Most visitors pick a rental car (€30–€60/day off-season) because Madeira's terrain rewards stopping where you want. In Funchal itself a car is a liability — use Horários do Funchal buses (€1.95 single, Giro card €0.66 a ride) or Bolt (€4–€8 across town). Airport to Funchal: aerobus €5, Bolt €18–€28, taxi €25–€35 fixed tariff. The Porto Santo ferry (Lobo Marinho) takes 2h20 and is famously rough — book a window seat upper deck and take something for sea-sickness.
Rental car vs Bolt vs taxi — what each one actually costs
This is the first decision and the one that decides your week. Madeira is small (57 km long) but vertical — driving times triple compared with what the map suggests, and the best stops are not near bus stops.
| Rental car (small, off-season) | €25–€45/day from local agencies (Rodavante, Guerin, Madecar). International chains 30–50% more. |
| Rental car (peak: Jul–Sep, NYE) | €55–€110/day. Book 2–3 months ahead or accept what's left. |
| Fuel (95 unleaded) | ~€1.75/L (Nov 2025). A week of driving the whole island is usually €40–€55. |
| Bolt across Funchal | €4–€8. Available from ~06:00 to ~01:00. Surge during cruise-ship arrivals and NYE. |
| Bolt — airport to Funchal centre | €18–€28 depending on demand. Pickup is at the 'TVDE' kerb, not the taxi rank. |
| Bolt — Funchal to Câmara de Lobos | €8–€12. To Caniço/Garajau €10–€15. |
| Bolt — outside Funchal & cruise port | Patchy. Câmara de Lobos and the south coast usually fine; north coast (Santana, São Vicente, Porto Moniz) treat it as 'might not show'. |
| Taxi (yellow with blue stripe) | Fixed tariffs to the main destinations are posted at every rank. Airport → Funchal €25–€35, Funchal → Cabo Girão €25, Funchal → Pico do Arieiro €70 (return with 30 min wait). |
| Private transfer (booked online) | Airport → most hotels €25–€40 for 1–4 people; €50–€70 for a minibus up to 8. Worth it with kids, late flights, or hotels above the city. |
- Picking a car: choose petrol over diesel for a short trip (cheaper rental, no AdBlue surprise on return). Manual is much cheaper than automatic; the island has steep starts but no scary city traffic.
- Insurance: the default 'CDW' still leaves €800–€1,500 excess. Either pay the daily zero-excess top-up (~€10/day) or carry a standalone policy from RentalCover/iCarHireInsurance (~€40/week).
- Returning the car: the airport return is straightforward; allow 20 minutes for paperwork plus the 800 m walk back into the terminal.
Public buses — the three operators and how the network actually works
Madeira's bus network is run by three separate companies. They don't share an app, a ticket, or a real-time feed. Once you know which operator covers which direction it's straightforward; before then it looks chaotic.
| Horários do Funchal (orange) | All of Greater Funchal: Câmara de Lobos, Caniço, Monte, Camacha, Pico dos Barcelos. Single ticket €1.95 on board (cash, exact change preferred). Giro contactless card = €0.66 per ride. |
| SAM (yellow) | East side: Funchal → Santa Cruz → Machico → Caniçal → Porto da Cruz → Santana. Single €3–€5 depending on distance, on board. |
| Rodoeste (cream/red) | West and north-west: Funchal → Ribeira Brava → Ponta do Sol → Calheta → Porto Moniz → São Vicente. Single €4–€8.50. |
| Frequencies — Funchal urban | Every 10–20 min, 06:30 → ~midnight. Lines 8 (Monte), 20/21 (Monte/Curral das Freiras), 29 (Camacha) are the tourist ones. |
| Frequencies — outside Funchal | 1–3 buses a day each way to most north-coast villages. Always check the return time before you go, especially on Sundays and public holidays when most routes drop to one round trip. |
| Schedules | horariosdofunchal.pt, sam.pt, rodoeste.pt — PDF timetables. Google Maps directions cover Horários do Funchal reliably; SAM/Rodoeste only partially. |
| Giro card (recommended) | Reloadable contactless card, €0.50 issue fee at any HF kiosk (Praça da Autonomia, Avenida do Mar). Cuts urban fares to €0.66 and works on Funchal cable car too. |
- If your plan is Funchal + Monte + Câmara de Lobos: a Giro card and HF buses cover everything for ~€10 total. Don't rent a car.
- If you want one north-coast trip without renting: SAM 103/113 to Santana, or Rodoeste 139 to Porto Moniz, are doable as a day return but eat the whole day. Confirm the last bus back before boarding.
