Discover the Magical Azores Islands

I don’t know about you, but I continue to find myself reminiscing of previous trips we’ve taken. Due to the COVID pandemic this year, we haven’t taken a plane since our trip to Australia in early January. However, this time last year, we had just returned from the magical Azores Islands.

I’d like to share that trip with you in this post and allow you to vicariously discover the Azores Islands. If you’ve by chance already been there, please drop a comment below and let me know what you saw and how you liked it!

Your first question may be, ‘Where are the Azores Islands?’. Even after living in Europe for almost 25 years, I had never heard of this destination. But one day I was browsing a travel brochure and there it was. I was SO IMPRESSED with the immense beauty of this place!

The Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal, situated in the Atlantic Ocean a thousand miles west of Lisbon. There are 9 islands of the Azores, called São Miguel, Terceira, Faial, Flores, Pico, Sao Jorge, Santa Maria, Graciosa, and Corvo.

The Azores are a true paradise for nature lovers (that’s me!). You will find bright green rolling fields, abundant blooming flowers, lakes, lagoons, volcanic cones and craters, rugged cliffs, clean air, and ocean everywhere you look.

Although it’s not a typical island vacation with warm tropical weather, the climate is very pleasant year around. The average temperature during summer time is 22°C (72F) and 14°C (57F) in winter.

When I first discovered that this magical paradise existed, I immediately started researching how to get there. I found it very expensive and not so practical for flights from where we live in Switzerland. I abandoned the idea for a few years until I saw a great tour package offer to visit the Azores.

The tour was offered by a company called NetTours. We went through the company based in Switzerland. It was a group tour with 20 other people, all from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. If you want to read more about group tour packages, you should check out my post on Tour Packages – Pros and Cons.

Our one-week organized tour included the following:

• charter flight from Geneva to the Azores, by way of Lisbon, Portugal
• four nights hotel in Ponta Delgada on the Island of São Miguel
• one day excursion on São Miguel
• short flight to the island of Pico
• three nights hotel in Pico
• one day excursion on Pico
• half-day boat excursion from Pico to the island of Faial
• flight back to Geneva

Day 1 – Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island

On the first day, we arrived at Ponta Delgada, the capital of Sao Miguel. This harbor town was very scenic with nice architecture, narrow mosaic cobbled streets, water fountains, and monuments. There is a nice marina with many options for seafood meals. We walked all over the town and enjoyed spending the four nights here and sampling the restaurants.

Day 2 – Sete Cidades, Sao Miguel Island

The second day was a free day. We rented a car from our hotel and drove to the nearby Sete Cidades, the massive volcanic crater on the western side of the island. This crater has two lakes called Lagoa Azul (blue lake) and Lagoa Verde (green lake). Local lore says that these twin crater lakes were formed by the tears shed by a pair of star-crossed lovers, a green-eyed princess and a blue-eyed shepherd.

After passing gorgeous views along the island’s northern coastline, we arrived to the crater area and found a nearby place to park. We walked to the lookout point called Visto do Rei. You can’t miss it because it is right next to a huge abandoned hotel that offers some of the best views of the two lakes.

You are not supposed to enter the abandoned hotel grounds, but everyone was doing it. I had read about this graffiti-covered hotel when doing my research. So, yes, we found our way up to the top of the hotel roof to get the best view of the two lakes and the crater. It was an adventure!

Before our trip, I tried to find some nice hikes in this region. I used this website to find where we could do some short walks. We spent our first day doing two easy hikes in this area to get different views of the impressive crater and lakes. It was a pleasant day with sun and mild temperatures.

One of the walks we did in this area was by the Lagoa do Canario (above picture) and around to a lookout point called ‘Miradouro da Boca do Inferno‘ (shown below). There were quite a few people on this trail and difficult to get photos without peeps in them, but the view was AMAZING!

After enjoying this enchanted area for several hours, we headed off in our rental car to explore the west coast of the island. We stopped off at Ponta da Ferraria to check out the natural hot spring pool next to the ocean. There were many people swimming here but we opted to observe.

We then drove a bit further to Mosteiros to see the sunset by the rocky coastline and huge rocks in the water. It was very tranquil in this spot and no people around!

Day 3 – Furnas and Tea Plantation, Sao Miguel Island

For the next day, we were able to relax in the tour bus and be driven around another part of the island.

During this full-day guided excursion on Sao Miguel Island, we visited the southern coastline and the Furnas area with its beautiful lake, botanical garden, and hot springs. The town of Furnas has a placid crater lake next to hot springs. 

We stopped at the Terra Nostra Park (an 18th-century estate) where we had free time to walk around this lush botanical garden. We had the option to swim in the hot spring lake but decided against it when we saw the odd muddy color of the water. Other people were brave enough to do it though!

The thermal spring supplying the pool has a temperature between 35-40 degrees Celsius (95-104 degrees Fahrenheit) and provides its visitors a sensation of rest and relaxation while soaking in essential minerals.

