Funchal Cable Car
On Gingerguide's self-guided Funchal audio tour, Funchal Cable Car is a stop worth about ~25 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~25 min
- Funchal Funchal guide
About Funchal Cable Car
The gondola that glides from the old town up the mountainside to Monte, a fifteen-minute ride of about three kilometres with sweeping views over Funchal's roofs, bay and cruise port.
The Teleférico do Funchal is the cable car that carries visitors from the old town of Funchal up the steep mountainside to the suburb of Monte. Its lower station is in the Almirante Reis garden beside the Zona Velha; the top station is at Largo das Babosas in Monte, close to the Monte Palace gardens. Opened in November 2000, the line runs about 3.2 kilometres and climbs some 560 metres, a ride of roughly fifteen minutes with a wide view over the city, the bay and the port.
It was built to revive the tourist link to Monte that the old rack railway had provided until 1943. In early 2026 the line was modernised in the biggest works of its twenty-five-year life, reopening with a larger fleet of cabins, five of them fitted with glass floors. At the top you can cross to a separate, shorter cable car that drops to the Madeira Botanical Garden, and most famously you can ride the wicker toboggans back down toward the city.
Did you know? The cable car opened in 2000 to revive the link to Monte once provided by a rack railway that stopped running in 1943; the ride climbs about 560 metres over some 3.2 kilometres.
How much time do you need at Funchal Cable Car?
Around ~25 min works well for Funchal Cable Car — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Funchal Cable Car?
Yes — Funchal Cable Car made the cut as one of 13 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Funchal. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Funchal
Day 1 of the Funchal in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Funchal Cable Car
Preview the Funchal tour free in the Gingerguide app.