Nuns Valley, Monte and Toboggan Sleigh Ride Tour from Funchal

Monte, the hilltop village above Funchal

Monte sits on the green slopes high above Funchal and was the favourite summer retreat of wealthy families in the nineteenth century, who built villas and gardens here to escape the heat of the coast. Its heart is the twin-towered church of Our Lady of Monte, patron saint of Madeira, reached by a steep stone staircase and visited by thousands of pilgrims every year on 15 August.

From the churchyard the view drops all the way to the port and the bay of Funchal, and shady squares, old tramway relics and flowering gardens surround the village. Our Monte tour comes here first thing in the morning, when the lanes are still quiet and the light is soft. Many visitors reach Monte by cable car from the seafront, but with our hotel pickup you arrive without queues and with your guide's explanations on the way.

The Monte toboggan ride

The Monte sledge ride began in the mid-nineteenth century as a quick way for residents to get down to Funchal. Today it is the island's most famous experience: you sit in a wicker basket on greased wooden runners while two carreiros, dressed in white with straw hats, push, steer and brake with their rubber-soled boots on the steep road towards Livramento.

The run covers about two kilometres and takes roughly ten minutes, reaching surprising speeds on the curves before the drivers bring the sledge to a stop at the bottom, where our vehicle waits for you. The Monte toboggan ride is included in this tour, and we come early precisely to avoid the long midday queues. Each basket takes two or three people; single travellers pay a small supplement, and on rainy days baskets of three do not run.

Eira do Serrado viewpoint

The road climbs through forests of chestnut and eucalyptus to Eira do Serrado, a viewpoint at 1,094 metres on the rim of a great amphitheatre of peaks. A short paved path leads to the railing, where the land falls away almost vertically to the village of Curral das Freiras far below, with jagged ridges and the island's central summits all around.

On clear mornings this is one of the most breathtaking views in Madeira, and clouds drifting through the valley make it even more theatrical. You will see the old footpath that zigzags down the cliff, still used by walkers, and the narrow road and tunnels that finally connected the valley to Funchal. There is time for photos and a short stroll, and a small café and souvenir stand near the car park.

Curral das Freiras, the Nuns Valley

Curral das Freiras, the Nuns Valley, lies at the bottom of a deep, almost circular valley that was long believed to be a volcanic crater, although it was carved by erosion. Its name recalls the nuns of the Santa Clara convent in Funchal, who fled here in 1566 when pirates attacked the town. There is no convent in the village, only an old nuns' house of about two hundred years, which can be visited for a small fee.

Isolated for centuries, the valley is now famous for its chestnuts, celebrated every November with a chestnut festival. Our Nuns Valley tour gives you time to stroll through the village and taste chestnut cake, chestnut bread and local pastries sold in small family cafés, which are paid locally. If you are wondering whether Curral das Freiras is worth visiting, the setting alone, walled in by mountains, answers the question.

Pico dos Barcelos viewpoint

On the way back to the coast we stop at Pico dos Barcelos, a landscaped viewpoint at 355 metres in the parish of Santo António. From the terrace the whole amphitheatre of Funchal opens up: the red roofs and white houses of the city, the cathedral, the port and marina, the cliffs of Cabo Garajau to the east and, on clear days, the Desertas Islands on the horizon.

This is one of the best places to understand how the capital of Madeira is built on the slopes between the mountains and the sea. The stop is short but rewarding for photos, and it closes the circle of the morning before our driver takes you back to your hotel. Together with Monte and the Nuns Valley, it makes this half-day one of the most complete Madeira sightseeing tours from Funchal.