💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Funchal: the cable car and the toboggan, the wine lodges, eating in the Zona Velha, poncha, buses and cruise days, and which machines to use. For Madeira-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
Read the Madeira Money Guide →🎧 Order Euros Before You Fly
Land with euros for the toboggan, which is cash only. Insured delivery, 2–5 days.
Order EUR → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Funchal?
Some. Funchal, Madeira's capital, is card-friendly in its restaurants, hotels, shops and cable cars. But one of its most famous experiences, the wicker toboggan down from Monte, is cash only, and so are many of the little poncha bars, the bakery counters and the buses if you pay on board. Carry €50 to €100. For island-wide costs, from the VAT rate to trail fees and the market's fruit-tasting trap, read the Madeira money guide first.
Where You Will Need Cash
The toboggan at Monte. Poncha bars and small taverns. Bolo do caco stalls. City buses, if paying the driver. Tips for the toboggan drivers. Small cafes in the old town.
Where Cards Work Fine
The Monte and Botanical Garden cable cars. Wine lodges. Restaurants, including in the Zona Velha. Hotels. Whale-watching and boat trips in the marina. Supermarkets and shops.
Monte: The Cable Car Up and the Toboggan Down
The cable car takes cards. The Funchal cable car climbs from the seafront in the Zona Velha to the hilltop parish of Monte in about 15 minutes. A ticket costs around €16 one way and €22 return for an adult, half price for children, sold by card at the lower station. A second cable car links Monte with the Botanical Garden, priced separately.
The toboggan takes cash. The carros de cesto, wicker sledges on wooden runners steered down the steep streets by two drivers in white suits and straw hats, run from near Monte's church. They are priced per sledge: around €27.50 for one person, €35 for two and €52.50 for three. Payment is in cash at the starting point, and they cannot be booked ahead.
The ride ends halfway. The toboggan stops at Livramento, about two kilometres down, not in the city. From there you walk downhill, take a taxi that waits at the bottom, or catch a bus. Drivers expect a tip of a couple of euros at the end, and a photographer sells pictures of your ride, also for cash.
Monte itself. The church of Nossa Senhora do Monte is free to visit. The Monte Palace Tropical Garden charges an entry fee, by card.
Madeira Wine Lodges and Poncha Bars
The wine lodges. Madeira wine, fortified and heated as it ages, has been shipped from Funchal for centuries. Blandy's Wine Lodge on Avenida Arriaga, in a former Franciscan monastery, runs guided tours with tastings for roughly €15 to €30, with vintage tastings for more. Smaller shops such as Pereira D'Oliveira in the old town pour samples from casks and sell bottles. All take cards, and they can ship bottles home.
Poncha. Madeira's own drink, made from aguardente sugar-cane spirit, honey and lemon, is stirred with a wooden caralhinho in small bars across the old town. A glass costs a few euros. The smallest bars want cash.
The bolo do caco. Madeira's flatbread, cooked on a basalt stone and served with garlic butter, is sold from stalls and cafes for a couple of euros. The prego steak sandwich in a bolo do caco is the island's fast food. Espetada, beef on a bay-laurel skewer hung from a hook over the table, is the restaurant classic.
The Zona Velha: Painted Doors and Restaurant Touts
The old town is Funchal's restaurant district. The Zona Velha, around Rua de Santa Maria, has painted doors, an art project that turned a run-down street into the city's liveliest, and a restaurant on almost every corner.
The touts. Staff stand outside many restaurants with menus, offering a free glass of Madeira wine or poncha, or a discount, to get you to sit down. It is a sales technique rather than a scam. Look at the menu prices, the couvert, the bread, olives and garlic bread brought before you order, and the price of fish sold by weight, before agreeing. The "free" drink is free; the second one is not.
Lunch in the Mercado. The cafes around the Mercado dos Lavradores and the streets behind it serve a fixed-price lunch at local prices. The Madeira guide explains why to buy fruit by the kilo rather than after a tasting.
Paying by Card in Funchal
Funchal is a cruise port and a resort town, and card acceptance follows the visitors. The exceptions are small, old and local.
Zona Velha
The old town's restaurants, bars and the cable car station. Cards almost everywhere; poncha bars sometimes cash.
Sé and Avenida Arriaga
The cathedral quarter, the wine lodges and the main shopping streets. Card-first, with bank branches.
Mercado dos Lavradores
Fish, flower and fruit stalls. Many now take cards; small sellers prefer cash.
Lido and the hotel zone
The large hotels west of the centre along Estrada Monumental. Cards everywhere.
Monte
The toboggan is cash; the garden and cafés take cards.
Marina and the waterfront
Whale-watching, catamaran and Porto Santo ferry desks. Card-friendly.
ATMs in Funchal
Look for these logos. Every bank machine in Madeira belongs to Multibanco.
Caixa Geral
Millennium BCP
Novo Banco
SantanderATM Locations
Multibanco machines are on every central street, with bank branches clustered on Avenida Arriaga, around the Sé and along Avenida do Mar. Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Millennium BCP, Novo Banco and Santander all have branches, and Multibanco charges nothing at the machine. Withdraw before going up to Monte, where the toboggan wants notes. Madeira, like the rest of Portugal, has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner.
