Madeira road trip: Pico do Areeiro to Porto Moniz Pools
Explore Madeira's most iconic hiking and natural attractions across 11 stops, from the challenging Pico to Pico Hike and Stairway to Heaven viewpoints to the scenic Seixal Beach, Porto Moniz Natural Pools, and Fanal Forest. The route includes cultural stops at Santo António for traditional local cuisine and Paul do Mar's coastal charm.
- Distance
- 5795.7 km
- Mode
- route
- Start
- Pico to Pico Hike
- End
- Arco Iris
- Stops
- 11
- Video author
- travmap
- Updated
Stops on this route
- Pico to Pico Hike — Challenging mountain trail connecting Madeira's highest peaks, offering panoramic Atlantic views and dramatic volcanic landscapes.
- Best Local Food — Fresh seafood and traditional Madeiran cuisine featuring espetada skewers, black scabbardfish, and passion fruit desserts.
- Seixal Beach — Black sand beach with mountain backdrop, visited at sunrise
- Porto Moniz Natural Pools — Huge natural swimming pool formed by volcanic eruption, 15 minutes from Arco Iris
- Fanal Forest — Meadow high in the mountains, fairytale forest landscape
- Pico do Areeiro — Starting point of the Pico to Pico hike, popular for sunrise viewing
- Stairway to Heaven — Craziest section of the Pico to Pico hike
- Pico Ruivo — Summit reached after 3 hours 10 minutes of hiking, final waypoint of Pico to Pico hike
- Santo António — Local restaurant area, 15-minute ride from Funchal
- Paul do Mar — Town where the group stayed in an Airbnb, west of Funchal
- Arco Iris — Small bar serving fresh fish, one minute drive from Seixal Beach
Useful for your trip
- Timing
- Arrive at Pico Aeiro parking lot 45 minutes before sunrise as it fills up very fast.
- Transport
- Consider one-way hike from Pico Aeiro to Pico Ruivo with transfer pickup, rather than roundtrip, to avoid crowded narrow trails with hundreds of people passing.
- Tip
- Bring hiking poles and a rain jacket; weather changes rapidly and mist is common on the Pico to Pico hike.
- Tip
- Bring a headlamp for the tunnels on Pico to Pico hike; some sections are pitch dark.
- Timing
- Start the Pico to Pico hike 20 minutes before sunrise to reach cool viewpoints and the Stairway to Heaven before the crowds.
- Tip
- Bring layers as weather on the Pico to Pico hike changes rapidly between sunny and misty sections.
- Food
- Visit Santo António for local Madeirian dishes like Espetada beef skewers, Poncha rum drink, and garlic bread; only €50 for a full meal with mostly locals.
- Where to stay
- Paul do Mar is a colorful oceanside town 45 minutes west of Funchal with amazing sunsets and mountain backdrops.
- Transport
- The Pico to Pico hike one-way is about 4 miles taking 2-3.5 hours, then an easy 1-hour walk to Achada do Teixeira for transfer pickup.
- Tip
- Bring snacks for the Pico to Pico hike; there is a café available at the end before transfer pickup.
Video on this route
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