Miles of vertical green fields. Rocky pillars bursting from cerulean ocean. Waterfalls that seem to pour from the sky.
Imagine Disneyland created a world where Avatar meets the prehistoric earth from The Land Before Time, then flashes you through it like a rollercoaster. Now imagine that at ten times the size. That is the landscape that awaits in the Azores, a volcanic archipelago between Portugal and the United States.
Nicknamed the ‘Hawaii of Europe’, this cluster of nine islands is an eco-adventurer’s paradise, with less of the crowds who flock to Madeira (also touted as a Hawaii alternative) or Italy’s Dolomites. As holiday hotspots push back against tourists, the craggy rocks and thermal springs of the ‘Islands of Colours’ remain thankfully unspoilt.
But it won’t stay this way for long. Metro featured The Azores in our 2025 travel calendar, and it was recently named Europe’s number one destination for American travellers, with a 203% increase in flights from North America in July last year alone. I can confirm there are many reasons to join them — just make sure you go before everyone else does.
São Miguel: A spectacular bit of everything
Sitting 850 miles west of mainland Portugal, the Azores consists of three clusters of nine volcanic islands: São Miguel and Santa Maria to the east; Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the centre; and Flores and Corvo to the west.
There are highlights, but each island, with its own unique identity and astonishing natural beauty, deserves a few days of exploring themselves.
São Miguel is the largest and most famous, and so, like most of the 183,000 international visitors who landed in Europe’s westernmost outpost ‘ last year, that is where my trip began.
Getting to the Azores
Low-cost airlines run direct routes from the UK the Azores.
Ryanair runs 4-hour direct flights from London Stansted to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) from £160 return. Once on terra firma, one-way direct flights between the islands start from £70 with Sata Airlines.
As a non-driver who loves to explore a new place by foot or bike, it pains me to admit that you really do need to hire a car here. If you don’t, there’s so much you’ll end up missing. Not least, the joy of driving past elevated tea leaves fields, or on twisting tree-lined roads that occasionally gift a spellbinding Atlantic sunset.
São Miguel has so much to offer from an adventure perspective that it feels like it prehistorically erupted into a theme park — volcanic landscapes, terracotta-topped villages and ethical whale and dolphin watching on azure ocean.
From the remote Lagoa do Fogo to the gigantic Sete Cidades, you’ll also find vast mountain lakes surrounded by giants of rock.
You can hike them, but São Miguel has made every viewpoint (called Miradouros) incredibly accessible. It’s possible to drive to the best vantage points and take a photo that would have otherwise required a 5-hour climb.
Unmissable stops are Pico do Ferro for a stunning view over Lagoa das Furnas, Santa Iria for a breathtaking sunset, and the iconic da Boca do Inferno which manages to elevate the otherworldly Sete Cidades to new heights.
There are also exhilarating activities such as canyoning, which involves moving through a canyon with rappels and jumping into lagoons. Azores Epic Adventures are Metro‘s top pick of the guides that operate in Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões.
Not far from Caldeirões is Praia de Santa Bárbara, one of the few sandy beaches. Wild and unpredictable, this surfer’s paradise produces perfect waves in the early morning.
Whether you’re a first-time surfer like me (thank you to the excellent Santa Barbara Surf School who managed to get me on a board) or a seasoned pro, the morning light splinted by crashing waves is an unforgettable sensation.
If the ocean isn’t your thing, Quinta da Terça also offers a variety of horse riding excursions that take you under forest canopies and over rugged mountain trails.
São Miguel at a glance
For wildlife lovers: Terra Azul whale and dolphin watching – €62, 3 hours .
For marine biology lovers: Ocean Eyes glass bottom boat tour – €50, 2 hours,
For surf lovers: Santa Barbara Surf School – €40 for 1 lesson in a group, 2 hours
For adrenaline lovers: Epic Canyoning – €75, 3 hours.
For nature lovers: Hikes to Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo and Lagoa Furnas. Free!
For horse riding lovers: Quinta da Terça, from €40, 1.2 hours.
For food lovers: West Coast: Mômô Restaurant – mains from €21. South Coast: Bar Caloura – mains from €12. Central: Terra Nostra Garden Hotel – mains from €26.
Flores: The jewel in the crown
Just over 300 miles west of São Miguel, Flores is – in my opinion – the non-negotiable of the Azores’ nine islands. Especially if, like me, the prehistoric landscapes are what convinced you to visit in the first place.
Flores feels much more ancient than São Miguel. Tourism exists but don’t expect European connectivity or a wide range of hotels. This is a place that remains largely unexplored, with beautiful vistas inaccessible by land that you can only see from the water.
Abandoned villages where the notoriously invasive Kahili ginger plant wraps itself around ruined houses; colours straight from the canvas of a Monet painting; waterfalls so high they stretch into clouds. There’s little more to do than to grab a rental car and explore the expanse of this island that feels frozen in time.
Grab a beer or Kima – a lemonade-style passion fruit drink – and watch the sunset from a bar in Fajã Grande, the westernmost point of Europe.
Flores must-visits
Waterfalls: Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau and Cascata da Ribeira do Ferreiro.
Hikes: For a challenging hike, the Fajã Grande—Ponta Delgada high-elevation trail rewards you with stunning views over the West Coast. If you’re looking for something easier but equally stunning, follow the trail from Miradouro das Lagoas to Fajã Grande.
Activities: Canyoning with West Canyon. Corvo day trip or Diving with Extremocidente.
Restaurants: There’s not much on Flores restaurant-wise, which makes the fancy Aldeia da Cuada the best by default.
A plate of your finest limpets, please
If there’s one thing that the Azores lacks, it’s consistently fantastic food. But thankfully, every dish containing limpets is a masterclass of seafood cuisine.
Tougher and fishier than mussels, they’re best tried grilled with garlic or in the Azores’ traditional red pepper sauce. Delicious options are served at Bar Caloura (come for the limpets, stay for everything else).
Another culinary must of the island is a visit to Furnas, a town and valley built across active volcanic sites with towers of steaming calderas coming out of the ground. Try Terra Nostra Restaurant for its famous Cozido, a dish of meat, potatoes and vegetables cooked by the underground heat of the volcano.
No trip is complete without dinner at Mômô, a restaurant based in Sensi that serves exceptionally good food at reasonable prices. A highlight is ceviche with a delicious passion fruit (locally grown) sauce.
Pico: a view above the clouds
The last stop on my trip was Pico, the island dominated by the towering peak of Mount Pico, the Azores’ – and Portugal’s – highest peak.
High above the clouds, it stands like Olympus, casting a shadow across the island as the sun rises.
Book a guide with Tripix, a well-established trekking company that makes the moderately challenging climb as easy as it can be. Your reward is a truly breathtaking view that I won’t ever forget.
If a feeling exists that blends being aware of how far you are from home, with a sense of complete serenity, a sunset here is just that.
The Azores are a postcard from a time before tourism. And if you visit them responsibly, taking time to explore the most isolated corners, you’ll find peace few places in the world can achieve today.
Jeremy Ullmann was a guest of Discover Azores.
