# Ferries to Pico
Question: Which ferries go to Pico, and which ports do they use?

URL: https://picoisland.pt/getting-here/ferry
Status: verified
Last verified: 2026-10-03

Atlânticoline runs the ferries. The main crossing is Horta on Faial to Madalena, scheduled at 30 minutes and sailed several times a day. A second line links Horta, Pico and Velas on São Jorge, calling at Cais do Pico or Madalena. Weather cancels sailings, so check the operator's notices on the day.

## The two crossings that matter

**Horta to Madalena.** This is the crossing most visitors mean by "the Pico ferry". Atlânticoline
runs it as the Linha Azul, from Horta on Faial to [Madalena](/villages/madalena) on Pico's west
coast, and its timetable schedules the crossing at 30 minutes. It sails several times a day in each
direction on every date we checked. The boat berths at the Terminal Marítimo João Quaresma, in the
town itself, so you walk off the ferry into Madalena.

**Faial, Pico and São Jorge.** The Linha Verde joins the three central islands. It runs from Horta
to Velas on São Jorge and calls at Pico on the way, but not always at the same port. On most dates
in the operator's timetable it calls at Cais do Pico, the terminal at
[São Roque do Pico](/villages/sao-roque-do-pico) on the north coast: 70 minutes from Horta, then
50 minutes on to Velas. On other dates it calls at Madalena instead, and Madalena to Velas is
scheduled at 80 minutes. Check which Pico port your sailing uses before you drive to it, because
the two terminals are on different coasts.

## Seasonal lines

Atlânticoline's own network lists Pico as connected to Faial, São Jorge, Terceira and Graciosa. The
Terceira and Graciosa sailings are summer lines: OpenStreetMap's route data marks them as
high-season only, and none appeared in the operator's timetable on any date we checked between
October and December. If your plan depends on one, look up your exact date in the operator's
timetable before you book anything around it.

## The two Pico ports

**Madalena**, at the Terminal Marítimo João Quaresma (38.535° N, 28.530° W), is the busy one and
the closest to Horta. **Cais do Pico**, at the Terminal Marítimo de São Roque (38.531° N,
28.322° W), serves the São Jorge line. Both have an Atlânticoline ticket desk, but the desks keep
different hours, and the Cais do Pico desk opens on far fewer days of the week. The hours change
with the season, so check them on the operator's site rather than here.

## Before you sail

- **Bring identification.** Atlânticoline asks every passenger to show a valid ticket and an
  identity document at boarding.
- **Arrive in time.** Foot passengers must board no later than 10 minutes before departure, and
  vehicles no later than 20 minutes before. The operator says a late arrival can be refused.
- **Check space if you have a car.** The operator's timetable tool shows the seats left for
  passengers and how full the car deck is. A foot passenger and a driver are not in the same
  position on a busy sailing, and the operator's own first tip is to buy the ticket in advance.
- **Rental cars are a separate question.** The booking form has its own vehicle category for rental
  cars, but whether your contract lets you take the car to another island is for the rental firm to
  say. Ask before you book. See [renting a car on Pico](/getting-here/car-rental).

## Weather cancels sailings

Atlânticoline publishes a notice whenever a sailing is cancelled or rerouted, and almost every
recent notice gives the weather as the reason. In the last week of September 2026 it cancelled or
changed sailings on several lines, the Linha Verde among them. A rerouted Linha Verde can mean your
boat calls at a different Pico port from the one on your ticket. Read the operator's notices on the
morning you sail, and do not put a ferry and a tight flight connection on the same day.

## Today's sailings

The [ferry timetable](/getting-here/ferry/timetable) on this site shows the day's departures once a
published schedule has been copied into it. Until then, the operator's own timetable search is the
reference for times.

## Ferry or flight

The alternative to the boat is Pico's own airport on the north coast: see
[flights to Pico](/getting-here/flights). Arriving at Madalena puts you on the west coast, and Cais
do Pico puts you on the north, so plan the drive onward from the port you actually land at. See
[driving on Pico](/getting-here/driving-on-pico), and the overview of
[getting to Pico](/getting-here) for how the routes compare.

## What this page does not tell you

**No fares and no departure times.** Fares are the operator's to state. Departure times change with
the season, and a copy here would go stale without warning. The crossing times above are the
operator's scheduled times for sailings between October and December 2026, as we read them on
3 October 2026. They are scheduled times, not a promise: weather and reroutes change them.

## Sources

- Pico ports served by Atlânticoline: Madalena and Cais do Pico (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios)
- Islands Atlânticoline connects with Pico: Faial, São Jorge, Terceira and Graciosa (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios)
- Horta to Madalena, scheduled crossing: 30 minutes (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios)
- Horta to Cais do Pico, scheduled crossing: 70 minutes (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios)
- Cais do Pico to Velas, scheduled crossing: 50 minutes (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios)
- Madalena to Velas, scheduled crossing: 80 minutes (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios)
- Horta to Madalena route: Linha Azul (source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/19251974)
- Horta to Velas via Madalena route: Linha Verde (source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/19252416)
- Horta to Velas via São Roque route: Linha Verde (source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/19252418)
- Madalena ferry terminal: Terminal Marítimo João Quaresma, 38.535° N, 28.530° W (source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/373906543)
- Cais do Pico ferry terminal, São Roque do Pico: Terminal Marítimo de São Roque, 38.531° N, 28.322° W (source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/658670073)
- Boarding cut-off, foot passengers: 10 minutes before departure (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/bagagem-e-embarque/)
- Boarding cut-off, vehicles: 20 minutes before departure (source: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/bagagem-e-embarque/)