Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
445km²
Area
150km
Coastline
2,351m
Highest point
Mount Pico
13,834
People
23°C
Warmest sea
August
1,614km
To the mainland
When to go to Pico Island
Best for the beach from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (23 °C) and coolest in March (16 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to October.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Portuguese island in Azores archipelago
Pico Island is an island in Portugal. It covers 445 km², with 150 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Pico, rises to 2,351 m. About 13,834 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,614 km away.
Getting there
- Pico Airport (PIX)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at PIX airport (Pico Island)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries5 ferry terminals on the island
- 1,614 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Pico Island.
- 4beachesBaía das Canas, Porto da Formosinha and 2 more
- 37viewpointsMiradouro Corre Água, Ponta do Arrife, Ponta do Misterio and 34 more
- 3lighthousesFarol Ponta da Ilha, Farol de São Mateus
- 5ferry terminalsSão Roque, Madalena, Terminal Marítimo João Quaresma and 2 more
- 1marinasMarina da Madalena
- 17named peaksQueiro, Capitão, Pico da Urze and 14 more
- 5volcanoesMount Pico, Topo, Cabeços do Mistério and 2 more
- 1castles and fortsForte de Santa Catarina
- 3ruins and archaeological sitespublic washing machine
- 1dive centresTwin Peaks Diving Centre
- 18waymarked walking routesPRC08PIC Ladeira dos Moinhos, PR03PIC Ponta da Ilha, PR05PIC Vinhas da Criação Velha and 15 more
- 3campsitesParque de Campismo das Lajes, Parque de Campismo da Madalena, Parque de Campismo da Furna
- 68hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 84restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Pico Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Pico Island, each with its own numbers.
99mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
2,351m
prominence 2,351 m · according to Peakyas
99 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Mount Picoprominence 2,351 m2,351m
- Cabeço da Brindeira
- Cabeço da Lambisca
- Cabeço da Lavandeira
- Cabeço da Rochinha
- Cabeço da Serreta
- Cabeço do Caminho Escuro
- Cabeço do Caveiro
91 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 463 m above the sea. 30 % of it is below 200 m.
- 9 %0–50 m
- 21 %50–200 m
- 28 %200–500 m
- 36 %500–1,000 m
- 6 %1,000–2,000 m
- <1 %> 2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Madalena6,136 people
- Lajes4,711 people
- São Roque do Pico3,705 people
- Cais do Pico3,388 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
| Night low (°C) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
| Sea (°C) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Rain (mm) | 84 | 81 | 83 | 64 | 62 | 46 | 28 | 33 | 66 | 91 | 71 | 114 |
| Wet days | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 17 |
| Sun h/day | 3.5 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 9.6 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 28 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.2 | −0.5 | +0.1 | +0.4 | −0.2 | +0.4 | −0.1 | −0.2 |
| 2021 | −0.1 | −0.6 | −0.1 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.8 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +1.3 | +1.5 | +0.9 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.6 | +0.4 | +1.4 | +0.9 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 |
| 2023 | −0.3 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +1.6 | +1.5 | +2.2 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +1.6 |
| 2025 | +1.7 | +1.0 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +0.1 | +1.0 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Faial Island
Portugal173 km²1,043 m31 km away
São Jorge IslandPortugal244 km²1,053 m34 km away
Graciosa IslandPortugal61 km²402 m70 km away
Terceira IslandPortugal400 km²1,022 m95 km away
São Miguel IslandPortugal745 km²1,103 m262 km away
Flores IslandPortugal141 km²914 m270 km away
Corvo IslandPortugal17 km²718 m272 km away
Santa Maria IslandPortugal97 km²587 m333 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q210811) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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