Pico do Arieiro: parking and getting there

Pico do Arieiro has parking for about 70 cars at the top and about 300 lower down, and on busy mornings the top fills before sunrise. You can drive up through Poiso, take the early bus, or book the sunrise tour, which takes you up to the top, and skip the search for a space.

You can park at the top or lower down the access road. The car park at the top sits just below the summit viewpoint and holds about 70 cars. The lower car parks hold about 300 more, and from there you have a longer walk up. A shuttle bus links the lower car parks with the roundabout by the radar. It runs every 15 minutes from 06:40 to 12:15 and from 14:10 to 19:00 (18:00 in winter), €1.20 a trip, leaving only with at least four passengers. In midsummer its first run leaves after first light.

Before sunrise the access roads were jammed by visitors again in September 2025, with cars parked on the verges. It happens because everyone wants to be at the top for the same few minutes. Cars that find no space end up along the ER202, the road up from Poiso, and their passengers walk up in the dark.

If you drive yourself, these habits help:

• aim to be parked at least an hour before sunrise in summer;
• if the top car park is full, go straight back down to the lower car parks instead of stopping on the verge;
• bring a torch, because it is dark on the road and on the path.

The parking charge. A plan announced in August 2024 set €4 an hour at the top car park, €2 an hour lower down. It also promised barriers at the entrance and a sign showing free spaces. When this page was checked on 25 September 2026, the charge was not confirmed in force, so carry a card and some coins.

Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro is at about 06:58 on 21 June and 08:04 on 21 December. The sunrise tour page lists sunrise and pickup times for every month.

The sky starts to change colour well before the sun appears. Plan to be at the viewpoint by first light, which that table also shows. From the top car park the walk to the viewpoint is short. From the lower car parks, allow extra time, because you walk uphill in the dark.

If you drive yourself, work backwards from first light. The drive from Funchal takes about 40–45 min on the mountain road, and then you still need to park and walk. In summer that means leaving Funchal in the dark. For the sunrise run we set the pickup time from the same table.

Pico do Arieiro webcam

Some mornings the summit sits inside the cloud. The summit webcam shows the top as it is now. Look at it the evening before, while there is still light, and read the mountain forecast with it.

On the sunrise run you can leave that to us. We check the summit forecast the evening before and message you go or no-go by 20:00, and if cloud is forecast you move or cancel free.

How to get to Pico do Arieiro depends mostly on the hour you want to be there.

By car

The road climbs from Funchal through Monte to Poiso, and from Poiso the ER202 runs up to the car park at the top. The drive takes about 40–45 min from Funchal. The road is paved all the way, with tight bends and, on many mornings, fog. In winter the ER202 between Poiso and the top is sometimes closed after snow or ice. Check the local news before an early start. Where to leave the car is covered above.

By bus

The bus is the budget option, if its hours suit you. It goes up at 06:00 and 13:30 from the Teleférico (cable car) terminus, stop 4A, and down at 12:15 and 19:00 (18:00 in winter), €3 a trip paid on board. The timetable changes with the season, so check Horários do Funchal before you rely on it.

In midsummer the early bus reaches the top after first light and only just before sunrise. In winter, when the sun rises later, it arrives with time to spare. No bus goes back to Funchal before midday. A sunrise trip by bus means a long wait at the top, or the walk to Pedra Rija and back.

With a driver

On the sunrise run your driver picks you up at your hotel, drives the mountain road and drops you at the top car park. You walk up to the viewpoint while your driver waits nearby, and you're back at your hotel by mid-morning. The price is per car, the same for two people as for four, and the car takes up to 6 passengers.

Pico do Arieiro (also spelt Areeiro) stands at 1,818 m, and the road ends just below the summit. Next to the car park you'll find the white radar dome of the Portuguese Air Force and a café (check whether it is open at dawn). A short path climbs from the car park to the summit viewpoint.

On a clear morning you look across the central peaks towards Pico Ruivo, and down on the PR1 path as it follows the ridge. Some mornings a layer of cloud sits below you. On others the summit is inside the cloud and you see very little.

It is cold up here. The weather station a little below the summit averages 5.5 °C in January and 14.8 °C in August. Those are averages over day and night, and the hour before dawn is colder, often with wind.

What to bring:

• a warm layer and a windproof jacket, in every month;
• a hat and gloves in winter;
• a torch or a phone light for the path;
• shoes with grip, because fog leaves the rock wet;
• water, if you plan to walk on along PR1.

The edges drop away steeply. Keep to the railed paths, especially in fog, and keep children close.

PR1, the Vereda do Areeiro, starts at the viewpoint and follows the ridge towards Pico Ruivo. PR1 reopened on 1 May 2026. It is now two-way between Pico do Arieiro and Pedra Rija, one-way from Pedra Rija to Pico Ruivo (Arieiro to Ruivo only). Walking it needs a SIMplifica booking that you make yourself, at €4.50 a person as far as Pedra Rija or €10.50 for the full route.

Status. On 25 September 2026 the section from Pico do Arieiro to Pedra Rija was open. The one-way section from Pedra Rija to Pico Ruivo was closed. IFCN opens and closes sections for works, so check the IFCN trail status table on the day.

A walk to Pedra Rija and back ends at the same car park, so driving yourself works. Beyond Pedra Rija the path is one way. It ends at Pico Ruivo, and the shortest way down from there is PR1.2 to Achada do Teixeira, which the full-route booking also covers. IFCN does not provide a return to Pico do Arieiro; hikers arrange their own transport.

That is what the PR1 transfer from Pico do Arieiro to Achada do Teixeira is for. Your driver drops you at the top in time for your slot and collects you at Achada do Teixeira. While IFCN keeps the crossing shut, that page marks the transfer as closed and we don't take bookings for it.