This pretty former fishing village has recently been developed with swimming pool areas but most notably, it is famous for being the first landfall of Christopher Columbus on his return from the Ameri...
The Arruda Pineapple Plantation near Ponta Delgado is a fascinating pineapple plantation with various greenhouses all showing the small pineapples at different stages of growth and the labour intensiv...
Located in the northeast, this shell shaped bay is stunning with its steep sides covered in tiny terraced vineyards stretching down to the turquoise sea. On your way down, don’t forget to stop a...
On the outskirts of Furnas, 15 minutes walk from the botanical gardens, are these boiling pools of mud and hot water, some boiling with so much force they spout into the air. You don’t need to j...
Founded in 1876 by Dr Carlos Machado, it opened its doors to the public on 10th June 1880. This fascinating museum now houses Natural History collections, and more recently art and ethnographic s...
Built between 1531 and 1547, this is a perfect example of Portuguese gothic architecture. Located in the centre of the old town of Ponta Delgada, the interior is beautifully decorated with carved ceda...
Closely linked to the festival of Senhor Santo Cristo, the largest religious festival in the Azores, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Esperança holds the gilded statue of Christ which ...
The Lake of Furnas has a gentle path contouring the lake shore which takes a couple of hours to complete. Also on the lake shore are the Hot Springs which serve as a natural kitchen. Cooking by buryin...
Planted by Jose do Canto from 1845, this beautiful garden covers 6 hectares of land and is now the grounds of a small guesthouse. Of the three botanical gardens in Ponta Delgada, this one has undoubte...
At the foot of steep cliffs and in a wide bay, lies the lovely pale sand beach of Praia which is undoubtedly the best known swimming beach and probably the best in the Azores. There is not much...
