São Miguel is the biggest in the Azores, home to around 70,000 people and populated since the year 1444. Vila Franca do Campo was the original capital of the island, but it was flattened by a huge earthquake and landslide in 1522 that killed around 5000 people. Afterwards the capital was moved to Ponta Delgada, which had begun life as a simple safe haven for ships en route to and from India.
These days Ponta Delgada is the biggest city in the Azores. You can expect ancient whitewashed buildings, ornate convents and churches, cobblestone streets and secret squares, along with a lovely boulevard for romantic seashore walks. Now more than 500 years old, the city has such a lot to offer visitors. Here’s a guide to some of the most popular things to do and see in Ponta Delgada.
Saint Sebastian’s Church – Dating back to the 1500s,this splendid Gothic style church has a particularly photogenic doorway. Inside there’s a feast of beautiful blue azulejo tiles and beautifully made Brazilian jacaranda wood pews.
Forte de São Brás typifies Portuguese military architecture, a massive chunk of a structure dating back to the 1500s, built to deter privateers and pirates in a strategic position near the sea. These days it is the HQ of Azores Military Command, containing a military museum and a WW1 monument.There’s more WW1 stuff to see on the island. You might want to visit Ermida da Mãe de Deus chapel, built to replace an earlier chapel flattened during the First World War and offering marvellous views to photograph.
Jesuit College Church is made from the local grey basalt rock with whitewashed detailing, ornate from the outside and magnificent inside with its intricately carved golden altar, the biggest in Portugal. The Order of the Jesuits fled, sent away by the Portuguese Prime Minister, Marquês de Pombal, in the mid-1700s, who stole its collection of treasures.
The Carlos Machado Museum weaves the fascinating tale of the fishing and farming industries on the island over 500 years, revealed inside the old Saint Andrew Monastery. It also features some amazing paintings by local artist Domingos Rebelo, who died in 1975, along with plenty of natural history exhibits. There are also collections to explore at Santo André Convent, Santa Bárbara Museological Centre, and the Religious Art Museological Centre inside the Jesuit College Church. Walk this way for exhibits of nature, paintings, sculptures, religious art and ethnography.
The António Borges Garden is the ultimate in romance, a gorgeous place full of lush planting, winding pathways, caves, ponds and pools. Named after António Borges Medeiros, a keen 1800s amateur botanist, it’s full of the strange, weird and wonderful species he introduced to the island. It makes a lovely, serene walk, a great place to linger surrounded by nature. Then there’s Jardim Botânico José do Canto, another gorgeous botanical garden to enjoy. It’s full of HUGE trees and there’s a 1700s manor house, old greenhouse, chapel and wonderful stairway to admire.
Seven Cities Lake consists of two huge lakes separated by a thin strip of land, filling a dramatic dormant volcanic crater. There’s a legend attached to this beautiful place: a princess fell in love with a shepherd but her father forbade her from seeing him. The couple were devastated. Their tears formed two lakes, one green for the princess’s eyes and the other blue for the shepherd’s eyes. Make your way to Pico do Carvão for panoramic views of both lakes.
Furnas Valley is home to the spectacular Caldeira das Furnas with its hot springs and famous Furnas stew cooked underground in the volcanic heat. There are stunning views of the lake and the vegetation is rich and verdant.
Terra Nostra Park is home to exotic plants and trees and there’s a natural hot swimming pool to take a dip in. Because the area is so rich in iron the water is an orangey brown colour, which looks strange but actually feels wonderful!
Lake of Fire is the island’s second biggest, right in the middle of the island inside an enormous volcanic crater. There are walks to follow that take you to the best views and there’s even a little white sandy beach inside the crater itself, a little bit of extraordinary Azorean magic.
5th of October Square is dominated by an enormous Renaissance Fortress, the Fortaleza de São Brás. The square’s Hope Convent contains more of the famous blue and white Portuguese ceramic tiles dating from the 1700s and some interesting religious treasures. This square is where you’ll also find the Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres Festival, held on the fifth Sunday after Easter every year, when a glittering gold and red statue of Jesus is carried through the streets. The Santuário de Nosso Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres faces the square too, dating back to the 1500s, stacked with gilded wood and more gorgeous glazed tiles, more than 400 years old and just as beautiful as when they were made.
Mercado da Graça market has been going since the 1800s, packed with local and regional treats.
The Gruta do Carvão cave originated through volcanic activity, featuring the biggest lava tunnel on the island along with stalactites, stalagmites more volcanic drama. This place is genuinely mind-blowing with its vast green mouth and spooky solidified lava flows. It’s also pretty spooky, an all-too-clear reminder of the volcanic violence that created the island and formed the entire archipelago.
You’ll find brilliant Arte Urbana – AKA street art – all over Ponta Delgada. You’ll find the best works along Rua de Lisboa, Rua Eng. Abel Ferin Coutinho, Rua 6 de Junho and Rua de São João. Then there’s the Azores Arts Festival, which has been going since 2011 and offers all sorts of exciting exhibitions, concerts and events in the city itself and surrounding areas.
Portas da Cidade was built in 1783, consisting of three huge, graceful arches and known for being the city’s most recognisable landmark. The archways feature both the carved royal coat of arms and the city’s coat of arms in contrasting white marble and black basalt. And the lovely Igreja de São Sebastião, the city’s main church, dates back to the mid 1500s, just a stone’s throw away in Largo da Matriz square.
Miradouro Pico do Carvão lies around 9 miles from the city, with astonishing views from the volcano’s top across the island. Here’s where you’ll find the beautiful Carvão Aqueduct, built to ferry water from Lagoa do Canário and Lagoa das Empadadas lakes to the city. Lagoa do Canário and Miradouro da Boca do Inferno also offer beautiful views over the Lagoa das Sete Cidades, Lagoa de Santiago and Lagoa Rasa.
Miradouro da Vista do Rei lies to the south of the Lagoa das Sete Cidades, offering panoramic vistas of the lagoon, the Caldeira Seca, Caldeira do Alferes and the village of Sete Cidades. Venture further out of the city for even more views to die for from other miradouros. You could easily spend a week touring the island’s miradouros and taking photos, falling in love with the Azorean landscapes all over again each time.
While the viewpoints are scattered around the landscape, island-wide visual treats to find your way to, the city itself is small enough to explore every corner on foot, giving you a real feel for the way people live on this spectacular island. We just wish we were there…!
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