Azores itinerary: 3 beautiful islands in 10 days

The Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal and in my opinion one of the most underrated travel destinations in Europe. Situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, this little piece of paradise is home to stunning unspoiled nature and is often called the Hawaii of Europe.

As the Azores archipelago consists of 9 islands, some of which are quite far apart, it can be difficult to decide which ones to visit and how to plan your Azores trip in the most optimal way.

To help you with this decision, I’ve created a 10-day Azores itinerary that covers the islands of Sao Miguel, Flores and Corvo. These are the three islands I visited during my own Azores trip and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice. If you like waterfalls, hot springs, lush nature and unique landscapes, this is the itinerary for you!

At the end of this post, I’m also sharing my recommendations on what to do if you have more than 10 days in the Azores and a map to give you a sense of where all the stops on this itinerary are located.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links from which I may make a commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase.

How to get around the Azores

To get from one island to another, you can either fly or take a ferry, depending on the islands in question and the distance between them. The local airline for the inter-island flights is SATA Airlines and the ferry company is Atlântico Line.

This Azores itinerary assumes that you’ll start your trip on Sao Miguel, the largest island of the Azores and where most of the international flights arrive. After exploring Sao Miguel, you’ll take a 1.5-hour flight to Flores Island. From there, you’ll do a day trip to Corvo Island by boat. At the end of your trip, you’ll fly from Flores back to Sao Miguel to catch your flight home.

The best way to get around on the individual islands is to rent a car. This way, you’ll have the freedom to visit more places and travel on your own schedule. An exception here is Corvo Island which is so small that you won’t need a car. Driving in the Azores is safe and easy and the roads are in good condition, although some streets are very narrow.

We used DiscoverCars to book our car on Sao Miguel and Flores. They also include the local Azorean car agencies in their results, not just the international ones, so you’ll have more options and the prices are sometimes better.

If you don’t want to drive, you can still visit many of the attractions in this Azores Islands itinerary by joining tours or hiring a driver. This 2-day guided tour takes you to the most famous sights on Sao Miguel and this 1-day tour covers the highlights of Flores Island.

Tip: If you’re traveling to the Azores in the summer and planning to rent a car, book it well in advance. I’d say 5-6 months in advance to be on the safe side, especially if you want an automatic car. Summer is the peak season for tourism and since there’s only a limited number of cars for rent in the Azores, especially on Flores, they get booked very quickly.

Azores itinerary: How to spend 10 days in the Azores

Day 1-5: Sao Miguel Island

Start your Azores trip by flying to Ponta Delgada, the largest town on Sao Miguel and the capital of the Azores. Pick up your rental car right away, either at the airport or downtown Ponta Delgada.

Sao Miguel is the largest island of the Azores and has tons of amazing places to visit so you definitely won’t get bored during your five days here. In terms of accommodation, I recommend staying in two different places – Furnas and Ponta Delgada. This way you’ll spend less time driving back and forth.

Day 1: Furnas Area

Your first day on Sao Miguel will be all about exploring Furnas. This charming little town is situated inside a dormant volcanic crater and is surrounded by the most beautiful lush nature. 

Visit its steaming fumaroles, walk around its crater lake, stroll around the tropical gardens of Terra Nostra Park and hike to the mystical Salto do Rosal waterfall. Round off the day with a relaxing soak in Dona Beija hot springs (book tickets in advance). 

I also wanted to visit Grena Park to explore its hiking trails and waterfalls, and Pico do Ferro viewpoint for a panoramic view of Furnas Lake but ran out of time. Furnas was my favorite town on the island. I could have easily spent a whole week here.

Day 2: The east

The second day of this Azores itinerary takes you to the wild and rugged eastern part of Sao Miguel. Get ready for a scenic road trip through lush forests, steep mountains and jaw-dropping coastal landscapes.

Visit Farol do Arnel lighthouse for a wonderful view of Sao Miguel’s east coast and go for a refreshing dip at the small harbor below it. Then head to Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego. This lush mountainside flower garden offers one of the most iconic views on the island so don’t miss it! 

