11-Day Azores Itinerary: Best Things To Do In The Azores In 11 Days

• Day 1: Arrive in Sao Miguel island
• Day 2: Ponta Delgada, the capital of Sao Miguel island | Praia de Santa Bárbara
• Day 3: From Ponta Delgada to Sete Cidades and back | Lagoa do Canário, Miradouro do Cerrado das Freiras, Miradouro da Grota do Inferno, Sete Cidades, Mosteiros, Miradouro do Caminho Velho, Praia de Santa Bárbara
• Day 4: Switching accommodation from Ponta Delgada to Vila Franca do Campo | Early Whale watching in Vila Franca do campo, Lunch at Caloura Restaurant, Lagoa do Fogo from Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa, chill and sunset on Santa Barbara beach
• Day 5: Around Furnas | Parque Terra nostra, Furnas, Caldeiras das Furnas, Lagoa das Furnas, Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas, Miradouro do Pico do Ferro, Miradouro do Salto do Cavalo
• Day 6: Lagoa do Congo, Parque Natural de Ribeira dos Caldeirões, Chá Gorreana Factory
• Day 7: Arriving in Ilha das Flores | Morning swim with dolphins in Sao Miguel
• Day 8: Ilha das Flores
• Day 9: Ilha das Flores
• Day 10: Ilha das Flores | Going back to Sao Miguel
• Day 11: Back home, to Madrid

I've been dreaming about the Azores for a long time, but the timing was never perfect. Usually I would choose to visit another continent, rather than discover closeby beauties. However, this year due to COVID-19 there was no way to go far but hopefully it was allowed to travel from Spain to some parts of Europe. I didn't hesitate to go to the Azores and it was a great choice. Firstly, it was August which is considered the best month to visit the islands, but, despite the high season, it was not crowded because of the COVID-19 situation. Secondly, the islands are simply amazing.

The Azores consist of 9 islands and 11 days is not enough to visit all of them. After some research, my choice fell onto Sao Miguel, the main island, and Flores, Europe's westernmost island.

Day 1: Arrive in Sao Miguel island

The journey began in Madrid. Madrid does not have a direct connection with the island of Sao Miguel, so the most common routes to get there are with stops in Lisbon or Porto. Upon arrival, due to the measure implemented during COVID-19, you have to take a PCR test at the Ponta Delgada airport, unless you did it previously and have a negative result on hand. If you take it upon arrival it is free and results are issued within 12 hours. The plane arrived at midnight and the line to take the test was huge, about 2 hours of waiting. Next day at midday I was free like a bird to discover the island.

Day 2: Ponta Delgada, the capital of Sao Miguel island + Praia de Santa Bárbara

I enjoy sleeping in the morning, so the first day after a long flight and the unpleasant procedure of PCR test, I woke up at 12 p.m., had my breakfast in Out of the blue hotel and went to discover Ponta Delgada, the capital of Sao Miguel island, and its surroundings.

 

After midday you can chill and enjoy the sunset at Santa Barbara beach. You should rent the car to get there or anywhere else on the island. Public transportation doesn’t have enough connections to discover all gems.

Day 3: From Ponta Delgada to Sete Cidades and back| Lagoa do Canário, Miradouro do Cerrado das Freiras, Miradouro da Grota do Inferno, Sete Cidades, Mosteiros, Miradouro da Ponta do Escalvado, Praia de Santa Bárbara.

It was a long day of hops ons and off the car to see as much as possible. The day was mostly sunny and it is luck with Azorean ever-changing weather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4: Switching accommodation from Ponta Delgada to Vila Franca do Campo| Early Whale watching in Vila Franca do campo, Lunch at Caloura Restaurant, Lagoa do Fogo from Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa, chill and sunset on Santa Barbara beach.

Whale watching is the top attraction of the Azores. There are plenty of companies offering their services. Terra Azul can be a good choice because of their commitment to the environment. On our way to see whales, there were many different types of dolphins. My favorites are the spotted dolphins, they are very playful and are jumping around all the time. And yes, I did see whales! Although very far from our boat, however, I have no complaints, I do not like to disturb animals if they don't want to be disturbed. It is nice to know that there are whales on this planet and some of them live happily somewhere in the Azores, I saw them breathing :)

After 3-4 hours of whale watching, it is a good time for some lunch. If you are nearby Vila Franca do Campo, try Caloura restaurant. It does not offer a great variety of dishes, but you can have a fresh fish with local potatoes and salad for 15 euros. My favorite is tuna, it is the freshest tuna I have ever tried, since it goes to your table directly from the waters of the Azores. For starters, try their local cheese and don't forget the limpets or "lapas" in Portuguese.

