The Azores are magical every step of the way whether you visit just the one island or take a few weeks to explore them all – and that’s what it takes; the archipelago spans several hundred miles and travelling between the islands requires plenty of time.
This place is worth savouring, worth slowing down and smelling the coffee for, and every island has its own unique charm. So let’s dive in and give you a hand deciding which Azores islands to experience and which Azores tours to book .
An overview of the Azores
A holiday in the Azores majors on the spectacular. The landscapes are spectacular, as are the flora and fauna, the seas, the skies, and everything else. BIG drama is the name of the game thanks to the islands’ violent volcanic past, together creating a scenic feast not to be missed.
Think legendary hiking in extraordinary places, soothing hot springs, fabulous food and wine, and the wonderful climate created by the warming Gulf Stream that flows around the archipelago, creating temperatures reaching a balmy 50C to 70C all year.
The Azores archipelago contains a total of nine very different islands, offering everything from landscapes that look very like the mellow British countryside to Mars-like areas dotted with still-active volcanoes. Other islands feature palm trees and tropical jungle and jagged rocky coastlines.
As a first-timer, you might enjoy the island of Sao Miguel best, giving you a flavour of the delights to come on other islands and easy to get to because most international flights land there. One expert tip: if you fancy exploring further afield but you’re time-limited it’s best to stick to the one island since inter-island travel isn’t always reliable, often delayed or cancelled.
On the other hand if you’re determined to visit more than one island, Pico, Faial and Sao George make an exceptional trio, with ferries running between all three and journey times of less than an hour. They also happen to be very different, so you experience more of the island group’s famous variety in one trip. If that’s on your radar you’ll love Pico for the cuisine and the wine, Faial for sailing, and Sao George for gorgeous cheese as well as off-the-beaten-track adventures.
Here are our recommendations, with ‘best of’ lists attached to help you decide.
Love discovering great wines? Head for Pico
The Azores are famed for their wines but Pico takes the grand prize for tourists who love to test drive the lovely flavours of island-grown grapes. The wine here is affordable for a start, which is always a good thing!
Both Pico and Sao Miguel have vineyards. The Quinta da Jardinete vineyard on Sao Miguel is open for visitors, giving you a fascinating insight into the way the grapes are grown, harvested and made into wine.
On Pico they started making wine in the 1500s and carried on for 300 years before the vines started dying and the wine making stopped. Now it’s started up again, and to mark the return UNESCO has named the island’s Vineyard Culture a World Heritage site.
The Azores island best-loved for its beaches
Sao Miguel offers more than twenty stunning beaches, making it a haven for classic sun, sea and sand holidays in a particularly exotic location. If pure brilliant white sand is your thing head for Santa Maria Island where the beaches are the ultimate in Instagrammable.
Faial and Terceira islands also offer beautiful stretches of sand to enjoy, with Praia do Porto Pim a hot favourite on Faial and the beach at Praia da Vitória a particularly nice choice if you’re on Terceira, where there’s also a luxury marina, restaurants and more.
8 of the best Azores beaches
- Praia de Santa Barbara on Sao Miguel
- Faja da caldeira de santo Cristo on Sao Jorge
- Praia Porto Pim on Faial
- The Islet of Vila Frabca do Campo
- Praaia do Almoxarife on Faial
- Praia de Agua D’Alto on Sao Miguel
- Praia do Canto da Areja on Pico
- Praia Formosa on Santa Maria
Food, wine and partying in the Azores
Sao Miguel is your destination for a dazzling choice of restaurants and eateries, a place where imaginative cuisine is king. Go to Ponta Delgada for the finest eateries. Pico comes a close second with its own exciting scene for dedicated foodies.
Perfect for late-night revellers, Sao Miguel and Faial offer loads of late night fun, in Faial’s case centred around the city of Horta.
4 places to enjoy awesome food on Sao Miguel
- Otaka in Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel, with heavenly sashimi, excellent seafood and desserts to die for
- A Tasca in Ponta Delgado, a firm favourite for tasty tapas
- Cais 20 on Sao Miguel, complete with amazing views
- Bar Caloura, offering superb seafood set against the south coast’s stunning natural views
3 cool bars to while the time away on Sao Miguel
- Head to Raiz Bar for live music late into the wee small hours
- While an evening away at Tasca Do Mário, where there’s genuine Fado music played live
- Sample the vibe at trendy Arco 8, whose art gallery and regular live music events make a night out special
Soothe your spirit in Azores hot springs
If volcanic hot springs are your thing, Sao Miguel rules. There’s a total of eight of them on the island, each created by volcanic activity at three sites: Furnas, Fogo and Sete. They’re equally amazing, so take your pick and chill, chill, chill.
The 6 best Sao Miguel hot springs
- Termas da Ferraria
- Termas das Caldeiras
- Caldeira Velha
- Poca Dona Beija
- Furnas Boutique hotel
- Terra Nostra Park
Hiking in the Azores
Sao Miguel offers the largest choice of hiking routes in the Azores, and it’s probably the best if you want to walk the rims of dramatic crater lakes. For those of you who prefer your hiking more remote and secluded, hop over to Sao George for some genuinely challenging walks off the beaten track.
The landscapes are extraordinary, the air is super-fresh, the views mind-blowing, and walking is always one of the simplest and best ways to get a feel for a new country- and a deeper understanding of its extraordinary beauty.
7 magical hikes in the Azores
- The Pico Mountainb Trail on Pico island – short at just under 4 miles but very tough
- Faja dos Cubre on Sao Jorge, just over six miles with awe-inspiring ocean and mountain views
- The magnificent Loagoa do Fogo Trail on Sao Miguel – Moderately challenging, just under 4 miles past a blue, blue lake
- Janela do Inferno on Sao Miguel – Less than 5 miles and a moderately hard walk with unforgettable vistas
- The Salto do Prego waterfall trail on Sao Miguel, just 2.5 miles and an easy walk including quaint wooden bridges, ending up at a rushing jungly waterfall
- Poco da Ribeira do Ferreiro on Ilha das Flores – Less than a mile and an easy hike through rich green landscapes studded with waterfalls
- The Miradouro da Boca do Inferno trail on San Miguel – 1.5 miles of easy walking territory overlooking a massive volcanic crater
Azores adrenaline-busters Every island in the Azores group offers watersports and outdoor activities, with Sao Miguel the star of the show. There’s everything from cycling to climbing, hiking to kayaking, canyoning and horse rides, plus paragliding, great golf, and of course watching the whales that love the seas around here, an unusual variety of species.
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