In Madeira, an oddball form of transport from the 19th century that had passengers hurtling down steep city streets on wicker sleds at speeds as high as 38 km/h has become one of the island’s most popular and iconic tourist attractions.
I got to experience the sleds for myself on a recent visit to the Portuguese island, part of an archipelago of volcanic islands that sits 660 kilometres northwest of Morocco. Even though Madeira’s climate is temperate and snow doesn’t exist here, it’s easy to see how the idea of using sleds came about. The island’s capital city Funchal sits on the edge of the sea and is surrounded on the remaining sides by steeply sloped mountains that create a sort of natural amphitheatre.
In the 1850s, local residents began using the toboggans as a form of downhill public transportation to move quickly from the hilltop village of Monte to the city of Funchal below. No one is quite sure when they stopped using them, but it’s likely when automobiles arrived on the island. Today, the toboggans are used only by tourists who enjoy the thrill of careening down the streets while appreciating the view.
Fortunately, you’re not on your own when you ride these sleds. A pair of sturdy careiros, who are decked out in all-white outfits while sporting jaunty straw hats, are there to steer you down the streets which have been polished smooth by the daily procession of sleds. The careiros also wear shoes with thick rubber soles that they use as brakes while they navigate the roads. These roads are in active use so they are not completely devoid of cars so I was a bit alarmed when I saw one driving uphill towards us. I breathed a sigh of relief when it turned onto a side street.
The ride is brief, just 10 minutes, but during that time you travel two kilometres and get to enjoy some lovely views of Funchal. There are flat spots where the carieros have to pull you along, but most of the time, gravity does all of the work. It’s a fun ride and unlike tobogganning in the winter, you don’t have to worry about frostbite, although sunburn might be more of a problem.
The Monte toboggan operation can move a lot of tourists throughout the day, but because it’s so popular, the lines to board can get long, especially when cruise ships are in town. A lot of visitors ride the scenic cable car from Funchal to Monte then board the sleds. At certain points during the day, the lines for the cable cars become as long as the ones for the toboggans. That has the potential to add up to a lot of waiting, so locals say the best strategy is to take a taxi to the toboggans just before they open at 9 am. When you’re finished your ride, take another taxi back up to Monte to enjoy the sights, especially the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, then take the cable car back down to the city at your leisure.
The toboggans are designed to fit two people, but some can carry three people. If you’re travelling alone, the cost is €27.50, but only €35 if you are two people. A trio of passengers pays €52.50. Careiros also appreciate tips and the company has photographers stationed en route, so save some money for those.
Funchal is especially busy during the holidays because of their world-famous fireworks celebration on New Year’s Day, but be aware that the Monte toboggans are closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. They are also closed duing Holy Week and August 14 and 15, the feast days for Our Lady of Monte, which an event worth visiting in its own right.
For more information about the toboggans, visit https://www.carreirosdomonte.com/v3/en/index.php and for more about Madeira, go to https://visitmadeira.com/en.
- The author was the guest of the Madeira Promotion Bureau, which not view or approve this article in advance of publication.
