I live in Funchal - Madeira Island. I can advice

[ojainel]

Thank you (again!):)

[biaria]

My pleasure! :-)

[wilson4]

Thank you Biaria for your information. Can you advise me on anywhere else to bathe? We are only in port from 1pm to 7pm. We were thinking of visiting the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens, with a swim before returning to ship. We are travelling with two young teenagers and don't mind taking taxis from one place to another to make the most of our time.

[biaria]

Hello again wilson4,

 

I agree, as your time here is very limited, taxi transportation will be your best choice.

 

Ponta Gorda swimming complex is a good alternative to Lido and is not far from it, but you can always ask your driver's opinion.

 

Enjoy your visit!

[shipgeeks]

Biaria, Thank you for all the good information you have given in these posts. We are looking forward to being in Funchal in a few weeks. Am I correct in believing that Portugese is the language? If so, can you give us a few phrases that we would like to be able to use, such as Good Morning, and Thank You?

Thank you!

[biaria]

Hello shipgeeks,

 

You're quite correct, in Madeira Island we speak Portuguese.

 

Sure! Here is small list for you:

 

Good morning! - Bom dia!

Good afternoon! - Boa tarde!

Thank you! - Obrigado/Obrigada (‘o’ if you’re a gentleman and ‘a’ if you’re a lady)

You’re welcome! - De nada!

Where is the toilet? - Onde sao os sanitarios?

How much does this cost? - Quanto e que isto custa?

water - agua

juice - sumo

wine - vinho

cool drink - refresco

 

English is widely spoken here, so you'll be ok speaking your language, however I know that it's always fun to compare languages...

 

Enjoy your day on Madeira!

[shipgeeks]

Thank you, Biaria, and especially for thinking of other useful phrases!

[biaria]

You're welcome, shipgeeks.

 

If you remember any other phrases or words that you'd like me to translate, you're welcome to let me know.

[Ethel5]

How far from the cruise ships to the market area for crafts etc? Should we take a taxi or is there a shuttle? I'm sorry if this has been asked before and I appreciate all your help. :)

[biaria]

Hello Ethel5,

 

If you have no mobility problems you'll cover the distance from the cruise ship to the market in about 30 to 40 minutes, but if you don't like the idea there'll be taxis at the dockside and there may even be a shuttle service.

 

In a 4 passenger taxi you'll be charged 7.50 EUR for a trip to town.

[BigJon]

Hello Biaria, I will be in Funchal this month on the Disney Magic. We are scheduled to exit the ship around 12pm. I want you to "critique" my plans for the day. After we exit the ship, I was going to take a cab (4 of us) to the cable car. Once we exit the cable car, I was going to walk to the church at Monte, and take in the view, and then take the toboggan ride. Once we exit the toboggan ride, I was going to take a cab, or a bus to the market. (prices for bus and cab?) Walk thru the market, and then walk directly across the street from the market, and walk down Rua Dr. Fernao de Ornelas toward the Cathedral. My daughter worked at a local winery, so I want to stop by The Old Blandy Wine Lodge. Then walk past the Jardim Municipal (is this something we want to explore?), and continue to the traffic circle, and turn left (south) and walk back to the ship.

Any tips, or modifications to this itinerary would be appreciated. Thanks, jonathan

[roothy123]

I have instantly “googled” your tip about the doors, so I have seen what you mean about the doors, they look really colorful, so we will be looking out for them during our visit.

 

 

Hi Alphen. I, too, am going looking for colorful doors in the old part of Funchal. I guess by now you're back from your trip, so if you're still monitoring this thread, do you have any words of wisdom for me? It looked to me, from messing around on Google Earth, that a lot of nice things to photograph, including doors, was around Rua de Sao Tiago and the fort.

 

Biaria, thanks for all this great information. I just discovered it and am doing my best to read all the posts. Our day in Funchal comes up in August. Once I get organized, I will probably have some questions for you. However, between all the info here from you, plus what I found on tomsportguides.com, I already feel like I know a lot! It's just a shame that ships only tend to stop there 6 or 7 hours, but I suppose it's because Madeira is way out there by itself and cruise ships have to travel a long way to get to their next port!

[Alphen]

Hi Alphen. I, too, am going looking for colorful doors in the old part of Funchal. I guess by now you're back from your trip, so if you're still monitoring this thread, do you have any words of wisdom for me? It looked to me, from messing around on Google Earth, that a lot of nice things to photograph, including doors, was around Rua de Sao Tiago and the fort.

