Madeira Airport to Funchal: Aerobus, Taxi or Car

Where It Goes and What Each Stop Means

The route serves two kinds of arrival in one line. The early stops, from Boa Nova through Avenida do Infante, cover the city centre and the seafront avenue, handy if you sleep in the old town near the Mercado dos Lavradores or want to walk straight into Funchal's old town. From Avenida do Infante the bus turns along the coast and runs the length of the Lido and Estrada Monumental strip, so if your bed is at the Lido or further out on Estrada Monumental, you stay on board to the later stops.

Stop 05 is marked disabled on the route sheet. Stop 26, Praia Formosa, is the end of the line, and the beach there has its own page at Praia Formosa.

The Two Ways to Pay

Paying the driver costs more than paying ahead on a GIRO card, and the card itself has a small cost. Children means ages 6 to 12 inclusive. Aerobus tickets are valid only on the Aerobus, not on ordinary city buses.

What Two Adults Pay

Two adults paying on board spend $15.38 (€13.40), our sum. Prepaid, both trips cost $12.74 (€11.10), plus a card each. Even a single rider buying a new card pays less than the on-board fare, our sum, but the card has to be bought at one of the sales points SIGA lists on its site before you board.

The Regional Tourist pass costs $15.79 (€13.75) for one day and SIGA states it covers unlimited travel across the region including the Aerobus, counted from first validation. Ordinary bus tickets are explained on getting around Madeira.

First and Last Departures

From the airport, the first bus leaves at 08:30 every day and the last at 22:00. From Praia Formosa towards the airport, the first departure is 07:00 and the last 21:00. The pattern between those bookends shifts by day of week, summarised here.

Landing Late

If you walk out of arrivals after 22:00, the Aerobus is gone for the day and your realistic choices are a taxi or a pre-arranged transfer. Check your scheduled landing time against that cutoff before you book a bed far from the terminal.

Dawn Flights Out

The sums run the other way too. The first bus leaves Praia Formosa at 07:00 and the run to the airport takes 50 minutes, so the earliest it can reach the terminal is about 07:50, our sum. For a morning flight, that bus is too late or too tight, and a taxi is the reliable way to make the gate.

The Meter Charges

The flag fare and the per-fraction charge depend on the hour and the day. The night column also covers Saturdays, Sundays and all national and regional holidays, so a Saturday arrival pays night rates from the first minute.

Which Tariff Applies From the Airport

Tariff 1 applies only inside Funchal municipality. The airport is in Santa Cruz, so your ride from the terminal runs on the out-of-Funchal tariffs, tariff 2, or tariff 3 when the taxi returns with you on board. The convention sets the same flag fares and per-fraction charge on all of them.

Supplements and Larger Vehicles

Luggage or a pet adds a supplement of $1.72 (€1.50). Free of charge: a pram, a wheelchair, a guide dog, and hand luggage up to 55x35x20 cm and 25 kg. Six or eight seat taxis cost 20% more than the standard four passenger fare.

If you agree an hourly hire in advance, the 2026 rate is $28.70 (€25) for the first hour or $14.35 (€12.50) for 30 minutes. Ask for a receipt, and if something goes wrong the complaints line printed on the tariff is PSP 291 208 400. Our Madeira taxi page covers riding by taxi elsewhere on the island.

Four Checks Before You Get In

• Confirm the meter is switched on and shows $4.59 (€4) by day or $5.51 (€4.80) at night and at weekends.
• Agree that the ride runs on the meter, since no fixed airport fare exists in the convention.
• Expect the $1.72 (€1.50) luggage supplement for bags beyond the free hand-luggage size of 55x35x20 cm and 25 kg.
• Ask for a receipt at the end and keep the PSP complaints number 291 208 400 handy.

When the Car Earns Its Keep

Madeira's VE expressways and their tunnels are toll-free under the SCUT regime, so the drive to Funchal costs you nothing beyond fuel. Visitors may drive in Portugal on a valid foreign licence for 185 days after entry, which covers any normal holiday. The case for the car is simple: if you plan to drive from day one, collect it at the airport and skip the taxi entirely.

The case against is the first night. Funchal city hall describes its two central car parks, 2000 and Campo da Barca, as running near full, and its street spaces are metered and time limited, so a car picked up at 21:00 for a city-centre apartment becomes a parking problem before it becomes freedom. Speed limits, road rules and parking detail live on our Madeira car hire page, and the wider transport picture is on getting around Madeira.

Name and Location

The official name is Cristiano Ronaldo airport and it is also known as Madeira airport. It is the main airport of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, with 2,781 metres of tarmac. The address is 9100-105 Santa Cruz, Madeira.

It sits in Santa Cruz municipality, which is why the taxi meter runs on out-of-Funchal tariffs. The films at the foot of this page show the approach from the cockpit and from beside the runway.

Flight Times From Madeira

Funchal city hall states flying times from the island as follows, useful for judging connections.

Contact and What We Do Not List

The airport phone is +351 291 520 700 and the email is [email protected]. Parking rates, the rental desk list and live flight information are published by the operator on its own site, which this page could not read directly. For those, go straight to the operator's public transportation page.

A day trip to Porto Santo is the shortest hop on the list above.

Matching the Option to the Clock

Pick your row before you fly. The two columns that matter are the 22:00 Aerobus cutoff and the higher night taxi flag fare after 21:00 and on weekends and holidays.

Where You Sleep Decides the Rest

The Aerobus line follows the coast hotel strip, so if your bed is at the Lido or anywhere along Estrada Monumental, the bus drops you close. If you sleep in Funchal's centre near the old town, the Mercado and Avenida do Mar stops are the ones to use. Caniço and Santa Cruz town are not on the Aerobus line at all, so there a taxi or a rental car is the practical choice.

Our where to stay in Madeira guide matches neighbourhoods to exactly this decision.

Negative Findings

Each item below is a gap in the official record, not an oversight. Where an operator publishes the data, we link them instead of guessing.

• No fixed taxi fare from the airport to Funchal appears anywhere in the regional convention. Blog figures are not official.
• Airport parking prices are not stated here. The operator publishes them on madeiraairport.pt, which we could not read.
• The rental desk list is not stated here, for the same reason.
• Bus lines other than the Aerobus serving the terminal are not stated here. Ordinary CAM buses charge $3.04 (€2.65) between municipalities on board.
• Journey times in real traffic are not stated. The 17-minute figure is the city's own and excludes traffic.