7 Days between Lisbon and Azores
Feb 14, 2016, 8:44 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 35
7 Days between Lisbon and Azores
I'm heading to Paris/Lisbon/Azores in August, with 7 of those days planned for Lisbon and Azores. It seems easy enough to find info about Lisbon, but harder to find good recommendations of where to stay, what to do, etc. on the islands. Since we're flexible on dates, what are some recommendations on number of days, which islands to spend them on, etc? My best resource so far has been Tripadvisor's list of top attractions, but it's hard to plan an itinerary on a disjointed list between multiple islands.
Feb 15, 2016, 10:03 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PEK
Programs: A3*G, UA Gold EY Silver
Posts: 8,949
S. Miguel (Ponta Delgada) is most populated and probably the most visited so I'm sure someone will be able to help you out. S. Jorge has a lot of nice hiking as well.
I've only been to 3 of the islands Terceira, Faial, Pico:
1. Terceira - worth two days at most. Do a drive around the island and do a hike in the hills. Stayed at the Terceira Mar Hotel. Had a really good lunch here. [38.656731, -27.268406]
Good restaurants and some nightlife in Praia da Vitoria closer to the airforce base.
2. Faial - Definitely visit Capelinhos and the museum that's there. You'll hear a good story of the volcano and the explosion in the mid-20th century and of how so many portuguese from the islands ended up in the US. I then drove up some backroads to the top of the volcano for some nice views (provided there aren't any clouds). Drove around the island in the clockwise direction and had some very nice views of Pico on the eastern side. There should also be some really good hiking here. One full day should be sufficient. You can even do it as a day trip from Pico by taking a morning ferry over, and an evening ferry back. You can rent a car in port.
3. Pico - Climb pico. You climb something like 1200m in 3 km. Take water, and a cellphone with a working GPS and OpenStreetMap - the trail is marked on it. You also need to register at the visitor's center. It's a pretty tough climb, but the views from the top are worth it. Nice views all around the island. Pico has some small sandy beaches on the northeast side, provided the water is warm enough to swim, which in August it should be (don't expect it to be super warm though).
Had a good dinner at a restaurant here: 38.527434, -28.536297 (I forget the name). 2-3 days is a good amount for Pico.
Given that many of the emigrants return back in August, the place should be a lot more crowded. When I went in March, there were very few tourists on the islands.
Of the three above, Terceira has the most restaurants and "night" life. On Pico and Faial almost everything closes by 7. In August, there will be more things open than when I went in March.
Practicalities:
- Free air connections - If you purchase a flight from outside the archipelago to any of the gateways (TER, PDL, ...), SATA will give you a free connecting ticket to any of the other islands, provided you don't spend more than 24 hours at the gateway. details here.
- For accommodation, definitely look into airbnb and booking, because many of the major sites have very few listings. Major hotel chains are still far and few on the smaller islands.
- Rental cars - you need one on each island. I ended up renting through economycarrentals which gave me a rental with ilha verde car rentals. Very happy with the cars that I got. There are many local rental agencies. Look at the local airports' websites to find all the providers. You may have to email the providers to get a quote. August is very high season.
- Ferries - Faial-Pico-S.Jorge there is a ferry that operates between the three islands that doesn't take too long. For other islands, there should be ferries as well, but they take longer than you probably want to spend. Otherwise, you'll need to fly between the islands (40-60 min flights on Sata Air Açores).
- Swimming - there are no sand beaches for the most part. You do have areas for swimming in the sea (you have to go down some steps into a relatively deep protected area, provided the water is warm enough.
- Supermarkets have lots of good food, so consider cooking yourself and staying at a home/apartment. Prices are cheap by European standards and are comparable to what you pay on the mainland due to the smaller VAT.
I've only been to 3 of the islands Terceira, Faial, Pico:
1. Terceira - worth two days at most. Do a drive around the island and do a hike in the hills. Stayed at the Terceira Mar Hotel. Had a really good lunch here. [38.656731, -27.268406]
Good restaurants and some nightlife in Praia da Vitoria closer to the airforce base.