 

Biaria, thanks for all this great information. I just discovered it and am doing my best to read all the posts. Our day in Funchal comes up in August. Once I get organized, I will probably have some questions for you. However, between all the info here from you, plus what I found on tomsportguides.com, I already feel like I know a lot! It's just a shame that ships only tend to stop there 6 or 7 hours, but I suppose it's because Madeira is way out there by itself and cruise ships have to travel a long way to get to their next port!

 

I cannot help you here. If you have a chance to go through all the posts, you may have read that unfortunately our stop was cut short and our overnight was cancelled. We only got to spent one day instead of two so we only did the valley of nuns.

[roothy123]

Thanks anyway, Alphen. That must have been disappointing to you, but at least you got a shortish day in Funchal. That's all we have, and I've been tearing my hair out trying to cram in way too much!

 

Biaria (or anyone who has knowledge of the buses), i you have time to answer one more question, I'd greatly appreciate your help. I can't figure out which public bus goes to Camara de Lobos from Funchal. I thought it was a Rodoeste bus, but when I pull up their web site, they list multiple bus numbers across from Camara de Lobos. When I look at the schedules, however, they do not list C de Lobos. Do some buses simply go through a place and will stop if you want it to, or what else might explain a list of ten or more buses that go there but have no information for it? I know that the Yellow Carris sightseeing bus runs one line (blue) to Camara de L, but the frequency isn't very good for cruisers with limited time, and I was hoping to take a public bus. I could also walk to the taxi stand near McDonalds and hire a taxi to take me a few places, but I'd rather find a cheaper alternative if time permits. For the 40 euros from the non-port based taxi drivers, is there a particular amount of time that they allow, a standard tour they give, or how does that work? Also, for the 7,50 euro fare for a cab to town, does that cover letting us off at somewhere other than the teleferico station, I assume? I would likely want to go to the old town, or Socorro chapel, or something like that. (Can taxis get to the chapel, or would I be dropped near by?)

 

Thank you SO much for all of this great information!

[P&O SUE]

Hi Biaria,

 

Apologies if it's already been mentioned (haven't read the whole 52 pages!) But does the Hop on Hop off bus still run in Funchal?

 

Thanks in advance.

[roothy123]

Hi Biaria,

 

Apologies if it's already been mentioned (haven't read the whole 52 pages!) But does the Hop on Hop off bus still run in Funchal?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm not Biaria, but since I recently googled this, I can at least take a stab at your question. If you google "City Sightseeing Funchal" you'll see the website for one of the 2 HOHO buses. Since they have a website, I assume they still run. There is also another HOHO bus operated by the public transportation provider (Carris). I think it is just called "Yellow Bus." The yellow bus does not go as many places as City, but one plus for me is that it DOES run on a limited schedule to Camara de Lobos, which I want to visit. There are 2 Yellow Bus lines, one running in the bottom half of Funchal, and another that goes to Camara de Lobos. Personally, the places I want to see are mostly covered by the Carris HOHO (and you get the added benefit of being able to ride regular buses in the Funchal area) so that one seems to be adequate to me, and Camara de Lobos is a plus for me. They both pick up at the marina, which is a bit of a walk from the port. I would check the frequency, beginning and ending times, cost, and length of time needed for entire route before deciding which company to use. I'm only guessing here, but I'm thinking City probably operates a more reliably on time schedule than the Yellow Bus, but with a 90 minute loop time, a person may spend time seeing parts of Funchal that aren't necessarily the most interesting and valuable to a cruiser with limited time in port.

 

A great general site on Madeira is tomsportguides.com - search for the Funchal guide.

 

If anyone is interested in the painted doors of the old town area, I realized I mentioned that the doors seem to mostly be on Rua de Sao Tiago. However, there are even more on Rua de Santa Maria. A good web site is http://www.arteportasabertas.com/

Edited May 18, 2014 by roothy123

[biaria]

Hello Biaria, I will be in Funchal this month on the Disney Magic. We are scheduled to exit the ship around 12pm. I want you to "critique" my plans for the day. After we exit the ship, I was going to take a cab (4 of us) to the cable car. Once we exit the cable car, I was going to walk to the church at Monte, and take in the view, and then take the toboggan ride. Once we exit the toboggan ride, I was going to take a cab, or a bus to the market. (prices for bus and cab?) Walk thru the market, and then walk directly across the street from the market, and walk down Rua Dr. Fernao de Ornelas toward the Cathedral. My daughter worked at a local winery, so I want to stop by The Old Blandy Wine Lodge. Then walk past the Jardim Municipal (is this something we want to explore?), and continue to the traffic circle, and turn left (south) and walk back to the ship.

