


10 Reasons we think You Must Visit Sao Miguel and the Azores
1. Sete Cidades Lake





Sexism aside, this kind of beauty was one of the main reasons we wanted to come to the Azores and it did not disappoint.

- DO spend all day there, you can take a tour, you can hike round the bottom, walk round the top, even hike from the top to the bottom (that takes ages don't do that). You can also walk right underneath the volcano, but actually..
- DON'T walk in the tunnel underneath the volcano, it takes about 20 minutes, is pitch black and is a nightmare for anyone whose seen 'Creep' or 'the Descent' or any horror film really.
- DON'T now go and watch the trailer for 'the Descent' I'm now super scared. Okay, deep breaths..
- DO make sure you go on a sunny day, the weather in the Azores is volatile, the first time we went up there it was misty and we saw nothing! Luckily, we were there for a month and had plenty of opportunities to go back
- DO see the second reason to go to the Azores for the best view of Sete Cidades.



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Photo credit: Petar Dimitrov, polygot |

Apparently a few years ago a French horror film was shot here, but we can't for the life of us find it's name :( or what it's about. We'd love to see it, so if anyone does know it please let us know!
It was creepy, but if you can, you MUST go on the roof. The views are the best.

- DO go in the rooms and imagine how luxurious the hotel would be with a view like this
- DON'T worry about being told off about going in there, there are no signs that say you can't, the doors are wide open and there are a few other tourists there.
- DON'T go at night, unless you are super brave
- DO be careful, there are lots of old lifts you can fall down
- DO read this post: Exploring A Haunted Abandoned Hotel in the Azores to find out more
3. Caldeira Velha
This is the top one, it's about 25°C and has a waterfall




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Now who has the gold-iest locks? |

- DO go in the 38°C one first and then the 25°C
- DO make sure you go in the water, it's very relaxing
- DO try and go on a colder day, it would be perfect if it was snowing!
- DON'T step in the 61°C one (duh)
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Photo credit: Petar Dimitrov |


Note on cats and dogs: In the Azores lots of the dogs are used as guard dogs and are SCARY. They're also chained up outside which is good news if you don't want your arm bitten off, but bad news if you care about animal rights :(


But maybe skanky cats, scary dogs and lizards aren't your thing.. Don't worry the Azores save their best wildlife FOR THE SEA:

We saw dolphins and whales in the Azores with the wonderful Picos de Aventura if you'd like to hear more about that perfect day, check out this post or simply go ahead and book your whale and dolphin Azores experience right here.
5. Lagoa Das Furnas

Because of the activeness of the volcano, there are plenty of geysers (hot springs where water sporadically boils) hence all the steam:

They boil eggs in these waters!
But we didn't eat eggs, instead we opted for a traditional cozido which had been cooked in the ground:
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Yum |
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Photo credit: Petar Dimitrov |
These cozidos are cooked right next to the lake, which is beautiful


Tips for Furnas:
- DO go kayaking and mountain biking with Picos de Aventura
- DO have the cozido cooked from the ground. I can't say it was our favourite food on the island, but the novelty makes up for it.
6. The Azores Food

Firstly they have a bakery there which is to die for, not many tourists come to Capelas (there's nothing to do there) so the prices are kept low and the tastes are kept yummy for the natives:

This 'Pastel de Nata' was the best we've ever had. Pastel de Nata is apparently custard tarts, but I've never had custard tarts like this in the UK. I'm no tart expert but I think the difference between the UK ones and the Portuguese ones is the pastry.

They also had home made cheese which wasn't pasteurised and may be the best cheese we've ever had.
There was also plenty of wine and homemade tangerine liquor.
All the food was either from their garden or from the island, or from the ocean. It was all delicious.
7. The People in the Azores
Our neighbours weren't the only nice people we met in Sao Miguel. We also managed to hitchhike 20 times on the island.Hitchhiking was another reason we wanted to come to the Azores. Before the Azores we were pretty much hitchhiking virgins. In the Azores you have to hitchhike. Unless you hire a car or like walking for 3 hours. There are basically no buses and the taxis are expensive.
It turned out hitchhiking was really easy and really fun on Sao Miguel. As long as you stick to the main roads (so you know lots of people will pass).
We were picked up by a mixture of natives and tourists (mainly German and American). A lot of the natives didn't speak English, but with my abysmal Portuguese and a lot of trusty sign language, we found them to be very friendly and kind.
We actually wrote a whole post here called Everything you need to know about hitchhiking in the Azores - the perfect place for first time hitchhikers.
8. The Azorean Coast

Whilst Sao Miguel doesn't really have any 'proper*' beaches, you can't fault the coast for it's crystal clear waters.

