As one of the highest points on the island of Madeira, with an altitude of 1818 metres, Pico do Areeiro is one of the most popular tourist spots for those visiting our wonderful island. Whether it's to watch the sunrise, walk along the "PR1-Vereda do Areeiro", or simply enjoy the fantastic view for a few moments, one of the biggest challenges today for those who want to visit this famous peak is finding a car park.

In the past, anyone visiting this peak could take their car as far as the road would go without any restrictions. Nowadays, due to high demand, the Regional Government has been forced to find solutions to the obvious parking challenge that has arisen here. To this end, new car parking spaces have been created so that the constant congestion that had been occurring until then could be filtered and kept under control.

I have my own car, where can I park it?

For those with their own car, you have two options, which will vary depending on the actual purpose of your visit. In other words, if you want to take the PR1 route, ideally you should park your car in the lower car park (located around 800 metres from the peak and with capacity for around 200 vehicles), where you can leave your car parked for as long as you need while you enjoy your walk. In order to facilitate access to the Peak, a footpath has been restored that allows you to reach Pico do Areeiro in around 10 minutes on foot.

On the other hand, for those wishing to make a short visit to what is one of the island's greatest landmarks, you can take your car to the upper car park (located next to the Areeiro house, it has capacity for 70 vehicles but has a limited parking period of 1 hour).

Note: The Regional Government is still looking for other solutions for this location, and it is estimated that by the beginning of next year the car parks could be paid for.

Are there other forms of transport to get to Pico do Areeiro?

For those who don't want to take a car, or even don't have one, a new route/carriageway has been created between downtown Funchal and Pico do Areeiro in order to reduce the constant congestion and undue parking.

This new service, operated by "Horários do Funchal", runs every day of the week, with the only exception being Christmas Day. There will be two journeys up to Pico, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with each journey taking an estimated 45 minutes. The return journeys to Funchal will take place in the late morning and late afternoon.

It is possible to book a seat if you do so between 7 and 2 working days before the date of your journey, as indicated in the "Horários do Funchal" on the website.

In addition, there are also shuttle services run by the same operator, connecting points such as:

- CAM Florestal das Serras de Santo António;
- Pico do Areeiro Parking;
- Pico do Areeiro - roundabout next to the Radar.

These journeys take place every 15 minutes, between 06.40 and 12.15 and 14.10 and 19.00. The start of the journey is limited to a minimum of 4 passengers.

For up-to-date information on journeys made by ‘Horários do Funchal’ please visit their website. The information presented here is not of a contractual nature and is only information gathered at the time of writing this article from the relevant organisations.