Funchal City Guide
Funchal Costs: What a Day and a Night Really Add Up To
Funchal costs start at $0 for a day spent on foot in the old town and the free beaches, and almost every paid figure beyond that has an official sheet behind it: the cable car, the toboggan, the gardens, the buses and the tourist tax. This page adds those sheets into three worked day budgets, then shows what a night adds through the tourist tax, and lists the small charges that turn a cheap day into a slightly less cheap one. What it does not do is guess. No official source publishes the price of a coffee, a pizza or a hotel room in Funchal, so none is printed here. Dollar figures come first, converted at €1 = $1.146, and the euro figure in brackets is the one you hand over. Start at the Funchal city guide for the city itself, check ticket prices sight by sight on Funchal tickets, and use Funchal travel tips for the order the planning decisions arrive in.
Quick answer A day and a night in Funchal, priced from the official sheets
A free day on foot in Funchal costs $0 per person. A sights day with the cable car, Monte Palace and a bathing complex costs $52.72 (€46.00). A hill day adding the toboggan instead of the swim costs $73.34 (€64.00). A night adds the tourist tax of $2.29 (€2.00) per person, capped at $16.04 (€14.00) for 7 nights or more, on top of a room rate this guide did not read.
Key takeaways
- The cheapest paid way into the city's story is the Old Town Walking Tour at $18.84, a fraction of the sights day's total.
- The toboggan is the one cost that jumps fast: $34.38 (€30.00) for one rider against $68.76 (€60.00) for three sharing a sledge. The rules sit on Monte toboggan.
- Children cut most bills sharply, detailed on Funchal with kids.
- The tax depends on nights stayed, not room price, so read it next to where to stay in Funchal before you book.
What a Funchal Euro Is Worth Right Now
Three amounts a visitor to Funchal actually hands over, at the European Central Bank reference rate, refreshed as this page loads.
€22
a Funchal-Monte cable car return
- USD$25.21
- GBP£18.89
€46
the sights day for one from the table below
- USD$52.72
- GBP£39.5
€92
the same day for two
- USD$105.43
- GBP£79.01
Dollar figures elsewhere on this page are converted at €1 = $1.146 and are approximations. The euro figure is always the official one and the one printed on the ticket. Source: European Central Bank reference rates via api.frankfurter.dev.
Three Worked Day Budgets, per Person
Each column adds up official prices only, for one adult, from the cable car, garden and toboggan tariff sheets and the municipal bathing-complex tariff. The totals are our sums, not a package anyone sells.
| Item | Free day | Sights day | Hill day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old town, cathedral, market (browsing) | $0 | Not in this day | Not in this day |
| Praia Formosa or a bathing complex | $0 | $6.88 (€6.00) | Not in this day |
| Funchal-Monte cable car | Not in this day | $25.21 (€22.00) return | $18.34 (€16.00) one way |
| Monte Palace Tropical Garden | Not in this day | $20.63 (€18.00) | $20.63 (€18.00) |
| Monte toboggan, 1 rider | Not in this day | Not in this day | $34.38 (€30.00) |
| Total per person | $0 | $52.72 (€46.00) | $73.34 (€64.00) |
| Total for two | $0 | $105.43 (€92.00) | $146.68 (€128.00) |
Food, drinks and a room are left out on purpose, because no official source publishes a price for them in Funchal. The toboggan's return leg has no priced transport back from Livramento. Figures current for Q3 2026.
What a Night Adds: The Tourist Tax
The one overnight cost with an official figure is the Taxa Municipal Turística. It is charged per person per night and capped at seven consecutive nights.
The table below compares the tax for one person and for two adults, our own multiplication of the flat official rate.
| Length of stay | One adult | Two adults (our sum) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 night | $2.29 (€2.00) | $4.58 (€4.00) |
| 3 nights | $6.88 (€6.00) | $13.75 (€12.00) |
| 7 nights or more (the cap) | $16.04 (€14.00) | $32.09 (€28.00) |
The Rules That Change the Bill
The tax is €2.00 per person per night, capped at 7 consecutive nights, so a stay of 7 nights or 17 nights costs the same $16.04 (€14.00) per person, and the cap resets if a stay is broken and resumed. It applies to all paid overnight stays in hotels and licensed short-term rentals across Funchal municipality, whatever the booking channel, and to cruise passengers since 1 January 2025. It has been in force since 1 October 2024.
