Largo da Fonte in Monte is the starting point of Madeira’s famous basket sledge ride, a 19th-century tradition, when these wicker sledges served as everyday transport down to Funchal. They’re guided by two ‘carreiros’ in white outfits and straw hats, who use their rubber-soled boots as brakes. There’s time to enjoy the area and take photos before the optional ride; basket sledge tickets are not included and must be paid directly to the official operators.
Funchal’s Old Town is best known for streets like Rua de Santa Maria, with its collection of brightly painted doors, narrow cobbled lanes and traditional local restaurants. These historic corners are one of the most characterful and photogenic sides of the city.
Great tour. Virgilio picked us up right at our hotel. He drops you off at start of Toboggan ride and picks you up at end. The tour was nice and got a lot of local information.
Absolutely brilliant experience. Cannot fault Virgilio, he was knowledge, interesting, entertaining and caring. There was never a suggestion of time or need to be elsewhere, he added value in ways that must have cost him money but he didn’t add on - we felt very special and well looked after
Awesome experience. Great guide, so knowledgeable and friendly. Showed us everything we wanted to see and more. Gave plenty of recommendations which were all fabulous. 100% recommend to anyone wanting a great day out.
We had the most wonderful afternoon with Virgilio. What a fantastic young man he is! The whole Tour was made even better by his knowledge and chatty demeanour. Saw all sorts of views and learned so much about Maderia and the people who live there. I w ok uld recommend him to anyone. We did think however that the cost of the toboggan run was very steep at €35 each.
What a fabulous experience. Virgilio met us on time outside our hotel. He was so friendly from the onset, it made the trip so enjoyable. He was knowledgeable about the island, and no question remained unanswered. He reassured me regarding the safety of the toboggan experience at Monte, and provided us with a lovely memory photo following the activity. Fabulous memories. We then went on towards the old town, highlighting areas of great interest. Afterwards he sent a text message of all the places, food and drink he recommended in the trip. A terrific and friendly tour guide, his service was excellent and would definitely recommend him to other travellers. Till we meet again Virgilio.
Had a great morning with Virgilio, he was really knowledgeable and very proud of the island which makes it a special tour. Would definitely recommend him as a great tour guide.
Virgilio was great! 😃. He was professional, helpful and friendly. He gave us such an interesting tour and was very considerate of the fact that I have reduced mobility. Would totally recommend him and his blue tuk tuk is adorable. Go for Virgilio!
A wonderful tour with Virgílio. Very knowledgeable, accommodating. He took us to some lovely view points and the toboggans. He then met us at the end of the ride and took us round the Old Town with its painted doors. Would highly recommend Virgílio. We hope to see hem again when we go back to Maderia again in December for the Christmas lights….which he told us about.
Virgilio was great and we enjoyed his local knowledge of Madeira. Would look him up for future visits.
Fantastic trip with virgilio our driver and guide. Picked up from our hotel bang on time and welcomed with a big smile and handshake, a lovely drive to the toboggan start point stopping for view points on the way. Virgilio was full of fantastic information and answered all our questions well. No queue for the toboggan (a bonus), explained where he would meet us and even took a video as we set off on our run. Picked us up as stated and there followed a very enjoyable tour of Funchal old town. Finally dropped off back at hotel. You will regret not doing this trip, loved it and virgilio made it extra special. Thank you Virgilio
Virgilio gave us the best tour we could have asked for! He knows an infinite amount about Madeira and it was a fantastic way of getting to know the area! The Monte Toboggan was excellent and Virgilio really helped the whole process run smoothly 🙂. Virgilio gave us a lovely keepsake at the end of the tour which will allow us to remember our experience in Funchal forever!
Had a great time with Virgilio around Funchal old town. He was extremely friendly, accommodating and knowledgable . Highly recommend his tuk tuk tours . Nothing was too much trouble . It took us up to the toboggans and even escorted us to the kiosk and walked us to the start . He took photos and videos of us and gave us a small gift at the end of our trip. He gave us good recommendations for places to eat and drink suggesting the best bar for ponchas which was Bar No 2.
Virgilio is awesome! We had our tuk-tuk tour on the day we arrived and it was the perfect introduction to Funchal and Madeira as a whole. Virgilio is a wealth of local knowledge and history. He provided a PDF with recommendations for where to eat, drink, and visit and captured video of our toboggan ride. The souvenir was a really special touch. This was a great way to start our trip and highly recommend this tour!
Amazing tour guide. Knows a lot of fun facts about the city.
Virgílio was wonderful - he arrived early, highly knowledgeable gave us some great tips and we were first down on the toboggan which saved hours of queuing. He is an independent Tuk Tuk owner driver +351968773907 you will not be disappointed. When we go back we will do this one again 😁
Communication was excellent - contacted me through whatsapp to give advice about the toboggans in Funchal. We started a little late due to the toboggan queue but this was communicated and agreed, plus we were collected from the exact point agreed. Informative and fun, the guides took photos of us and adjusted the itinerary due to a previous recent visit, and dropped us exactly where we asked. Would definitely recommend
A great way to see Funchal old town and experience the basket sled ride! Virgil was a wonderful tour guide with a deep knowledge of the area and good English skills. It was a fantastic tour, not to be missed.
Virgil was amazing and made the trip fun and interesting. Even taking photos for us as a keep sake free of charge. Really great day and great way to see Funchal
Virgilio is fantastic. His knowledge and insights into the Island is brilliant. He is exceedingly professional and his tour was one of the highlights of our holiday. Highly recommended.
Our Tuk Tuk driver was great he was so informative and so professional. The tour was really good.
We had two tours as we were so impressed with his knowledge, passion and love for Madeira. He was so polite, friendly and helpful.
Really great experience. Kind and lovely tour guide. Even took video of toboggan for us and photos of us throughout the tour so we didn’t have to pay for them
A huge thank you to Virgilio for this magnificent tour! His kindness, professionalism, and good humor made this experience even more memorable. His explanations were clear, captivating, and fascinating. You immediately feel that he is passionate about his job and that he takes pleasure in sharing his knowledge, while offering small, highly appreciated gestures. Thank you for making this tour such a beautiful memory. I highly recommend it! 😊
Virgilio is a top guide! Super friendly, nice, and absolutely competent! We saw and learned a lot. It was huge fun. We would book him again immediately.
Virgilio is an absolutely super guide! He is friendly, helpful, and competent. We saw and learned a lot. It was huge fun with him!! We would book him again immediately.
Virgílio was a great guide, funny, nice, and he was able to share many interesting stories. We would go with him again anytime!!
Super cool guide. We received many tips and even a small souvenir for our trip. Virgilio explained everything very well, we are really grateful that we started our trip with him.
Very beautiful tour with a Tuk Tuk and the guide Virgilio who is super great, explains well and is super nice. Nothing to complain about regarding this tour, I recommend it. Very highly. Thank you. Sincerely.
We had a really great tour and can definitely recommend it. Our driver was very friendly, punctual, and gave us a lot of interesting information about Funchal and the surrounding area. The tuk-tuk ride was a lot of fun and the ride with the traditional wicker sled in Monte was a real highlight. We were able to see many beautiful places and had enough time to take photos. Overall, everything was very well organized and the price-performance ratio is right. Thank you very much for this beautiful experience!
Highly recommended trip. Virgilio provides a lot of interesting information about the history and sights of Madeira. A very nice surprise was the video clip of our wicker sled ride.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
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