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Select an island for more information.
Santa Maria-
Santa Maria lies about 50 miles from São Miguel and is the southern most island of the Azores. On a map, Santa Maria's shape looks a bit like Australia. Geologists believe that the island is the oldest in the Azores, and is the only one not created by ancient volcanic eruptions. It has the fewest foggy days, the most sun, and the best beaches, most with little or no surrounding development. The landscape of Santa Maria is a green and yellow quilt of small farms, yellow sandy beaches, and charming small villages painted blue and white. The houses are famed for their soaring chimneys. The main town of Vila do Porto is the oldest settlement in the Azores. Its streets are lined with fine old homes. Santa Maria is home to the peak at Pico Alto, which is the highest point of the island, and São Loren Resort, a seaside area with a fine beach and natural swimming pools.
The most common way to get to Santa Maria is by plane, but from May to October you can get there by ferry from São Miguel.
São Miguel-
The biggest, most diverse, and most populated island in the Azores, São Miguel is known for its volcanic lakes, sulfur-spring spa, historic towns, beaches, and mountains. The capital of the Azores, São Miguel is called the "Green Island." Its long coastline is dotted with beaches, seaside villages, and mountain cliffs. Inland, the topography is breathtaking and changes quite suddenly.
Ponta Delgada is the island's main city, and the largest city in the Azores. Its tidy black and white sidewalks are lined with historic homes, convents, and public buildings.
There are also numerous restaurants, many offering local seafood. A long main street is busy with local stores and shops, and the city has excellent hotels in all price ranges.
Ponta Delgada makes a fine base to explore the island, and the city is easily seen on foot. There is also a tourist trolley that takes the visitors to all the main sites. The city's numerous gardens burst with the diverse vegetation that blooms in the Azores unique climate.
What many consider to be the highlight of a visit to the Azores is Sete Cidades, a village with two lagoons inside an extinct volcanic crater. The connected lagoons are two distinct colors - blue and green. From the Vista do Rei viewpoint, the twin lakes look too lovely to be real. The northwestern coast of the island is both rugged and charming, with a cliff-strewn shore, and heated thermal pools.
The northeastern coast of Nordeste was, until recently, the most isolated section of the island. The roads are mountainous, with endless vistas of sea and cliffs. This is a wonderful place to explore by bicycle. Pico do Carvão near the center of the island has extended views of São Miguel and out to sea. Lagoa do Fogo park offers views of the island, and the clear green lake at the center of the extinct crater. Furnas, the Azores' most famous resort town, offers fine lodging, a spa, thermal baths, 23 different varieties of mineral waters, famous breads, geyser cooking, nearby beaches and a thermal lake. Add to that the only tea plantations in Europe, which produce excellent teas, processing the leaves on vintage 19th-century English machinery. The eastern and southern coasts offer lots of fine beaches and small fishing towns, where one can enjoy a bottle of local wine with the days catch. Vila Franca do Campo has a seaside main street, with the fishing port in the old fortress. There is beach, and small lava hill of the coast, which can be reached by boat. Other beaches are to be found at Ribeira Quente, Povoação, Lagoa, and Caloura.
Terceira-
Terceira is the edge of the central group of the Azores, discovered in 1450. Called Terceira because it was the third Azorean island to be discovered, Terceira was a very important harbor in centuries past, and the main city of Angra do Heroísmo prospered with international commerce. Today, Terceira and Angra are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with well-preserved streets and monuments. Set on a bay, the city is a wonderful mix of the cosmopolitan and the traditional.
The big tradition on Terceira is bullfighting. There are literally hundreds of traditional Portuguese and Azorean bullfights each summer.
When visiting Terceira, the interior of the island is as important as the coast. Its wild and hilly landscape is well suited for walks and hikes. Much of the interior is now a natural reserve. From the heights of the Serra do Cume, the patchwork of small farms, stone walls and grazing cattle is enchanting. The coast has beaches, lava rocks, and fishing towns. To the north there is a rocky coast, and a mix of forest and vineyards. To the south, there are cattle grazing lands, and the coastal area around Angra, with its parks and hotels. The wide bay and beach at the pretty town of Praia da Vitoria are well worth a visit, as is the volcanic lake at Caldeira de Guilherme Moniz, which is the biggest one in the Azores.
