The Azores — the Hawaii of the Atlantic
As Portugal was hugely trending this year, we looked for a way to escape the crowds and still take in this amazing country. Enter the Azores, a nine island archipelago about a 2.5-hour flight from mainland Portugal and still quite off-the-radar. Here you can find hot springs, crater lakes, beaches, valleys and spectacular viewpoints; making it one of the Atlantic’s best-kept secrets.
São Miguel is the largest of the islands. Its capital city Ponta Delgado is a great base to explore.
Great for… unwinding in nature.
Not so great for… party-animals seeking Ibiza-style nightclubs and bars.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the Azores weather-wise is from June to September. However, in order to avoid the crowds (and therefore the high prices), May is also a great option — which is when we went there. In general, the Azores are known for their unpredictable weather, so bring layers, sunscreen and a raincoat. Also, make sure to check Spot Azores before heading off anywhere. With this website and mobile app, you can check live webcams and chase the sun all around the islands.
Getting there and around
The easiest way to get to the Azores is by plane. Direct flights exist from countries like Spain, Denmark, the UK and the United States. For all others, you’ll have to fly into mainland Portugal first. If you fly with TAP or SATA/Azores airlines, you may be eligible for a free connecting flight to another island! The airlines don’t really publicise this fact. But a local friend told us all you need to do is call up the airline and tell them you want to take advantage of the offer, so they can issue you the tickets. The hook is that the free ticket is only valid within the first 24 hours of your São Miguel arrival and departure flights.
In terms of getting around once you’ve arrived, it’s almost a must to get a car. Public transport is not a forte here and having a car will allow you to make the most of your time on the island. Roads are in great condition and everything is within a 30–45 minutes drive from main city Ponta Delgado. However, book your car early (2–3 months in advance)! We used Autotlantis, but Micauto is the other regional provider. Both usually have the best prices on the island.
Where to stay
Since we rented a car, we decided to book one place in Ponta Delgada through Airbnb, which we used as our base for the week. We had a lovely studio apartment including balcony. Our host, Nuno, was extremely forthcoming and made sure that we had all we needed for our stay. This place even had an indoor car park which made it super accessible and safe. We do recommend you book your trip months in advance since accommodations and rental cars get booked up pretty quickly. You can find the place where we stayed here on Google Maps or directly here on Airbnb.
Top attractions and activities
São Miguel has great, well-maintained, scenic hiking trails. Check out Azores Trails for information about difficulty, distances and landscapes covered. We enjoyed the following 3 a lot:
Chá Gorreana. São Miguel is one of the few locations in Europe where tea is still being cultivated. Have a beautiful walk around the plantation, pet one of the many goats roaming around and grab a cup of free organic tea afterwards. — Easy walk, 1 hour
Salto do Prego. This slightly more remote and lesser-known waterfall makes for a great half-day hike. With your car, you can drive down into the tiny village of Faial da Terra and leave your car along the street or on one of the designated parking spots somewhere around here. Starting your hike is easy and we recommend following the stream upwards. There are clear signs that show you the way and you’ll eventually make it to Salto do Prego after about 1–1.5 hours. If you have time and if the weather is nice, the waterfall is a great stop to have a picnic, relax or even take a dip in the cold water. On your way back, we suggest taking an alternative route (also marked on the path) that leads you through a very cute village and down to your car again.
Lagoa das Furnas. Combine this hike with a visit of the Furnas at the bottom, which are hot springs giving off a strong smell of sulphur. Locals actually cook food in containers that they bury in the ground here! You will start your hike near the parking lot of the hot springs. You will see a sign that reads Miradouro do Pico do Ferro which is the viewpoint this hike leads to. The ascent is relatively steep, so bring good shoes (we did it in sneakers and it was fine) but don’t attempt to do this in flipflops. Once you reach the viewpoint after about 1–1.5 hours, you’ll get to enjoy an incredible view over Lagoa das Furnas. Since you can also drive up to the viewpoint from the other side, don’t expect to be all by yourself up there. Once you are ready to continue, make your way along the top of the mountain and then down to the Lagoa das Furnas again. On the way, you will pass some abandoned buildings and pass through beautiful forests. For drone pilots, this hike offers great scenery.
