It is not easy to select the most beautiful islands of the Azores. All of them stand out for their natural charms, which range from volcanoes to wild beaches, passing through lagoons and great trails through unparalleled landscapes.
This archipelago located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean belongs to Portugal, although it enjoys an autonomous regime similar to that of WoodIt is located more than 1400 kilometres from the European continent and is made up of nine islands that cover an area of 2322 square kilometres. They are also divided into three groups: eastern (San Miguel y Santa Maria), middle (Terceira , San Jorge, Pico, Graciosa y fayal) and western (Flores y Corvo). Without further ado, below we show you the most beautiful islands of the Azores.
San Miguel, the largest
One of the spectacular lagoons of San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island is the largest island in the archipelago with 759 square kilometers. It is also the most chosen among first-time travelers to the Azores. It is also the most populated, with more than 130 inhabitants. In this sense, its main city is Ponta Delgada, which also functions as one of the capitals of the archipelago, along with Horta y Angra do Heroismo.
You can find numerous natural wonders in San Miguel, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful islands in the Azores. You will find magnificent beaches such as those of Mosteiros, Santa Bárbara, Milicias or Ribeira Quente, all of them made of volcanic sand. You will also see beautiful lagoons such as those of Sete Cidades, Fogo or Canario, many of them located in protected landscapes. We advise you, if you want to appreciate several in a single view, that you go to the viewpoint of the Grota do Inferno.
Ponta Delgada City Council
Other aquatic areas, however, contain hot springs. For example, the Doña Beija pool, Caldeira Velha, the Terra Nostra park, which is also a beautiful botanical garden, or the hot springs of the Caldeiras de Ribeira Grande. You should also visit the islet of Vila Franca do Campo, where you will observe the crater of the underwater volcano that created it.
On the other hand, in Ponta Delgada You have many monuments to visit. Its great emblem is the Portas da Cidade (City Gates): , which allow access to the historic center. No less beautiful is the Mother Church of San Sebastian, built in the 16th century and with a magnificent baroque decoration. The church dates back to the same century Sao Bras Fortress And if you want to immerse yourself in city life, head to the Graça market.
Terceira, another of the most beautiful islands of the Azores
Entrance to the Algar do Carvao grotto
As the title suggests, Terceira is indeed another of the most beautiful islands of the Azores both for its lush nature and its monuments. As for the first, you have to visit the Algar do Carvao CaveThis is an impressive underground cavity located inside a dormant volcano that offers spectacular images of stalagmites and stalactites.
No less beautiful are the landscapes that the Cume Mountains, which reaches 545 metres in height. We recommend you climb up to its impressive viewing point. But, as it could not be otherwise, the island also offers you beautiful beaches. For example, The Grande, the Riviera and the Victoria. However, you may prefer to bathe in the beautiful natural pools of the Biscoitos seaside resort area.
Angra do Heroísmo, capital of Terceira, one of the most beautiful islands of the Azores
On the other hand, Terceira Island has another of the capitals of the Azores. It is the town of Angra do Heroismo, whose historic center has been declared HeritageIn fact, although today it only has about 35 inhabitants, it was an important commercial port between the 000th and XNUMXth centuries. Here you should visit the fortresses of San Juan Bautista and San Sebastián, both from the XNUMXth century.
But the nerve center of the town is the beautiful old square, where the Town Hall is and where you will find restaurants and terraces. Next to it, you will see the most typical streets. For example, the Street of the Seven, with its cobblestones, traditional houses and the Duque da Terceira garden. On the way to the port, you will see the Church of Mercy, with its unmistakable pastel tones. And, already in it, you have to notice the Gates of the Sea, which are located in the Customs Courtyard (of the Alfandega), next to the statue of Vasco de GamaFinally, other monuments of Angra do Heroísmo are the Bettencourt palace, the Madre de Deus manor, the cathedral and the Mar Ferramenta and Negrito forts.
Flower Island
Poza Alagoinha, one of the most impressive landscapes on the island of Flores
You will find Flores Island in the western sector of the archipelago. It has an area of 143 square kilometers, but it offers you some of the most impressive landscapes of the Azores. Not in vain, it is reputed to be the most beautiful. Among its wonders, you have spectacular lagoons such as The Black and the Rasa.