*by proper I mean white-sand, enjoyable to lay on type beaches, this is not the Algarve, but that shouldn't put you off visiting
9. The Azorean landscape

We actually walked one day from Ponta Delgada to Capellas (i.e. from the south coast to the north coast). It took three hours but it was absolutely beautiful!
10. The outdoor adventures


All in all, we absolutely loved the Azores, it's one of the best islands we've ever been to and one of our favourite places in Europe. No matter what you're looking for, be it relaxation, excitement, wildlife, volcanoes, good food, nice people - you're guaranteed to find it in the Azores. So what's stopping you? Well maybe the practicalities, but let's look at those now:
Everything you need to visit the Azores:
- Cheap flights to the Azores - Kiwi is the only site we use when it comes to booking flights. They find unique cheap flights that other websites can't or won't anddd they have 24/7 support.
- Best Luxury Hotels in the Azores - Our guide to finding the perfect hotel in the Azores for your honeymoon, anniversary, birthday or any other special event
- Medium to Cheap Hotels in the Azores - hotels in the Azores for all types of budgets, from budget travellers to middle.
- Holiday Rentals in the Azores - we stayed for a whole month in the Azores thanks to Airbnb's monthly discounts
- FREE accommodation in the Azores - with house sitting. We travelled the world for two years straight by house sitting. Find the perfect Azorean house sit for you:
- Take a 10% trustedhousesitters discount code - the website where we find all out house sits
- Read more about house sitting in Portugal
- Best Tours of The Azores - comprehensive list of the best tours to do in the Azores
- Car Hire in the Azores - there are two transport options in the Azores: car hire or hitchhiking.
Things to know before you arrive:
How to get to the Azores
We flew from Lisbon and thanks to Kiwi (a website that lets you compare all the plane prices) our flights were pretty cheap.I can't recommend Kiwi enough (I'm not even sponsored by them, I literally think they are the best). Why? Because they find the cheapest but also the most convenient flights for you.
Nowadays there are lots of websites out there that will find you cheap flights to the Azores but only one (Kiwi) which will make sure you find the best route.
How to get around the Azores
Like I said, we got around solely by walking and hitchhiking. We really recommend hitchhiking, it was loads of fun.You could of course hire a car here (we recommend doing this on Skyscanner's car comparison site).
Please do believe us though when we say buses aren't an option. They go about twice a day, if that, and don't go to the places you want to go.
Where to stay in the Azores:
AirBnB![]() |
Prices from £13/night for a shared house |
As we stayed for a whole month in the Azores we decided to stay with AirBnB. This is because most AirBnBs offer a SUPER CHEAP DISCOUNT if you stay for a whole week and even more if you stay for a whole month.
Staying with AirBnB also meant that we had our own kitchen and washing machine - the ultimate luxuries for those who have been travelling for a long time..
If we hadn't stayed for a whole month though we would have just stuck to hotels, we would have chosen one like this:
Hotels in the Azores
Furnas Boutique Hotel
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Prices from £124 per night for a Double Room |
Furnas Boutique Hotel is in the perfect location - Furnas! (Right next to one of the three massive volcanic lakes.) This is the place to go if you're looking for true luxury and relaxing spas.
For the best rates, book your room on Hotel.com
Hotel Acores Atlantico
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Prices from £66 for a single room |
If you're looking for a cheaper option, we suggest Hotel Acores Atlantico. It's also in a great location (Ponta Delgada) - this is the central hub of the island, you can get to all the top spots from here easily. Plus there are plenty of supermarkets and restaurants in Ponta Delgada. Ponta Delgada is also where the whale/dolphin tours start from.
For the best rates, book with Agoda
Finally, here is a list of the Best Luxury Hotels in Azores Portugal list - perfect for people on their honeymoon, or anniversary, or just those that like a bit of luxury.
Fancy staying in some fancy accommodation in return for looking after a pet or too? It's definitely worth checking out Trusted House Sitters - Portugal for House Sits in the Azores. House sitting can be an awesome way to travel the world and meet locals. House sitting is especially popular in Europe.
We've house sat all over the world, including in Portugal - if you'd like to try it yourself, we can offer a 10% Trustedhousesitter discount code - the website where we find all our house sits.
What's the weather like in the Azores
The Azores have some crazy ever changing weather. Sao Miguel is a pretty small island, but you can have bright sunshine on one side and torrential rain on the other.
Hence we recommend going to the Azores for at least two weeks if you can. There is so much to see and do there, and if you only come for 3 or 4 days, there is a possibility that all you will see is fog!
Food prices in the Azores
We were surprised by how cheap food was on Sao Miguel - especially outside Ponta Delgada. We'd (dumbly) assumed that everything would be imported and thus expensive, but because of Sao Miguel's fertile lands and intermittent weather they can grow pretty much anything! The pineapples in particular were to die for.
Further information:
Check out this YouTube video on the Azores :)
Conclusion
Sao Miguel has been one of the highlights of our last two years of travelling and we are busy recommending it to everyone. Our only regret is not being able to visit the other islands, but we will be back for that!! But what do you think? Would you like to go to the Azores? Let us know!
Do you have an Azores pin board yet?
Cheap flights to the Azores
ABOUTME
Travelling through the kyriarchy and weaselling our way out of the rat race - a female travel blogger writing about socially and politically conscious travelling.
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