 

 

Check-in in “A villa by the sea” hotel, having some rest and heading to see Lagoa do Fogo from Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa.

After a long day, my favorite place to relax on the island of Sao Miguel became the beach of Santa Bárbara. While the island has many fascinating beaches, they are mostly not equipped to spend time there and may not be suitable for swimming, do some sports or dining. Santa Barbara beach was recently renovated, it has all the necessary facilities, restaurants, a beautiful wide beach line and, most importantly to me, you can enjoy the sunset from there. Therefore, it became my favorite place to relax and spend the end of the day.

 

 

 

 

Day 5: Around Furnas | Parque Terra nostra, Furnas, Caldeiras das Furnas, Lagoa das Furnas, Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas, Miradouro do Pico do Ferro, Miradouro do Salto do Cavalo

Another of my favorite things in the Azores was the hot springs. Sao Miguel has several places to enjoy natural hot baths. In August 2020, most of them were closed due to COVID-19, however the Terra Nostra park was open for visitors and it has several hot spring pools inside. It was a rainy day, which made it even more enjoyable to swim in warm water.

 

 

 

 

After the pouring rain, the sun came out again. Perfect timing to stroll around Furnas and visit its famous Caldeiras, the hot spring streams in the middle of the city (you won't want to swim there!).

 

 

 

 

 

Next stops -> Lagoa das Furnas, Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas, Miradouro do Pico do Ferro, Miradouro do Salto do Cavalo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6: Lagoa do Congo, Parque Natural de Ribeira dos Caldeirões, Chá Gorreana Factory.

It takes some walking to get to Lagoa do Congo, about half an hour from the nearest place where you can drop your car. It is a nice walk, however the lake didn’t impress me as much as everything I had seen in Sao Miguel before.

 

 

The next stop was Parque Natural de Ribeira dos Caldeirões, where you can practice different activities, such as rainforest trails, have some barbecue or just walk around and enjoy the views.

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that the Azores are the only place where you can find tea production in Europe? Chá Gorreana is the oldest tea plantation and I couldn't miss it on my way back to the hotel.

 

 

Day 7: Arriving in Ilha das Flores | Morning swim with dolphins in Sao Miguel

I couldn't leave the island without saying goodbye to the dolphins. In Sao Miguel you can take a trip to swim with them. The boat takes you to the spots with animals and if you are lucky they will approach you. After jumping into the water for several hours I didn't manage to get very close to the dolphins, but I could catch a few moments swimming with them at the same time.

 

 

At noon I took a 1.5-hour flight from a local SATA airline to reach the island of Flores, the westernmost island in Europe.

Day 8: Ilha Das Flores

Ilha das Flores is absolutely a must visit place in the Azores. This island is one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever seen. It is far from the rest of the islands and thus from crowds, nature is wild and green, but without dangerous animals , and I’ve never seen the stars so bright and close, it feels like you are walking on the milky way. The island is small, you can visit all the main spots in 1 or 2 days, but stay longer and enjoy it. No more words, just pictures, although they are not able to transmit all the beauty of this island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 9: Ilha Das Flores

When all the main spots were already marked as "done", it was time to truly enjoy the island and relax.

There are plenty of hiking trails on the island. You can come for a two weeks vacation and just walk, amazing views everywhere, I hope to do so one day. This time, since days were short, there was a spot just for one quick walk in Fajã de Lopo Vaz. What I didn’t take into account is that the walk was all the way down down down and then up up up under the scorching sun. It was hot and hard, but still worth it.

 

After some exercise it was time for a well- deserved lunch. The Azores have a lot of places for barbecue. They are totally equipped with everything you need fire places, water, toilets, tables etc. Usually they have spectacular views and are much better than any fancy restaurant. Take a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening the island showed its other side, no less beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 10: Ilha das Flores | Going back to Sao Miguel

Last pictures from Ilha das Flores made during this trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 11: Back home, to Madrid

 

To be continued...