Funchal cruise port and your day ashore
You're back at the pier at least 60 minutes before all-aboard.
€110 for about 4 hours or €180 for 6 to 7 hours, per car for 1 to 4 people (€130 and €210 for 5 or 6). Pickup at the terminal included.
- Up to 6 passengers in one car
- 30 min free wait at the terminal
Your driver speaks EnglishPortuguêsРусский
Cruise day prices
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About 4 hours
Book: About 4 hours, €110 per car4 h
- 1–4 people
- €110
- 5–6 people
- €130
Cabo Girão, Câmara de Lobos, and Pico dos Barcelos or Monte.
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6 to 7 hours
Book: 6 to 7 hours, €180 per car6–7 h
- 1–4 people
- €180
- 5–6 people
- €210
West to Porto Moniz or east to Santana, back 60 minutes before all-aboard.
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Terminal to the airport, turnaround days
Book: Terminal to the airport, turnaround days, €30 per carabout 25 min
Only with a tour
- 1–4 people
- €30 night €35
- 5–6 people
- €40 night €46
For the day your cruise starts or ends in Funchal, added to one of our tours: from the pier to the airport or the other way.
In the price
- Pickup and drop-off at the cruise terminal
- Fuel and parking
- On cruise days, waiting at your stops, with no count of kilometres
- Child seats, free on request
Not in the price
- Entry tickets, meals and SIMplifica trail fees are not included.
Cruise day, 6 to 7 hours for 6 people: about €35 each.
Pickup at the cruise terminal is included on cruise days, and on your own route and island tours it costs €25. The 8-hour west and east tours suit a ship that stays in port overnight.
The rules for a cruise day
- Back before all-aboard
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You're back at the pier at least 60 minutes before all-aboard, and if a delay is ever our fault, we pay for a taxi back.
- Where we meet at the port
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Your driver meets you at the pedestrian exit of the passenger terminal on the Pontinha pier.
- If the ship docks late
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We follow your ship's arrival, so a late docking costs nothing, and we shorten the route if needed to keep you back 60 minutes before all-aboard.
- If the call is cancelled
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If your ship's call at Funchal is cancelled, for any reason, the booking is cancelled free.
- Cancellation
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You can cancel free up to 24 hours before pickup, with a full refund, and after that, or if you don't come, we keep 50% of the price.
- Payment
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Once we confirm your date, we send a secure Revolut payment link for the full price, to pay within 24 hours by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Revolut Pay, with no card fee, and we email you an invoice.
Terms reviewed on 25 September 2026
Sometimes the weather stops a ship calling at Funchal: 10 calls were cancelled in November and December 2025.
Where ships dock
At the Madeira cruise port in Funchal, ships berth at the International Maritime Passenger Terminal on the Pontinha pier. The pier runs out into the bay from the west side of the city centre, next to the marina. Away from the seafront the streets climb steeply.
Metered taxis wait at the rank by the cruise terminal. For a ride from the pier to a hotel in the centre, take a taxi from the rank.
A short call
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about 08:30
Cruise terminal, Pontinha pier
Pickup once you're ashore. Before the car leaves the pier, you and your driver agree when you want to be back.
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about 08:55
Cabo Girão
The glass platform at the top of the sea cliff, with the terraces and the ocean straight below.
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about 09:40
Câmara de Lobos
The fishing harbour west of Funchal, with the boats pulled up in the bay. Time for a coffee by the water.
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about 10:50
Pico dos Barcelos or Monte
Pico dos Barcelos looks down on the whole bay of Funchal, your ship included. Monte has its church and the wicker toboggans that run down the hill, and we pick you up at Livramento, where the ride ends. The toboggans don't run on Sundays.
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about 12:30
Back at the pier
Or we drop you in the old town for lunch, and you walk back along the seafront in the afternoon.
Times are an example for a ship that docks at 07:00. We set the real ones from your all-aboard time.
A full call
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about 08:30
Cruise terminal, Pontinha pier
You set the time you want to be back, and your driver plans the day backwards from it.
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about 08:55
Cabo Girão
A first stop on the way west, at the glass platform on the cliff top.
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about 10:00
Encumeada Optional
The pass between the south and north coasts. On a clear morning you see both from the viewpoint.
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about 10:45
Seixal
The black sand beach on the north coast, with steep green cliffs behind it.
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about 11:30
Porto Moniz
The lava rock pools and lunch by the sea.
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about 14:45
Back at the pier
Along the north coast to São Vicente, through the tunnel to Ribeira Brava and along the VR1 to the terminal, back 60 minutes before all-aboard or earlier.
Times are an example for a ship that docks at 07:00. If the north is in cloud that morning, we take the side of the island with the better forecast.
The east instead. Pico do Arieiro if the summit is clear, then the road down through Ribeiro Frio to Santana for lunch. In the afternoon we drive to the red cliffs of Ponta de São Lourenço and come back through Machico. It takes the same 6 to 7 hours, and you're back 60 minutes before all-aboard. We leave out the Balcões walk at Ribeiro Frio. It needs a SIMplifica slot booked in advance, and a ship that docks late can cost you the slot and the fee.
