Azores Highlights: Self-Launched Island Hopper

Land at João Paulo II Airport and take the local bus or a shared taxi-transfer into the centre. Settle into a hostel or family guesthouse near the waterfront, wander the black-and-white basalt cobbled streets, check out the Portas da Cidade gates and grab a cheap dinner of grilled limpets and Azorean cheese at a tasca. Sort your inter-island ferry and flight tickets today if you haven't pre-booked.

🚌Airport bus ~£2 or shared transfer ~£8; walkable town centre

🛏Hostel dormitory or budget guesthouse, Ponta Delgada (~£18–25/night)

• →Walk the Ponta Delgada waterfront and old town
• →Visit Portas da Cidade gates and Praça do Município
• →Dinner at a local tasca

Take a public bus or, more practically, join a small-group minivan day tour from Ponta Delgada (GetYourGuide/Viator, ~£45–60) that covers the western crater complex. Walk the Sete Cidades crater rim (~1.5 hrs) between the blue and green lakes, drop into the village, then swim in the natural warm seawater pools at Ferraria (check tide times). Finish with a visit to the greenhouse pineapple plantation at Fajã de Baixo — the only one in Europe.

🚌Shared minivan day tour ~£45–60, or public bus to Sete Cidades ~£3 (sparse timetable)

🛏Hostel dormitory or budget guesthouse, Ponta Delgada (~£18–25/night)

• →Hike the Sete Cidades crater rim overlooking Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde
• →Stroll through Sete Cidades village
• →Swim in the warm seawater pools at Ferraria
• →Tour the Ananás Santo António pineapple plantation

Head east to Furnas to see the Caldeiras geysers and bubbling mud pools, then buy a day ticket to Terra Nostra Park (~£8) to swim in its mineral-rich warm thermal lake surrounded by 2,500 plant species. Order a cozido stew cooked underground by geothermal heat at a local restaurant (~£12–16) — pre-order in the morning as it takes hours. On the way back, stop at the Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint for one of the island's best panoramas.

🚌Shared minivan tour ~£45–60 or public bus to Furnas ~£4; local bus within Furnas ~£1

🛏Hostel dormitory or budget guesthouse, Ponta Delgada (~£18–25/night)

• →See the Furnas caldeiras and fumaroles
• →Swim in the mineral thermal lake at Terra Nostra Park
• →Eat cozido cooked by geothermal heat
• →Viewpoint stop at Lagoa do Fogo

A free day in the capital. Pick one museum — the Carlos Machado contemporary painting collection or the natural history museum — and then walk the baroque churches, monasteries and 18th-century palaces around the centre. Afternoon: coffee and a pastel de nata on the seafront, or take the local bus to the free public pools at Ponta Delgada's ocean lido.

🚌Walk; occasional local bus ~£1

🛏Hostel dormitory or budget guesthouse, Ponta Delgada (~£18–25/night)

• →Visit a Ponta Delgada museum (contemporary art or natural history)
• →Explore churches, convents and palaces of the old town
• →Relax at the ocean lido

Fly São Miguel to Terceira (SATA/Azores Airlines, ~£55–85 one way if booked ahead; cheaper than the ferry which is seasonal and slow). Check in to a guesthouse in Angra do Heroísmo and spend the afternoon walking the Renaissance UNESCO-listed town: the cathedral, the Fortaleza de São João Baptista and the gardens at Duke of Terceira.

🚌Inter-island flight ~£55–85; airport taxi to town ~£12 or shared

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Angra do Heroísmo (~£20–30/night)

• →Flight São Miguel to Terceira
• →Stroll the Renaissance UNESCO town of Angra do Heroísmo
• →Visit Fortaleza de São João Baptista

Join a small-group island tour (GetYourGuide, ~£45–60) hitting the Algar do Carvão lava cave (entry ~£8, a hollow volcanic chimney you descend into), the wine-growing village of Biscoitos with its dark volcanic-soil vineyards and natural lava-rock swimming pools, and the viewpoints at Monte Brasil and Serra do Cume. Bring a packed lunch.

