10 Days in the Azores: Our First-Time Itinerary

Ten days may sound like plenty of time for a small group of islands, but the Azores are not exactly around the corner. On our first trip, we spent eight full days on the islands: four days on São Miguel, three on Flores, and one full day travelling between the two. We also kept one day at each end for getting there and back.

This itinerary was planned as a road trip, with Ponta Delgada as our base on São Miguel and Lajes das Flores on Flores. Here is how we spent our first ten days in the Azores.

Day 1 — Arriving in Ponta Delgada

We arrived in Ponta Delgada in the evening and kept things simple: taxi to our accommodation, dinner and sleep. Ponta Delgada is a convenient base for exploring São Miguel, and the island's main sights are easily reached from the city.

Day 2 — Sete Cidades & Ferraria

• Pico do Carvão viewpoint — A great first look at São Miguel, with views towards both the northern and southern coasts.
• Lagoa das Empadadas — A quiet crater lake surrounded by dense pine forest and an excellent introduction to the island's incredibly green landscape.
• Grota do Inferno viewpoint — One of the most impressive viewpoints over the crater lakes of Sete Cidades.
• Vista do Rei — Another perspective over the famous blue and green lakes, with an abandoned hotel next to the viewpoint.
• Sete Cidades — A small lakeside village, perfect for a short walk and a snack.
• Mosteiros — A pleasant coastal village with a sandy beach and the restaurant O Américo do Barbosa to try lapas grilhada.
• Ponta da Ferraria — A very unusual natural pool where hot thermal water mixes with the cool Atlantic.

Day 3 — Pineapples, Lagoa do Fogo & Tea

• Pineapple plantation — Pineapples grow only in the Azores in Europe. We visited one of the greenhouses around Ponta Delgada (Plantação Ananases A Arruda, Ananás Santo António, and Plantação de Ananás dos Açores) and learned how the Azorean pineapple is grown.
• Lagoa do Fogo — The largest lake on São Miguel, sitting high on the Fogo mountain; we also walked down to its shore.
• Gorreana Tea Factory — We learned about tea production, which is unique to the islands in Europe, tasted freshly prepared tea and walked among the tea plants.
• Praia dos Moinhos — A large sandy beach where we stopped for a swim.
• Santa Iria viewpoint — One of our favourite views of São Miguel's northern coast.
• Associação Agrícola de São Miguel — The place for a very local steak dinner.

Day 4 — Furnas & Eastern São Miguel

• Fumarolas Lagoa das Furnas — Geothermal springs, bubbling water and sulphurous gases make this place feel like walking around a giant natural kettle.
• Poça da Dona Beija — A relaxing thermal bath surrounded by lush vegetation.
• Cozido das Furnas — A local dish cooked for hours in the heat of the geothermal springs.
• Caldeiras — More geothermal activity in the centre of Furnas.
• Ponta do Sossego — A beautifully maintained garden with spectacular views of the eastern coast.
• Ponta do Arnel — A lighthouse and small fishing harbour reached by a famously steep road.
• Praia do Fogo — A large sandy beach where we ended the day with an early evening swim.

Day 5 — Ponta Delgada

We left the car behind and explored the city on foot.

• Mercado da Graça — A local market where we bought pineapple, cheese and other local products.
• Portas da Cidade — The city's iconic gate, with a local story promising that you will return if you pass through it.
• Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião — The city's main church, right behind the city gate.
• Cafés & lunch — We explored a few local cafés and had lunch in the city.
• Museu Carlos Machado — A museum covering natural history and the geology of the islands.
• Parque Atlântico — A modern shopping centre, complete with a rather enormous whale model.

Day 6 — From São Miguel to Flores

We travelled from São Miguel to Flores by boat, but the service we used has since been discontinued. Today, we would recommend flying instead. It is much faster and, especially when travelling between islands, can save you a lot of valuable time.

Once on Flores, we would use the afternoon to explore Santa Cruz das Flores. The natural swimming pools by the sea are a good and relaxing introduction to the island.

Day 7 — Central Flores & Poço Ribeira do Ferreiro

Flores is a small island, but the weather can easily change your plans. Since we travelled without a car, our actual days did not follow a fixed order either. So rather than treating these as strict day-by-day instructions, consider this our ideal Flores itinerary — one that you can adjust depending on the weather.

• Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão — A small museum about the island's former whaling industry.
• Lagoa Funda viewpoint — A viewpoint overlooking several of Flores' crater lakes.
• Miradouro do Portal — A beautiful view towards the northern and western parts of the island.
• Poço Ribeira do Ferreiro — One of the most spectacular places on Flores, with numerous waterfalls running down a lush, green cliff.

Day 8 — Rocha dos Bordões & Fajã Grande

• Lajes das Flores — A southern coastal town with an important harbour and lighthouse.
• Rocha dos Bordões — A striking geological formation made up of basalt columns.
• Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau — A high waterfall near Fajã Grande where you can also take a swim.
• Fajã Grande — A small coastal village with a beach, a couple of restaurants and a tiny shop.

Day 9 — Northern Flores

Leave this day flexible and use it for whichever places you could not visit earlier because of the weather.

• Farol de Albarnaz — A lighthouse on the northern part of the island.
• Miradouro da Baía de Além — A panoramic viewpoint over the island's dramatic coastline.

The important thing about Flores is not to fight the weather. On our trip, it changed our plans more than once — but that also meant that we sometimes returned to places at a different time and saw them in completely different conditions.

Day 10 — Heading Home

We left Flores and headed home. One lesson we had already learned: on an island trip, it is wise to leave some extra time before an international flight. The weather can have its own plans.

Ten days later, we left the Azores with the distinct feeling that we had only scratched the surface.