Tours/Funchal/Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car
Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car
4.4(60)Funchal2–4 hours
VIATOR3.6(15)TRIPADVISOR4.7(45)
+6 photos
At a glance
Duration
2–4 hours
Price from
$71 / person
Location
Funchal, Portugal
Rating
4.4 / 5 · 60 reviews
Languages
DE, EN
Group
Small group, up to 50
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Hotel pickup
Available
Confirmation
Instant
Ticket
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operator
Destination Services Portugal
Description
The subtropical climate of Madeira makes it an ideal spot for a dazzling array of plant and flower life. Be charmed by the exotic gardens of Monte Palace on this afternoon excursion, and take in fantastic views high above Funchal from a cable car.
Schedule & prices
Runs
Tue, Thu, and Fri
Start times
9:00 AM
Next available
Thu, Oct 15
Adult (ages 12+)
$71
Child (ages 3–11)
$35
Infant (ages 0–2)
$11
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 11.
Tour Options
From Canical - English with pick up
From Canical- English option
Pickup included
From Canical - German with pick up
From Canical- German option
Pickup included
From Funchal -German with pick up
From Funchal- German option
Pickup included
From Funchal English
From Funchal- English option
Pickup included
Itinerary
Monte Palace Madeira
Admission included180 min
As you soar up above the capital in a cable car, you'll witness special views of the city below – and of the Atlantic beyond. Then, as you enter the palace's world-renowned gardens, you'll be struck by the aroma of exotic species – planted in immaculately landscaped gardens. There are fountains, follies and grottoes aplenty and oriental-inspired sections.
Wander among the beautiful blooms, and soak up the serenity of the majestic swans wading in the many ponds. And if you like a bit of adventure, there's the option of a unique and thrilling trip back to Funchal – a toboggan ride down the mountain on a wicker sled. It is pretty hair-raising, but at least you'll have a professional ‘carreiro' manning the brakes.
What's included
Included
Transport
One way cable car ticket
Entrance fee to Monte Palace Tropical Garden
Guide
Not included
Any service not mentioned in inclusions
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel Pick up & Drop off included from selected hotels in Funchal, Caniço or Ponta de Garajau. Your exact pick up time and place depend on the hotel where you are staying at. After confirming the booking we will contact you to inform you about the exact pick up time and place. If you haven´t heard from us at least 48 hours before the activity start time, please contact us.
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
4.4
60 reviews
5
41
4
12
3
3
2
0
1
4
How it compares in Funchal
Starting price $71 is 13% above the typical $63 for tours of similar length in Funchal
Excurgo comparison of 578 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
Important Information
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Recommended for guest to take warm coat, rain coat or umbrella in Winter season
Recommended for guests to take comfortable footwear to walk in the gardens
Depending on number of participants, SM may be joined in same bus/minibus - Tours may be bilingual
Excursion in Dutch is subject to minimum number of 16 pax. If not achieved, will be in English.
Under 5 years old is free but has to be accompanied by an adult
Our office opening hours are Monday - Friday from 9h-17:15h, Saturday and Sundays closed.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car take?
Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car lasts about 2–4 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
How much does Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car cost?
Prices start at $71 per person for this Funchal experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 4 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
What days does Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, starting at 9:00 AM.
How much does Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car cost for children?
Children aged 3–11 pay from $35, adults from $71.
Can I cancel Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, pickup is offered. Hotel Pick up & Drop off included from selected hotels in Funchal, Caniço or Ponta de Garajau. Your exact pick up time and place depend on the hotel where you are staying at. After confirming the booking we will contact you to inform you about the exact pick up time and place. If you haven´t heard from us at least 48 hours before the activity start time, please contact us. Pickup points include The Editory Garden Funchal, Pestana Vila Lido.
What languages is Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car offered in?
The experience is available in DE, EN.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 50 participants.
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car worth it?
Travellers rate it 4.4 out of 5 across 60 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Destination Services Portugal.
Reviews(60)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
M
MyDearB
September 23, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Monte Palace gardens and access
Beautiful place, amazing gardens with splashing waterfalls and gracious swans. Excellent view twds the city.
A refreshing pina collada trolley bar.
