Azores itineraries: 5, 7, 10 and 15 days itineraries, and the perfect 5 weeks itinerary

In this guide we help you to organize your travel itinerary to the Azores Islands based on the number of days you have, with suggested itineraries, recommendation of the ideal number of days for each island as well as information you need to take into account when organizing your route, such as availability and prices of car rental, boats and flights between islands.

First of all, if you are organizing a trip to the Azores, we recommend you to read our complete guide to the Azores:

Azores islands travel: best island to visit and things to do in the portuguese paradise

How many days do you need in each island of the Azores

For your reference, before organizing your itinerary, it is important to understand how many days we recommend for each of the islands of the Azores. So, based on the number of days you have available for your trip to the Azores, you can get an idea of how many islands you could realistically include if your goal is to get to know them well and calmly:

• São Miguel: 7 days (read here the complete guide to the island of São Miguel)
• Santa Maria: 3-4 days (read here the complete guide to the island of Santa Maria)
• Terceira: 5 days (read here our complete guide to Terceira Island)
• Graciosa: 2-3 days (read here our complete guide to Graciosa island)
• São Jorge: 5 days (read here our complete guide to the island of São Jorge)
• Pico: 5 days (read here our complete guide to the island of Pico)
• Faial: 3 days (read here our complete guide to the island of Faial)
• Flores: 5 days (read here our complete guide to the island of Flores)
• Corvo: 2 days (read here our guide to Corvo Island)

Of course, this is something subjective, based on our experience and taking into account that you want to visit all the points of interest of each of the islands. The ideal way to organize your itinerary is to read our guide of each island (they are linked in the list itself), to see which places and plans interest you and which do not.

For example, you may not be so interested in hiking trails, you may want to know where the best swimming spots are, you may not want to do whale watching but you want to learn how to dive or surf. Based on that, you will be able to discard plans and make a more realistic itinerary adapted to your needs.

Azores islands itineraries

Below we include several suggestions of itineraries for different amounts of days, so that you can choose the one that best suits you. We also include the itinerary we did in Randomtrip, where we travelled through the Azores Islands for 2 months.

All the itineraries included below are suggestions, and you can modify them and/or create your own itineraries by consulting the suggested itineraries included in each island guide.

4 or 5 days Azores itineraries

If you have less than 5 days, our suggestion is to focus only on one island, which depending on where you are departing from, should be São Miguel or Terceira (the two with the most flight connections), to avoid wasting time on stopovers.

Here are two suggested itineraries for 5 days in São Miguel or Terceira:

São Miguel 5 days itinerary:

• Day 1: Arrival in São Miguel at noon and check-in at accommodation in Ponta Delgada. Visit Lagoa do Fogo and its viewpoints, hot springs in Caldeira Velha and Salto do Cabrito. Dinner in Ponta Delgada. Days 2 and 3 are interchangeable knowing that the Furnas day does not require good weather but the Sete Cidades day does.
• Day 2: Sete Cidades and Mosteiros. Start at the Vista do Rei viewpoint (in front of the ruins of the Monte Palace Hotel), continue to Lagoa do Canario and Grota do Inferno (possibility to do the Serra Devassa trail), go down to Sete Cidades stopping at the viewpoints. Lunch on the trail or in Sete Cidades. Continue to Mosteiros, visiting the Ponta de Ferraria with its warm sea water, the viewpoint of Ponta do Escalvado, and make beach / natural pools in Mosteiro, where you can also enjoy the sunset. Return to Ponta Delgada for dinner.
• Day 3: Furnas. Visit Terra Nostra, Furnas lagoon, Furnas village and eat stew. In the afternoon, go to the different viewpoints, pass by Praia do Fogo in Ribeira Quente and return to Furnas for Poça Dona Beija in the evening. Return to Ponta Delgada for dinner
• Day 4: Ponta Delgada and surroundings. Visit the city (portas da cidade, promenade, pineapple plantations, museu do Machado…), have lunch and in the afternoon go to one of the beach areas/natural pools (Milicias, Lagoa, Caloura, …) or to the tea plantations in the north.
• Day 5: Northeast and Povoação. Visit the different viewpoints (Ponta do Arnel, Ponta do Sossego, Ponta da Madrugada), the environmental center do Priolo, etc. Lunch in Nordeste or Povoação and in the afternoon do the Salto do Prego trail.