2. Faial - Definitely visit Capelinhos and the museum that's there. You'll hear a good story of the volcano and the explosion in the mid-20th century and of how so many portuguese from the islands ended up in the US. I then drove up some backroads to the top of the volcano for some nice views (provided there aren't any clouds). Drove around the island in the clockwise direction and had some very nice views of Pico on the eastern side. There should also be some really good hiking here. One full day should be sufficient. You can even do it as a day trip from Pico by taking a morning ferry over, and an evening ferry back. You can rent a car in port.
3. Pico - Climb pico. You climb something like 1200m in 3 km. Take water, and a cellphone with a working GPS and OpenStreetMap - the trail is marked on it. You also need to register at the visitor's center. It's a pretty tough climb, but the views from the top are worth it. Nice views all around the island. Pico has some small sandy beaches on the northeast side, provided the water is warm enough to swim, which in August it should be (don't expect it to be super warm though).
Had a good dinner at a restaurant here: 38.527434, -28.536297 (I forget the name). 2-3 days is a good amount for Pico.
Given that many of the emigrants return back in August, the place should be a lot more crowded. When I went in March, there were very few tourists on the islands.
Of the three above, Terceira has the most restaurants and "night" life. On Pico and Faial almost everything closes by 7. In August, there will be more things open than when I went in March.
Practicalities:
- Free air connections - If you purchase a flight from outside the archipelago to any of the gateways (TER, PDL, ...), SATA will give you a free connecting ticket to any of the other islands, provided you don't spend more than 24 hours at the gateway. details here.
- For accommodation, definitely look into airbnb and booking, because many of the major sites have very few listings. Major hotel chains are still far and few on the smaller islands.
- Rental cars - you need one on each island. I ended up renting through economycarrentals which gave me a rental with ilha verde car rentals. Very happy with the cars that I got. There are many local rental agencies. Look at the local airports' websites to find all the providers. You may have to email the providers to get a quote. August is very high season.
- Ferries - Faial-Pico-S.Jorge there is a ferry that operates between the three islands that doesn't take too long. For other islands, there should be ferries as well, but they take longer than you probably want to spend. Otherwise, you'll need to fly between the islands (40-60 min flights on Sata Air Açores).
- Swimming - there are no sand beaches for the most part. You do have areas for swimming in the sea (you have to go down some steps into a relatively deep protected area, provided the water is warm enough.
- Supermarkets have lots of good food, so consider cooking yourself and staying at a home/apartment. Prices are cheap by European standards and are comparable to what you pay on the mainland due to the smaller VAT.
Last edited by Palal; Feb 15, 2016 at 10:22 am
Feb 17, 2016, 9:49 am
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,005
I'm heading to Paris/Lisbon/Azores in August, with 7 of those days planned for Lisbon and Azores. It seems easy enough to find info about Lisbon, but harder to find good recommendations of where to stay, what to do, etc. on the islands. Since we're flexible on dates, what are some recommendations on number of days, which islands to spend them on, etc? My best resource so far has been Tripadvisor's list of top attractions, but it's hard to plan an itinerary on a disjointed list between multiple islands.
Sao Miguel is by far the biggest island and just a bit boring: sort of the mainland of the Azores (I know I'll get flack for that!) And the accent might put you off...
The oddest, most different and the one that feels the most isolated, has to be Flores (though I guess its tiny hanger-on, Corvo, should take that title). If you like the idea of slightly odd, these two are on the American oceanic plate: so tectonically not part of Europe
Faial (Horta) and Pico are more or less twinned by a nautical theme that leaves me cold (I got horribly sea-sick being taken on a yacht to spot whales): but you might love it, many do!
I haven't mentioned Graciosa or Santa Maria.
There used to be lots of online material about the Azores, and I'd be surprised if a diligent search didn't bring something up. A quick google finds this: http://www.visitazores.com/en.
Jan 2, 2019, 7:54 am
#5
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 142
