I live in Funchal - Madeira Island. I can advice

[seeriteR]

Biaria,

 

You have provided a lot of information on things to do while visiting Madeira. After reviewing many of the postings, I did not see anything about the Levada walking tours.

 

When looking at various Madeira websites, it is evident there are many tour companies that offer their services for 1/2 day or full day tours. I think the Rabacal Levada walk would be good for my wife and I since we are able-bodied and enjoy hiking.

 

I read that first-time hikers should go on a guided tour rather than self-guided. Do you know if the Rabacal trail is well marked? I don't want to get lost or miss our return to the ship!

 

Our ship arrives later than the start time of all the tour companies, so we have to use a taxi. At the recommendation of others, I contacted taxi driver Daniel and he is willing to pick us up and return us to the dock.

 

Thank you for all the great information you provide to the cruisers!

 

Jim

[biaria]

Hello Jim,

 

I'd love to answer your question, but as you're making reference to specific tour company, I'm afraid my reply may be considered a breach of the rules. Sorry about this.

 

Have a Happy New Year.

[seeriteR]

Hello Jim,

 

I'd love to answer your question, but as you're making reference to specific tour company, I'm afraid my reply may be considered a breach of the rules. Sorry about this.

 

Biaria,

 

I appreciate your position but I do not think I referenced any tour company. I found at least 5 tour companies that offer Rabacal tours, but it seems they are geared toward visitors in hotels or else cruise ships arriving prior to the start time of their regular tours.

 

Since we can't use one of the normal companies, we are trying to make our own arrangements and decided on a self-guided tour. My question was pretty simple. Is the trail for the Rabacal Levada walk well marked?

 

I would be happy even if you told me there are no reports of cruisers missing their boat because they got lost and returned late!

 

Jim

[biaria]

Hello Jim,

 

Thanks for understanding my position.

 

Once again, I'm terribly sorry.

 

Best wishes.

[Cruzer Two]

Hello Biaria,

 

We just returned from our NCL cruise of Morocco, Canary Islands, Portugal, and Spain. We were in Funchal on Wednesday, January 19th and the weather was perfect. Your city of Funchal is so beautiful and lush. We couldn't get over the amount of vegetation. It is like a Garden of Eden!

 

We had a wonderful time touring the city on the Blue Line of the Hop-on, Hop-off bus and then we took the cable car to Monte for a toboggan sled ride. What fun! After-wards we sat at one of the outdoor cafés at the marina and sipped Madeira wine. The entire day was delightful.

 

Thanks so much for all you assistance on the boards. I would love to return to you beautiful city again sometime. You truly live in wonderful paradise.

 

Click on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=27697299&postcount=192 for information on viewing my shore excursion videos of Funchal, Madeira (Portugal).

 

Enjoy,

Ron

Edited January 28, 2011 by Cruzer Two

[biaria]

Hello Cruizer Two,

 

I'm so very pleased to know how much you liked Funchal and thank you so much for such a nice post.

 

I'd love to watch your YouTube Funchal video, but it says it's blocked for my country. The Las Palmas video is accessible to us though.

 

Best wishes.

Edited January 28, 2011 by biaria

[Cruzer Two]

Hello Cruizer Two,

 

I'm so very pleased to know how much you liked Funchal and thank you so much for such a nice post.

 

I'd love to watch your YouTube Funchal video, but it says it's blocked for my country. The Las Palmas video is accessible to us though.

 

Best wishes.

 

Biaria,

 

The video is most likely blocked in Maderia because the audio portion of the video is a song by Anabella and it probrably infringes on your copyright laws. So sorry that you can see this one.

 

Click on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=27666121&postcount=191 for information on viewing the video of the excursion in Morocco.

 

Thanks again for all you help.

 

Regards,

 

Ron

[biaria]

What a beautiful video, thanks for sharing.

 

You're welcome!

 

Bye.

[Ferndale Girl]

Hello Biaria,

 

I've heard that the Flower Festival will be going on the weekend that we will be there. Our ship arrives on May 8th at 2:00 p.m. Do you think that there will still be something to see that late in the day? Where will the festival be - anywhere near where the Princess Ruby will dock? Do you have suggestions for us? You have been very helpful to everyone.

