Visit the Azores in 15 days -

If you have chosen to spend your holidays in the Azores, you may still be wondering which islands you could choose to spend 15 days ?

Well this choice depends on what you are looking for because there are many things to do in the Azores.

For my part, I went to pass 15 days in the Azores last summer.

15 days in the Azores is obviously too short to visit all the islands. If you have 15 days you will only be able to visit a few islands depending on the time you want to spend on each island.

There are many routes you can choose to visit the Azores in 15 days.

I therefore propose through this article a itinerary idea which we decided to choose when I went there this summer.

Which itinerary to choose to visit the Azores in 15 days?

As explained above, there is no one and only route when you choose to visit the Azores in 15 days.

Indeed, depending on what you expect from this trip, several routes are possible.

For more details, I advise you to read my article on which islands to choose in the Azores?

For my part, after spending a few months in Tanzania earlier in the year, we have chosen not to hurry and take our time to rest. Because of this, we chose to visit only 2 islands in two weeks.

We wanted to leave for 15 days and take advantage of beautiful natural scenery by doing hikes but also we wanted to have the possibility to rest quietly and take our time while enjoying the surf and the beaches of the Azores.

So we decided to spend 8-9 days on the island of Sao Miguel and about 5 days on the small island of Santa Maria.

This route choice was perfect for what we were looking for.

Visit Sao Miguel in the Azores in 1 week

Sao Miguel is themain island of the Azores and it is probably the most visited island. Indeed, this island is best served from an international point of view but it is also an island where there is lots of activities and things to see.

Here is what my program was on this island.

Places mapped by Wanderlog, the best travel planner app on iOS and Android

Day 1 - Arrival in Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel

We left Toulouse with a stopover in Lisbon to then arrive at Sao Miguel airport in Ponta Delgada.

It is true that we wasted a little time at the airport to find a car to rent because we had not booked anything and we were in the middle of July. So if I have a little tip for you, try to book the hotel and a car in advance if you don't want to waste time. Indeed, although the Azores are developing more and more in tourism, there are many more requests compared to availability and hotel rooms or rental cars are quickly hired.

After managing to find a car and a hotel, we went to drop off our suitcases at our hotel which was right in the center of Ponta Delgada.

If you are staying in Sao Miguel, Ponta Delgada is a good location to stay because this very lively city is located in the "middle" of the island.

Once installed in our small hotel, we left at the end of the day to discover the island towards the east in the small villages around Lagoa.

We came across a religious demonstration in a small village.

You should know that Azoreans are very religious, Christianity has a very important place in local life. This is one of the reasons why it is not uncommon to find photos of "Mary" or "Jesus" above the front doors of houses.

After dark we returned to find a small local restaurant in Ponta Delgada to have dinner before heading back to the hotel.

Day 2 - Explore the west coast of Sao Miguel

The second day started under the rain, so we decided to leave explore the west coast of Sao Miguel. Indeed, the objective was to follow the entire coast between Ponta Delgada and Ribeira Grande while stopping at each place of particular interest.

We stopped at most of the watchtowers which are signposted by the road.

We stopped towards Grassthen Holidays, Candelaria and Ponta Ferraria.

A ponta ferraria we took the opportunity to go swim in the natural pool which is at the bottom of the steepest road in Sao Miguel.

It is a natural swimming pool where there is a mix between the freshness of ocean water and hot springs up to 60 ° C.

If baigner in such a pool is a great experience in the rain or in bad weather. However, with the waves which can be very choppy, I would not recommend going with children during bad weather. It is better to favor this outing when the sea is calm with children.

Le next stop of the day was Mosteiros, typical small village very cute where we stopped for lunch. Here too you will find natural pools where you have to be careful when the sea is rough.

Le sky started to clear during the afternoon when we continue to explore the northwest coast to Ribeira Grande.

The west coast of Sao Miguel in the Azores

Day 3 - Walk in Ponta Delgada and visit of Furnas

On our third day in Sao Miguel we started with us stroll in the city of Ponta Delgada.

Then we took the car to reach Furnas.

We first did the jogging around the lake then we took attitude for admire a nice view of the lake.

Lagoa do Furnas, Sao Miguel in the Azores

Around Furnas Lake you will have the opportunity to see the Furnas restaurateurs cook in thermal sulfur sources, their famous Cooked. This is the typical Azorean dish and the perfect place to try it is Furnas.

After a short lunch break and a nap by the lake, we headed for the village of Furnas.

Furnas is also renowned for its natural therapeutic pools. There are mainly two in Furnas.

One of them is open until 22 p.m. in the evening.

I strongly advise you to go bask in one of these pools at the end of the day to relax after a good day.

In the evening we decided to stay in Furnas for taste the famous Cooked. It is generally a dish to be reserved in advance, it is a mixture of different meats (vegetarians abstain!) With vegetables. To try to live the experience!

Day 4 - Diving and snorkeling around Sao Miguel

Freshly certified from PADI Open Water, I wanted to take advantage of my trip to the Azores to explore the seabed of the Atlantic Ocean.

So we left to spend a day at sea with two scuba dives on the program.

The Azores are among the beautiful diving spots in the atlantic ocean. These islands located in the middle of the ocean are home to many cetaceans but also exceptional underwater volcanic and rock formations. Also, the fauna is varied and abundant, we were able to see many barracudas, trigger fish etc.

I advise you to watch the video I made on my dives in the Azores to judge for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvha1cw_NvA

Day 5 - Sete Cidades and surroundings

This sunny day was the perfect day to explore Sete Cidades and the surrounding lakes.

