No. A car is one way around Madeira, not the only way. Visit Madeira’s “How to move around” page says that in so many words: people who would rather not drive, or who are staying mostly in central areas, can use public transport, taxis, ride-hailing (Uber and Bolt), or organised tours. The same page says renting a car or a motorcycle is the best option if you want a fully autonomous and comfortable trip.
This guide is that decision, checked on 17 October 2026. It also covers getting around without a car: buses, cable cars, and taxis. It does not copy fares, hire prices, or departure times. Those live on the operator pages linked below.
Which plan fits the days you actually have
| Your days | A car | What to use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Most of the time in central Funchal | Optional | City buses, taxis, Uber, Bolt |
| Airport plus a few fixed trips | Optional | Aerobus, taxi, or transfer; a SIGA timetable; a tour |
| Trailheads, the north coast, your own clock | The autonomous option Visit Madeira describes | A bus where a route exists. The timetable decides the day |
| You dislike curves, or you do not want to drive at night | Skip it | The same no-car list |
“Optional” means Visit Madeira’s answer, not a promise that every trailhead has a convenient bus. Frequencies are on the timetable for that route. They are not in this table.
Without a car
Buses are one network, SIGA. The SIGA site says SIGA is the management system for passenger road transport on Madeira and Porto Santo, and that operation started on 1 July 2024. Three concessionaires run it: Companhia de Autocarros da Madeira (CAM), Siga Rodoeste, and Horários do Funchal. Management is by TiiM. The network covers the whole of both islands.
The same FAQ says the new buses have Wi‑Fi, and that some are equipped for passengers with reduced mobility. That service is requested by a pre-booking on siga.madeira.gov.pt (and, the page says, later in a SIGA app). It does not say every bus has that equipment.
Timetables are the point of the site: siga.madeira.gov.pt/horarios. The homepage also points at Horários and at Aerobus (“timetables, routes, and fares”). This guide does not paste those times or fares. Alerts on the homepage are dated and change. Read them on the day.
Operator contacts, from SIGA’s operators page:
- Horários do Funchal: +351 291 705 555, geral@horariosdofunchal.pt
- SIGA Rodoeste: +351 291 220 148, siga.rodoeste@rodoeste.pt
- CAM: +351 291 201 151, info@cam-madeira.pt
Horários do Funchal also publishes which pattern is running, on its calendar. School days, Saturdays, and Sundays and holidays are different. One printed example: 25 December, no journeys. The calendar does not list last buses. Open the route.
From the airport. Visit Madeira says you can reach Funchal by Aerobus, taxi, transfer, or hire car, in about 20 to 25 minutes. Aerobus times and fares stay on SIGA. For the first hour in the terminal, use our FNC arrival guide. Live airport notices are on ANA.
Taxis, Uber, and Bolt. Visit Madeira names all three. It does not publish fares. Uber and Bolt are an app booking. Taxis are the kerb option. Neither is a timetable.
Cable cars, tuk-tuks, bicycles, and scooters. Visit Madeira names them, and says the cable cars matter because they reach some well-known points. It does not name companies, prices, or hours on that page. Check the operator before you count on one for a connection.
A day that someone else drives. Useful when the timetable does not match a trail slot. Our beginner levada guide and the Arieiro–Ruivo hike are the walking notes. Classified IFCN trails are a separate booking from the transport. The Porto Santo ferry is the no-car way to the other island, on the operator’s own schedule.
Renting and driving
Visit Madeira’s driving answer is short. On most main roads and in towns, driving is straightforward. In the mountains, some roads have many curves and need extra attention. Their advice is calm driving, adapting to the terrain, and respecting the signs.
Other facts on that same page:
- No tolls. Expressways and main roads are free for residents and visitors.
- GPS works. There are often several ways to the same place. Pick the one you are comfortable driving.
- Parking colours. White lines are free, and some of those are reserved for residents. Blue lines are paid. Yellow lines mean no parking.
The paid hours in Funchal come from a different source, the parking operator. Frente MarFunchal's parking-meter page gives 08:00–20:00 on weekdays and 08:00–14:00 on Saturdays, free on Sundays and public holidays, and four tariff zones from €0.56 to €1.89 an hour, paid at one of the meters or in the iParque Driver app it names. Read on 24 October 2026; the operator can change the hours, so the sign on the street wins.
That clock is Funchal's. Another municipality can publish a different one. Porto Moniz does. Its parking page says the village has 144 spaces, that about 70% of village parking capacity is free for residents and visitors, and that limited-duration bays (blue lines) are paid every day from 9:00 to 19:00. The tariff on that page is a minimum of €0.20, €0.80 per hour, and €0.20 per 15 minutes, in coins from €0.05 to €2.00, with the ticket visible on the dashboard. A warden’s notice increases the daily rate by 100%. Those hours do not match Funchal's Monday-to-Saturday window. Follow the sign where you are parked, and the page for that town.
This guide has no hire prices, deposits, fuel rules, or insurance comparisons. Those change by company and are not on the tourism page. Our arrival guide covers the practical pickup at FNC (desk versus shuttle, photographing the car). It is not a rate card.
A Funchal week with no car
Stay in the centre, use Horários do Funchal for the city, and use SIGA when a route actually goes where you want that morning. Keep a taxi or Bolt for the hour the bus does not cover, including late airport landings. Add a tour or a cable car when the point of the day is one place rather than a loop of viewpoints.
Add a car for the days when the timetable and the weather window do not overlap: a high trailhead, a north-coast pool, a sunset you do not want to leave early for the last bus. You can hire for those days and not for the city days. Visit Madeira does not say the car has to be the whole trip.
December and January change the bus pattern more than the road map. The Horários do Funchal calendar linked above is the check, alongside our winter weather guide if the day was meant to be a mountain one.
Weekly notes from the island: subscribe to Madeira Journal.
Written with AI assistance from official and cited sources. Report an error: hello@madeirajournal.com.