 

Thank you.

 

Frances

[biaria]

Hello Frances,

 

Oh, you'll love our Flower Festival.

 

The Flower Parade usually starts at 4pm and it will, most probably, be the same this year, so you're arriving early enough. It starts near the Cable Car station in town and runs along the water front main Avenue, so very convenient for you.

 

The Flower Exhibition is also very beautiful, so worth having a look as well. It's on Placa Central, an area that starts in front of the Cathedral.

 

Enjoy your time in Madeira!

Edited February 1, 2011 by biaria

[Ferndale Girl]

Thanks for getting back to me, Biaria. Do you think we'll still be able to take a taxi to get where the parade is or will it be hard to get one? I would think that going to the festival would be just as good as trying to take the cable car up to see the gardens.....what do you think? Are the crowds really bad? I'm looking forward to this day.

 

Frances

[N&PJ]

Biaria

 

Can I please ask if there is a stop for the hop-on, hop-off buses near to where the cruise ships dock? or would we need to get a taxi, or walk, into the town to find them?

 

Many thanks

 

Neil

[cool cat cruiser]

hi Biaria, could you please let me know how far it is from the port to the Botanical gardens and how much the taxi fare would be. Also if we decided to get a bus where would we board and is there a comb o ticket for the botanical gardens and the cable car to monte. We are cruising with friends who are not good walkers so am trying to work out an easy itinary in advance. Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks. cool cat cruiser.

[biaria]

Thanks for getting back to me, Biaria. Do you think we'll still be able to take a taxi to get where the parade is or will it be hard to get one? I would think that going to the festival would be just as good as trying to take the cable car up to see the gardens.....what do you think? Are the crowds really bad? I'm looking forward to this day.

 

Frances

 

Hello Frances,

 

You're welcome.

 

Sorry I took so long to get back to you.

 

Yes, if you choose to take a taxi to town, you'll easily find one at the pier. If you're interested in taking the cable car up, ask your driver to drop you off close to the station.

 

There'll be lots of people in town for the parade, but it's always possible to find some space to walk around.

 

All the best to you.

[biaria]

Biaria

 

Can I please ask if there is a stop for the hop-on, hop-off buses near to where the cruise ships dock? or would we need to get a taxi, or walk, into the town to find them?

 

Many thanks

 

Neil

 

Hi Neal,

 

I realy must apologize for having taken so long to answer you.

 

Yes, you'll have to get into town to take the HOHO bus. If you choose to walk, it may take you something like 20 minutes, but it's mostly flat, so an easy walk. Once you arrive at the bus stops' area, look for the HOHO sign.

 

Bye.

[biaria]

hi Biaria, could you please let me know how far it is from the port to the Botanical gardens and how much the taxi fare would be. Also if we decided to get a bus where would we board and is there a comb o ticket for the botanical gardens and the cable car to monte. We are cruising with friends who are not good walkers so am trying to work out an easy itinary in advance. Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks. cool cat cruiser.

 

Hello cool cat cruiser,

 

The Botanical Gardens are 5 km away from the pier and the oficial taxi fare is 15 EUR, it may seem too expensive, but a taxi service from the pier is always charged higher than from town. Also, please, beware that some drivers do overcharge.

 

If you choose to take a bus instead, it'll be 7.50 EUR taxi fare from the pier to the centre of town and then 1.80 EUR per person for the bus ticket to the Botanical Gardens. As your friends are not good walkers, I wouldn't recommend walking into town, however if there's a shuttle bus at the pier, you can always take advantage of it. You'll then be dropped off in town and can easily reach the bus stop.

 

Yes, in fact there's a combo ticket that includes both Cable car lines and the entrance to the Botanical Gardens. If you choose this option, you won't need the bus. You can get further info here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11857&id=130968136938650&ref=mf

 

Bye.

