Pico do Arieiro sunset, without the 5 am alarm
Your driver picks you up at your hotel in the afternoon or early evening, drives you to the top for the last light and brings you down after dark.
€120 per car for 1 to 4 people, €140 for 5 or 6. Pickup about 90 minutes before sunset, back at your hotel after dark.
- Up to 6 passengers in one car
- 40–45 min from Funchal
- 1,818 m at the summit
Your driver speaks EnglishPortuguêsРусский
Sunset tour prices, per car
| Route | Time | Price per car, 1–4 people | Price per car, 5–6 people | Status | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pico do Arieiro sunset | 18:45pickup | €120 | €140 | On request | Book: Pico do Arieiro sunset |
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Private tour
Pico do Arieiro sunset
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| Pico do Arieiro sunrise | 06:20pickup | €140 | €160 | On request | Book: Pico do Arieiro sunrise |
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Private tour
Pico do Arieiro sunrise
All details
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Pickup is included in Funchal, Caniço, Santa Cruz, Machico, Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava. A pickup further out adds the fixed supplement for your area, listed on the price list.
Prices checked on 25 September 2026. Every price is per car, in euro, for the whole group.
Sunset and pickup times by month
These are sea-level times for the 15th of each month, Madeira time, and the summit keeps the sun a few minutes longer. Last light is the end of dusk, when the sky turns dark blue.
| Month | Sunset | Pickup | Last light |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18:25 | 16:55 | 18:50 |
| February | 18:54 | 17:20 | 19:18 |
| March | 19:16 | 17:45 | 19:39 |
| April | 20:38 | 19:05 | 21:02 |
| May | 21:00 | 19:30 | 21:26 |
| June | 21:18 | 19:45 | 21:45 |
| July | 21:18 | 19:45 | 21:44 |
| August | 20:54 | 19:20 | 21:19 |
| September | 20:15 | 18:45 | 20:39 |
| October | 19:36 | 18:05 | 19:59 |
| November | 18:08 | 16:35 | 18:32 |
| December | 18:04 | 16:30 | 18:30 |
How the evening runs
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90 min before sunset
Pickup at your hotel
At a hotel your driver waits at the main entrance, and for a holiday rental in a narrow street we send a map pin the evening before for the nearest point where the car can stop.
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+40–45 min
The mountain road
From Funchal the road climbs to 1,818 m in daylight, past Monte and over the Poiso pass. If mountain bends make you uneasy, say so, and your driver takes them slowly.
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Before sunset
At the top
Your driver stops at the top car park and you walk up to the viewpoint while the sun is still up. The car waits nearby.
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Sunset
Pico do Arieiro viewpoint
You watch the sun go down from the viewpoint. On evenings when the cloud lies below the summit, it sets over a sea of cloud.
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After sunset
The afterglow Optional
Stay on while the sky over the cloud turns pink and then dark blue. On a clear evening the first stars come out over the peaks before you leave.
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Last light
The drive down
The road down is unlit and winding, and your driver knows it. It takes about as long as the way up.
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After dark
Back at your hotel
Or, if you ask when you book, at a restaurant in Funchal for a late dinner.
The rules for a sunset run
- Sunset weather
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We check the summit forecast on the day and message you go or no-go by 14:00, and if cloud is forecast you can go anyway, switch to another tour, or move once to another free evening, at no cost.
- Pickup time
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We pick you up about 90 minutes before sunset, so you're at the top well before the sun goes down.
- What's in the price
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The price is for the whole car and includes fuel, parking and child seats, and on your own route and tours also waiting at your stops, with no kilometre count.
- Cancellation
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You can cancel free up to 72 hours before pickup, and after that we keep part of the price: 20% under 72 hours before pickup, 40% under 48 hours, 60% under 24 hours, and 80% under 12 hours or if you don't come.
Terms reviewed on 25 September 2026
Car park and summit webcam
Summit webcam: NetMadeiraThe car parks, the bus and the road up are covered in parking and getting to Pico do Arieiro. Check the webcam on the afternoon of your tour to see whether the summit is above the cloud.
- Spaces in the top car park, about
- 70
- Drop and pickup
- Your driver drops you at the top, waits nearby and collects you at the same spot
What to bring
At 1,818 m the air turns cold as soon as the sun is down, even in summer. The Areeiro weather station, lower down the mountain, averages 5.5 °C in January and 14.8 °C in August. Those are averages over day and night, so the hour after sunset is colder.
- 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 back to the car after dusk.
- Shoes with grip, because fog often leaves the rock wet.
- A full battery: the strongest colours come after the sun has gone.
Sunset questions
What time is sunset at Pico do Arieiro?
Sunset at Pico do Arieiro is at about 21:20 on 21 June and 18:07 on 21 December, Madeira time. Those are sea-level times, so the summit keeps the sun a few minutes longer. The table above gives every month with its pickup time.
Sunrise or sunset at Pico do Arieiro?
Choose the sunset if you'd rather not start before dawn: the pickup is in the afternoon or early evening, and you're back after dark. The sunrise run starts in the dark and has you back by mid-morning. Both depend on the cloud, and the sunset costs €120 for the car against €140 for the sunrise.
Can you see the sunset every day?
Not every day, because some evenings the summit sits inside the cloud, and even a clear forecast can be wrong at 1,818 m. If cloud is forecast on the day, you can go anyway, switch to another tour, or move once to another free evening, at no cost.
What if it's cloudy?
We check the summit forecast on the day and message you go or no-go by 14:00, and if cloud is forecast you can go anyway, switch to another tour, or move once to another free evening, at no cost. If you're on the island for several days, book one of your first evenings, so there is time to move it.
Do I need a ticket for Pico do Arieiro?
No ticket is needed for the viewpoint at the top of Pico do Arieiro. Walking PR1 beyond it, as far as Pedra Rija, needs a SIMplifica booking at €4.50 a person, which you make yourself on the SIMplifica site.
Where else can you watch the sunset in Madeira?
On the west coast the sun goes into the sea: the Ponta do Pargo lighthouse at the island's western tip and the villages of Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar face it in every month. Our guide to Madeira sunsets covers those, Pico Ruivo and the viewpoints over Funchal.
Can we stay for the stars?
Yes, tell us when you book and your driver waits while you watch the sky after last light. We tell you whether it fits the evening or what the extra time costs.
Can children come?
Yes, children are welcome on the sunset run. Child seats are free, so tell us each child's age when you book and we fit the right seat. Bring a warm layer and a hat for them, because the top turns cold as soon as the sun goes down.
Tell us your date and we'll send your pickup time.
We reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00. Booking is on request, and we confirm your date in that reply. On the day, by 14:00, we tell you whether the summit forecast is good enough to go.
Pico do Arieiro sunset €120 per car for 1 to 4 people, €140 for 5 or 6