You should also know the Alagoinha Pool, over which numerous waterfalls fall and which is located within the Morro Alto Forest Reserve, endowed with impressive vegetation. No less spectacular is, precisely, the Pozo do Bacalhau waterfall, with a ninety-meter drop that also forms a natural pool.
Very different is the Rock of the BordoesThis is a curious geological formation of large basalt columns that reach up to twenty metres in height. It is more than five hundred thousand years old and can be seen from several viewing points.
Albarnaz lighthouse tip
On the other hand, the capital of the island is the small town of Saint Mary of the Flowers, which has about two thousand inhabitants. Populated since the mid-sixteenth century, we recommend that you visit it Church of Our Lady of the Conception, built in the 18th century. The temples of the blessed souls and San Pedro. On the other hand the Convent of San Buenaventura It is a hundred years older.
Finally, visit the Santa Maria area Punta de Albernaz lighthouse, built in 1925, and the curious Boqueiro Whaling Factory and Pimentel de Mesquita museums, which is also a municipal library.
Fayal Island
View of the Capelinhos point
It forms the set of the «Triangle Islands», along with those of San Jorge and Pico. The latter is only about eight kilometers away. It has an area of close to 170 square kilometers and is also known as «The Blue Island» for its abundance of flowers and its magnificent beaches. Among the latter, we advise you to enjoy those of Almoxarife and Porto Pim, but also of the Varadouro natural pools.
However, if we talk about the geography of the island, you have to go to the Capelinhos Point, formed in 1957 after the eruption of the volcano of the same name. The lava that emerged from the seabed formed a cape of approximately two and a half kilometers connected to land. To learn more about all this and even the origin of the island, visit the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre.
The famous Peter's Café, icon of Fayal, another of the most beautiful islands of the Azores
No less spectacular is the Cabeço Gordo Caldera, a volcanic crater that can be seen from a viewing point and also offers magnificent views of the entire island, as it is located at an altitude of 1043 metres.
On the other hand, the most important town of Fayal is Horta, the third capital of the Azores archipelago. In it, you have to see the Marina, a welcoming port whose walls decorated with murals form an open-air museum. You will also find the Peter's Sport Café, an old and famous fisherman's bar that has become a symbol of the island. Finally, visit the Jardín Botánico and Horta Museum, of an ethnographic and religious nature.
Santa Maria, the sun among the most beautiful islands of the Azores
Barreiro da Faneca, the “Red Desert of the Azores”
It has been baptized as «island of the sun» for its good climate, which you can enjoy on magnificent beaches such as those of bays of st. lorenz (where there is a fortress), Los Angeles y Santa Maria. In the latter, you will see whimsical rock formations similar to those mentioned in Rocha dos Bordoes. But, above all, we advise you to choose Formosa beach, perhaps the most beautiful of the entire archipelago.
Diogo de Silves discovered the island in 1547 and it was the first to be populated. Other interesting landscapes are those of the Pico Alto, the highest at 567 meters, and the Castelo Point, where is the Gonzalo Velho lighthouse, built in 1927. But, above all, you have to approach the call Red Desert of the Azores, located in Barreiro da Faneca. It is a peculiar area of more than eight square kilometres with clay soils that give it its original reddish tone.
Golzalo Velho Lighthouse, on the island of Santa Maria
All this makes Santa Maria one of the most beautiful islands of the Azores. We also recommend that you visit its capital, Porto City. In it you have to see many civil and military buildings, but, above all, religious ones. Regarding the latter, the convent of San Francisco, which was built in the 17th century and includes the church of Our Lady of Victory.
In conclusion, we have shown you five of the most beautiful islands of the AzoresBut, in reality, the nine that make up the archipelago are worth your visit. Corvo It is the smallest and has spectacular areas such as Caldeirao. San Jorge It is also known as "the brown island" because of its fajanas (coastal lands formed by lava tails). Pico It houses the highest mountain in Portugal, with the same name, which reaches 2351 meters in height. And finally, Graciosa offers you unique places such as the Sulfur Grotto. Come and discover the Azores.