[cool cat cruiser]

Thank you for you prompt reply Biaria. You have been very helpful. I think we will get a taxi directly to the gardens in order to give us a little more time in your beautiful country. We are all very much looking forward to our visit. It has been very interesting reading your many threads and has helped enourmously in the p lanning of our itinary. :)

[biaria]

You're very much welcome!

 

I'm so pleased that my posts were useful for the planning of your visit to Madeira.

 

Have a great time!

[rogjan43]

As a first time visitors to Funchal and will only be in port from 8-5 [Tuesday APRIL 12] , we are looking to maximize our short visit. We would like to visit the market, take the cable car to Monte and visit the Botonical gardens. We have a 2:30 reservation to tour the Blandy Winery. Do you think we should take a taxi from the pier to the market and then walk to the cable car. What else should we visit in town? Is the view from Monte the best we can achieve in our short visit? any suggestions would be appreciated to make our visit memorable. I understand ther will be 2 cruise ships in port on that day so I assume it might be a bit crazy.

Thanks

[biaria]

Hello rogjan43,

 

Yes, you'll be able to do all you've planned before your tour at Blandy's.

 

From the pier to the market it'll be a 30 to 40 minute walk, so your decision will have a lot to do with the kind of walkers you are. If there's a shuttle bus at the pier you can use it, as it will drop you off not far from the market.

 

After your visit to the market, it's an easy walk to the Cable car station, for your ride up to Monte. From Monte you can take another Cable car, that will take you straight to the Botanical Gardens.

 

In case you're still left with time to spare, then maybe you'd like to explore the town a bit.

 

The view from Monte is good and you'll also enjoy the views from the cable car.

 

That's right, on April 12th two cruise ships are visiting Madeira - Marina and Independence of the Seas, but you'll be ok. As we often have multiple cruise ship visits, we're prepared to cope.

[rogjan43]

Thank you for your quick reply and useful information. I believe we want to visit the Tropical Gardens at Monte versus the Botanical Gardens. Do we just take one cable car to the Tropical Gardens? How long should we spend at the Gardens and is touring the Palace a "must"? Having never been to your island what we you recommend for souvenirs or gifts? Can we catch the Hop On - Hop off bus at the cable car station on our return for a quick tour of the city? One last question, where can we obtain a good map of Funchal? Your suggestions and information will be very helpful!! Sorry for so many questions.

Thanks,

Roger

[biaria]

Hello again rogjan43,

 

You're welcome.

 

Yes, if you're visiting the Tropical Gardens, then you only take the cable car from the centre of town to Monte. You can expect to spend at least two hours there. The Palace is not totally accessible to the public, but it has a museum on the ground floor which you can visit.

 

As traditional gifts from Madeira you can choose between Bolo de Mel (molasses' cake), Madeira Wine, handmade embroidery, wicker handwork, eucaliptus or fennel candy, poncha (rum with honey, sugar water and orange or lemon juice).

 

Yes, you can catch the HOHO bus along the main waterfront avenue, not far from the cable car station, just look for the sign. The HOHO drives past Blandy's, so very convenient for you. With the HOHO ticket, you can also use the public transport for the whole day.

 

I think the best way to get a map is to visit the Tourism Bureau, you'll need directions to get there though. By the way, the Tourism Bureau is close to Blandy's.

 

No problem about the questions, I'm always pleased to give my contribution.

[rogjan43]

Dear Biaria,

Thank you very much for your prompt response! I believe we will take a taxi to the market and then take the cable car to Monte/Tropical Gardens and return to catch the HO HO near the cable car. I assume we can buy the ticket at any stop or do we have to buy one on their web-site before we arrive? Can we purchase most of your recommended crafts/souvenirs at the market or is there another area that is better?

You are very helpful and we look forward to a great visit to your Island.

Regards,

Roger

[biaria]

Hi, Roger.

 

It's my pleasure to help.

 

You'll be able to get your tickets inside the HOHO bus, but you can also get them online, if you prefer.

 

Yes, the market is good to purchase your souvenirs.

 

Enjoy your day in Madeira.

[rogjan43]

Thanks for all your help! We are really looking forwrad to our visit!

Regards,

Roger