⚠ Cruise Days and the Dollar Prompt
On days when several ships are in port, independent cash machines near the cruise terminal and the marina see long queues, charge a fee for a foreign card and offer a conversion into dollars. Walk five minutes to a bank branch, and choose euros at every screen and terminal. Our DCC explainer shows why.
Buses, Taxis and the Airport
City buses. Funchal's orange buses, run by Horários do Funchal, climb to every neighbourhood and up to Monte. Pay the driver on board, which costs more and wants small change, or buy the rechargeable Giro card for cheaper fares.
From the airport. Madeira Airport is at Santa Cruz, about 20 kilometres east. The Aerobus and regular SAM buses run to Funchal for a few euros; a taxi costs around €30 to €40.
Taxis. Yellow taxis are metered in town and quote fixed prices for island tours. Agree the total before a tour, and whether it includes waiting.
Cruise days and New Year. When three or four ships are in port, the cable car queues lengthen and taxi tours sell out. Funchal's New Year's Eve fireworks are among the world's largest, and hotels set high minimum stays and prepaid rates months ahead.
Tipping in Funchal
Portuguese norms apply, as the Madeira guide explains. No service charge is added; round up or leave 5 to 10 percent in coins for good table service. Tip the toboggan drivers a couple of euros, and taxi drivers by rounding up.
Prices in Funchal
Funchal is cheaper than Lisbon for food and drink, and expensive at New Year and during the Flower Festival in spring.
| Item | Price (EUR) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Bica (espresso) | €0.80–1.30 | $0.90–1.50 |
| Bolo do caco with garlic butter | €2–4 | $2.30–4.60 |
| Glass of poncha | €2.50–4 | $2.90–4.60 |
| Espetada for one at a restaurant | €15–22 | $17–25 |
| Cable car to Monte, one way | around €16 | around $18 |
| Cable car to Monte, return | around €22 | around $25 |
| Toboggan, one person | €27.50 | $32 |
| Toboggan, two people | €35 | $40 |
| Wine lodge tour and tasting | €15–30 | $17–35 |
| Aerobus from the airport | a few euros | under $7 |
| Mid-range hotel night | €100–180 | $115–207 |
USD estimates use approximately €1 = $1.15. Rates fluctuate.
Beyond Funchal
Câmara de Lobos (15 minutes)
Fishing village where Churchill painted, with poncha bars on the harbour that are cheaper than the capital's.
Pico do Arieiro and the levadas (about 45 minutes)
Madeira's walks now carry a fee for non-residents, paid online in advance. The Madeira guide explains it.
Porto Santo (2.5 hours by ferry)
The neighbouring island's long sandy beach. Ferry and flight tickets are sold by card.
The Azores
Portugal's other Atlantic region, with lower VAT still. See our Azores money guide.
Funchal Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable car to Monte | ✅ Yes | €16 one way | From the Zona Velha |
| Toboggan | ❌ Cash | Priced per sledge | Tip the drivers |
| Wine lodges | ✅ Yes | €15–30 tastings | Avenida Arriaga |
| Zona Velha restaurants | ✅ Yes | Couvert is charged | Touts at the door |
| Poncha bars | ❌ Often cash | A few euros | Small bars |
| City buses | Giro card | Cash on board costs more | Small change |
| ATMs | Multibanco | No machine fee | Avoid cruise-terminal units |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Monte toboggan in Funchal?
The wicker toboggan, the carros de cesto, is priced per sledge: around 27.50 euros for one person, 35 euros for two and 52.50 euros for three. It is paid in cash at the start in Monte, and cannot be booked in advance. The drivers expect a small tip at the end of the ride.
How much is the Funchal cable car to Monte?
Around 16 euros one way and 22 euros return for an adult, with half price for children. Tickets are sold by card at the lower station in the Zona Velha. Most people ride up and take the toboggan part of the way down, then walk or take a taxi or bus the rest.
Do I need cash in Funchal?
Some. Restaurants, hotels, the cable cars, wine lodges and shops take cards. Carry 50 to 100 euros for the toboggan, poncha bars, market stalls, small cafes, buses paid on board and tips.
How much is a wine tasting in Funchal?
Madeira wine lodges such as Blandy's on Avenida Arriaga offer guided tours with a tasting for roughly 15 to 30 euros, and more for vintage tastings. Some shops pour a free sample of a young wine. Lodges take cards, and bottles can be bought by card in the shop.
Are the restaurant touts in Funchal's old town a scam?
Not usually, but they are a sales channel. Touts on Rua de Santa Maria offer free drinks or discounts to pull you in. Check the menu prices, the couvert and the price of fish by weight before you sit down, and decline anything you did not order.
Which ATMs should I use in Funchal?
Any Multibanco machine at a bank branch: Caixa Geral de Depositos, Millennium BCP, Novo Banco and Santander all have branches in the centre. Multibanco charges nothing at the machine. Avoid independent machines near the cruise terminal, and always choose euros.
Pay Smart in Funchal
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate, pays the cable car and wine lodges in euros, and withdraws at Multibanco machines for the toboggan.
Get the Wise Card →Funchal money toolkit
Country-specific deep dives for Funchal: which card to bring, where the no-fee ATMs are at the airport, and how to dodge the local DCC traps.
Hero photo: Funchal from the harbour, Madeira, by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.