Three groups pay nothing, by the council's own FAQ: children aged 12 and under on showing an ID card or passport, guests with a certified disability of 60% or more, and residents of Madeira. A child who turns 13 during the stay pays only for the nights after the birthday.
The Room Itself: No Rate Printed Here
This guide took no reading of room rates, so no nightly price appears anywhere on this page. Search your own dates by area on where to stay in Funchal.
Sources: Funchal municipal tourist tax FAQ
What the Sights Charge
Each paid sight in Funchal runs its own tariff sheet. The table compares the adult entry, the reduced and child rates and the free categories.
The table compares the adult entry, the reduced and child rates and the free categories, read from each operator's own 2026 price page.
| Sight | Adult | Reduced and children | Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funchal-Monte cable car | $25.21 (€22.00) return, $18.34 (€16.00) one way | 7-14 half price | 0-6 |
| Monte Palace Tropical Garden | $20.63 (€18.00) | None published | Up to 14 with an adult |
| Madeira Botanical Garden | $11.46 (€10.00) over 12 | $3.44 (€3.00) ages 6-12 | Under 6 |
| Monte toboggan | $34.38 (€30.00) 1 rider, $45.84 (€40.00) 2, $68.76 (€60.00) 3 | No published child rate | Not applicable |
| Bathing complexes (Lido, Ponta Gorda, Barreirinha, Doca do Cavacas) | $6.88 (€6.00) | 7-17 $2.29 (€2.00) | 6 and under |
| CR7 Museum | $5.73 (€5.00) | None published | Up to 9 |
The Gap: São Tiago Fort
Two official-adjacent sources disagree on the interior fee at the São Tiago fort, one saying free and one giving €3. This page prints neither figure. The exterior and grounds are free every day.
Full detail on São Tiago fort.
Sources: Madeira Cable Car official prices, Monte Palace Tropical Garden, IFCN Madeira Botanical Garden, Carreiros do Monte, Frente MarFunchal tariff
Getting Around: Every Fare
Transport in Funchal is metered, timetabled or flat-rate depending on the operator. Every fare below is published by the operator that runs the service.
The table compares the fares a visitor is most likely to pay in a day, each published by the operator that runs the service.
| Fare | Price | Rule that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobus airport transfer, on board | $7.68 (€6.70) | $6.36 (€5.55) prepaid on the GIRO card |
| City bus, on board | $2.35 (€2.05) | $1.66 (€1.45) prepaid on the GIRO card |
| City bus, day pass | $5.67 (€4.95) | Municipal routes only |
| Regional tourist pass, 1 day | $15.76 (€13.75) | Covers the Aerobus too, unlike the ordinary day pass |
| Taxi flag fare, day | $4.58 (€4.00) | Metered after, no fixed fare to anywhere |
| Taxi flag fare, night and weekends | $5.50 (€4.80) | 21:00-06:00 and all day Saturday, Sunday, holidays |
No Fixed Airport Fare
The airport taxi runs on the meter with no fixed fare published for any route, including into the city centre. Compare it against the Aerobus's flat $7.68 (€6.70) before assuming a taxi is simpler. Full detail on Funchal airport and getting around.
Sources: SIGA Aerobus tariff, Horários do Funchal fares, [Madeira regional taxi tariff convention 2026]
Eating Out: What Nobody Publishes
Food is the biggest gap in an honest Funchal budget.
No official, citable source publishes a current price for a bica (espresso), a poncha, an espetada, a prato do dia or a bolo do caco in Funchal, so the worked budgets above leave food out entirely rather than invent a figure. The MICHELIN Guide 2026 lists Il Gallo d'Oro (two stars, marked temporarily closed), William and Desarma (one star each) and Casal da Penha (Bib Gourmand) for Funchal, but the guide prints a price band as currency symbols rather than a euro figure, so it tells you where the top of the market sits and nothing about an ordinary lunch. Full detail on best restaurants in Funchal and typical food in Funchal.
