One-Week Best of the Azores Itinerary
This weeklong trip is a great introduction to the archipelago, taking in its easiest-to-access islands, São Miguel and Terceira, with their quintessentially Azorean main towns, and some of the Azores’ most iconic sights. A day on less-visited Graciosa at the week’s end gives you a taste of the islands at their most remote and authentic.
This itinerary involves some interisland flights, which you’ll want to book well ahead. Renting a car to pick up at each island’s airport for that leg of the trip will offer you the most convenience and flexibility. Notwithstanding car rental bookings, you’ll find even the most touristy parts of the Azores relatively uncrowded, with little advance planning or reservations needed; the one exception is Restaurante Miroma in Furnas, famous for geothermally cooked São Miguel specialty cozido das Furnas.
São Miguel
Day 1
Put on some comfy walking shoes to spend your first day exploring wonderfully historic Ponta Delgada, São Miguel’s biggest town and the gateway to the Azores. Ponta Delgada hosts the islands’ busiest airport, with frequent flights from mainland Portugal and even from North America and elsewhere in Europe.
In the town’s historic center, meander the waterfront, lined with grand buildings trimmed in distinctive gray basalt stone; the 16th-century Fort of São Brás; the Convent and Chapel of Our Lady of Hope; and the striking old City Gates, guarding the entrance to the ornamental, cobblestoned Gonçalo Velho Square. Have lunch at the Graça Market before more sightseeing at the Carlos Machado Museum and the José do Canto Botanical Garden and Palace of Sant’Ana.
Day 2
Today you’ll be visiting some of Western São Miguel’s most iconic spots, starting with Sete Cidades Lake, one of the Azores’ most-photographed vistas, on the northwestern tip of the island. After enjoying the awesome view of the crater-lake from the Vista do Rei viewpoint, continue west toward the coast to the Ponta da Ferraria natural pool, where geothermically heated water from the land mixes with refreshing seawater. From here, keep driving along the island’s scenic northern coast clockwise, stopping in a charming village like Ribeira Grande or Rabo de Peixe en route for some lunch, until you reach the Gorreana Tea Plantation. After sampling tea from the only tea plantation in Europe, head back to Ponta Delgada, cutting south across the middle of the island.
Day 3
Your third day on São Miguel will be spent in Furnas, a charming village in the central section of the island, renowned as a geothermal hot spot—its signature stew, cozido das Furnas, is cooked in the hot sands of the shores of Furnas Lake. Make the lake your first stop: You can walk around its shore, admiring the spooky Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, and, if you’re there around noon, see huge pots of cozido being lifted out of steaming holes in the sand and ferried to nearby restaurants. The most famous of these is Restaurante Miroma, where you’ll try the dish yourself for lunch (reserve in advance). Walk it off in the stunning Terra Nostra Park. Wrap up a great day with a soak in the park’s thermal pools, or in the nearby Poça da Dona Beija hot springs.
Terceira
Day 4
Fly from São Miguel to Terceira (just under an hour’s flight) and head to its main town, Angra do Heroísmo, which will be your base for the next two nights. Spend the day exploring the Azores’ oldest and most history-rich town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its plethora of sights and attractions, including the Church of the Holy Savior’s Cathedral, the central Old Square, the Angra do Heroísmo Museum, and the magnificent Duke of Terceira Garden. Set aside an hour or two to trek around voluptuous Mount Brasil, on a peninsula that juts out south of the town, with the 17th-century Fortress of São João Baptista and incredible viewpoints.
Day 5
Terceira island has some amazing volcanic features, and today’s itinerary will take in the main ones, conveniently located within walking distance of each other in the middle of the island. The dark, damp, and mysterious Algar do Carvão Cave—the cavernous inside of an extinct volcano—is Terceira’s most famous attraction. A 5-minute drive away, the Natal Cave is a long underground tube formed by lava that beckons to be explored. In the middle of the two is the Furnas do Enxofre fumarole field, where a wooden walkway takes visitors through rolling hills pitted with steaming vents.
Graciosa
Day 6
From Terceira, make the short 30-minute hop by plane to petite Graciosa, the Azores’ second-smallest island and one of its less-visited. Classified a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Graciosa has one big attraction, a supersized Caldera: Hike around its verdant rim, taking in panoramic views, before taking a relaxing dip in the stunning Carapacho Natural Pools, cement tanks nestled in a breathtaking sheltered bay south of the Caldera. Head back to the tiny main town, Santa Cruz, stopping in its Main Church and Ethnographic Museum, before an authentic dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Return Home
Day 7
Pack your bags and prepare to bid a fond farewell to the Azores after a full trip.
With More Time
If you have more time to spend in the archipelago, head back to Terceira Island and take a short (35 minutes) interisland flight west to Pico and one of the triangle islands. It’s hard to miss Pico’s main attraction, the stratospheric Mount Pico, the highest mountain in Portugal, which dominates the skyline. You’ll need to stay at least two nights if you want to climb Mount Pico, which takes a full day. Otherwise, spend two days experiencing the island’s unique wine culture and taking a whale-watching trip. With even more time you can use Pico as a base to explore the triangle’s other two islands—Faial and São Jorge—traveling on the regular year-round ferries between the three.
Santa Maria Option
Given its proximity to São Miguel, the island of Santa Maria (the Azores’ most southwestern island) offers an opportunity to explore another one of the archipelago’s gems. Known as “Sunshine Island” for its white, sandy beaches, Santa Maria is typically drier and warmer than the other islands that make up the archipelago. Short flights (30 minutes) operate year-round between Santa Maria and São Miguel.
Plan your trip
Local Portugal author Carrie-Marie Bratley reveals how to experience the breathtaking and unspoiled islands that await just a short hop away from mainland Portugal with Moon Azores.
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