Terceira 5 days itinerary:

• Day 1: Arrival and check-in at Angra do Heroísmo. Visit to the points of interest of Angra, Monte Brasil and end of the afternoon/dinner in São Mateus.
• Day 2: In the morning, we visit Práia da Vitória, Miradouro da Serra do Cume and Porto Martins (where we can take a swim). In the afternoon, Algar do Carvão, Gruta do Natal and Furnas do Enxofre. From Gruta do Natal we do the hiking trail PRC01TER (Mistérios Negros). Dinner in Angra do Heroísmo.
• Day 3: We visit the Miradouro da Serra de Santa Barbara, and the west coast (Mata da Serreta). Lunch at Caneta restaurant, and visit the Miradouro de Altares, bathing in Biscoitos, Calheta dos Lagadores (with its World War II trenches) and the Miradouro de Alagoa. Dinner at O Pescador (Práia da Vitória).
• Day 4: We visit Feteira and Porto Judeu (overlooking Ilhéus das Cabras), where we can take a swim. We do the PR05TER trail (Fortes de São Sebastião), the area of Contendas, Salga and the Gruta das Agulhas. Dinner in Angra
• Day 5: We can choose between relaxing in one of the natural pools (Biscoitos or any other we want to visit from the list) or try to do some of the missing plans included in this guide.

6 or 7 days (one week) Azores itineraries

If you have a week, you can also choose to spend it on the main island (São Miguel), which in our opinion deserves those 7 days, or you can combine several islands (we would say a maximum of 2 or 3 to avoid running from one place to another). Here are some suggestions: one week in São Miguel; one week in the islands of the triangle )(Faial+Pico+São Jorge); one week in Flores+Corvo; or one week in Terceira+Graciosa:

São Miguel 7 days itinerary:

• Day 1: Arrival in São Miguel at noon and check-in at accommodation in Ponta Delgada. Visit Lagoa do Fogo and its viewpoints, hot springs in Caldeira Velha and Salto do Cabrito. Dinner in Ponta Delgada. Days 2 and 3 are interchangeable knowing that the Furnas day does not require good weather but the Sete Cidades day does.
• Day 2: Sete Cidades and Mosteiros. Start at the Vista do Rei viewpoint (in front of the ruins of the Monte Palace Hotel), continue to Lagoa do Canario and Grota do Inferno (possibility to do the Serra Devassa trail), go down to Sete Cidades stopping at the viewpoints. Lunch on the trail or in Sete Cidades. Continue to Mosteiros, visiting the Ponta de Ferraria with its warm sea water, the viewpoint of Ponta do Escalvado, and make beach / natural pools in Mosteiro, where you can also enjoy the sunset. Return to Ponta Delgada for dinner.
• Day 3: Furnas. Visit Terra Nostra, Furnas lagoon, Furnas village and eat stew. In the afternoon, go to the different viewpoints, pass by Praia do Fogo in Ribeira Quente and return to Furnas for Poça Dona Beija in the evening. Return to Ponta Delgada for dinner
• Day 4: Ponta Delgada and surroundings. Visit the city (portas da cidade, promenade, pineapple plantations, museu do Machado…), have lunch and in the afternoon go to one of the beach areas/natural pools (Milicias, Lagoa, Caloura, …).
• Day 5: Northeast and Povoação. Visit the different viewpoints (Ponta do Arnel, Ponta do Sossego, Ponta da Madrugada), the environmental center do Priolo, etc. Lunch in Nordeste or Povoação and in the afternoon do the Salto do Prego trail.
• Day 6: Vila Franca do Campo. In the morning visit the islet of Vila Franca, return for lunch, and in the afternoon Lagoa do Congro and Lagoa de São Bras.
• Day 7: In the morning do the Poço Azul / Salto da Farinha trail, have lunch at Ribeira Grande and in the afternoon visit the contemporary art center Arquipélago. See the sunset in Santa Bárbara and have dinner at Tuká Tulá.