Graciosa-
The small and hilly island of Graciosa was discovered in 1450. Soon, the island's green fields were drawing people from throughout Portugal and Flanders. While Graciosa has not seen volcanic activity in some 500 years, the island has active geysers. Called the white island, there are low hills at the center of the island around a series of extinct volcano craters. Azoreans know Graciosa for its fine wines and brandy produced from Isabela grapes. Farmers work to keep the land balanced, with wine and other crops grown in a complementary way. Dairy cows are abundant, as are the oxen, which work the fields.
The grottos at Algar do Carvão run deep into the red earth, and the sulfur cavern at Furna do Enxofre lead from an ancient crater into a lava cave with an underground lake. The sea sustains the people of Graciosa, who fish in small wooden boats, catching all types of fish, seafood, shellfish, and even seaweed for export. Graciosa has a reputation for small craftshops producing handmade embroidery and linens.
Graciosa is within the central group of the Azores. Most likely sailors from Terceira where the first to find the island. Santa Cruz da Graciosa is the main town, with many fine churches that date from the 16th and 18th-centuries. If you go to Graciosa, visit the Caldeirinha where you can enjoy vast views from Terceira to Faial, and the thermal mineral springs at Termas do Carapacho spa, where visitors can soak in sea waters that are said to cure bone and skin diseases.
São Jorge-
Long, narrow, relatively flat, and lightly settled, São Jorge is a perfect hiking destination. The lack of major roads, the open interior, and the abundance of trails makes São Jorge an idyllic hiking escape.
But, any Portuguese will tell you the most important thing about São Jorge are its amazing cheeses. Its famous São Jorge cheese is the very reason the island is so open. The rolling green pastures are home to São Jorge's cows. São Jorge cheese is made in the oldest of traditions and is of the highest of quality. As a result, the island is rural, and charming, with wonderful views and green fields.
The two main towns, both on the warm southern coast, are Velas and Calheta. They both offer fine old churches, palaces, and homes. Surrounding both towns, various manor homes may be found. Because of the island's agricultural past, most towns are nearer to the cliffs of the central plain than to the sea. The reason being that this gave better access to the fields. In the seaside town of Urzelina, a half-ruined church is all that remains from a 1808 volcanic eruption. The people of São Jorge are known for being hard workers and skilled craftspeople, and are also known for their folksongs. Pico da Esperança is the island's highest point where you can see the islands of the central group. The botanical forest park of Sete Fontes is a wonderful stop for a picnic, just don't forget the cheese.
Pico-
Pico (Peak) is the obvious choice of name for the highest point in all of Portugal. The second longest island in the Azores, Pico remains largely forested. The volcanic explosions that built Pico are visible in the island's wild landscapes, soaring peaks, and black cliffs that drop into the sea. Hiking is abundant, and trails soar up the mountain and along the coast, with spectacular views. Ancient lava flows are frozen in solid rock, in areas called misterios. Pico is known for its excellent wine.
All along the coastal rim of the island, two foot walls shield the grapes from the sea and elements, to produce a unique vintage with a hint of lava. In the 19th-century, even the czars of Russia sent ships here to bring back the volcanic wines of Pico. Yet, it is the sea-faring culture that so defines this place. The sea, which this island dominates, drew people to whaling and now to tuna fishing.
Some intriguing places to visit are Escalada ao Pico (where tourists can scale Portugal's highest mountain), and Quinta da Rosas, a forest park with exotic species. The interior of Pico is mostly natural park, and the trials are well marked. The climb up to the 7,700 foot summit can take up to 3 hours, and the views are worth it. But, many days the peak is covered in clouds. On clear days, it can be seen from surrounding islands, with its lava cone rising above the massive volcano. Pico once had a busting whaling trade, and two museums mark the history of this industry. In Lajes, and excellent museum traces how the people of Pico took to the seas in tiny boats to land huge whales. Whale watching in the Azores began here, and Espaço Talassa was the first company to take visitors on the ride of a lifetime. In São Roque, a former whale processing plant shows how industrial whaling was carried out. Most villages are set along the sea, with houses made of black stone, joined in white mortar.