In the afternoon, drive to the village of Faial da Terra to hike to Salto do Prego waterfall. It’s one of my favorite waterfalls on the island and the 40-minute hike there is very scenic. Remember to bring your swimwear!

Day 3: The north

Start your day with a visit to Cha Gorreana, Europe’s largest and oldest tea plantation. Here you can wander around the verdant tea fields and learn about the tea production process in their visitor center.

Next, drive to the village of Moinhos to visit the beautiful Parque dos Moinhos and Cascata do Limbo waterfall. In the summer, the park is bursting with thousands of blue hydrangeas – it’s an incredible sight. Nearby there’s also a really nice beach (Praia dos Moinhos) with volcanic sand that’s worth a visit.

After exploring Moinhos, drive to Lomba de Sao Pedro village to do the hike to Cascata do Teofilo and Cascata da Gruta waterfalls. This was one of my favorite hikes in Sao Miguel. It felt like walking through a fairytale forest and the waterfalls themselves were also spectacular.

The last stop of the day is Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões. It’s a beautifully landscaped park with walkways, lush vegetation, multiple waterfalls and old water mills.

Day 4: Sete Cidades area

The fourth day of this Azores itinerary is for exploring Sete Cidades, the most visited place in all of Sao Miguel. With its massive caldera, vibrant blue and green lakes and lush green mountains, it’s an area of extraordinary natural beauty. 

Make a quick stop at Muro das Nove Janelas, an old aqueduct covered with moss. Next, head to Boca do Inferno (the most famous viewpoint in the Azores) for a mind-blowing view of the Sete Cidades crater. Visit also Vista do Rei and Cerrado das Freiras viewpoints for different perspectives of the crater and the surrounding landscapes.

Down at the lakes, there’s the village of Sete Cidades where you can find a few restaurants and rent kayaks, SUPs and bikes. We went for a swim as it was a hot day and really enjoyed it! 

Finish the day by watching the sunset at Mosteiros Beach. It’s a picturesque black sand beach with some cool sea stacks in front of it and is known as the best sunset spot on the island.

In the evening, head to Ponta Delgada and wander around the narrow streets of its old town.

Day 5: The center

On your final day on Sao Miguel, get up early and drive to Lagoa do Fogo, a spectacular crater lake up in the mountains in the center of the island. Be sure to visit it before 9am because later you’re only allowed to go there with a tourist shuttle.

The best viewpoints here are Miradouro da Lagoa do Fogo, Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa and the area below the large antennas. It’s also possible to hike down to the lake to see it up close.

Next, visit the nearby Salto do Cabrito. It’s a small but beautiful waterfall hidden in a small canyon, between colorful rocks and lush vegetation. There’s also a cool trail above the waterfall that you can explore.

In the afternoon, head to Caldeira Velha hot springs. With its tropical jungle-like setting and a little waterfall, these are the prettiest thermal pools on the island. Book your tickets in advance.

Tip: Since the weather in the Azores can be quite unstable, use the SpotAzores website to see a live view of the weather and visibility in the specific places you want to visit. It’s especially useful when deciding whether to go to Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo as these two places are often covered in fog and clouds.

Day 6-8: Flores Island

Day 6: The west of Flores

The next leg of this Azores itinerary will take you to Flores Island on the opposite side of the archipelago. Direct flights from Sao Miguel take just 1.5 hours. I recommend taking a morning flight so you’d have enough time to explore Flores that day. 

Pick up your rental car at the airport in Flores and spend the rest of the day getting to know the island’s west side. The landscapes here are breathtakingly beautiful and will make you feel like you’ve arrived at Jurassic Park.

Visit the Lagoa Negra and Lagoa Comprida crater lakes, marvel at the stunning waterfalls of Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro (a must-see in Flores!) and swim under the 90-meter-tall (295 ft) Poço do Bacalhau waterfall. Head to Miradouro do Portal for an amazing panorama of the west coast of Flores and to Miradouro Craveiro Lopes to watch the sunset.

Day 7: The east and north of Flores

Today is for exploring the best spots along the east and north coast of Flores. 

Start your day with a visit to the natural pools at Santa Cruz (Piscinas naturais de Santa Cruz das Flores). The water here is incredibly clear and calm because of the volcanic rocks sheltering the pools. It’s the perfect spot for swimming and snorkeling.

