DESTINATIONS AZORES | SPAIN & PORTUGAL


GETTING THERE AND AROUND


E Fly direct to São Miguel from Heathrow with British Airways, and from Stansted with Ryanair, during the summer; year-round there are flights via Lisbon with TAP Air Portugal and Azores Airlines, which can pair with regional departures from around the UK. TAP also flies to Terceira, and Azores Airlines to Terceira, Pico and Horta from Lisbon.


ABOVE: Atlantic spotted dolphins can be seen off the coast of the Azores PICTURE: Shutterstock/Gonzalo Jara


Today, Terceira is still the most culturally fascinating spot in the archipelago. Pretty Angra is a Unesco World Heritage Site, its historical houses, churches and civic buildings painted in whitewash and rainbow shades. My guide Paulo took me to try the traditional, cinnamon-scented Dona Amelia cakes at O Forno bakery and then ran through Terceira’s dramatic history. The island was a theatre of war in the 16th-century conflict with Spain and again during the 19th-century Liberal Wars between Portuguese factions, with Angra gaining its ‘heroic’ suffix in 1829, after residents repelled an attack, with the city becoming the temporary capital for the whole of Portugal. From the top of the lush Monte Brasil hill, I saw the same view that was sketched by Charles Darwin when he stopped here on HMS Beagle. Terceira’s culture isn’t all in the past; it has a thriving sense of community very much alive and kicking today. Paulo calls Terceira the party island, and its calendar is packed with celebrations. Many travellers time their visits to coincide with village bull runs in the summer – the animals aren’t harmed and visitors can watch from a safe distance. At 3.5 million years old, Terceira looks somewhat similar to São Miguel but is home to a unique sight: the Algar do Carvão ‘walk-in volcano’. Descending into this


33From Monte Brasil hill, I saw the same view that was sketched by Charles Darwin when he stopped here on HMS Beagle


travelweekly.co.uk


perfectly preserved lava chimney is mind-blowing. The walls shift from vegetation to rock and the sky is visible through the cone at the top. A new visitor centre is being built, scheduled to open in April 2026, although limited visits may be possible this summer. For an alternative, suggest the Gruta do Natal, a 700m-long lava tunnel.


PICO: LAVA AND WINE Pico’s peak is a dormant stratovolcano and, at 2,351m, the highest summit in Portugal. The perfect cone is visible from everywhere on the island. Not only the youngest geologically, it was also one of the last islands to be settled, the rocky terrain proving hard to cultivate. But where many crops struggle, grapes can thrive, and the wines of Pico surpass any others in the Azores. The sheer effort that goes into producing those wines is mind-boggling. Since the 15th century, techniques have stayed the same, with vines growing directly on the black basalt gravel. The small plots of land are shielded from the wind by drystone walls so extensive they could stretch around the equator – twice. At Criação Velha, my guide Maria took me walking in the fields, all charcoal save for the green of the vines and a bright red windmill at the centre, and explained how the phylloxera epidemic that blighted vines in mainland Europe also decimated more than half of those in Pico. Now companies are bringing back high-quality wines made from indigenous grapes. Among the best are those from the Azores Wine Company, which has a stylish tasting room, boutique hotel (box, page 30) and restaurant serving a tasting menu of local ingredients – which was the culinary highlight of this three-island adventure.


TW


E Azores Airlines offers flights between all nine islands. Atlânticoline’s ferries provide an alternative for hopping between nearby islands, particularly Faial, Pico and São Jorge, or between Corvo and Flores.


BOOK IT


Sunvil offers a week-long trip with three nights at Octant Ponta Delgada in São Miguel, two at Azores Wine Company in Pico, and two at Terceira Mar Hotel in Terceira, all with breakfast, plus TAP flights via Lisbon, inter-island flights and transfers, from £1,977, departing September 3. sunvil.co.uk


Families Worldwide has an eight-day Azores Family Adventure based in São Miguel, with kayaking on Sete Cidades Lake, whale watching, canyoning and a visit to the Furnas fumaroles. Flight-inclusive prices are from £2,065 per adult and £1,895 per child, with departures through the 2025 summer holidays. Extensions to Terceira are also available. familiesworldwide.co.uk


8 MAY 2025 33


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52