Archipelago in the Atlantic comprised of nine islands that is stunning and still pretty unknown. Very few people back home knew anything about the Azores when we mentioned that we would be traveling there. But that will change soon enough since more direct flights from the US and Europe are becoming available. It was one of our favorite places in our Portugal journey! We went in June and that was a great time of the year. Already warm enough but not too warm, and still not so crowded with summer travelers. My sister Gabi and friend M joined us and we had a blast.
We took a 2 1/2hr flight from Porto to our first island:
São Miguel
Sao Miguel is the largest in the Azores. Though remote, the island offers a wide variety of experiences: charming small towns, hiking around lakes & to waterfalls, farm fields with grazing cattle everywhere one looks, iron rich hot springs and mile after mile of hydrangea lined roads. Definitely rent a car to explore the island.
Below is a day-by-day itinerary.
DAY 1 We arrived mid-afternoon in Ponta Delgada and got settled into our hotel. Then we went to explore the old town, which was walking distance. Ponta Delgada is a quaint town with many charming buildings and good infrastructure of shops & restaurants. You don’t need more than a few hours to see the town but it’s a great first stop.
STAY Azor Hotel [modern design hotel, with a rooftop pool & bar with great views of the harbor area. It offers a very good breakfast. Be aware, however, that you will be sharing the hotel with big tour groups, that can get overwhelming, if you happen to be trying to eat at the same time]
EAT Tasquinha Vieira [favorite restaurant in São Miguel; does not take reservations]
DAY 2 This day is to explore the west side of the island, towards Sete Cidades. We got lucky and had good weather otherwise we would not have seen the beautiful vistas that can be blocked by clouds. Our first stop was the Miradouro da Vista Do Rei (King’s Viewpoint). From there you will get your first glimpse of Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Sete CidadesLagoon), the most well-known postcard of the Azores. It seems like you are seeing two lakes but it’s actually the same lake separated by a bridge, that reflect the light differently due to the surrounding vegetation. Sete Cidades is a volcanic crater formed 22,000 years ago.
The next stop is Miradouro da Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth Viewpoint) which offers jaw dropping viewsof the mountains and sea in the background & two other lagoons: Rasa and Santiago. To get there drive another 10 minutes following the signs to Lagoa do Canário. You’ll notice a car park on the right, where a hiking trail begins, and on the opposite side the entrance to a dirt road. You can drive in or park the car and walk to a set of stairs. If you want to do a hike from Mata do Canario to the small village of Sete Cidades, park by the aqueduct of Muro das Nove Janelas (Nine Windows Wall) just down the road. You will hike on the rim of the crater of Sete Cidades with more wonderful views. We did part of this hike and was worth the climb.
The next stop is the village of Sete Cidades by the lake. Everything seems untouched for decades, and it’s worth a stroll around it. From there continue to the town of Mosteiros on the coast. It’s a beautiful drive there and there are some natural pools by the rocky beach if you care for a swim. The final stop of the day was Ponta da Ferraria which is a small cove surrounded by lava rock cliffs where the ocean water is warmed up by a geo-thermal natural spring beneath. Please note that there is a man-made pool on site but you want to walk a bit to the natural pools. We happened to be there on a Sunday, so it was packed with locals – whole families from kids to grandparents were spending their Sunday swimming & picnicking. Not very relaxing, so if we had to do it again, we would go earlier or much later in the day and on a weekday.
STAY Azor Hotel [same hotel; make sure to get a gin & tonic by the pool late afternoon; great way to wind down from the busy day of touring around]
EAT A Tasca [we tried to eat at this restaurant since it was highly recommended but it was completely full. We went to another non-memorable place, so make reservations!]
DAY 3 We left Ponta Delgada this morning to make our way to Furnas towards the east. First we went to Porto Formoso to vist a tea plantation. Make sure to stop at Miradouro de Santa Iria on the way. It’s a well-known viewpoint with clear views of the northern coast.
