The answer
Take the Aerobus (route 500/500R) from outside arrivals to the Funchal hotel strip — €6.70 paid in cash to the driver, €3.30 for children, about 50 minutes to the end of the route and 25 stops along the way. It leaves the airport between 08:30 and 22:00.
It is the only bus that runs to the hotels rather than the bus station, it takes luggage, and it costs a fraction of the €25–40 taxi.
Landing outside 08:30–22:00? The Aerobus does not run then and there is no night bus — a taxi or a pre-booked transfer is the only way to Funchal.
Cheapest ride? SIGA's intermunicipal buses cost €2.65 on board, but take 50–70 minutes and end at the Funchal bus station, not at the hotels.
⚠️ The traps (walk past these)
The €5.55 Aerobus fare needs a GIRO card you cannot buy at the airport
The 2026 fare order sets the Aerobus at €6.70 on board but €5.55 pre-purchased — and the pre-purchased ticket only exists loaded on a GIRO card, which is sold at SIGA sales points in Funchal and not at the airport. Most arrivals therefore pay €6.70 on the way in and can only use the cheaper fare on the way back.
Do this: pay the €6.70 on arrival, then buy a GIRO card in Funchal and load the return at €5.55
The bus takes cash only
SIGA does not accept bank cards on the bus. The €6.70 Aerobus fare and the €2.65 ordinary fare must be paid in cash to the driver, whatever the airport's card-friendly signs suggest.
Do this: draw euros before you fly or at the terminal, and keep small notes for the driver
The Aerobus stops at 22:00 and there is no night bus
The last Aerobus leaves the airport at 22:00, and nothing replaces it overnight — the island's night service does not cover the airport. A flight landing at 23:30 means a taxi or a transfer, at €25–40 rather than €6.70.
Do this: check your landing time against the 22:00 last departure and pre-book a transfer if you arrive late
The €9 return ticket is written into the tariff but not on sale
The 2026 fare order lists a pre-purchased Aerobus return at €9.00 for adults and €4.50 for children, but marks it as available on a date to be announced. Paying for it now is not possible.
Do this: buy two singles and check the SIGA site before planning around a return ticket
The network was renumbered in 2024 and the fares changed on 1 April 2026
Horários do Funchal, Rodoeste and SAM no longer run as separate companies: they are one SIGA network with renumbered routes, and the fares are fixed by regional ordinance (Portaria 128/2026, in force since 1 April 2026). Route numbers and prices in older guides are out of date.
Do this: check the route number and fare on the SIGA site or app, not in a guide written before 2026