Frequently Asked Questions - Minibus Tours
The minibus tours are operated by our company, Lido Tours.
Yes. The portuguese legislation requires insurance for all activity providers so while doing any activity with us you are covered.
We have tours in English, Portuguese, German, French and Spanish.
English and Portuguese are the most common and easier to accommodate as it is spoken by all our staff.
Other languages may not be available every day.
While we always try to make our tours in a single language, occasionally we may have to combine up to two languages on the same tour.
On checkout you'll be able to select your preference for the language and we'll do our best to accommodate your request or suggest any alternatives.
We can do hotel pickups on selected hotels in Funchal, Câmara de Lobos and Caniço areas.
Hotel pickup is dependent on the hotel in question having easy access for our minibuses to stop and/or park.
In case we can't do the pickup at your hotel, we'll send you an alternative pickup point as close to your hotel as possible.
This will usually be a bus stop or other landmark near your hotel or one of our pre-defined pickup locations in Funchal (see next question).
If you're arriving by cruise ship, we will pick you up at the cruise terminal when you disembark the ship.
We have the following preset pickup points in Funchal
- Our office in the Lido Area
Accommodations in or around the Lido area. - Bus stop by the Cable Car Station in downtown Funchal
Accommodations in or around the city center and Old Town - Bus stop by the Funchal Courthouse in downtown Funchal
Accommodations in the center/upper-east part of the city. - By the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum in downtown Funchal
Accommodations in the center/western part of the city. - At the cruise ship terminal
Arriving by cruise ship.
See our Pickup location map page for more details and directions
Pickup time is dependent on your location and selected tour.
The correct pickup time will be sent by our staff to you by email, phone or WhatsApp.
Please note that traffic in the morning rush hour can be very chaotic, especially in Funchal city center, so please be prepared for the occasional delay on the prearranged pickup time.
For our minibus tours we do not have any special clothing requirements but recommend that customers be sensibly prepared for multiple conditions.
You may experience multiple different weather patterns throughout the day since most of our tours pass through several geologically separated places and across different heights and environments so the weather can be very different than the weather in Funchal from where the tours depart.
We operate multiple minibuses from different brands and models and with several capacities.
Usually, most full day minibus tours go out on a 16 seater vehicle and the half day tours on an 8 seater but please note that this may vary.
Due to last minute bookings, we're unable to accurately let you know how many people are going on your tour until the day before or day of the tour.
We don't have any strict restrictions regarding children or babies on our tours.
Baby strollers are not allowed.
Please note that you will be fully responsible for the safety of your children and are expected to keep an eye on them and prevent them from disturbing the group.
We don't have any strict restrictions regarding pregnant women.
No, meals are not included in our tours. Customers are free to choose their own place for lunch or bring their own.
All full day tours always make a longer stop at lunch time in a location where you can choose from several local snack-bars or restaurants.
The driver/guide may recommend and/or reserve your lunch for you during the tour if you so choose.
Yes, our minibuses have air conditioner.
Yes. To book a private tour, please contact us by e-mail with your request or use the contact form on our website. (bottom right of the page)
Unfortunately, we cannot accept animals on our tours unless they're service animals.
You can cancel your tour without any charges up to 24h before the tour departs.
Last minute cancellations unfortunately cannot be refunded since we do not have the time/opportunity to resell the seats.
No-shows will be charged in full since we do not have the time/opportunity to resell the seats.
Yes, we usually need a minimum of 4 people on each tour, otherwise the tour may be cancelled or postponed.
While we always strive to run all scheduled tours, occasionally (although rarely) there may be a day where we may have to cancel if we do not reach the minimum.
On these cases where we cancel, we'll either offer to re-schedule or refund your payment in full.
You can consult the weather forecast for Madeira at the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere website
We usually do not cancel our minibus tours due to weather, unless it's bad enough to affect the safety or visibility of our customers and staff.