Next, visit Miradouro dos Caimbros for a fantastic view of the coast before heading to Baia da Alagoa. Surrounded by steep cliffs, it’s an amazing little beach with some cool sea cliffs in front of it. You can also swim and snorkel here but bring water shoes because the beach is very rocky.

Continue your road trip further north and stop at the various miradouros (viewpoints) on the way. I recommend checking out Miradouro do Ilhéu Furado and Miradouro da Baía de Além.

Day 8: The south of Flores

This day is dedicated to exploring the south of Flores Island.

First, visit Lagoa Rasa and Lagoa Funda, another pair of beautiful and mysterious crater lakes. There are two different viewpoints here that are worth a visit – Miradouro Lagoas Rasa e Funda and Miradouro Caldeira Rasa e Funda.

Next, head to Miradouro da Fajã de Lopo Vaz on the south coast. From here, you can hike down to Fajã de Lopo Vaz beach. The beach itself is not that nice and not really suitable for swimming (very rocky, big waves and lots of jellyfish) but the views are magnificent.

Lastly, visit two impressive rock formations – Rocha dos Frades and Rocha dos Bordões.  The first one looks like one big rock wall that’s surrounded by green pastures and the second one boasts a set of huge vertical basalt columns.

Day 9: Corvo Island

On the ninth day, it’s time to explore the third and final island on this itinerary – Corvo. It’s the smallest island in the Azores but what it lacks in size it definitely makes up for in beauty. 

To get from Flores to Corvo, you can either take a short flight, a public ferry or a boat tour, which is the most fun option by far.

We took this full-day boat tour which included a stop at various waterfalls and caves along the coast of Flores that are only accessible by sea. After that, we headed towards Corvo and got to say hello to a pod of dolphins on the way, which apparently is a common sight on this tour.

We then had 5 hours on Corvo, most of which we spent hiking and marveling at the stunning volcanic crater known as Caldeirão. With its bright green walls and deep blue lagoons the scenery here looks like it’s from another world.

Where to stay

Spend another night on Flores at Aldeia da Cuada.

Day 10: Fly home

On the final day, fly back to Sao Miguel and take your flight home. 

Depending on what time your flight to Sao Miguel departs, you might still be able to squeeze some activities into this day. For example, you could hike to the base of Cascata da Ribeira Grande waterfall or explore the abandoned village of Caldeira do Mosteiro.

Azores itinerary map

To help you get a sense of which parts of the Azores this itinerary covers, I put together this interactive map below. It includes all the sights and the hotels I mentioned in this blog post. Click on the icon in the top left corner of the map for more details.

Other places to add to your Azores itinerary

If you have more than 10 days in the Azores, you could either just follow this same itinerary at a slower pace or visit other islands in the Azores archipelago. 

If you’re looking for a beach holiday, consider visiting Santa Maria Island which is known for its white sand beaches and dry, sunny weather. For those interested in history and culture, Terceira Island is a great choice. If you want to hike Portugal’s highest peak and see how Azorean wine is produced, visit Pico Island.

And in case you have a lot of extra time to spend, consider also visiting Madeira, another Portuguese archipelago about 1000km (620 mi) southeast of the Azores. I spent five weeks there and absolutely loved it. Check out my blog post on how to spend 7 days in Madeira to get an idea of what you can see and do on that strikingly beautiful island.

10 days in the Azores: Final thoughts

I really enjoyed my time in the Azores and I hope to go back one day to explore the rest of the islands in the archipelago. These islands have so much to offer and I’m sure that after your first trip there, you’ll want to go back to see more.

I hope that you found this itinerary helpful for planning your own Azores trip. If you have any questions about visiting the Azores, leave them in the comments and I’ll try my best to answer them.

Don’t forget to check out my other blog posts about Portugal for more helpful travel tips:

• Madeira Island itinerary for 7 days
• Guide to the best beaches on Madeira
• 5-day Algarve itinerary
• Visiting Algarve in winter
• Best hikes in Algarve
• Hiking the Seven Hanging Valleys in Algarve

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