Funchal
Pico do Areeiro, the summit you can drive to
The short answer
Pico do Areeiro is the third-highest point on Madeira and the only high summit with a road to the top. The viewpoint itself is free, parking is charged by the hour, and the panorama across the central massif depends entirely on whether cloud is sitting on the ridge that morning.
Chão do Areeiro, January mean daily maximum
8.7 °C
Derived from the observation and anomaly stated in the IPMA regional bulletin.
IPMA, 1991–2020 normal · check it · read August 26, 2026Chão do Areeiro, March rainfall normal
252.8 mm
Derived from the observation and anomaly stated in the IPMA regional bulletin.
IPMA, 1991–2020 normal · check it · read August 26, 2026The facts
| Where | Funchal |
|---|---|
| Type | Viewpoints |
| How long | Under an hour, or longer at sunrise |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Cost | Free; parking charged hourly |
| Best season | Year round. Sunrise is the signature, weather permitting. |
| Permit | No permit recorded |
What is up there
The viewpoint sits at 1,818 m, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026, with the central massif in front of it and, on a clear day, sight lines as far as Ponta de São Lourenço and Porto Santo. There is no walking involved to reach it: the road goes to the top.
The viewpoint is free. Parking is charged at €4.00 per hour, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026, which is the only cost unless the walk to Pico Ruivo is on the plan, in which case PR1 needs a paid SIMplifica booking.
The cloud problem
This is a mountain station, not a seafront one, and it behaves like one. The IPMA normal for the mountain station gives a January mean daily maximum of 8.7 °C, source: IPMA, 1991–2020 normal, read August 26, 2026 against 20.0 °C, source: IPMA, 1991–2020, read August 26, 2026 in Funchal, and rainfall in March of 252.8 mm, source: IPMA, 1991–2020 normal, read August 26, 2026 against 62.3 mm, source: IPMA, 1991–2020, read August 26, 2026 on the coast.
What that means in practice is that a clear, mild morning in the city is not evidence of anything at the summit. Sunrise here is either the best hour on the island or a car park in fog, and the drive up happens in the dark either way.
What is not perfect about it
A summit reachable by car in well under an hour from Funchal is a summit that fills at sunrise, and the car park is not large. It is cold and windy up here in every season, including August, and the view is entirely at the mercy of cloud. Check a webcam before setting an alarm.
Questions people actually ask
Can you drive to Pico do Areeiro?
Yes. The road runs to the viewpoint at 1,818 m, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026, which is what makes it the busiest sunrise spot on the island.
Does Pico do Areeiro cost anything?
The viewpoint is free. Parking is €4.00 per hour, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026. Walking PR1 from here is a separate paid booking on SIMplifica.
How cold is it at the top?
The IPMA normal for the mountain station puts the January mean daily maximum at 8.7 °C, source: IPMA, 1991–2020 normal, read August 26, 2026, against 20.0 °C, source: IPMA, 1991–2020, read August 26, 2026 in Funchal. Wind makes it feel considerably worse.
Where this came from
- Visit Madeira: Pico do Areeiro. visitmadeira.com/en/where-to-go/madeira/madeira-peaks/pico Read August 26, 2026.
- IPMA: Normais climatológicas 1991–2020 — Funchal, Observatório (estação 522). ipma.pt/bin/file.data/climate-normal/cn_91-20_FUN Read August 26, 2026.
- IPMA: Boletim Climatológico da Região Autónoma da Madeira — January 2026. ipma.pt/resources.www/docs/im.publicacoes/edicoes Read August 26, 2026.
- IPMA: Boletim Climatológico da Região Autónoma da Madeira — March 2026. ipma.pt/resources.www/docs/im.publicacoes/edicoes Read August 26, 2026.