We have listed more attractions which you can reach easily by car and which we enjoyed a lot below. Note that all attractions can get a bit crowded during peak hours. So deciding where to go in the morning and leaving before the crowds makes for better pictures and a more relaxed experience.
Hotel abandonado, Monte Palace. Now famous for all the great Instagram shots you can take here this abandoned hotel went out of business many years ago. The sometimes harsh weather in the Azores has taken its toll on the building and we recommend you only go in there with good shoes. You will have to find your way in either from the front or from the back walking across the parking lot. Be mindful that wild dogs are strolling around there as well and that it’s basically forbidden to enter. For drone pilots, this spot actually offers a good location to start your drone and take stunning images of Lagoa Verde.
More things you can do
We spent a total of 5 days in the Azores and felt like we had plenty of time to explore the main site and also go off the beaten track and visit less accessible locations such as the Salto do Prego. While we were in the Azores, we also saw that you can do the following:
Biking. You can rent mountain bikes or road cycles around many of the lakes on the island. We didn’t see designated mountain biking trails or indicators, but some of trails that we walked could be done by a good mountain biker. As for the road cyclists among our readers, there are bike rentals available in Ponta Delgada where you can pick up a bike and get going. In terms of roads, you will have more options in the east than the west, where only the ring road leads around the island. Prices start from around 20 Euros per day for a basic bike and can double for the higher-end versions.
Rentals: Rent a Bike
Trails and tours: Trailforks and Sacredrides
Canoeing. You can rent a canoe for as low as 30EUR/day or around 8EUR/hour. Many of the larger lakes that we visited had a canoe rental place somewhere around them.
Consider yourself lucky if you get to see the Lago do Fogo on a clear day. It’s quite rare as it is so high up on the island. Thankfully, we were able to and it was absolutely breathtaking! Park your car and hike down to the lake. The trail is not as good as most trails on the island, but definitely worthwhile. There are usually not many people on the lakeshore and if you walk a bit further, you’ll most likely be able to get a stretch to yourself. You could spend an afternoon here sunbathing and relaxing.
Lagoa do Congro is relatively off the beaten track compared to Sete Cidades, Furnas and Fongro. It’s a smaller lake, but definitely still worth a visit. Walk down to the lake for about 15–20 minutes and experience the silence by the shorefront, which is only disturbed by the occasional fish splashing in the lake and birds chirping. Wonderfully serene.
Nordeste is the most remote and wild part of the island. Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego and Miradouro da Ponta da Madrugada are two fantastic viewpoints with a little garden around them. A bit further north is a lighthouse Farol do Arnel that is also worth a look. The path down is very steep, so only drive down if you are really comfortable with your car. We passed by a group that got stuck at the bottom. Not sure how long they ended up having to wait for help...
Where to eat
A must-go for any meat-lover is the Associação Agrícola. This restaurant was recommended by our local friend, who said it’s the best steak in Portugal. We don’t disagree! A bit more expensive for Azorean standards, this is one of the best places we’ve visited to get a juicy, tender steak. Opt for the most expensive cut (approx. Euro 24 for 400g). Served with a fried egg and a side of fries. Not suitable for vegetarians.
Bar Caloura is a great place for fresh seafood. Aim to get there relatively early to ensure a seat outside with the beautiful ocean view.
As we were out exploring or hiking during most days, we bought sandwich ingredients from the supermarket at the beginning of our trip and made sure to pack a lunch every day. So much more convenient to make sure you don’t lose time during the day searching for a place to have lunch!
Drones on the Azores
Last but not least, here a few things to consider if you have a drone.
You can find out all about the drone regulations on the Azores here. The most critical points are:
- you can fly your drone on the Azores and there is no requirement for a permission
- don’t fly the drone higher than 120m
- keep visual contact at all times
- don’t fly over gatherings of people larger than 12 persons
All in all, just be responsible when using your drone. Don’t harm people, disturb animals or risk your own safety for a shot. It’s not worth it!
