Achadas da Cruz, the cable car to the fields
A small municipal cable car that drops down a sheer cliff on the north-west coast to a strip of fields at sea level.
The cable car at a glance
A small municipal cable car that drops down the north-west cliff to the fields and pebble shore of Fajã da Quebrada Nova.
- Where
- Porto Moniz, on the north-west coast
- From Funchal by car
- about 60 min
- Time to allow
- about 45 minutes, down and back
- Fare
- €3 one way, €5 down and back up
- Open
- every day, with a lunch break
- Ride
- about 5 minutes
Go there with us
- West Madeira: Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal Private tour 8 h €2501–4
- Your own route, full day Your own route 8 h €2801–4
Prices are for the whole car, not per person. Each page has the price for 5 or 6.
What you see
At Achadas da Cruz the north-west coast ends in a cliff, and far below it lies Fajã da Quebrada Nova, a strip of farmed land at sea level, mostly vines and vegetables, and a pebble shore. The cable car was built to carry the farmers and their harvests up and down, and visitors ride it too: about 620 m long with a drop of about 430 m; two cabins for six people.
From the top you see the patchwork of fields along the shore. The ride down takes about 5 minutes, and at the bottom you can walk between the fields to the stones of the beach before riding back up.
Before you go
- Tickets are sold at the station only: €3 one way, €5 down and back up.
- There is a lunch break. The cable car runs every day but stops around midday, so don't arrive at noon.
- Small cabins. Each takes six people, so at busy times you wait for the next ride.
- Walking down instead? The Vereda do Calhau is 5 km there and back, 2 h 30 to 3 h, steep and uneven.
Achadas da Cruz with us
Our west Madeira day includes the cable car as an optional stop after Porto Moniz: about 45 minutes down and back. Skip it and we drive straight on to Fanal.
Nearby, on the same day
All places-
Porto Moniz
A village at the north-west tip with seawater pools in the black lava rock: a paid complex and free pools nearby.
-
Ponta do Pargo lighthouse
The lighthouse on a 290 m cliff at Madeira's western tip, facing the open sea and the sunset.
-
Ribeira da Janela
Sea stacks off a pebble beach at the mouth of Madeira's longest river; a hole in one islet gave the place its name.
-
Fanal
Centuries-old til trees standing in open grass on the plateau above Seixal, often in fog.
Achadas da Cruz questions
How much is the Achadas da Cruz cable car?
€3 one way, €5 down and back up, bought at the station.
What are the opening hours of the Achadas da Cruz cable car?
It runs every day with a break around midday. The council publishes no timetable online, so we check on the day.
Achadas da Cruz on the west day
The cable car, the Porto Moniz pools and the Fanal forest in one day from your hotel. Send us a date and we reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00, with the price for the car.
West Madeira: Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal €250 per car for 1 to 4 people, €290 for 5 or 6