Faial, Pico and São Jorge (triangle islands) 7 days itinerary:

• Day 1: Faial (arrival, Volcão dos Capelinhos, interpretation center and lighthouse, if it is good swimming in Porto do Comprido. Return to Horta stopping at points of interest such as the handicraft center, Varadouro, Morro de Castelo Branco, Poça da Rainha, etc.).
• Day 2: Faial (early in the morning go to Caldeira and make the trekking that borders it, then know Horta and surroundings, to go on the last boat to Pico).
• Day 3: Pico (easy trail in Criação Velha, to see closely the vineyards of Pico and the famous red mill with the mountain in the background. Go to bed early to try to sleep a few hours before the climb to Piquinho).
• Day 4: Pico (Early morning to climb Piquinho at night, see the sunrise at the top and descend. Lunch in Madalena or surroundings and rest the legs of the climb in a natural pool if the weather is good).
• Day 5: Pico (whale watching in the morning in Lajes do Pico, choose some other plan for the afternoon if we have time, such as the Museu do Vinho, Gruta das Torres, etc., and go to São Jorge on the last available boat).
• Day 6: São Jorge (we visit Fajã do Ouvidor, stopping at its viewpoint, and Poça Simão Dias – if it is lunch time, we can have lunch at Amílcar -. We continue to Fajã dos Vimes to taste the local coffee, then to Fajã Grande where we take a dip and finish the day in Calheta).
• Day 7: São Jorge (trail to Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo in the morning – lunch at Fajã dos Cubres -. In the afternoon we approach the east side of the island, to Topo. and if time allows, Urzelina and Velas).

Flores and Corvo 7 days itinerary

• Day 1: Flores (arrival and relaxation at the natural pools of Santa Cruz, sunset at Fajã Grande)
• Day 2: Flores (Tour of the island’s 7 lagoons in the morning, and visit to Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and Poço do Bacalhau in the afternoon, before sunset)
• Day 3: Flores (Road between Santa Cruz and Ponta Delgada, stopping at the different viewpoints in the morning, trail to Fajã de Lopo Vaz in the afternoon)
• Day 4: Flores (Trail between Ponta Delgada and Fajã Grande, relax after at the natural pool of Fajã Grande)
• Day 5: Flores (Visit to the points of the south-west area such as Lajes, Mosteiro, Lajedo…)
• Day 6: Corvo (climb to Caldeirão to admire the views and do the trail. Return to the village for a walk or relax on the beach).
• Day 7: Corvo (hike the “Cara do Índio” trail and relax for the rest of the time before returning)

Terceira and Graciosa 7 days itinerary:

• Day 1: Terceira. Arrival and check-in at Angra do Heroísmo. Visit to the points of interest of Angra, Monte Brasil and end of the afternoon/dinner in São Mateus.
• Day 2: Terceira. In the morning, we visit Práia da Vitória, Miradouro da Serra do Cume and Porto Martins (where we can take a swim). In the afternoon, Algar do Carvão, Gruta do Natal and Furnas do Enxofre. From Gruta do Natal we do the hiking trail PRC01TER (Mistérios Negros). Dinner in Angra do Heroísmo.
• Day 3: Terceira. We visit the Miradouro da Serra de Santa Barbara, and the west coast (Mata da Serreta). Lunch at Caneta restaurant, and visit the Miradouro de Altares, bathing in Biscoitos, Calheta dos Lagadores (with its trenches of the Second World War) and the Miradouro de Alagoa. Dinner at O Pescador (Práia da Vitória).
• Day 4: Graciosa. Go on the first flight. Visit Furna do Enxofre, the furnas and the Caldeira (optional to make the route that borders it). The next stop is a dip in Carapacho, stopping on the way at the viewpoints that are in the area. Then Ponta da Barca, Poceirões (with bath and relaxation included) and if you feel like it, you can take the opportunity to watch the sunset from there.
• Day 5: Graciosa. Visit Barro Vermelho (take a dip), Porto Afonso, some of the mills in the area, the Associação de Criadores do Burro Anão da Ilha da Graciosa, and Caldeirinha. Afterwards, visit Praia and taste its queijadas.
• Day 6: Terceira. Return on the first flight. We visit Feteira and Porto Judeu (overlooking Ilhéus das Cabras), where we can take the opportunity for a swim. We do the PR05TER trail (Fortes de São Sebastião), the area of Contendas, Salga and the Gruta das Agulhas. Dinner in Angra
• Day 7: Terceira. We can choose between relaxing in one of the natural pools (Biscoitos or any other we want to visit from the list) or try to do some of the missing plans included in this guide.

