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Travel guide
The Azores
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to September
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Welcome
The Azores, in a few days
Nine volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, where the crater lakes of Sete Cidades sit near the steaming vents of Furnas and the UNESCO-listed vineyards of Pico. Hike calderas lined with hydrangeas in the morning, look for sperm whales and dolphins in the afternoon, and end the day in a hot spring.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sete Cidades lakes free · about 1 hTwo joined lakes, one blue and one green, fill a caldera 5 km across, seen from above at the Vista do Rei viewpoint.
- Afternoon · Ponta da Ferraria free · about 1 h 30On São Miguel's western tip, a volcanic hot spring flows into the ocean, so every wave changes the temperature of the rock pool.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Talisman€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Whale watching · 2 to 3 hResident sperm whales, large pods of dolphins and, from March to June, passing blue whales, found with help from shore lookouts called vigias.
- Afternoon · Lagoa do Fogo free · about 1 hA wild crater lake on São Miguel with no buildings, clear water and a pale sand beach, protected as a nature reserve since 1974.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Azoris Royal Garden€105 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Furnas and its calderas free · about 2 hA village inside a volcano where the ground steams in the street and pots of cozido stew are buried to cook in the hot earth.
- Afternoon · Poça da Dona Beija hot springs · an eveningFive open-air stone pools of iron-rich water at about 39°C in Furnas, set among ferns and bamboo, and good for a soak after dark.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Camões€100 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Climbing Mount Pico · a full dayPortugal's highest summit at 2,351 metres: about 1,100 metres of ascent over lava to a small summit cone, often above the clouds.
- Afternoon · Capelinhos volcano · about 1 h 30An eruption off Faial in 1957 and 1958 buried the lighthouse and added land to the island, leaving a grey, wind-scoured ash landscape.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Marina Atlântico€130 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Pastel de nata: a crisp custard tart, dusted with cinnamon. The one thing you will eat every day.
- Bacalhau: salt cod, done a thousand ways (à brás, com natas, and on it goes).
- Francesinha: the grilled sandwich of Porto, meat and cheese under a beer sauce.
- Grilled sardines: the food of summer street festivals, above all in Lisbon.
- Vinho verde and port: one young, cool and faintly sparkling, the other fortified and famous.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Skip the tourist-menu restaurants in the Baixa and look for a neighbourhood tasca instead.
- The bread and olives put on your table are not free. Send them back if you do not want them.
- Tram 28 when packed is pickpocket country: keep your bag in front of you.
- Do not drive into central Lisbon or Porto. The streets are narrow and parking is a fight.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Portuguese
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá |
| Thank you | Obrigado |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sim |
| No | Não |
| Excuse me | Com licença |
| Goodbye | Adeus |
| Do you speak English? | Fala inglês? |
| I don't understand | Não compreendo |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Onde fica a casa de banho? (BR: banheiro) |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favor |
| Help! | Socorro! |
| Cheers! | Saúde! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €105 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to September
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingAppreciated, around 5 to 10%
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport is enough for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Make sure tetanus, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/azores
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.