Nota bene: Saturday access by cablecar is quite a wait, esp. if a cruise ship has a stopover at the Marina. Instead - the hop on hop off bus is a very good solution - the blue line stops just meters away from the entrance. Blue line of the hop on/hop off bus is with the 48-hrs- HO/HO ticket, which is a bit less than €30. Monte Palace gardens admission ticket is €18.
There is usually an enormous queue for the tobbogans and they drop you off some hundreds of meters away and then you have to figure your way down to the city.
J
johnkW3694LZ
September 23, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
lots of fun
The garden and cable car were great and the toboggan ride was really fun. Unfortunately the operator's bus failed to pick us up, and we had to take a 30 Euro cab ride to the tour starting point.
M
Mandygh1965
September 15, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Great value cable car and Monte gardens
We took the glass bottomed cable car and had wonderful views of Funchal . Monte gardens was beautiful, peaceful, work lovely live music, flamingos and the best and biggest Pina colada!
G
Gary_C
September 5, 2026 · via Viator
Knowledgeable guide. Enjoyable trip
Monica was a great guide.
Very knowledgeable and kept the tour moving at a good pace.
Doing the toboggans first was a great option as there were no queues and the driver picked us up at the bottom to take us back to the gardens where we spent a couple of hours. The cable car down was a great way to finish the tour.
2
285endal
September 4, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Beautiful tropical gardens
We took the cable car and opted for the glass bottom option . The cable car looks very modern and despite the height feels very safe . The highlight at the top was s the monte palace tropical gardens . They are spectacular and you could easily spend a few hours walking around . There are a lot of steeps as garden on numerous levels . We then went to botanical garden which you go to you need to take a different cable car . The botanical gardens are nice but a disappointment after the tropical gardens . We bought a return journey on both cable cars which was not a good idea . The botanical gardens are half distance down the mountain and you can walk or get a bus back to the town centre . There is also the taboggan option to descend the hill but we did not do this . If we were doing it again we would get cable car from promenade visit the tropical gardens and then return to promenade on the cable car
M
marilyned859
August 18, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Must do experience for garden lovers
We took the package 43 Euros ( each ) for the return ticket for both cable cars and the Botanical garden and paid a further 18 Euros ( each ) for the entry to the Tropical garden. Although it was expensive for a family day out, I thought it was worth it as the Tropical gardens were beautiful and not too busy. We spent 3 hours there, enjoyed a coffee with a free sample of Madeira wine and then took the second cable car to go to the Botanical gardens.
I enjoyed the succulent display there as well as the orchid house.
1 people found this helpful
I
Ian_F
August 7, 2026 · via Viator
The Best of Monte
We had a great time on the trip and it was timed to perfection so that you didn’t have to queue for the toboggan ride or the cable car, which both had massive queues later in the morning. Both the coach driver and our guide, Monica, were excellent. Her knowledge of the places we visited was second to none. It was a good balance of activities and you had the option to explore by yourself if you wanted to. We thoroughly enjoyed all parts of the trip, especially the toboggan. If you want to visit Monte, toboggan and do a cable car ride then this the trip for you.
C
Celia m
July 23, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Very beautiful
Magnificent park, we went there by bus no. 22 from the center of Funchal, count on 20 minutes, it stops in front of it (get a day ticket at the kiosk, it's cheaper than on board) because the cable car was broken. Park entrance is €18 but it's worth it, count on between two and 3 hours to visit it properly, you can eat next to the entrance, very affordable and very good.
2 people found this helpful
L
Laura_K
June 26, 2026 · via Viator
Toboggans, cable cars, and seeming-endless gardens!
Fantastic tour! Just know that even though it is listed as a 2-4 hour tour, it was definitely a half day (4+ hours) event. I was flying out the same day, so I was a little stressed about getting to the airport in time.
J
Joanna_G
June 25, 2026 · via Viator
Did not pick us up
Provider didn’t show up to pick us up. After waiting 30 mins I realised they sent a message through the app that the pickup will be at a different spot and 20 minutes earlier than the tour is advertised. I’ve had changes with other operators and they always confirmed you got the message until you acknowledged. So this was ridiculous.
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