What Happens When You Ride in one of Funchal’s Toboggans?

Can you imagine careening down a city street in a wicker basket on skis? All the while you are sometimes directed, sometimes pulled by two Portuguese men dressed in traditional costume.  Their job is to take you on a thrilling ride from Point A to Point B about 10 minutes down the hill.  Sometimes the road flattens and they are in front of you pulling. Sometimes the road is steep and they are behind you steering in one of Funchal’s Toboggans down the hill.

When visiting the island of Madeira, this trip is a must do one afternoon. It starts with taking the Gondola (or “Teleferico”) from a park near the Old Town, or “Zona Velha” in Funchal.  Old Town itself is well worth its own visit.  Picturesque cobblestone streets, restaurants and a wonderful art project of artistically painted doors make for a lovely stroll.  We often come here for dinner, but if you don’t have time, wander through on your way to the Gondola.

Teleferico & Monte Palace Tropical Garden

The Gondola is about a 10 minute ride up and over the buildings of Funchal.  It showcases breathtaking views of the island and sea, and ends at a drop pad that is right near the entry of the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens.

The Monte Palace Tropical Gardens is a beautiful 70,000m2 restored garden that is accessible by ticket only.  It’s stunning, and you could spend hours exploring if you have the time.

Nossa Sehnora de Monte

Your next stop on this journey is about a 10 minute walk and one major staircase up to the church Igreja Nossa Sehnora do Monte.  The church is beautiful inside and out, and has amazing views over Funchal.  If you are lucky enough to be there in August, you might find the area decorated for the annual festival celebrating that takes place every August 15.

Funchal’s Toboggan, the moment you’ve been waiting for!

Okay, now it’s time to get your heart rate going.  Rather than taking the Gondola back down, I recommend you take the Toboggan, or Carro de Cesto (Literally means “basket car”)  The ride down is in the basket is on the streets of Funchal, with two people controlling the speed and pace of your journey.   It’s a fun exhilarating way to get down the hill from Monte.  You will likely pass cars, an occasional pedestrian, and laugh the whole way down.  Can you imagine – this was the actual method that Madeirans would descend the hill starting as early as 1850!

Some things to keep in mind about the ride in Funchal’s toboggans

• The Toboggan’s are not cheap, but the ride is fun and well worth the experience
• The Toboggan ends at a station that is not all the way down the hill.
• Expect to walk 20-30 mins, pick up a cab or take a bus to get all the way back to Golden Gate Cafe in Funchal.

Coffee at Golden Gate cafe

The final stop of this afternoon is coffee at the Golden Gate Cafe. Choose an outdoor table and make sure to get Pastais de Natas along with your coffee.  The location is a spectacular spot to people watch and laugh about your trip down the hill!

My husband was born and raised in Funchal so I am blessed to visit almost every year.  This afternoon journey is one we share with friends who join us there during the summer.  Keep in mind that these are tourist attractions and each has a ticket associated, with the exception of the Nossa Senhora do Monte, which is free.

I hope you enjoyed this article! It’s the first of several I plan to do about activities in Madeira and Portugal in general. Often people come to Madeira by way of Lisbon. You can find a first timers guide to that beautiful city here.

xo, Anne