Funchal to Curral das Freiras: Bus 81, Tours and Driving

Schedule

The timetable below comes from the operator's official PDF, updated 04.09.2023. Departures are from Funchal. Several weekday runs take the Faja Escura/Faja dos Cardos or Eira do Serrado variants.

There is no service on 25 December. On 24 and 31 December (unless a Sunday), Mardi Gras Tuesday and Maundy Thursday the Saturday timetable applies. The official timetable is published at siga.madeira.gov.pt and you can cross-check times on horariosdofunchal.pt.

The Fare

Curral das Freiras is a parish of Camara de Lobos municipality, so the ride is charged as an intermunicipal SIGA fare rather than a city fare. On board, an adult pays $3.04 (€2.65) and a child aged 6 to 12 inclusive pays $1.49 (€1.30). With a prepaid card the same trip costs $2.29 (€2.00) adult and $1.15 (€1.00) child.

Children under 6 travel free. Pay the driver in cash or tap the prepaid card when boarding. Fares are set by the SIGA system and published at siga.madeira.gov.pt.

Where to Board in Funchal

Horarios do Funchal's own timetable sheet names Praca do Povo and the Teleferico terminal among the central Funchal stops bus 81 serves, so either is a workable place to start rather than guessing at a stop along the route. One extra rule worth knowing before you plan around the Eira do Serrado pass: most runs pass straight through it, but a request-only stop there means a passenger travelling FROM Eira do Serrado back toward Funchal must book by phone (291 705 563 or 965 059 005) by midnight the day before, while boarding TO Eira do Serrado from Funchal just means telling the driver when you get on. Miss that phone booking and the bus will not stop for you on the return leg, so it matters more than it sounds if you plan to walk down from the pass rather than ride the bus the whole way.

What Is Published and What Is Not

Here is the honest part. No official drive time, distance or taxi fare from Funchal to Curral das Freiras is published in the sources used for this page, so we will not invent one. What we can say from the timetable evidence is that the bus covers the route in about 54 minutes, which gives you a realistic sense of the drive.

The road route from Funchal runs through the Eira do Serrado pass by name, the same pass the bus uses. If you drive, allow time for the steep, winding descent into the caldera and for parking in the village, for which no published fee is available here. Taxis should be negotiated before setting off, since no regulated fare for this route appears in official material.

If you would rather skip the driving entirely, the Nuns Valley Half-Day Tour handles the road for you.

The Name and the Setting

Curral das Freiras is named after the nuns of the Santa Clara Convent in Funchal, who took refuge here in 1566 when pirates attacked the capital. The name stuck, and English speakers know the village as Nuns Valley. Geographically it is remarkable: the village sits inside an extinct volcanic caldera, ringed by peaks including Pico Grande and Pico Ruivo, reached from Funchal via the Eira do Serrado pass.

Administratively it is a parish of Camara de Lobos municipality. Chestnuts are the local product, celebrated each year at the Festa da Castanha, and they turn up in cakes, liqueurs and roasted bags sold in the village.

The Budget Day: Bus 81

If you are happy exploring on your own, the bus is hard to beat at $3.04 (€2.65) each way on board, or $2.29 (€2.00) prepaid. With about 54 minutes each way, a half day is enough to ride out, walk the village, eat something with chestnuts in it and get back. The ride itself is part of the reward: the road climbs over the Eira do Serrado pass before dropping into the caldera, so budget travellers get the same dramatic descent that the guided tours charge for, just from a public bus seat instead of a van window.

Build in slack for the timetable rather than trying to sprint between buses, and if you plan to get off at Eira do Serrado on the way back rather than ride straight through, remember it is a request-only stop that needs a phone booking the night before.

The Half Day with a Guide: Nuns Valley Alone

the Nuns Valley Half-Day Tour from $32.16 is the simplest guided option. It goes to Curral das Freiras alone, with a stop in the fishing town of Camara de Lobos on the way, hotel pickup at select Funchal hotels, lunch and a live guide in five languages. It is rated 4.5 from 2413 reviews.

Choose this if you want the valley explained and zero logistics, without adding Monte to the day.

The Packed Morning: Nuns Valley plus Monte and the Toboggan

the Nuns Valley, Monte and Sleigh Ride Tour is a different product, not a longer version of the half day. In 4 hours it takes in Curral das Freiras, crosses to Monte and includes the toboggan sledge ride, with a free liquor tasting in the village and entry to the nun's house costing about $1.15 (€1) extra. It costs $50.54, is rated 4.7 from 2091 reviews, and suits anyone who wants Monte and the toboggan ride in the same outing.

If Monte is already on your Funchal list, this can save you a separate trip.