Private Funchal Monte Toboggan & Old Town Tuk Tuk Tour
Description
Climb through Funchal’s hillside streets on a private 90-minute tuk-tuk tour, with views over the city, the bay and the hills beyond, before arriving at the famous basket sledge starting area in Monte. I’ll walk you through the history of this unique tradition, show you exactly where the ride begins, and share a few tips before you set off. Afterwards, we’ll continue through Funchal’s Old Town, passing painted doors, historic corners and local streets. The basket sledge ride itself is operated by a separate official service, and tickets are not included in this tuk-tuk tour. The Monte toboggan runs to its own schedule, but the rest of the route, especially the Old Town, can be shaped around what interests you most. The basket sledge is one of those Madeira traditions that sounds unusual until you’ve seen it for yourself, I still enjoy watching people’s reactions the first time, before we head into the Old Town for a change of pace.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Largo da Fonte in Monte is the starting point of Madeira’s famous basket sledge ride, a 19th-century tradition, when these wicker sledges served as everyday transport down to Funchal. They’re guided by two ‘carreiros’ in white outfits and straw hats, who use their rubber-soled boots as brakes. There’s time to enjoy the area and take photos before the optional ride; basket sledge tickets are not included and must be paid directly to the official operators.
Funchal’s Old Town is best known for streets like Rua de Santa Maria, with its collection of brightly painted doors, narrow cobbled lanes and traditional local restaurants. These historic corners are one of the most characterful and photogenic sides of the city.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up is included within Funchal at no extra cost. Your driver-guide can collect you from your hotel, apartment, cruise port area, restaurant, or another agreed meeting point within Funchal. Please be ready 5 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. After booking, please send your exact pickup location, and your driver-guide will confirm the best meeting point. If your accommodation is on a narrow or restricted street, a nearby pickup point may be arranged. Drop-off can also be arranged within Funchal, where safely accessible.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(8)
A great way to see Funchal old town and experience the basket sled ride! Virgil was a wonderful tour guide with a deep knowledge of the area and good English skills. It was a fantastic tour, not to be missed.
We had a really great tour and can definitely recommend it. Our driver was very friendly, punctual, and gave us a lot of interesting information about Funchal and the surrounding area. The tuk-tuk ride was a lot of fun and the ride with the traditional wicker sled in Monte was a real highlight. We were able to see many beautiful places and had enough time to take photos. Overall, everything was very well organized and the price-performance ratio is right. Thank you very much for this beautiful experience!
Vielen herzlichen Dank für eure wunderbare Bewertung! Es freut mich sehr, dass euch die Tuk-Tuk-Tour, die Informationen über Funchal und natürlich die Korbschlittenfahrt in Monte so gut gefallen haben. Es war mir eine große Freude, euch Madeira zu zeigen. Vielen Dank für eure Unterstützung und alles Gute für euch! Virgílio
Virgil was amazing and made the trip fun and interesting. Even taking photos for us as a keep sake free of charge. Really great day and great way to see Funchal
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It was a real pleasure meeting you and showing you around Funchal. I’m delighted you enjoyed the experience and that the photos will help you remember your time in Madeira. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for supporting me. Wishing you all the best! Best regards, Virgílio
Virgilio is fantastic. His knowledge and insights into the Island is brilliant. He is exceedingly professional and his tour was one of the highlights of our holiday. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It was a real pleasure meeting you and sharing some of Madeira with you. I’m delighted you enjoyed the tour and that it became one of the highlights of your holiday. Thank you for taking the time to write this review and for supporting me. Your recommendation truly means a lot to me. Wishing you all the best! Best regards, Virgílio
Our Tuk Tuk driver was great he was so informative and so professional. The tour was really good.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It was a real pleasure meeting you and showing you around Funchal. I’m delighted you enjoyed the tour and appreciated my local knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for supporting me. Wishing you all the best! Best regards, Virgílio
Highly recommended trip. Virgilio provides a lot of interesting information about the history and sights of Madeira. A very nice surprise was the video clip of our wicker sled ride.
Vielen herzlichen Dank für Ihre wunderbare Bewertung! Es war mir eine große Freude, Ihnen Madeira näherzubringen. Es freut mich sehr, dass Ihnen die Informationen über die Insel gefallen haben und dass das Video Ihrer Korbschlittenfahrt eine schöne Überraschung war. Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Zeit für diese Bewertung genommen haben und mich unterstützen. Ich wünsche Ihnen alles Gute! Viele Grüße, Virgílio
We had two tours as we were so impressed with his knowledge, passion and love for Madeira. He was so polite, friendly and helpful.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It was a real pleasure spending time with you on both tours. I’m delighted you enjoyed discovering Madeira and that my passion for the island made your experience even more special. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for supporting me. Wishing you both all the best! Best regards, Virgílio
Really great experience. Kind and lovely tour guide. Even took video of toboggan for us and photos of us throughout the tour so we didn’t have to pay for them
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It was a real pleasure meeting you and showing you around. I’m delighted you enjoyed the experience and that you liked the photos and the toboggan video. Thank you for taking the time to write this review and for supporting me. Wishing you all the best! Best regards, Virgílio