Faial-
Star-shaped, with a central peak, Faial has black-sand beaches and open views of the surrounding islands. Indeed, from Faial one can see Pico, São Jorge, and Graciosa, making it the center of its own Atlantic universe. First called Island of Ventura in the 15th-century, it is known for its green forests and the lure of yachting. The island was quickly settled once rumor spread of tin and silver discoveries. Many settlers came from Flanders to mine, and then to farm, when it turned out that there was no silver or tin to be mined at all.
At the city of Horta, the vast marina is one of the most famous harbors in the world. Yachts from the seven seas call here year-round, and there are many sailing bars and eateries along the harbor-side. Peter Café Sport seems the center of this sailing universe, with people from across the world sharing tales of the sea and beers. The main street is colorful as it winds along the vast harbor. The harbor's sea walls are painted from top to bottom with the calling cards of the many yachts that have visited Horta. An old legend say that the sailor must paint the name of his or her ship on the harbor walls to ensure they return to their home port safely. The 16th century port of Porto Pim, just blocks from Horta's more modern harbor, offers a sandy beach set between the walls of a fort. From the Espalamaca vista, tourists can admire Horta. And, the island's central Caldeira offers a vivid view down in to the 300 foot crater of the extinct volcano. To the west, the remains of a lighthouse mark the site of a 1957-8 eruption of the Caplinhos volcano. The year-long eruption gutted the lighthouse, and buried a small village. It also added about one mile of new shoreline to the island. Today, the area is natural park, and the power of the eruption is still witnessed by the barren sandy area, littered with lava rock, that is only now starting to show signs of plant life. There is a hiking trial to the rim of the now dormant volcano.
Flores-
Depending on how you look at it, Europe either begins or ends here. Flores is the western end of Europe, and, along with Corvo, forms the western group of islands of the archipelago. It is believed that Flores was first discovered sometime between 1450 and 1452 by Diogo de Teive. Isolation marked the island's development, and only with the construction of an airport in the 1960s did Flores have a stronger connection to the outside world.
Today, the island lives on fishing and agriculture. Flores is a welcome escape from the modern world, with a slow pace that is hard to find these days. The island is a mix of forests, pastures, and fields. As the name suggests, Flores is home to many wild flowers, including blue hydrangeas and wild cubres (a yellow bloom) grown on seaside cliffs. The landscape is rugged, with crater lakes and dramatic coastal cliffs. The interior is well suited for hiking.
There is much to see in the historic town of Santa Cruz das Flores, and the Morro Alto, which is the highest point on the island. At the Baia da Alagoa, visitors can see Flores' islets and reefs set in a beautiful bay. And, the coast of Flores is dotted with tiny islands, some home to grazing sheep.
Corvo-
Corvo is an isolated, sparsely populated and intriguing place. Named for a crow, it was the last of the archipelago to be settled. The island seems to swirl around a huge crater, some 500 feet deep. Corvo is home to just a few hundred people - all living in the seaside village of Vila Nova do Campo. There are no other towns. Corvo is mostly open hinterland (inviting for solitary hikes, and being at one with the sky and sea). Corvo was sighted around 1450, and settled by 1548.
The island's isolation led to an interesting trading relationship with pirates, who where given supplies in exchange for protection. Many visitors now come to Corvo for its excellent scuba diving and fishing. Others seek the beauty of its landscape, and the solitude of one of Europe's most isolated places.
If You Go...
Azores Express Airlines offers daily service from Boston Logan Airport to the Azores and Lisbon from June to September. Azores Express also offers two, four-hour flights every week to the Azores in the winter and spring (with connecting service to Lisbon and Madeira). The airline offers direct flights on wide-body aircraft to São Miguel, the main island in the Azores archipelago, and to the historic island of Terceira in the summer. Direct flights to Portugal's capitol of Lisbon are offered in the summer, with one-stop connecting service offered the rest of the year. SATA offers connecting flight to all of the islands.
At Azores Express we have brought the Azores and New England together for more than 17 years. Your experience starts when you step aboard one of our fleet of new A310 jets. The Azores are islands of nature, calm, and discovery in the middle of the Atlantic. Let us help you to enjoy the beauty of the Azores.
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