The Azores

The Azores lie about 1,600 kilometers west of Portugal’s coast, in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean. They are already relatively close to the American continent, though still nearer to Europe. The archipelago is divided into three island groups spread across 650 kilometers of ocean:

  1. The first group: São Miguel, the largest island, and Santa Maria, the southernmost.
  2. The second group: Terceira, the second-largest island; the Triangle Islands—São Jorge, Faial, and Pico; and Graciosa, the isolated island to their north.
  3. The third group: Flores and Corvo, the smallest and westernmost islands, which geologically already belong to the American continent.


A trip to the Azores feels like stepping back in time to the dawn of creation, a kind of paradise of lush, unspoiled nature.
Water is everywhere, framed by the deep blue Atlantic, where whales and dolphins are often seen swimming. Since their discovery in the 15th century, the islands have served as a stopover on the route from Europe to America, and all the great explorers passed through them, including Columbus. They are highly agricultural islands, and today they also have a thriving tourism industry that draws many visitors, including from America, which is only about 4–5 hours away by air.

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Guides and information for the Azores

Everything you need to plan a trip to the Azores

How much time do you need for a trip to the Azores?

The Azores are among the most remote places in the world, so if you’re making the journey all the way here, it’s worth taking the time to experience as much as possible. A trip that covers the large island of São Miguel and one additional island will require at least 5 days. For a deeper trip that also includes two or three of the central islands, plan on a week.

The most popular attractions in the Azores

  • Whale-watching tours depart from almost every island
  • Volcanic geology, craters, and unusual rock formations can be found across the islands
  • Lagoa das Sete Cidades – the lakes inside the green craters on the large island of São Miguel
  • Ponta Delgada – the main city on São Miguel and effectively the capital of the entire archipelago
  • Terceira, the second-largest island, and its capital Angra do Heroísmo
  • Climbing Portugal’s highest mountain – the volcano on Pico
  • The cosmopolitan sailors’ capital of Horta on Faial
  • The cheeses of São Jorge and its beautiful capital, Velas
  • The westernmost islands, with unspoiled nature and waterfalls: Flores and Corvo

When is the best time to visit the Azores?

The Azores lie right in the heart of the Atlantic and are farther north than Madeira. Winters are windy and stormy, so the travel season runs from mid-spring through mid-fall. The best months for traveling are the driest ones, from mid-June to mid-August. Many attractions, along with flights and ferries, are limited or not operating at all outside the tourist season.

How should you plan an itinerary in the Azores?

There’s no single fixed route through the Azores, and seeing all of them in one trip is very difficult. The main exception is on dedicated cruises that provide a broad overview in a reasonable amount of time. As a rule, a first trip to the Azores can focus on the large island of São Miguel, and perhaps one more island. In most cases, almost any Azores itinerary will begin in São Miguel and its capital, Ponta Delgada.

More advanced itineraries are usually centered on the central islands. If you make it to one of these islands—São Jorge, Faial, or Pico—it’s worth visiting the other two as well, since they’re well connected by ferry.

Flores and Corvo, Santa Maria, and Graciosa are more isolated and don’t fit naturally into a broader route, so they’re best visited on a dedicated trip.

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