Our next stop was Gorreana, the only tea plantation in Europe, working since 1883, which produces black and green tea. You can walk around the processing plant on your own and taste their teas. It was shocking for an American, to be allowed to walk around operating heavy machinery and in the midst of workers trying to get through their tasks, without any limitations. Our favorite part though was the hiking trail weaving through the tea plantation across the road. The scenery is stunning, overlooking the sea and most tourists skip this hike, so you’ll have the trail mostly to yourself. It can get pretty steep at times, but it’s worth the effort. It’s a 3.5km loop and about 1-hr long. We skipped this, but there’s another tea plantation down the road – Porto Formoso– which offers tours of the sister-factory to Gorreana. It’s less famous and with less tourists. Another thing we did not do is go to the beach at Porto Formoso. It’s a dark sand beach off the beaten track. From there we made our way to Furnas, our home base for the next 4 nights.
STAY Furnas Boutique Hotel [another modern design hotel, with a thermal pool, great ambiance and a good restaurant]
EAT We just stayed at the hotel for dinner. Get a table on the covered patio outside and make sure to go before dinner for drinks on sofas out there. Quite pleasant! Just be prepared for poor service – very friendly servers – but pretty clueless. And that was the case every night.
DAY 4 This day we started with a wonderful hike from Paia near Agua d’Alto to Fogo Lagoon. The trail – PRC2- starts on a beaten earth track, in a zone of pastures. The trail is well marked – always follow the red/yellow stripes – and will go through steep and opens areas, also flat wooded areas with my favorite being a stretch along a “levada” (water channel). During the ascent there are several places with magnificent views of the Southern coast of S. Miguel. It’s a moderate hike with some steep climbs. It took us about 3hrs total.
STAY Furnas Boutique Hotel [this was the day for a massage at the very nice spa at the hotel]
DAY 5 Today we made our way to the Northeast of the island, the wildest and most remote in São Miguel. The vegetation is thicker, the sea cliffs are steeper and the roads are more sinuous. Our first stop was Farol do Arnel, the oldest lighthouse in the Azores. The road down to the lighthouse is extremely steep, so I recommend you go on foot and don’t try to drive it. There are many viewpoints along the road, but here are two we stopped at: Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego and Miradouro da Ponta da Madrugada. Both are very similar and afford gorgeous views of the coast. Our initial plan for this day had a 2-hour hiking trail from Faial da Terrato Salto do Prego (trail PRC-9), that leads to a waterfall in the middle of the forest. But for time sake we skipped it and went straight to Vila Franca do Campo. It’s a charming town along the Southern coast.
From there you can take a boat to Ilhéu da Vila, an islet 10 minutes away. It encloses a bay perfect for swimming or snorkeling. The boat connection only operates during summer months and gets sold out fast. You can catch the boat the marina in Vila Franca do Campo.If you don’t go to the island, continue on to Caloura, a small village nearby, for a late lunch at Bar Caloura. You can also go for a swim on the natural pool across from the restaurant.
STAY Furnas Boutique Hotel
EAT Terra Nostra Hotel [we went to dinner at this hotel nearby; very nice dinner, more upscale than at our hotel; go for a walk at their amazing garden after dinner]
DAY 6 One of the main attractions in São Miguel is the hot spring waters and pools with mineral rich water. This morning we went back to the Terra Nostra hotel. It has a wonderful tropical garden with a trail that meanders through it. We went there as soon as it opened to the public, I believe it was 9am, and did the walk before big groups arrived. We also got to bathe on two hot springs hidden in the garden. The main huge geothermal pool with murky brown water due to high iron content, was not appealing to me but my sister and husband were brave enough to try it out.
This afternoon you can visit the Lagoa das Furnas, one of the three main lagoons in São Miguel. There is a hike to a gothic church sitting in the west shore with beautiful views.