- Buses do not run to Pico do Arieiro, Pico Ruivo, the Levada das 25 Fontes car park, Achadas da Cruz, or Fanal. For those you need a car, a tour, or a taxi.
Driving in Madeira — tunnels, parking in Funchal, ZTL, fuel
The post-2000 VR1/VE expressway and 150+ tunnels mean you cross the island in 45 minutes flat. Driving here is genuinely pleasant — light traffic, well-maintained roads, courteous drivers. The two things that catch visitors out are parking inside Funchal and the very steep old back-roads when you leave the expressway.
| Roads & rules | Right-hand drive. Speed limits: 50 in towns, 90 on rural roads, 100 on the VR1 expressway. Headlights mandatory in all tunnels. 0.5 g/L blood alcohol limit. |
| Tunnels | Free, well-lit, no tolls anywhere on the island. Some old single-lane tunnels remain on coastal back-roads (signed) — give way to oncoming traffic with a quick flash. |
| Parking in central Funchal | Almost all street parking is paid (€0.70/h, 09:00–19:00 Mon–Fri, 09:00–13:00 Sat). EasyPark and Telpark apps cover most zones. Free after 19:00 weekdays, all day Sunday. |
| Best car parks in Funchal | Anadia Shopping (€1.20/h, central, 24h), La Vie shopping (similar rate, cinema validation), Almirante Reis (closest to Old Town, €1.50/h, fills fast), Parque do Campo da Barca (cheapest day rate ~€8). |
| ZTL / restricted zone | Madeira has no formal ZTL like Italian cities. The Old Town (Rua de Santa Maria area) is pedestrianised but never had vehicle access — drop guests at the edge and park in Almirante Reis. |
| Hotel zone (Lido / Estrada Monumental) | Steep, narrow, one-way streets. Most hotels have valet (€10–€20/day). Free street parking exists above Estrada Monumental — walk down. |
| Fuel | €1.75/L petrol, €1.65/L diesel (Nov 2025). Galp, BP, Repsol stations across the island. North coast: fill up before leaving Funchal — only Ribeira Brava, São Vicente and Porto Moniz have stations. |
| Tolls | None on the island. The 24-hour VR1 expressway and all tunnels are free. |
- Steep starts: many Madeira streets are 15–20% gradient. If you can't drive a manual on a hill, pay for an automatic — first-day clutch panic is real.
- GPS sends you up impossibly steep shortcuts. Stick to the VR1 expressway between towns; the old EN101 along the south coast is scenic but adds 30–45 minutes for no real reward.
- Parking penalties are fined and clamped quickly in central Funchal. The blue lines mean paid; white lines mean free; yellow lines mean don't.
Airport → hotel — every option with prices
FNC is 18 km east of Funchal, 25 minutes by car when the road is clear. Five realistic ways to get to your hotel; cost depends on your flight time and where you're staying.
| Aerobus 113 (Sociedade de Automóveis da Madeira) | €5 cash on board (€8 return). Departs from outside arrivals, drops at major hotels along Estrada Monumental and the bus station. Hourly 04:30 → 00:30. Allow 50 min to Lido. |
| Public bus SAM 53 / 78 / 156 | €3.40 to Funchal centre, ~45 min, every 60–90 min. Not the airport bus — same stop, plain yellow buses. Good if you're going to Machico or Caniço (in the other direction). |
| Bolt | €18–€28 to Funchal, €30–€45 to Calheta. App pickup at the 'TVDE' kerb (signed, exit arrivals, walk right). Drivers usually wait 5–10 min. |
| Taxi (yellow, official rank) | Fixed tariffs posted: Funchal centre €25, Caniço €25, Lido/hotel zone €30, Ribeira Brava €55, Calheta €80, Porto Moniz €100. +€1.60 per piece of luggage. Card accepted in most. |
| Pre-booked private transfer | €25–€40 sedan, €50–€70 minibus to most south-coast hotels. Driver waits inside arrivals with a name board. Worth it: late flights, kids, hotels on a steep approach (Monte, Quinta hotels above Funchal). |
| Rental car (collect at airport) | On-airport: Hertz, Avis, Europcar inside the terminal. Cheaper off-airport: Rodavante, Guerin, Madecar — free shuttle from P2 car park, adds 10–15 minutes but saves 20–30%. |
- Late flights (after midnight): aerobus stops; taxis usually wait for the last arrival but not always. If your flight is delayed past 01:30, book a private transfer in advance.
- Going to a north-coast hotel (Santana, Porto Moniz): only realistic options are taxi, private transfer or rental. There is no public bus that crosses the island after ~19:00.
- Cruise day visitors: ignore everything above — the ship's shuttle drops you at the cruise terminal, a 10-min walk into Funchal Old Town.
