Sunny view of Angra do Heroismo, Terceira Island, Azores

Best of Azores: Magical Atlantic Island Tour

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Portugal

Places Visited

Azores, Flores, Santa Cruz, Corvo...

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Suggested Duration

14 Days

A forgotten archipelago in the Atlantic, where volcanoes soar and coastlines enchant. Welcome to the Azores. A land of waterfalls, lava tubes, vineyards, crater lakes, old whaling settlements, and superlative coastlines. Every island showcases unique landscapes, culture, cuisine, and attractions. This is the ultimate handcrafted voyage, exploring seven islands in two weeks: Flores, Corvo, Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Terceira, and Sao Miguel.

Customizable Itinerary

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Trip Highlights

  • Immerse yourself in the Eden of Flores, the western island of incomparable natural beauty
  • Travel into the time of whalers and navigators with a three-night stay in Angra do Heroismo, a World Heritage village on Terceira island
  • Escape to Faial, an island of passing whales and towering volcanoes
  • Discover volcanic vineyards and enormous lava tubes on the island of Pico
  • Explore the inimitable culture of Corvo, where less than 500 people keep a pre-Portuguese lifestyle alive
  • Ride to the world-famous craters of Sete Cidades, just one highlight on the island of Sao Miguel
  • Spend a day on the beaches of Sao Jorge, perhaps surfing Portugal’s most consistent wave, or maybe just following the cliffs

Detailed Description

The highlight of every archipelago is diversity. No two islands are ever the same. That diversity is magnified in the Azores, where each volcanic island displays unique geography, culture, cuisine, and visitor highlights. Some highlights include whaling settlements that hardly seem to have changed since the 16th century; enormous lava tubes and volcanic crater lakes; searching for whales off the coast and following waves to the beach. Pico is pure volcano, Terceira is a patchwork of fields and forest, while Flores is a lush Eden of waterfalls, majestic cliffs, and hydrangea-dappled plateaus. On Sao Miguel, you taste a stew slow-cooked underground while on Corvo you meet one of Europe’s smallest ethnic communities.

This handcrafted tour explores the very best of the Azores. Stay on four different islands, Flores, Faial, Terceira, and Sao Miguel. You’ll take day trips to three other islands: Corvo, Pico, and Sao Jorge. With two weeks, you can travel at island pace, rather than having to rush around each and every day. Think laid-back days of exploring and quiet evenings watching the waves. The escapist feeling that makes the Azores so inviting. There’s something planned for each of the days but don’t expect anything too strenuous, even when hiking on a volcano. More than anything else, the Azores archipelago provides an easy getaway from your everyday world.

Start in the western cluster of islands. Flores is the lush garden island of waterfalls, lagoons, lakes, and flowers. Spend three nights here, allowing for a full day on neighboring Corvo, where 400 inhabitants keep a medieval Portuguese dialect and culture alive in the 21st century. Fly to Faial, an island best known for its whales. You’ll spot the giants in season (April to October), on a whale watching tour, and most likely on day trips to nearby Pico and Sao Jorge islands. Faial itself is all volcanic enchantment and old whaling history, with Horta as a historical base for all the exploring.

Staying in the archipelago’s heart, you spend three days on Terceira, an island of dry-stone walls, patchwork fields, tiny vineyards, and irrepressible volcanoes. UNESCO World Heritage town Angra do Heroismo transports you back to the 16th century here, as do numerous fishing villages that are hidden from the Atlantic swell. The seafood and wine are best on Terceira but the island also sees cultivated landscape give way to middle-earth-style mystery. At Sete Cidades, you discover the most famous Azores attraction. Ponta Delgada is a modern town to ease you back towards the real world. But as Sao Miguel is large, it’s easy to escape into nature as you tour waterfalls, tea plantations, nature reserves, botanical wonderlands, and smoldering fumaroles.

Starting Price

$4,600 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service

4.92 stars based on 1135 reviews.

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