10 days Azores itineraries

With 10 days in the Azores we recommend a minimum of 2 islands, although depending on your tastes and your organizational capacity you can visit up to 3 or 4 (without being possible to know them all thoroughly). Here are some suggestions of itineraries:

São Miguel and Santa Maria 10-day itinerary:

• Days 1 to 7: same 7-day itinerary in São Miguel as suggested in the previous section.
• Days 8 to 10: 3-day itinerary in Santa Maria suggested here.

Faial, Pico and São Jorge (islands of the triangle) 10-day itinerary:

• Days 1 to 2: Faial (delete some plan from the 2-3 day itinerary suggested here)
• Days 3 to 6: Pico (delete some plan from the 4-5 day itinerary suggested here)
• Days 7 to 10: São Jorge (delete some plan from the 4-5 day itinerary suggested here)

Terceira and Flores (Corvo optional) 10-day itinerary :

• Days 1 to 5: Terceira (follow itinerary of 5 days in Terceira suggested here)
• Days 5 to 10: Flores (follow 5-day itinerary in Flores suggested here or take some off to add a day visit to Corvo)

São Miguel and Flores (Corvo optional) 10-day itinerary:

• Days 1 to 5: São Miguel (follow 5-day itinerary in São Miguel suggested here)
• Days 5 to 10: Flores (follow 5-day itinerary in Flores suggested here or take some off to add a day visit to Corvo)

15 days (2 weeks) Azores itineraries

With 15 days or two weeks we recommend you to visit at least 3 islands, although they can be more depending on if you want to know them in depth and which ones you choose. Here are some suggestions of itineraries.

15-day itinerary in São Miguel, Faial, Pico and São Jorge (islands of the triangle)

• Days 1 to 7: same 7-day itinerary in São Miguel as suggested in the previous section.
• Days 8 to 9: Faial (follow itinerary of 2-3 days in Faial suggested here and remove some plan)
• Days 10 to 12: Pico (follow 3-day itinerary in Pico suggested here)
• Days 13 to 15: São Jorge (follow 3-day itinerary in São Jorge suggested here)

15-day itinerary in São Miguel, Terceira, Flores (optional Corvo):

• Days 1 to 5: São Miguel (follow 5-day itinerary in São Miguel suggested here)
• Days 5 to 10: Flores (follow 5-day itinerary in Flores suggested here or take some off to add a day visit to Corvo)
• Days 11 to 15: Terceira (follow 5-day itinerary in Terceira suggested here)

Azores perfect itinerary: get to know the 9 islands in just over a month (37 days – 5 weeks)

If what you want is to get to know the 9 Azorean islands, as we did in Randomtrip, you should know that the more time you can dedicate to them the better, but based on our experience, we leave you here what we consider the perfect itinerary, where for 5 weeks you will travel the entire archipelago of the Azores.

If you have less time (3 weeks or a month) you can adjust it by taking some days off each island. We recommend you to read carefully our guides to see what interests you more of each one and to be clearer about where to take days off and where not to take days off.

If you are going to do this itinerary, we recommend that you do it between May and October, where the probabilities of good weather are higher.

• Eastern group (10 days):
  • Days 1 to 7: São Miguel
  • Days 8 to 10: Santa Maria
• Central group (20 days):
  • Days 11 to 13: Faial
  • Days 14 to 18: Pico
  • Days 19 to 23: São Jorge
  • Days 24 to 25: Graciosa
  • Days 26 to 30: Terceira
• Western group (7 days):
  • Days 31 to 35: Flowers
  • Days 36 to 37: Corvo

Our 2-month Azores itinerary through the 9 islands

This was our 2-month itinerary through the Azores, in which we visited the 9 islands. We do not count here the first day (where we did Lisbon > Terceira > Faial) and the last day (Santa Maria > São Miguel > Lisbon), which we spend just travelling. Note that not all full days were visiting days as we worked while traveling.

