In this article, you will find a 3-week itinerary with suggestions on where to stay and how to travel between islands to plan your family holiday in the Azores.

Below I share our itinerary as well as some tips you may find useful in planning your own trip there.

3 weeks in the Azores: itinerary and tips

Days 1-5: Van life on São Miguel

We had a wonderful time camping and some of our most unforgettable memories where made with the van. But renting a camper van on the Azores is for those who like driving and are not easily scared. You can read more about our experience with renting a camper van over here.
I just need to add that that week was really cheap as we slept everywhere for free, distances are short so we didn't spend a lot of fuel and we mostly picnicked. Our van was rented through ANC.

Days 5-10: Relaxation in São Miguel

São Miguel is the main island of the Azores. This is where most tourist go and stay. Few venture beyond São Miguel, sadly. It means it is more busy and more developed. It is a gorgeous island with so much to do and see. I recommend spending at least 5 days there. Ponta Delgada, the main city is, to me, the least interesting part of the island. If staying there, make sure you rent a car to explore further afield.

Where to stay

During those 5 days, we stayed at the Eco-resort in Santa Barbara, on the north coast of the island. That place is absolutely stunning, extremely peaceful, yet caters perfectly to families with small studios that sleep 4 or 6 and a small kitchen. It is also 100m from the beach and 500m from our favourite restaurant at Associação Agricola de São Miguel (though I wouldn't recommend walking there as the road has no sidewalks).

What to do on São Miguel: read more here.

Days 10-13: Back in time in São Jorge

São Jorge is the least developed islands of those we visited. Tourism is still in its infancy there (few road signs indicating places, few shops and restaurants, etc). There are few accommodation options but the landscape is gorgeous and with direct connections to São Miguel by plane, it was an easy pick for us. I highly recommend getting out of São Miguel and visiting the lesser known islands. São Jorge is a good option.

How to get there

We flew from São Miguel (Ponta Delgada) to São Jorge’s main city, Velas. This is the only flight available still as of today. The airport is a little outside of the city but the distances are short. From there we rented a car to explore the island better.

Where to stay

While in São Jorge, we stayed at Intact Farm Resort. The name is a little misleading. It is not a resort. They are mostly little wooden huts, very simple, overlooking the ocean. The host is wonderful and very helpful. We had breakfast brought to us daily. He even took us on his boat around the caves of the island (for free). Inside the huts, there is everything you need for a few days. However, the self-catering proved a little tricky as we struggled with food shopping. The only supermarket on the island looked like a 1950s throwback with bare shelves and very bad neon lighting, selling 50 kinds of shampoo but no eggs. But you can also find food in smaller places if you are willing to spend time searching for it. This was in the summer of 2019. As the Azores, develop tourism, I am sure it will change rapidly.

What to do on São Jorge: read more here.

Days 13-19: The slow life in Faial

Faial was a surprise for us. It is more developed (in terms of tourism) than São Jorge but not as much as São Miguel. Most tourists stay around Horta, the main city. We explored the whole island and actually stayed in the North of it. As it is relatively small, it is easy to go from one side of the other within a day.

How to get there

We took the ferry from Velas, São Jorge to Faial. The ferry stops in Pico Island first and then continues on to Faial. It was a beautiful sunny ride. You can take cars on the ferry but, with a rental, we were not allowed. So we returned our car in Velas and rented another one in Faial. It was rather easy if not a little time-consuming. We took a taxi to get to the rental office from the ferry port. Tickets and schedules are found here.

You can also fly directly from Faial/São Miguel, but also to Flores and Corvo (further out in the Atlantic) and to Lisbon.

Where to stay

We stayed for the entire week in a lovely self-catering bungalow/house in the north of the island. Casas d'Arramada are a small group of houses with a central swimming pool, an amazing breakfast service and the kindest hosts. The houses were rebuilt in traditional style after the most recent volcanic eruption to bring people (and tourists) back to empty villages. Highly recommended. The only drawback is the secluded location. But with good planning, it is feasible. Top tip: there is a lovely pizzeria on the road heading south (near Cedros). It looks like nothing out of this world but the pizzas are delicious.

What to do on Faial: read more here.

Days 19-20: Back to São Miguel

As many islands are not connected directly to the rest of Europe (or even to mainland Portugal), we had to have a 24-hour stopover in Ponta Delgada before flying out to mainland Portugal. There is now a flight to Lisbon directly from Horta, Faial.

General Tips

1. Plan ahead: as the islands are small and tourism is still developing, accommodation gets booked up really quickly. We booked our accommodation in April for a trip in August. While looking, many places we liked were already fully booked.
2. Do not just stick to São Miguel: It is the main island and it is really lovely. But people who refer to the Azores and have only been to São Miguel are not telling the full story. Each and every island is different and São Miguel is much more developed and very different from the other islands.
3. Rent a car: public transport is sorely lacking. If you want to see the sights and head out, you will need a car. Distances are small so you won't be driving a lot. But keep in mind that the roads can also be narrow. There is only one stretch of dual carriageway on São Miguel.
4. Expect a slow/simple life: supermarkets are few and far between outside of São Miguel. Tourism is still under-developed. On São Jorge, struggled to buy simple cooking ingredients like eggs. Cashpoints are few and far between, tiny villages with hardly any cafes or restaurants, livestock on the roads, etc... It is like being back in time, in a good way (mostly).
5. Go before it is too late: cheap flights have arrived to São Miguel. So, many people are discovering the island(s). Go before they change drastically due to tourism. Life will never be the same again there.

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