Things to do in Monte

Monte sits around 560 metres above Funchal, reached by the cable car that opened in 2000 and takes roughly 15 minutes each way from the Zona Velha.

Most visitors come for two things: the Nossa Senhora do Monte church, where Emperor Charles I of Austria was buried in 1922 after his exile on Madeira, and the wicker toboggans of Monte, the carreiros do Monte, sliding on wooden runners down to the Livramento, a tradition running since 1850.

The ride costs from around 25 to 30 euros for two people and lasts only a few minutes. It is not a way of getting back down to Funchal: the run ends at Livramento, and you still need a taxi or the bus to reach the city centre. Expect queues at the cable car station in the late morning in high season.