The Azores: your ultimate travel guide

Written by: Gina Lawrence - Digital Content Executive at Explore Worldwide
Published: 16 June 2025
In partnership with Visit Portugal

The Azores is an archipelago of nine volcanic islands, grouped into three areas: the central, east and west islands. Politically, they are part of Portugal, but are an autonomous region situated in the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,500km west of Lisbon.

Read on to discover everything you need to know about the Azores.

1. What are the Azores known for?
2. Where are the best places to visit in the Azores?
3. When to go
4. Whale watching in the Azores
5. Birdwatching in the Azores
6. Flowers of the Azores
7. Azores Pineapples
8. What to pack
9. Travel Advice
10. Cuisine
11. Sustainability tips

The Azores are made up of nine islands, each one unique and with its own distinct character and idiosyncrasies. They’re linked together by ferries or interisland flights, making travel between them easy. We visit four of these spectacular islands on our walking tour of the Azores, allowing you to soak up unspoilt landscapes at a gentle pace:

São Miguel

The largest and most politically significant island, São Miguel is where the president of the Azores lives. It is lush and green, with rich volcanic soil and vast crater lakes beside smoking fumaroles. The main town is Ponta Delgada.

São Jorge

São Jorge is best-known as the hikers island. The soil is iron rich, giving is a rich reddish-brown hue, with a rollercoaster coastline that rises to cliffs and plummets to pretty fajas, the sea level villages where all the churches face out to sea, awaiting the safe return of the island’s fishermen. Expect to see George and the dragon motifs here – São Jorge means Saint George. 

Pico

The youngest island, Pico is unmistakable thanks to the black volcanic rocks pockmarked with lava bubbles. These rocks are used to build houses, dry stone walls, and vineyards – each pocket of either circular, square or rectangular shape sheltering the vines and absorbing the suns heat, keeping the grapes warm as they grow.

The island is also renowned for its quality wine production. In fact, wine production on Pico Island is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site! The vineyards are often planted in cracks of the lava rock, reflecting the unique landscape and traditional farming practices. As there is a limited production, visiting the Azores offers a unique opportunity to sample these exceptional wines directly at their source.

As well as its wine, Pico is known for Mount Pico, the highest point not just of the Azores but all Portugal at 2,351m.

Faial

One of the most popular islands, Faial is where the most recent eruption took place in the archipelago during the 1950s, which expanded the surface area of the island by 2.4 km².

Home to famous Peter’s Sport Café, the main town of Horta is a trendy spot with its long coastal promenade and harbour bursting with yachts.

The Azores truly are a year-round destination, with incredible things to see and experience whatever time you visit. April to October is the best time to go to the Azores, with different months offering different seasonality. Peak season is considered the summer, but don’t sleep on shoulder season – spring (April and May) is the best time to go to the Azores for whale watching, and September and October are great for escaping both the crowds and the summer heat and humidity. Shoulder season in general is favoured by many active travellers to Portugal, as it gives optimum conditions for walking.

April and May is the best time for whale watching, when you have the chance to see not only the resident species but also the migratory species passing through. This is also when the azaleas are in bloom.

Late May and June are the peak months for flower enthusiasts, with the hydrangeas the islands are famed for in bloom. This is also the best season for the locally grown pineapples, which are at their sweetest and juiciest during these months.

July and August and the hottest months on average, so if you’re craving that hit of sunshine this is the best time to aim for. If you’re a keen swimmer, the coastline is dotted with natural pools that are sheltered from the sea waves and idyllic for a dip – so don’t forget your swimmers.

September and October is an ideal time for walkers, when the number of the summer visitors starts to fall. October is the quietest month with lowest visitor numbers but still has mild climate which is perfect if you’re looking to escape the heat and crowds of summer.

Birdwatching in the Azores

Whilst walking or relaxing, keep your eyes and ears peeled for avian activity. The Azores islands are alive with the chatter of birds – most common are sparrows and chaffinches, the unmistakable bob of the grey wagtail, and waterfowl like the common snipe and little egret.

It’s hard to miss the distinctive screech and wail of the shearwaters along the coast, or the distinctive bright yellow flash of the Atlantic canary. A rare sighting would be the endemic Azores Bullfinch on São Miguel. These are the best wildlife photography destinations around the world.

Flowers of the Azores

The rich volcanic soil and the temperate semi-tropical climate of the Azores make these islands erupt in a diversity of plant life. Expect to see bromelias, yuccas, monsteras, even wild strawberries growing alongside the footpaths.

Many wealthy Azorians of days gone by showed off their power with ornate floral gardens, importing vast numbers of plant species that took root in the fertile soil. Possibly most famous is the hydrangea, with each round head of flowers made up of a confetti of petals which bloom from late May and throughout June.

Although originally from the Himalayas, the Azores is so famous for the hydrangeas as to be almost synonymous with them, and now you can see them throughout the islands growing without human intervention.

Azores Pineapples

Pineapples are a delicacy here, with May and June considered peak pineapple season, when these zingy fruits are at their sweetest and ripest. They’re smaller than the average supermarket pineapple, and extremely delicious.

You’ll find the yellow fruit on many menus throughout the islands, but particularly on São Miguel, where you can find them fresh as they are, eat them with yoghurt for breakfast, in a slice of gooey upside-down cake, or served with black pudding as a starter in local restaurants.

Travel advice

The Azores are easier to reach than you might expect, with direct flights from London UK, Boston USA and Toronto Canada, or changing in Lisbon if necessary. Interisland travel is done by ferry where possible to lower carbon footprint, or a short flight where the distance is too great.

Cuisine

Dining in the Azores is a delight, with generous portions and lots of locally produced dishes. Fish, unsurprisingly, is a staple, with local varieties on the menus which change daily to reflect the morning’s catch.

Salted codfish or bacalhau is a favourite. Usually fish is served grilled, often whole, with salad and potatoes to accompany. For more adventurous seafood, octopus and limpets are often on menus.

On land, the cattle are supreme, whether beef steaks or creamy local cheeses paired with fragrant honey. It must be said, the variety for vegetarians is quite restricted, with a dependence on meat and fish a cornerstone of eating here.  

The Azores produces its own wine. Mostly white wine, the vineyards are constructed with basaltic stone that aids the growth of the vines and produces some sumptuous wines to enjoy of an evening.
 

Sustainability tips

Drinking water is widely available from taps in the Azores, and some walks include fresh springs or taps en route, so there is no need to buy single use plastic water bottles. Pack a reusable water bottle for your trip; you can save 15% on a Water-to-Go filtration bottle.