Any tips, or modifications to this itinerary would be appreciated. Thanks, jonathan

 

Hello BigJon,

 

Your plan for the day in Funchal is very good.

 

I usually recommend taking the bus at the end of the toboggan ride because the taxi drivers there tend to overcharge, but as your time is rather on the tight side it may be wiser to take a taxi, however I advise you to negotiate a price before getting inside the taxi. The taxi fare from there to the market is listed at 10 euros per 4 passenger taxi, but they will most probably ask you 15 euros. If you take the bus you'll pay 1.95 euros per person for a ticket bought inside the bus, which I reckon won't be that much cheaper than the taxi as you are 4 people.

 

The Municipal Gardens (Jardim Municipal) is worth walking around to look at the beautiful flowers, but at this point you may already be short on time.

 

There's some construction work in the traffic circle area, so your best bet is to walk down the street between the Theatre and the shopping centre which is not far from the circle anyway.

 

Enjoy your day!

[biaria]

Hi Alphen. I, too, am going looking for colorful doors in the old part of Funchal. I guess by now you're back from your trip, so if you're still monitoring this thread, do you have any words of wisdom for me? It looked to me, from messing around on Google Earth, that a lot of nice things to photograph, including doors, was around Rua de Sao Tiago and the fort.

 

Biaria, thanks for all this great information. I just discovered it and am doing my best to read all the posts. Our day in Funchal comes up in August. Once I get organized, I will probably have some questions for you. However, between all the info here from you, plus what I found on tomsportguides.com, I already feel like I know a lot! It's just a shame that ships only tend to stop there 6 or 7 hours, but I suppose it's because Madeira is way out there by itself and cruise ships have to travel a long way to get to their next port!

 

Hi roothy,

 

You're welcome :-) Funchal and the entire island have so much to offer that you'll need stop here several times to get an idea of what Madeira is all about.

 

Sure you're welcome to ask me whatever you may need to plan your day.

 

The painted doors are very interesting so whatever you do don't miss them. They are located in the Old Town area not far from the market, which is another place to include in your list of must sees.

[biaria]

Thanks anyway, Alphen. That must have been disappointing to you, but at least you got a shortish day in Funchal. That's all we have, and I've been tearing my hair out trying to cram in way too much!

 

Biaria (or anyone who has knowledge of the buses), i you have time to answer one more question, I'd greatly appreciate your help. I can't figure out which public bus goes to Camara de Lobos from Funchal. I thought it was a Rodoeste bus, but when I pull up their web site, they list multiple bus numbers across from Camara de Lobos. When I look at the schedules, however, they do not list C de Lobos. Do some buses simply go through a place and will stop if you want it to, or what else might explain a list of ten or more buses that go there but have no information for it? I know that the Yellow Carris sightseeing bus runs one line (blue) to Camara de L, but the frequency isn't very good for cruisers with limited time, and I was hoping to take a public bus. I could also walk to the taxi stand near McDonalds and hire a taxi to take me a few places, but I'd rather find a cheaper alternative if time permits. For the 40 euros from the non-port based taxi drivers, is there a particular amount of time that they allow, a standard tour they give, or how does that work? Also, for the 7,50 euro fare for a cab to town, does that cover letting us off at somewhere other than the teleferico station, I assume? I would likely want to go to the old town, or Socorro chapel, or something like that. (Can taxis get to the chapel, or would I be dropped near by?)

 

Thank you SO much for all of this great information!

 

Hello again roothy,

 

You're right, Rodoeste is the public bus company that will take you to Camara de Lobos. Yes, all those numbers in front of Camara de Lobos are the buses that stop there.

 

According to the Taxi Drivers Association's price list, for 40 euros a taxi based near McDonalds will take you on a 1h30m tour which can be, for instance, to Monte, allowing for some free time there, plus you can also take the toboggan ride if you wish and the driver will collect you at the end and return you to Funchal. The cable car ride will be paid extra. Instead of Monte, in 1h30m you can visit Camara de Lobos and Cabo Girao if you prefer. As I said, this is official price list, but you can get a much better deal if you approach a driver and negotiate, which will also give you the opportunity to see how good or how bad his English is.