STAY Furnas Boutique Hotel [last night at this hotel; we will wake up early tomorrow and drive straight to the airport to fly to Pico]
These are some other hotels that have opened recently and look amazing. They were non-exist when I make bookings for the Azores almost a year prior, but if I’d go back, I would definitely check them out: White Suites & Villas& Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort.
Pico
Pico is the second largest island in the Azores, with a pretty tall volcano at it’s center called Pico (highest peak in Portugal), and black lava rock spread around the entire island. It is known as the black island. Wine production plays an important role in Pico’s culture since the 15thcentury, with UNESCO protected vineyards in the midst of lava rock. It has great natural swimming holes and lots of hiking options.
We flew to Pico from São Miguel and it’s a short 45-minute flight.
DAY 1 Wine Tasting & Sightseeing Tour [we took a private tour with Tripix as soon as we arrived in Pico to get the lay of the land. We had Raisa as our guide, one of Tipix’s owners and a high energy Brazilian very passionate about the island which now she calls home. We started by visiting a typical vineyard in Criação Velha which comprises of man-made lava stone walls (currais) laid out in grid formation with the vines growing on the basalt rock in the between the walls. This was created in order to protect the Verdelho grapes from the harsh winds and seawater. From there we went to the Cooperativa Vitivinícola do Pico where they produce 80% of Pico’s wine. We got a tour and tasted most of their wines. After that we went to tour a cave – pitch black with no illumination except for our flash lights and pretty treacherous terrain - an experience you would never have in the US due to liability concerns J. By now we had to stop for lunch – Taberna do Canal - before we drove towards the middle of the island to see the beautiful landscapes at the base of the volcano. Surprisingly a very green area with cows grazing everywhere. The Pico the Urze was a great viewpoint of the area. Our final stop was the charming little village of Lajes with a beautiful spot with natural pools]
DAY 2 AM:Swimming [we just went to the swim hole in front of our hotel and spent a relaxing morning] PM:Swimming with Dolphins [aquatic wildlife around the Azorian islands is fantastic. This was my opportunity to swim with dolphins in the wild and not in a tank, which I refuse to do. Our group took a tour with CW Azores and they took us on a speedboat to the area where the dolphins are swimming at – could be 30 minutes away or 1 ½ hours away. When we found them, 2 people at a time get to jump into the water with goggle and snorkels and swim close to the dolphins. When we were there it was breeding season and a lot dolphins had babies with them, so they would mostly take off when they saw us. Still a fun experience]
DAY 3 AM:Whale Watching[even though the weather was not great, we had signed up for a tour with CW Azores, so went for it. Not a super fun experience – pouring rain, open boat, wet & cold, very bouncy sea which made all of us really dizzy for the remainder of the day. However, if the weather was nice, it would probably have been a much better experience, even though watching whales was not as fun as with dolphins. They hang at the surface of the water with most of their body submerged oxygenating it and then they dive to feed and don’t resurface for more or less 30 minutes depending on the species. The best part is when they dive and you get to see the tail sticking out. A lot of waiting around so patience is required] PM:Exploring the stone villages [we drove towards São Roque and stopped at Cachorro, Lajido and Cabrito. Cachorro was our favorite – park the car and walk around. There are also swim holes in all these villages]
EAT Cella Bar [in Madalena, with a roof deck offering views of Faial island; the food is okay but the setting makes it worth a visit] Casa Ancora [in São Roque, it has a Nordic vibe and a more modern take on local dishes] Ancoradouro [in Madalena, with an outdoor area right by the water. Good seafood]
STAY Pocinho Bay [charming hotel right by a natural swim hole & tiny beach. We rented the 2-bedroom villa and it was really beautiful. The couple who owns & runs the hotel is a bit peculiar, and has their findings from traveling around the world spread out through every room of the hotel]
Faial
Faial is another island worth visiting, just a 30-minute ferry ride from Madalena. It is the third most populous island in the Azores, with the principal settlement of Horta that offers lively bars & a quirky marina. In summer, yachts from all over the world make anchor in the marina, taking a break from their travels across the Atlantic. The marina barriers are completely covered in colorful paintings, as sailors believe they must paint a mural to bring good luck to their voyage.
