30 (EUR 40 for two people or EUR 60 for three; price is per sled; three-person sleds do not run on wet roads). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Monte-Botanical Garden cable car, one way: €11 (EUR 16 round trip; nine-minute ride down the gorge to the botanical garden; children 7 to 14 pay EUR 6/9). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 12 traveler reports (Mar 2025 to Jun 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- The wicker sled run is one of the world's stranger rides: two men in white and straw boaters steering a basket down public streets at up to 30 km/h.
- Monte Palace earns two to three hours from most visitors: layered gardens, waterfalls, flamingos and a museum in one ticket.
- The cable car up is an attraction in itself, gliding over the orange roofs and the bay for about 15 minutes.
- The whole Monte round trip packages views, a garden, a church and a novel ride into a compact half-day.
What people complain about
- Queues are the recurring complaint: cable car lines around 30 minutes even with online tickets, and toboggan waits reported at one to three hours at peak.
- At EUR 30 to 60 per sled for about ten minutes, several travelers call the toboggan fun but expensive for what it is.
- Tickets are cash only and the ride ends away from town, where taxis charge a fixed premium rate for the return.
- Weather stops the sledges entirely; the operator skips three-person rides on wet roads and closes in bad conditions.
How to do it right
- Ride the Funchal cable car up from the seafront in the old town for the bay views; it runs 08:45 to 17:45 daily and online tickets let you skip the ticket-office line.
- Arrive before about 10:30: reports describe cable car queues around half an hour even with tickets, and toboggan waits of one to three hours when cruise ships are in.
- Give the Monte Palace Tropical Garden two to three hours; it is hilly with stairs and uneven paths, so wear proper shoes and note it is not stroller or wheelchair friendly.
- Catch the toboggan just below the Monte church steps: roughly two kilometres and ten minutes downhill, braked and steered by two carreiros in rubber-soled boots.
- Bring cash for the toboggan: tickets are same-day, on-site only and reports consistently say cash is required.
- Plan the way back: the run ends in Livramento above the city, so it is a taxi, a bus or a 30 to 45 minute downhill walk into town.
- If the sledges are stopped for weather or queues, the Botanical Garden cable car continues from Monte down the gorge as an alternative descent.
The trap to avoid
Showing up at midday with no cash and no onward plan. Peak toboggan waits reach one to three hours and the carreiros can close early when queues or weather turn; tickets are cash only and the ride ends in Livramento, where waiting taxis charge a fixed rate well above the meter and the real alternatives are a local bus or a steep walk down.
Why this verdict
Monte earns a clear yes because it stacks three things in one half-day: the cable car up from the seafront, the island’s most-loved garden and a downhill ride that exists in almost no other place. Reports are nearly unanimous that Monte Palace justifies its EUR 18, with two to three hours of terraced planting, water gardens, flamingos and a small museum. The toboggan splits opinion on value but not on novelty: sliding two kilometres down public streets in a wicker basket, braked by two men in rubber-soled boots, is the story everyone retells.
The catch is friction. Queues at the cable car run around half an hour at busy times even with tickets, the toboggan line has been filmed stretching far down the hill, and waits of one to three hours appear in peak-season reports. The carreiros raised fares in May 2026 to EUR 30 for one rider, EUR 40 for two and EUR 60 for three, payment is cash only, and the run ends at Livramento rather than central Funchal, so budget the taxi fare or the downhill walk on top. Weather is the other wildcard: the sledges stop when roads are wet and they were simply not running on at least one reported day.
The way to make it feel worth it is sequencing. Cable car first thing, garden mid-morning, toboggan before the midday peak, then bus, taxi or feet down from Livramento. Anyone who only wants the ride can also take a tuk-tuk straight up to Monte and skip the cable car queue entirely.
Timing and tickets
The cable car runs 08:45 to 17:45 daily except Christmas Day; online tickets skip the ticket-office queue. Monte Palace opens 09:30 to 18:00 (museum 10:00 to 17:00). The toboggans run roughly 09:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday, closed Sundays, and stop in bad weather. Buy toboggan tickets on-site with cash. On wet days or Sundays, swap the sled for the Botanical Garden cable car down the gorge or a bus back to town.
Book or check times
Carreiros do Monte (official toboggan site)Funchal-Monte cable car ticketsMonte Palace Tropical Garden ticketsBotanical Garden cable car prices
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Questions
How much does the Monte toboggan cost?
EUR 30 for one person, EUR 40 for two and EUR 60 for three, per sled, since the Carreiros do Monte raised prices on 1 May 2026. Tickets are bought on the day at the stand and reports say payment is cash only.
Does the toboggan take you back to central Funchal?
No. The roughly 2 km run ends at Livramento, on the hillside above the city. From there it is a taxi, a local bus or about 30 to 45 minutes on foot downhill.
When does the toboggan run?
Reports and the operator describe Monday to Saturday roughly 09:00 to 18:00, closed Sundays, with early closures possible when weather turns or queues are already long. The three-person sled also sits out wet-road days.
Is the toboggan safe and suitable for kids?
Reports frame it as a gentle spectacle rather than a thrill ride: two uniformed carreiros steer and brake with their boot soles at moderate speeds. Families report children loved it; anyone nervous sits between the wicker rails with the guides in control.
Cable car or bus to Monte, and which garden?
The cable car from the old town is the scenic choice at EUR 16 one way; city buses 20, 21, 22 and 48 are the cheap option. Monte has two gardens: Monte Palace (EUR 18, museum, flamingos, fountains) and the Botanical Garden (cheaper, more plant-focused); reports suggest Monte Palace if you pick one.
Is Monte Palace worth EUR 18 on top of the ride?
Most reports say yes: it is a 70,000 m2 terraced garden with Japanese and Chinese sections, waterfalls, flamingos and a small museum, and visitors consistently spend two to three hours there. If gardens are not your thing, Monte still works as a toboggan plus church and viewpoint stop.