 

Now, a taxi ride from the harbor to the cable car station or to the market is 10 euros. For 7.50 euros they will drop you off, say, near McDonalds for instance.

 

To drop you off in the old town I presume it will also be 10 euros, but to take you all the way to Socorro Church it may be a bit more, but it will depend on the driver. Yes, taxis can get to the church.

[biaria]

Hi Biaria,

 

Apologies if it's already been mentioned (haven't read the whole 52 pages!) But does the Hop on Hop off bus still run in Funchal?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi P&O SUE,

 

Yes, the HoHo bus is still running in Funchal.

 

You're welcome :-)

[P&O SUE]

Thanks Roothy and biaria :)

[biaria]

My pleasure, P&O SUE! :-)

[biaria]

Hello again roothy,

 

You're right, Rodoeste is the public bus company that will take you to Camara de Lobos. Yes, all those numbers in front of Camara de Lobos are the buses that stop there.

 

According to the Taxi Drivers Association's price list, for 40 euros a taxi based near McDonalds will take you on a 1h30m tour which can be, for instance, to Monte, allowing for some free time there, plus you can also take the toboggan ride if you wish and the driver will collect you at the end and return you to Funchal. The cable car ride will be paid extra. Instead of Monte, in 1h30m you can visit Camara de Lobos and Cabo Girao if you prefer. As I said, this is official price list, but you can get a much better deal if you approach a driver and negotiate, which will also give you the opportunity to see how good or how bad his English is.

 

Now, a taxi ride from the harbor to the cable car station or to the market is 10 euros. For 7.50 euros they will drop you off, say, near McDonalds for instance.

 

To drop you off in the old town I presume it will also be 10 euros, but to take you all the way to Socorro Church it may be a bit more, but it will depend on the driver. Yes, taxis can get to the church.

 

Hello roothy,

 

I have an update regarding this info I gave you about what's possible to do for 40 euros by taxi.

 

The Taxi Drivers Association launched a new service to customers - the Taxi-Voucher and if you get one for 40 euros it will give you 2 hours of their time, however the tour is exactly like the first example I gave you: Monte and back, the only apparent difference being that you can stay there for longer.

[roothy123]

Hello roothy,

 

I have an update regarding this info I gave you about what's possible to do for 40 euros by taxi.

 

The Taxi Drivers Association launched a new service to customers - the Taxi-Voucher and if you get one for 40 euros it will give you 2 hours of their time, however the tour is exactly like the first example I gave you: Monte and back, the only apparent difference being that you can stay there for longer.

 

Thank you! So I guess that based on what you mentioned before, we could go to both Camara de Lobos and Cabo Girao as long as we didn't spend more than 2 hours getting to both places and back, right? And if there was time left, I assume we could ask the driver to take us to Monte (and we could take the bus or cable car back to Funchal) rather than taking us back to the ship or Funchal. In other words, there is no restriction on the number of kms or places you ask to be taken, right? I don't want to have the person drive around like a maniac, but I am not the kind of person who spends a LOT of time in one spot! If I found another like-minded couple to share the cab to reduce the cost (and we could all fit into the cab!) I assume that's OK, right? Who do you purchase the voucher from?

 

Sorry for all the questions, but as you can see, I like to pre-plan! Obrigada for your help! I just wish we had more time so I could see more of the island, but I'll just have to come back, I guess!

[biaria]

Good morning roothy,

 

Each Taxi Voucher only gives access to a specific service that is printed on it, meaning for 40 euros you can either: 1) go to Monte, stay there for some time and be brought back; 2) go to the Botanical Gardens and back; 3) go to Camara de Lobos and back. All this said, the only way you can visit Camara de Lobos plus Cabo Girao for 40 euros is by negotiation with the driver.

 

If you're interested, you can have a look at the Taxi Vouchers here: http://www.aitram.pt/

 

Instead of only trying your luck in town, I suggest that you see what you can get from the taxi drivers lined up at the docks. The further on to the back of the line a driver is, the easier it is to get a good deal from him.

 

Yes, the smaller taxis take 4 passengers, so having another couple to share the taxi with you is a very good idea!

 

No problem about the questions, I'll gladly help you if you have any further doubts :-)