Faial has two key natural attractions 1 > Caldeira: the dormant crater at the center of the island, which offers beautiful views; 2 > Capelinhos: a fairly recent eruption site (1957), where the nearby lighthouse became submerged in layers upon layers of dust and rock, with only its tower ultimately still standing above ground. This lighthouse was turned into a museum with part of the building still underground. It’s worth climbing to the top of the lighthouse for panoramic views of the barren landscape that will make you think you’ve landed on the moon.
DAY 1 We arrived in Horta at mid-day, and just explored the town and got comfortable at the apartment we rented.
DAY 2 We made our way to Capelinhos and stopped at the following swim holes along the way – Lajinha [just park on the side of the road and walk a bit through the black rock to find a few natural pools] Porto do Varadouro [you will have to get off the main road and drive down a windy road towards the beach. Once you park there is a path that takes you straight to a large swim area. Take the left pathway instead that will take you a smaller natural pool. It has a trampoline. Our favorite one!!] Porto do Comprido [swim area just down the hill from Capelinhos].
From there we drove to the Caldeira, which means “boiler”, a beautiful drive up the mountain to the biggest volcano in Faial. Its diameter is about 2 kilometers and it’s an 8- kilometer walk to circumnavigate it on foot. If you don’t want to do the full hike, make sure to at least walk about 20 minutes to the south, and you will walk along cow pastures with incredible views of the island looking towards Horta and Pico on the background, and also of the Caldeira on the opposite side. Be ware that the Azores has rapidly changing climate and it can go from bight sunshine to cloudy/rainy/windy weather in just a few minutes, so make sure to bring layers.
DAY 3 We went sailing this morning and it was beautiful and relaxing. We booked a sailboat through Sail Boat Azores - http://www.sailboatazores.com- and it was a gorgeous boat. For a ½ day we paid 55 Euros each and had the boat to ourselves.
In the afternoon, we went on a hike in Horta called Entre Montes – trail PRC8FAI. It is a circular route between Montes da Guiaand Queimado, places of historical importance in Faial. Because of its strategic location, the peninsula was vital in the development of the telecommunications between Europe and the United States, where, in 1893, the first underwater telegraphic cable was installed. It worked until 1969 and during crucial periods in the World Wars. We started the trail right behind our apartment at Rua da Rosa. Almost at the end of the road you will see a trail starting to the right, which will take you up Monte Queimado. You will get a great view over the marina of Horta. At one point you will start making your way down towards Porto Pim beach. It's steep and can be slippery, but the views of turquoise Porto Pim Bay are stunning. Walk along the back of the beach and a parking lot and pass by the Observatório do Mar dos Açores on your right before you go up until the viewpoint of Lira. Continue on to the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia. Follow the marked trail that will loop back down and pass by the Porto Pim Aquarium. You’ll end up at Porto Pim beach, sweaty and ready for a swim!
EAT Peter Sport Café [legendary spot among sailors who go to Horta, that was celebrating its 100-year anniversary always on the same location. Its walls are filled with sailing memorabilia from flags to historical photos and the food is quite good. You can also sit outdoors overlooking the marina.] Praya [restaurant with beautiful architecture right on Praia do Almoxarife] Genuíno [a bit pricey for what it is, but serves good food. A reservation is recommended unless you get there around 7 or 7.30pm] Oceanic [a fun bar that serves decent food. They have live music on the weekends]
STAY Porto Pim Bay Apartments [nice one, two or three bedroom apartments on Porto Pim Bay, a shallow cove great for swimming with a sandy beach, which is rare on this island]
*Thank you to all my contributing photographers: Michael, MP & Gabi