After enjoying our stroll in the park, we then went to visit the area of Furnas to see the lake and nearby volcanic boiling pots.

Azoreans use the thermal heat from the ground to slow-cook (for 6-7 hours) their traditional cozido, a stew of meat and vegetables.

Afterward, we were able to sample this traditional Azorean meal during our lunch at the famous restaurant called ‘Tony’s’. It was very interesting to see how they served the massive platter of meat. Although not so pleasing to the eye, it was quite tasty!

Our next stop after lunch was at the Gorreana Tea Factory on the north side of Sao Miguel island. This is the only tea factory in Europe and has been in place since 1883.

We were able to taste the different teas and have a relaxing break here during our full-day tour.

Day 4 – Exploring Eastern Sao Miguel Island

The following day, we took again a rental car to check out more of the eastern side of the island. We saw many finely-manicured parks and cliffside views.

I had done my research into the highlights to see in this part of the island. Our first stop was to see the waterfall at the Parque Natural dos Caldeirões. We walked along the flowering bushes and up close to the waterfall for some nice photo opportunities.

Our next stop was a park called Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego. I couldn’t believe how many hydrangeas they had still bloomed in September. Pink and blue hydrangeas lined the paths and roadsides.

The good thing about going to the Azores in September is that there were few tourists. We didn’t encounter much traffic at all on the island roads.

Day 5 – Flight to Pico Island

On the fifth day of our trip, we took a 40-minute flight from Sao Miguel island to reach the island of Pico. We spent the next three nights on this smaller island.

We arrived at our hotel in Madalena in the early afternoon and had free time for the rest of the day. We walked from our hotel to do a 9 km tour along the volcanic coast and through the vineyards surrounded by volcanic rock walls.

This area is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you will see small rectangular plots with black basalt (lava stones), apparently a centuries-old practice. The rock walls help to protect the vines from the ocean winds and saltwater spray and also keep the grapes warmer.

It was a warm day (23c/73f), and we saw beautiful views looking across at Faial island from the west coast of Pico. We were even able to stop for a quick dip in the ocean before having a delightful sunset dinner at a seaside restaurant called O’Ancoradouro outside of Madalena.

Day 6 – Tour of Pico Island

For this day, we had another guided tour on the bus to see different spots on Pico island.

We stopped at Cachorro, a small port area surrounded by basalt buildings where they make and store wine. The rocks form the figure of a dog, which gives this area its name, “Cachorro” (meaning “dog” in Portuguese).

We drove up to the highest point to see the impressive volcano. Mountt Pico is Portugal’s highest mountain at 7,713 feet (2,351 meters).

Day 7 – Tour of Faial Island

Our final day of touring before heading home was a half-day boat excursion to Faial, the island just next to Pico. It was a nice change to take a boat ride. We saw lovely views looking back onto Pico with the towering volcano.

The first place we were driven in our tour bus was to the highest spot and center of the island to see the huge Caldeira. This Caldeira is the crater site of the volcano that created the island of Faial. It is 400 meters deep and 2 km in diameter. We stood on the side to look down into the crater but it was mostly covered with low clouds.

Our next stop was on the island’s western tip to visit the site of Capelinhos, the last volcano to erupt in the Azores in 1958. It is now a very dry, dark-colored landscape next to the ocean.

The Lighthouse of Ponta dos Capelinhos was constructed in the late 19th century and is an iconic symbol on the island.

The visitor center is located below the lighthouse. It has a great museum that explains how the volcanos were formed and erupted.

At the end of the tour, we had some free time in the town of Horta. We walked around the colorful town and harbor area. Along the pier, you will see large murals of paintings.

It could be considered ‘sea art’, a bit like street art, but painted directly on the marina and concrete walls surrounding it. There are thousands of unique art pieces serving as postcards or stamps from all the sailors and travelers passing through here.

We stopped off in the famous ‘Peter Café Sport’ for a ‘Gin do Mar’ (their specialty drink made with a slice of lemon, diced ice, 0.50 cl Peter’s Gin and tonic water). Delish!

We returned back by boat to Pico and then flew back home to Switzerland the next day. What a delightful trip we had to the Azores Islands!

Discover the Magical Azores Islands

I would definitely recommend a visit to this hidden paradise in the Atlantic Ocean. If you enjoy nature and hiking, you will have plenty of opportunities here. These islands won’t offer a typical exotic beach vacation, but you will take great pleasure in admiring the fascinating landscapes and learning the history of this Portuguese archipelago.

If you liked this post, please SHARE it and PIN the below picture to Pinterest!

If you are interested in other places in Portugal, you’ll want to check out the below pages or posts where I show pictures and describe my other trips in Portugal.

• Portugal page
• Best Getaway Beaches
• Tips for your Best Family Trips

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

MY FAVORITE PRODUCTS… I get asked often which products I use when traveling so I created a page of all my favorite products. You can check it out here