Hotels near Monte

Monte is a leafy hilltop suburb 550 m above Funchal that delivers three of the island's defining experiences in a single half-day. Start with the Teleférico do Funchal, a 15-minute glass cable car climb from the Old Town seafront that costs 18 EUR return. At the top, Monte Palace Tropical Garden (15 EUR entry) spreads across 70,000 m² of terraced ravines with koi ponds, Japanese pagodas, and one of Europe's largest azulejo tile collections.

The famous descent is the Carreiros do Monte - wicker toboggans that slide down 2 km of public road from outside the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte to Livramento. Two straw-hatted carreiros in white linen push and steer the basket using their rubber-soled boots as brakes, reaching speeds of around 35 km/h. The 10-minute ride costs 30 EUR for two passengers.

Pro Tip: Buy a combined cable-car-and-toboggan ticket at Almirante Reis station to save about 15%. Skip the gardens if your time is tight - the cable car views and the toboggan are the headline acts.