The Porto Santo ferry — honest reality of the 2h20 crossing
The Lobo Marinho is the only ferry between Madeira and its sister island. It is famously rough — the Atlantic between the two islands has no shelter, and the boat is built for cargo as much as passengers. Most first-time travellers underestimate it.
| Operator | Porto Santo Line (portosantoline.pt). Vessel: Lobo Marinho, ~1,300 passengers, 145 cars. |
| Crossing time | 2 hours 20 minutes scheduled. In rough weather (Dec–Mar) up to 3 hours; rough enough to cancel 10–15 days a year. |
| Schedule (summer, May–Sep) | Daily departure Funchal 08:00, returns Porto Santo 18:00. Tuesday no service. Confirm at booking — they reshuffle for cruise visits and weather. |
| Schedule (winter, Oct–Apr) | 5 days a week, often only morning out / evening back. Wednesday no service typical. |
| Foot passenger fare | €60 return adult, €30 child (5–12), under-5 free. Day-trip ticket includes a bus tour of Porto Santo (~3 hours, English/German guide). |
| Car + driver | €175 return for a small car + 1 driver, plus passenger fares. Only worth it if you're staying more than 3 nights — Porto Santo is small enough to do on a scooter or e-bike. |
| Cabin upgrade | €20 supplement each way for an interior cabin (4-berth). On rough days the best money you'll spend. |
| Where to sit | Upper-deck forward lounge has the best views and worst movement. Upper-deck aft is calmer. Window seats midship (deck 5) move least. Avoid the cafeteria area in rough weather. |
| Sea-sickness | Real and common — the staff sell sickness bags openly. Take Stugeron / cinnarizine 30 min before sailing. Stay outside on deck if you can, look at the horizon. Eat lightly beforehand. |
| Flights as an alternative | Binter operates 2–3 daily 15-min flights FNC ↔ PXO, €60–€90 one way. Much faster, much steadier — but the planes are small (ATR-72) and weather-cancel about as often as the ferry. |
- First time? Book a cabin and go in May–June or September. Smoother sea, ferry is on time, Porto Santo's 9 km beach is empty.
- Day trip works in summer (10:30 → 16:30 on the island) but is rushed. Two nights is the sweet spot.
- Pets: allowed in dedicated kennels on board (€10). Not allowed in the cabins or lounges.
FAQ — getting around Madeira
Do I really need a rental car in Madeira?
Yes if you want to see the trails, viewpoints and north coast on your own schedule. No if you're staying inside Funchal and doing 2–3 organised day-tours — Horários do Funchal buses plus Bolt cover Funchal comfortably for under €15/day.
How much is a taxi from Madeira Airport to Funchal?
€25–€35 on the fixed tariff posted at the airport rank, depending on which neighbourhood. Add €1.60 per luggage piece. The aerobus 113 is €5 if you don't mind 50 minutes and a hotel-strip drop-off.
Does Uber work in Madeira?
Uber pulled out in 2023. Bolt is the only ride-hailing app that works on the island, and it's reliable in Funchal, Câmara de Lobos and along the south coast. Coverage thins fast outside that — book a taxi for the north coast and the mountains.
Are the tunnels in Madeira free?
Yes. Every tunnel and the entire VR1 expressway is free 24/7. Headlights are mandatory inside tunnels. Some old back-road tunnels are single-lane — flash and give way.
Where do I park in central Funchal?
Almirante Reis car park is closest to the Old Town (€1.50/h, fills early). Anadia Shopping is cheaper and central (€1.20/h, 24h). For a full day, Campo da Barca is cheapest at around €8 flat. Street parking is paid 09:00–19:00 weekdays.
How rough is the Porto Santo ferry really?
Most first-timers find it rougher than expected. In winter the crossing can take 3 hours and gets cancelled 10–15 days a year. Book a cabin (€20 extra each way) and take cinnarizine 30 minutes before boarding. Smoother sea from May to September.
Can I get to Pico do Arieiro by bus?
No. There's no public bus to Pico do Arieiro, Pico Ruivo, the 25 Fontes car park, Fanal or Achadas da Cruz. Either rent a car, take a tour, or pre-book a taxi (around €70 return with 30 min waiting time).
Is the Giro card worth it for a week in Funchal?
Yes if you'll take more than 5 bus rides. €0.50 to issue, then €0.66 per ride instead of €1.95 on board. Pick it up at the Praça da Autonomia kiosk on day one.
Related
Prices and timetables checked November 2025. Bus operators occasionally reshuffle routes seasonally — always confirm the return time on the operator's website before heading to a remote village.