7 NIGHTS IN THE AZORES

Day 1 – Arrive at Ponta Delgada Airport

Island: Sao Miguel

Arrival in the Azores, Hawaii of the Atlantic, and transfer to your hotel. Once you’ve checked in you’ll have the rest of the day at your leisure to explore the colourful Ponta Delgada. Discover the history of this amazing city, the biggest of Azores, where you can see the São Brás Fort, the Doors of the city, the main church from the XVI century and much more.

Day 2 – Visit the Fire Lagoon and Furnas

Island: Sao Miguel

Depart for Lagoa do Fogo, passing Pico da Barrosa stopping at the viewpoints to enjoy the beauty of the Lagoon, with its crystal clear waters. Then descend down to the north coast and the Ribeira Grande and enjoy the baroque architecture of the XVII and XVIII centuries, which characterises this beautiful city. Then continue your journey stopping at Miradouro of Sta. Iria, the Tea Plantations, and the Pico do Ferro Mirador. Marvel at the breathtaking landscape of the island’s largest and oldest volcanic crater and the Lagoa das Furnas with its Thermal Baths. Then stop for lunch at on of the local tavernas and be sure to order the famous “Cozido das Furnas” – delicious! After lunch, enjoy a relaxing walk in Terra Nostra Park with its lush green surroundings filled with exotic plants. Finally after a day of exploring enjoy a dip in the thermal baths before returning to Ponta Delaga for a well earned sundowner.

Fire lagoon at the Thermal Baths at Furnas

Day 3 – Visit Sete Cidades and Pineapple greenhouses

Island: Sao Miguel

Make sure you have an early hearty breakfast before setting out for Sete Cidades. When on route make sure you stop at the viewpoint of the Pico do Carvão where you can see the long stretches of both the north and south coasts of the island, as well Zona dos Picos with its numerous volcanic cones. The next stop is the Vista do Rei, with a breathtaking landscape over the Seven Cities lagoon, at the bottom of a huge volcanic crater. Then on to the picturesque village of Sete Cidades, where you’ll see an authentic portrait of the rural local inhabitants and enjoy lunch at one of the local restaurants. After lunch head towards Ponta Delgada along the North or South coast, stopping the Mosteiros, a coastal area where the last eruptions on the island took place. Finally, visit the famous pineapple greenhouses and learn about the unique way this tropical fruit is grown in the Azores before sampling some of the famous pineapple. Then head back to Ponta Delgada and put your feet up.

View on the way to Sete Cidades

Day 4 – Free day at your leisure

Island: Sao Miguel

For your last day on the island of Sao Miguel you’ll have a variety of excursions and activities to choose from such as some fantastic hiking or just relaxing by the pool or on the beach but given you’ve spent a couple of days on land we’ve recommend getting out on the water going for a snorkel with the pod of local dolphins before enjoying the afternoon at Vila Franca islet. A famous way to finish your time on Sao Miguel.

Vila Franca Islet

Day 5 – Ascend Mount Pico

Island: Pico

Take the early morning 30-40 minute flight (or late afternoon flight the previous day) to the beautiful island of Pico. Looming large over the island is Mount Pico which is the Azores highest peak at over 2500 metres. For those who want to take on the ascent, it is a challenging but rewards hike which takes about 5 hours but should you time it for sunset and the weather is on your side the views are stunning. For those that don’t fancy the trek, there are plenty of places to relax and see if you can spot the hikers while you enjoy a glass of the island’s famous wine.

Mount Pico

Day 6 – Whale Watching and Wine Tasting

Island: Pico

Pico offers the best whale watching in the Azores so if that is something you’d wish to do then here is the place to do it. Then in the afternoon, you have to visit the UNESCO-protected Pico vineyard which is fascinating. The unique aspect of this vineyard is that they are planted and grown in old lava fields! Very unusual but the wine is delicious all the same, so after a tour of the vineyard you will have the opportunity to sit back and sample the wine and enjoy the sunset.

Whale watching and the UNESCO protected vineyard

Day 7 – Visit the UNESCO Angra do Heroismo

Island: Terceira

In the morning you’ll do another plane hop to the island of Terceira which is the Azore’s second largest island (behind Sao Miguel). The island is home to the Azore’s other UNESCO site, the town of Angra do Heroismo which offers plenty of the quaint and colourful. It’s also renowned for its vibrant nightlife filled with great local restaurants and lively bars so we highly recommend you ensure you spend a Friday or a Saturday night. The town has a small beach and generally a relaxed feel, making it the ideal end to your adventure in the Azores.

Day 8 – Departure

On your final day you’ll need to check-out of your hotel and transfer to the local airport which has flights back to Sao Miguel if you need to connect or you can also fly directly to Portugal or many other European Airports.

If this trip is then please do contact us and we can organise a bespoke trip for you. Alternatively we are going to release a 7 night Mini Azores Experience and an Epic 14 night Azores Archipelago Experience very soon so watch this space!

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