While the amalgamation of the three old bus companies in Madeira makes sense and will be great once it’s fully implemented – it’s still a work in progress and causing confusion for many. So here are details of some of the trips we made and how we actually got to where we wanted to go (and back home again). All these journeys currently cost a flat €2.60 per person, one way, except the special Pico do Areeiro bus. As far as we know (and were told forcibly by drivers contrary to the publicly available information), there’s no discount for children.
Pico do Areeiro (PR1)
Horários do Funchal run a special bus up to Pico do Areeiro (€3 per person, one way), departing at 06:00 (for sunrise) and 12:15 from the bus stops closest to the Teleférico (cable car). The return trips leave at 13:30 and 18:00/19:00 (winter/summer). Seat reservations are recommended (details are in the link above).
When the bus arrives at Pico do Areeiro, it goes round the main roundabout at the top then drops you down the road a little. For the best sunrise viewpoint follow the pavement back towards then past the roundabout, and you will reach Miradouro do Juncal. Walk down to the balcony (which will get crowded) or find a nice quiet rock to sit on on the slope above it. Instead of waiting for the return bus, you also have the option to walk back down to Monte (PR3 Vereda do Burro + PR3.1 Caminho Real do Monte).
Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8)
The 113 bus goes to Baia D’Abra, which is the trailhead for Ponta de São Lourenço. It drops you right where you need to be and picks you up from the same spot. The timetable helpfully says the departure point is ‘Funchal’ – so we spent a few days reconnoitring bus stops before feeling brave enough to risk an early morning excursion. We successfully caught the bus from the old SAM/CAM bus station on Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian. We had also suspected that it would stop at a (currently unmarked) bus stop on the seaward side of Avenida do Mar (between the sculpture Do Outro Lado do Oceano and where the food trucks usually are) – and can confirm that it does indeed pick up there. On the way back, you might have to change buses at Machico, but the driver will let you know and you don’t need to buy another ticket.
Curral das Freiras / Nuns’ Valley
Although we expected this bus to be an interurbano service, it is in fact a yellow Horários do Funchal bus – no. 81. But it goes from one of the Teleférico bus stops (like an interurbano)! We recommend getting the bus to the Eira do Serrado viewpoint, then walking down to Curral das Freiras from there. If you want to do the same, make sure the 81 bus you’re getting on stops at the viewpoint (check the fineprint – and also check with the driver, as sometimes they’ll only go there on request). We didn’t manage to get the bus back to Funchal (the timetable only gives departure times from the end of the line, not Curral das Freiras itself – so it’s hard to know exactly when they’ll be passing). We sat with a ginja (local cherry liqueur) and waited for an Uber instead (and still no bus went past).
Levada do Furado (PR10) and Vereda dos Balcões (PR11)
If you take bus 56/103 to Santana (from the bus stops by the Teleférico) and get off at Ribeiro Frio, you can access two great PR walks. Start with Vereda dos Balcões, as it’s a short in-and-out walk, then cross the road and walk Levada do Furado. You can either turn around at some point and get a 56/103 back from Ribeiro Frio, or continue on to Portela, where you can catch a no. 20/53 back to Funchal. There aren’t many buses doing these routes though, so check the times carefully.
Santo da Serra Sunday Market
Bus 77 goes from the stops by the Teleférico. To get the best of the market, take either the 08:30 or 10:30 bus and return on the 12:00 or 16:15. There are a couple of other bus routes that service Santo da Serra, but as far as we could tell, they don’t go from Funchal on Sundays. Note that the main road through the village is one way, so you get off and on the bus from the same side of the road.
Levada Fajã do Rodrigues (PR16)
Getting to this walk takes you on an awesome bus journey over the Encumeada pass. A number of other walks pass through Encumeada, but they’re all currently closed (or partially closed). You can either take slow bus no. 6 from Funchal (0735) all the way to São Vicente, or sleep in a little and catch the express bus no. 7 (0815) to Ribeira Brava, then transfer there onto the no. 6 (same ticket). Either way, you catch these buses from the Rodoeste bus stops on the town-side of Avenida do Mar, outside Opan bakery.
A taxi from São Vicente to the trailhead should cost around €11. Either arrange for the taxi driver to pick you up again afterwards, or it’s an interesting walk back down through the suburbs into town (it’s steep though!) The bus to Funchal comes back up Estrada Dom João V, so if you time it right, you might be able to catch one without walking all the way back to town (but the main road isn’t as interesting/safe to walk down as the back roads). Again, catch a no. 6 back, with the option to change at Ribeira Brava to the express no. 7 back to Funchal.
Cabo Girão
Most buses heading west from Funchal pass Cabo Girão, but many whizz right past on the Via Rápida and don’t stop. The easiest way to know for sure is to check the timetable at a Rodoeste bus stop – there’s one outside the Opan bakery on Avenida do Mar. You want a bus that says ‘via Miradouro do Cabo Girão’. And, of course, check with the bus driver or the kiosk by the bus stop (if it’s open).
We walked back down the thousands of steps to Câmara de Lobos, but you can also get a bus (either to Câmara de Lobos or Funchal). Some will come right out to Cabo Girão, or there should be a few more options if you walk out to Estrada João Gonçalves Zarco. Or if you walk halfway down, to Teleférico do Rancho (where you can take the cable car down to the beach and back), there’s a bus stop right outside.