If your ship stays overnight, the full 8-hour days fit too: West Madeira in one day and East and north Madeira in one day. Stops of your own, such as the Monte gardens and a long lunch, fit either cruise day at the same price. If you stay in Funchal before or after the cruise, your own route starts at your hotel.
Ship excursion, private car or walking?
| Ship's excursion | Private car | Walking from the pier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it is priced | Per person | Per car: €110 for about 4 hours, €180 for 6 to 7 hours | Free, plus any tickets you buy |
| What 4 of you pay | 4 times the ship's price per person | €180 for a 6 to 7 hour day | Nothing for the walk |
| Who travels with you | Other passengers from the ship, usually on a coach | Only your group, up to 6 people | Your group |
| Where you go | The ship's route and timetable | Your choice of stops, changed on the day if you like | The centre, the old town and the seafront |
| Getting back on time | Set by your cruise line's terms | Back at the pier at least 60 minutes before all-aboard, as a written rule | You keep an eye on the clock |
| Good to know | Booked with your cruise line | Our car, with your driver | Funchal on foot |
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How it is priced
- Ship's excursion
- Per person
- Private car
- Per car: €110 for about 4 hours, €180 for 6 to 7 hours
- Walking from the pier
- Free, plus any tickets you buy
-
What 4 of you pay
- Ship's excursion
- 4 times the ship's price per person
- Private car
- €180 for a 6 to 7 hour day
- Walking from the pier
- Nothing for the walk
-
Who travels with you
- Ship's excursion
- Other passengers from the ship, usually on a coach
- Private car
- Only your group, up to 6 people
- Walking from the pier
- Your group
-
Where you go
- Ship's excursion
- The ship's route and timetable
- Private car
- Your choice of stops, changed on the day if you like
- Walking from the pier
- The centre, the old town and the seafront
-
Getting back on time
- Ship's excursion
- Set by your cruise line's terms
- Private car
- Back at the pier at least 60 minutes before all-aboard, as a written rule
- Walking from the pier
- You keep an eye on the clock
-
Good to know
- Ship's excursion
- Booked with your cruise line
- Private car
- Our car, with your driver
- Walking from the pier
- Funchal on foot
The price is per car, not per person: €180 for 1 to 4 people and €210 for 5 or 6.
The cruise season in Funchal
Ships in port: APRAM- Cruise passengers arriving October to April (2025)
- 93%
- A typical call
- 9 to 11 hours, for example 07:00–17:00
- Ships in port for the 2026 New Year fireworks
- 11
The port and the two days
- Port Cruise terminal
- Cabo Girão
- Câmara de Lobos
- Pico dos Barcelos
- Monte
- Encumeada
- Seixal
- Porto Moniz
- Short call: Cabo Girão (1), Câmara de Lobos (2), then Pico dos Barcelos (3) or Monte (4)
- Full call west: Cabo Girão (1), Encumeada (5), Seixal (6) and Porto Moniz (7). The east day goes to Santana instead
Before you come ashore
Is Funchal walkable from the cruise port?
Yes, the centre of Funchal is within walking distance of the cruise terminal, along the pier and the seafront past the marina. The old town and the market are on foot from there, and the cable car in the old town goes up to Monte. Cabo Girão, the viewpoints above the city and the rest of the island are a drive away.
Is it cheaper to buy shore excursions on the ship?
Not always, because the ship charges per person and a private car costs the same for 1 to 4 people. For 4 of you, multiply the ship's price by 4 and set the total against €180 for a 6 to 7 hour day. The comparison above shows what else differs.
What if the ship arrives late?
We follow your ship's arrival, so a late docking costs nothing, and we shorten the route if needed to keep you back 60 minutes before all-aboard. Send us the all-aboard time from your ship's daily programme, and we plan the day backwards from it.
What if our call is cancelled?
If your ship's call at Funchal is cancelled, for any reason, the booking is cancelled free. Tell us as soon as the ship tells you.
How do we find you at the terminal?
Your driver meets you at the pedestrian exit of the passenger terminal on the Pontinha pier. The evening before, by 20:00, we send the pickup time, the car's plate, your driver's photo and the meeting point. On the day, we message you as soon as the car is at the terminal.
Can we book a car on New Year's Eve?
Yes, if you ask early, because extra ships come to Funchal for the fireworks: 11 cruise ships were in port for the start of 2026. On 25 December and 1 January prices are 15% higher all day. Booking is on request, so send the date and we confirm it with you.
Can we pay by card?
Once we confirm your date, we send a secure Revolut payment link for the full price, to pay within 24 hours by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Revolut Pay, with no card fee, and we email you an invoice.
Send your ship's name and the date.
We check your ship's times and confirm your date, then send you a plan with clock times. We reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00.
Cruise day, 6 to 7 hours €180 per car for 1 to 4 people, €210 for 5 or 6