• Central group (36 days):
  • Days 1 to 5: Faial
  • Days 6 to 17: Pico
  • Days 18 to 23: São Jorge
  • Days 24 to 26: Graciosa
  • Days 27 to 36: Terceira
• Western group (8 days):
  • Days 37 to 42: Flowers
  • Days 43 to 44: Corvo
• Eastern group (16 days):
  • Days 45 to 57: São Miguel
  • Days 57 to 60: Santa Maria

Suggested itineraries by island

In the guides for each of the islands, we include suggested itineraries also for different amounts of days. You can use them to help you better organize your itinerary. Here we leave them all linked:

Suggested itineraries in the Azores by island:

• Eastern Group:
  • São Miguel Itineraries:
    • What to see in São Miguel in 2-3 days
    • What to see in São Miguel in 4-5 days
    • What to see in São Miguel in 6-7 days
  • Itineraries Santa Maria:
    • What to see in Santa Maria in 2-3 days
    • What to see in Santa Maria in 4-5 days
• Central Group:
  • Terceira Itineraries:
    • What to see in Terceira in 2-3 days
    • What to see in Terceira in 4-5 days
    • What to see in Terceira in 6-7 days
  • Itineraries Graciosa:
    • What to see in Graciosa in 1 day
    • What to see in Graciosa in 2-3 days
  • Itineraries São Jorge:
    • What to see in São Jorge in 2-3 days
    • What to see in São Jorge in 4-5 days
    • What to see in São Jorge in 6-7 days
  • Itineraries Pico:
    • What to see in Pico in 2-3 days
    • What to see in Pico in 4-5 days
    • What to see in Pico in 6-7 days
  • Faial Itineraries:
    • What to see in Faial in 2-3 days
    • What to see in Faial in 4-5 days
• Western Group
  • Flores Itineraries:
    • What to see in Flores in 2-3 days
    • What to see in Flores in 4-5 days
    • What to see in Flores in 6-7 days
  • Itineraries Corvo:
    • What to see in Corvo in 1 day
    • What to see in Corvo in 2-3 days

Getting around the Azores

Another important issue when organizing your itinerary is how to get around, both between islands and within each island.

Getting around inside each island

In all the islands except Corvo it is important to rent a car, as the public transport offer is quite limited in routes and schedules. Since the pandemic, cars have gone up quite a lot in price (companies had to sell part of the fleet to survive and now they are unable to buy enough cars to meet the demand), running out even in high season, so it is very important to check availability and prices before buying flights.

You can check and compare companies with availability for your dates in comparators such as DiscoverCars. Remember to check the rental conditions of each company (excess, insurance coverage, fuel policy, reviews…) and not only the price.

Traveling between islands

To travel between islands, there are two options: boats and flights, although not all islands are connected to each other and frequencies are limited.

Inter-island flights with SATA

The 9 islands of the Azores archipelago have airports, ensuring the air connection between them. The frequency of flights is higher in summer, and for some islands it is necessary to make a stopover (usually in São Miguel or Faial).

The airline that makes this inter-island flights is SATA – Azores Airlines and during high season they usually sell out so if you want to visit any island beyond São Miguel (the island you have probably reached in the archipelago*), buy your flights in advance.

*There are several flights from Portugal and also some options from other European countries and the US and Canada

• From Paris (FR) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel)
• From Lisbon to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel), to Lajes (Terceira), to Pico or to Horta (Faial)
• From Oporto to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) and Lajes (Terceira)
• From Madrid to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) but, for the moment, only in summer.
• From Boston (US) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) and Lajes (Terceira)
• From Toronto (CA) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) and Lajes (Terceira)
• From London (UK) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel)

You should be flexible with dates and use price comparators like Skyscanner and Kiwi.com. Once in the archipelago you can fly with Sata to any Azorean island.

Boats between islands with Atlânticoline

The other option to travel between islands is by boat. All existing boats are managed by the company Atlânticoline and you can buy tickets in advance online at their website: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/.