We went to admire the magnificent lakes Azul and Verde located in a single crater. Obviously we went to Scenic overlook the best known, namely " View of Rei ". Then we are descended inside the crater by stopping at the various watchtowers.

After that we went for a short hike around the surrounding lakes.

This is a beautiful, green and natural place !

This is a 'must do' when traveling to Sao Miguel.

I let you judge for yourself 🙂

Day 6 - Beach and surf day

With the sun and the heat still pointing their noses, we decided to spend a relaxing day by the beach.

We spent our morning in Santa Barbara (next to Ribeira Grande) in desperately waiting for waves to be able to surf. However, the waves were not very well formed, we especially enjoyed the beach with some outings in bodysurf with our fins.

On the advice of the owner of the surf shop in Santa Barbara, we went to the afternoon on the beach of Sao Roque where the waves were nicer. So we spent the afternoon surfing.

Day 7 - Explore the east coast of Sao Miguel

Seeing the bad weather coming for this day, we decided to leave explore the east coast of the island starting from Ribeira Grande.

We went to explore this side of the island by stopping at the various watchtowers.

We took the opportunity to go visit a tea plantation in Porto Formosa. We have arrived to Nordeste. Then we took the RotaTronqueira , promising crosses the Serra da Tronqueira. This road is splendid, we went up to the antenna of the Pico Bartolomeu from where we were able to benefit from a extraordinary panorama on the island of Sao Miguel.

Then we returned along the south-east of the coast to Ponta Delgada.

Day 8 - Lagoa da Fogo, surf in Sao Roque & boat to Santa Maria

On our eighth day we went admire the Lagoa da Fogo located in the area center of the island of Sao Miguel. Once again, this is a magnificent lake located at the bottom of a crater. It is possible to walk around it.

Then we returned to the Sao Roque beach for surfing a little before taking the boat to Santa Maria. It took us 4 hours of navigation to reach Vila do Porto which is the main town of Santa Maria.

Visit Santa Maria in the Azores in 5 days

Santa Maria is a small island in the Azores, this is the island located the southernmost. It thus benefits from the best climate and the most beautiful golden sand beaches. It is therefore the island perfect for travelers wanting se lounging by the water, plunge or do some surf.

However, these are not the only things you can do in Santa Maria.

I spent 5 days there and here is what our program was:

Map thanks to hiking log, a road trip planner on iOS and Android

Day 1 - Visit of the South-East of Santa Maria

On the island of Santa Maria, we decided to rent a scooter rather than a car (both because we had no choice and because the island is quite suitable to be explored with a simple small scooter).

We took advantage of our first day on the island to go visit the south-east of the island.

Our first stop was the beach Beaches which is about 15 minutes from Vila Do Porto. It is probably the largest beach and one of the best for surfing.

Then we headed to Santo spirito to join the'southern end of the island with Ponta do Castelo with this beautiful lighthouse that faces the ocean.

We also took the opportunity to make a little tour in Maia where you will have the possibility to bathe in the natural swimming pool which is at the edge of the water.

Then we returned to the lighthouse from where we saw a small road allowing us to descend and to access a small quiet cove far from everything. This place was a little favorite, we took advantage of it for us bathe in the turquoise waters and have a picnic.

Day 2 - Anjos & coastal hike

For our second day on the island, we decided to go explorer the part North / North-West of the island in Anjos.

Here again you will find a natural swimming pool with an surf spot For the experts.

Know that a marked path goes around the island. Therefore, we decided to explore the coast along the coast thanks to the marked path.

Angels is a beautiful place to observe a beautiful sunset on the island of Santa Maria, so do not hesitate to go for a drink at the end of the day or to eat at the restaurant which is at the edge of the water in Anjos to admire this beautiful sunset.

Day 3 - Diving & beach in Praia

Santa Maria is a "Must" for divers. Indeed, Santa Maria is the place of choice if you want to see beautiful, rich funds as well as the famous mobula rays.

For this third day we therefore left to do some diving around the island of Santa Maria. I let you watch the second part of the video posted above to get an idea of the seabed that can be seen on Santa Maria.

After the dive, we went to bask on Praia beach to end the day.

Day 4 - Jogging on the coastal path & Sao Lourenço & Santa Barbara

This day started with a short jog along the hiking trail between Vila do Porto and Praia.

Jogging along the coast of Santa Maria in the Azores

Subsequently we went visit the North-East of the island. We drove up Sao Lourenco where we were delighted by these landscapes with the greenery and the cliffs falling into the turquoise ocean.

After a picnic on the beach and a small bathing we went explore the surroundings on foot by taking the path allowing us to reach the small Santa Barbara village. I personally had a little heart for this village with white houses with blue shutters. It gave a little Greek air to this small island lost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

We then left for Sao Lourenço to enjoy the beach.

Day 5 - Pico Alto, beach in Sao Lourenço & boat to Sao Miguel

During this last day on Santa Maria, we took the opportunity to reach the highest peak on the island, namely the Pico Alto, located at an altitude of 590 m which offers 360 ° C view on the island of Santa Maria. At the top of the Peak, we realize the small size of this island.

Then we left for Sao Lourenço, a small village that we loved, to enjoy our last hours on the beach before taking the boat back to Sao Miguel.

Last day in the Azores

We spent our last day in Sao Miguel hiking surf while waiting for our flight to return to Lisbon.

Visit the Azores in 15 days