Part of our complete guide: Activities and tours on Madeira
The reason is simple: Madeira’s best walks are point to point. In your own car you finish 40 km from the vehicle, and the public bus does not go there. A transfer solves exactly that problem — without having to buy a guided tour along with it.
The connections that matter
| Transfer | from | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| One-way up to Pico do Arieiro | €30 | 1 h |
| PR1: out to Arieiro, back from Achada do Teixeira | €32 | 8 h |
| Sunrise Arieiro & Ruivo | €33 | 10 h |
| Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8) | €31 | 4–6 h |
| Caldeirão Verde (PR9) | €40 | 8 h |
| Sunset PR1 | €50 | 3 h |
| Funchal → Praia do Seixal (beach day) | €55 | 1 h |
| Ponta de São Lourenço water taxi | €16 | 30 min |
| Private airport transfer, up to 4 | €40 per group | 30 min |
The water taxi at Ponta de São Lourenço is an outlier and at €16 one of the best deals on the island: it takes you round the peninsula to a point you cannot walk to.
Why this is often the right booking
Do the sums. A guided PR1 tour costs €44–52. A plain transfer for the same route costs €32–38. The difference is the guide — and on a fully waymarked, very busy path like the PR1 that is a genuine choice, not a corner cut.
The reverse holds too: on the Caldeirão Verde route with its four unlit tunnels, a guide earns the money if it is your first time here.
What to watch for
- Pickups are early and the van does not wait. 4:00 am is normal for sunrise transfers.
- Pickup radius: usually Funchal and Caniço only. Staying in Calheta or Machico means driving to the meeting point.
- The return time is fixed. You must be at the destination car park at the agreed hour — that is the real time pressure on transfer walks.
- A SIMplifica reservation is almost never included with a plain transfer. Book it yourself.
- If a path closes after rain they reroute or refund — check the terms.
Book it or drive it yourself?
Drive yourself on loop routes. Book a transfer for any point-to-point route. And if you have a hire car anyway: some operators will move your car from the start car park to the finish — ask, because it rarely appears on the portals.
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Next: Mountain hiking tours · Guided levada walks · Car hire and getting there