Small Costs That Catch People Out
None of these is large on its own, and every one is avoidable once you know it exists.
- The airport taxi has no fixed fare and runs on the meter, so ask for an estimate before you get in, or take the Aerobus at a flat $7.68 (€6.70).
- A city bus bought from the driver costs $2.35 (€2.05) against $1.66 (€1.45) tapping a prepaid GIRO card.
- The toboggan sells same-day tickets on the spot only, no online booking, so a sold-out slot cannot be pre-secured.
- The toboggan ends in Livramento, not back at the top, and no operator shuttle or published fare covers the way back.
- The tourist tax is per person per night, not per room, so a family of four pays it four times, up to the 7-night cap each.
- Sunday closes the Monte toboggan and Mercado dos Lavradores, so a Sunday hill day has to skip the sledge. See Funchal on Sunday.
Is Funchal Expensive?
On the official figures, not especially. A cable car return and a garden entry come to $45.84 (€40.00), and a full day on foot in the old town and a free beach costs $0. What moves a Funchal trip toward expensive is almost entirely the room, the restaurant and the private tour, and those are the three costs no official source prices.
Decide those three first, then the fares on this page barely register.
The Bookings Worth Their Price
Five bookings where the listed price buys something a public fare cannot: a guide, a fixed slot or a boat.
from $18.84
Funchal Old Town Walking Tour
A 2 hour small-group walk through Funchal's Old Town, the Jesuits' College, the Farmers' Market, a wine lodge and a historic sweet factory.
Check Availability
from $29.86
City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
A 24 or 48 hour Funchal hop-on hop-off pass with a 14-language audio guide, a free Historic Centre walking tour and a wine tasting stop at Blandy's.
Check Availability
from $57.43
Monte Palace Tropical Garden and Old Town Tuk-Tuk Tour
A 3 hour tuk-tuk ride up to Monte with time inside the palace garden, then back down through the old town, so the hill costs you no climb and no ride home.
Check Availability
from $40.20
Ecological Catamaran Dolphin and Whale Watching
An electric-assisted catamaran trip off Funchal with land-based whale spotters, two decks and wheelchair-accessible toilets.
Check Availability
from $109.11
Madeira Food and Wine Walking Tour in Funchal
A small-group Funchal food and wine walk with 11 food tastings and 6 drinks across local taverns and the market, limited to 10 guests.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Where the Money Decisions Continue
Funchal tickets
Every paid entry in the city on one page, once the sights table has told you which doors you want.
Where to stay in Funchal
Areas compared as ground, with the tourist tax table open next to it.
Getting around Funchal
Buses and taxis in practice, the other half of the fare table.
Funchal Costs: Questions
Is Funchal expensive to visit?
The fixed sight and transport costs are modest: a cable car return is $25.21 (€22.00) and a city bus $2.35 (€2.05). Rooms, restaurants and private tours are what push a Funchal trip higher, and none of those is priced by an official source. See the three day budgets.
How much does a day in Funchal cost?
$0 for a free day on foot and at the free beaches, $52.72 (€46.00) for a sights day with the cable car, Monte Palace and a swim, and $73.34 (€64.00) for a hill day that swaps the swim for the toboggan. Our sums are in the budget table.
How much does a night in Funchal add on top of the room?
The tourist tax: $2.29 (€2.00) per person per night, capped at $16.04 (€14.00) for 7 nights or more. Table in what a night adds.
Is it expensive to eat out in Funchal?
This page cannot say. No official source publishes current prices for a coffee, a meal or a typical Madeiran dish in Funchal. The only price band available is the MICHELIN Guide's currency-symbol rating for its listed restaurants, covered in eating out.
Why is Madeira so expensive?
This page cannot answer for the island as a whole. What is confirmed for Funchal is that room rates, restaurant meals and private tours are the three cost categories with no official published benchmark, which is usually where a trip's total cost is decided.
What is Funchal's tourist tax?
$2.29 (€2.00) per person per night, capped at 7 consecutive nights, in force since 1 October 2024 and applied to cruise passengers since 1 January 2025. Detail in what a night adds.
Funchal Costs on Film
Budget trips to Madeira, filmed by travellers who counted what they spent.
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Video: JoeyPPrices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
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