Boat connections are limited and since the beginning of the pandemic some of the routes have been cancelled, so for some islands you will depend on air travel. Currently the existing boat connections are:

• Islands of the triangle (Faial, Pico and São Jorge): they have connections throughout the year, with more frequencies during the summer.
• Central Group: the other two islands of the central group (Terceira and Graciosa) are connected to each other and to the triangle only during the summer:
  • The purple line connects Terceira with the triangle, from 15/06 to 15/09, two days a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays).
  • The white line connects Terceira and Graciosa with the triangle, from 06/11 to 10/04, two days a week (Mondays and Fridays).

Please note: Frequencies and schedules are subject to change, you can check and confirm schedules here: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/horarios/

How to get to the Azores Islands

The cheapest is usually to fly from Lisbon/Oporto with Ryanair (you can even add a couple of days in each of these amazing cities if you have time). Sometimes you can also find good prices with Tap (the Portuguese airline) or Sata (the Azorean airline responsible for all inter-island flights).

There are several flights from Portugal and also some options from other European countries and the US and Canada

• From Paris (FR) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel)
• From Lisbon to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel), to Lajes (Terceira), to Pico or to Horta (Faial)
• From Oporto to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) and Lajes (Terceira)
• From Madrid to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) but, for the moment, only in summer.
• From Boston (US) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) and Lajes (Terceira)
• From Toronto (CA) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) and Lajes (Terceira)
• From London (UK) to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel)

You should be flexible with dates and use price comparators like Skyscanner and Kiwi.com. Once in the archipelago you can fly with Sata to any Azorean island.

Where to stay in the Azores

In each island guide you will find a section with several suggested accommodations but here we include the area we recommend to stay in each island and a link that takes you directly to the accommodations available in that area (just enter your travel dates and choose):

• São Miguel: we recommend staying in Ponta Delgada, the capital of the island, to be able to explore the island. In addition, with the gastronomic offer it offers, it is perfect for not having to take the car and go far away after a good dinner. The other option is Ribeira Grande, also well located and with several accommodations in front of the sea.
• Santa Maria: ideally you should stay in Vila do Porto, its main town although the island is so small that you can stay anywhere on the island really as everything is close by.
• Faial: the best area is Horta or Porto Pim, right in front of the beach of the same name. They are within walking distance of each other and there are several accommodations (and restaurants) in the area so you just have to choose.
• Pico: the area we liked best to stay in Pico is in Lajido, among vineyards, but if you stay in Madalena or surroundings you will also be in a strategic point, although not as beautiful.
• São Jorge: the accommodation offer of the dragon island is concentrated in the south (where there is also a better location to explore the island) so we recommend you to look for accommodation in Urzelina, Velas or even in Calheta. If, in addition, you want to live the experience of sleeping in a Fajã(fajana), just for a few days or for the whole stay, it is clear that the Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo is the best choice for a few days of retreat and disconnection.
• Terceira: on the third largest island of the Azores, the ideal place to stay is Angra do Heroísmo, the beautiful capital of the Azores, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Graciosa: at Randomtrip we stayed in Santa Cruz de Graciosa, particularly at the Boa Nova Hostel, a modern hostel with double rooms (and dorms) and we highly recommend it. If you want something more special, you can always sleep in one of the island’s mills like Boina do Vento or Moinho Mó da Praia.
• Flores: the best area to stay in is Fajã Grande or nearby as, apart from being the most beautiful area (in our opinion) and where the sun sets, it is where some of the best restaurants and accommodations are located.
• Corvo: at the only hotel on the island, the Hotel Comodoro, where we stayed and loved it.

Please note that a night’s accommodation for 2 people is, at least, between 50€ – 60€/night for a room with private bathroom (and, in some cases with personal or shared kitchen) or apartment in the most economical options.

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In short, after deciding the island(s) you want to visit based on what you like (that’s what our complete guide to the Azores is for) and the number of days you have available for the trip, book everything in advance: rental car, accommodation, flights (Skyscanner and Kiwi.com will help you find the best price) and boats between islands (in that order because cars are usually sold out) and… Boa Viagem!

We hope this guide has helped you organize your trip to the Azores. If you have any questions, leave them in comments!