🚌Small-group island tour ~£45–60 including cave entry

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Angra do Heroísmo (~£20–30/night)

• →Descend into the Algar do Carvão volcanic cave
• →Visit the Biscoitos wine-growing area
• →Swim in Biscoitos natural lava pools
• →Viewpoints at Serra do Cume and Monte Brasil

Explore on your own: hike the Mistérios Negros trail (moderate, ~2 hrs) through volcanic terrain, visit the town of Praia da Vitória, or take a whale-watching boat trip if conditions allow (~£50). Ask your guesthouse host for local recommendations and bus times.

🚌Public bus around Terceira ~£3–5; taxi if splitting costs

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Angra do Heroísmo (~£20–30/night)

• →Hike Mistérios Negros trail
• →Day trip to Praia da Vitória
• →Optional whale-watching trip

Take the Atlanticoline ferry from Angra do Heroísmo (or Praia) to Madalena on Pico (~2.5 hrs, ~£25, check seasonal timetable). Madalena sits at the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Pico wine region — walk the currais (lava-stone walled vineyards) and visit a cooperative winery for a tasting (~£8). Stroll the small harbour town in the evening.

🚌Atlanticoline ferry ~£25; walkable town

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Madalena (~£20–30/night)

• →Ferry Terceira to Pico
• →Walk the UNESCO-listed Pico wine region
• →Wine tasting at a Madalena winery

Arrange a taxi or shared transfer (or rent a car split between travellers) to the highlands viewpoint at Lagoa do Capitão, then hike the easy 6.5 km trail down to the coastal village of Santo Amaro (~2 hrs), passing small lava-stone vineyards. Book the traditional dinner at Adega A Buraca — a local museum, wine press and distillery where dinner is cooked in a wood-fired oven (~£20) — as numbers are limited.

🚌Taxi/shared transfer to trailhead ~£15 split; hike down

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Madalena area (~£20–30/night)

• →Viewpoint at Lagoa do Capitão
• →Hike highlands down to Santo Amaro (6.5 km, easy)
• →Traditional dinner at Adega A Buraca

Take the short ferry from Madalena to Velas on São Jorge (~40 mins, ~£10). Hike the classic moderate 10 km route from the plateau down to Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo and along the north coast to the lagoon (~4 hrs) — one of the Azores' signature walks, with rough, wet terrain in places. Bring water, food and sturdy shoes; check ferry times back carefully.

🚌Atlanticoline ferry ~£10 each way

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Velas or Fajã (~£20–30/night)

• →Ferry Pico to São Jorge
• →Hike to Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo (10 km, moderate)
• →Walk the north coast to the lagoon

Ferry back to Madalena and book the guided entry to Gruta das Torres (~£8), Portugal's longest lava tube — a 5 km cave system you explore on foot with a guide and helmet. Optional extras in the afternoon: a whale-watching tour from Madalena (~£45–55, Pico's waters are superb for sperm whales) or the wine museum with its adjacent park.

🚌Atlanticoline ferry ~£10; local taxi to Gruta das Torres ~£10

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Madalena (~£20–30/night)

• →Guided tour of Gruta das Torres lava cave
• →Optional whale-watching tour from Madalena
• →Visit the Pico wine museum

Ferry across the narrow channel from Madalena to Horta on Faial (~30 mins, ~£8). Take a local bus or shared tour to Capelinhos on the western tip, where a 1957–58 eruption created new land — visit the underground volcano museum (~£8) and the old lighthouse half-buried in volcanic ash. If the weather is clear, drive up to the Caldeira crater viewpoint on the return.

🚌Ferry ~£8; local bus or shared tour to Capelinhos ~£15

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Horta (~£20–30/night)

• →Ferry Pico to Faial
• →Visit the Capelinhos underground volcano museum and lighthouse
• →Optional visit to the Faial Caldeira crater rim

A slow day in Horta. Walk the marina and Peter's Café Sport to see the signed sailboat murals left by transatlantic crews, browse the scrimshaw museum, and visit the town beach or the botanical garden. Horta is also the cheapest place in the Azores for a seafood lunch — try the local tuna and a glass of Verdelho.

🚌Walk; occasional local bus ~£1

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Horta (~£20–30/night)

• →Walk the Horta marina and sailboat murals
• →Visit the scrimshaw museum at Peter's Café Sport
• →Town beach or botanical garden

Fly or take the ferry back to São Miguel (flight ~£55–85; ferry longer and seasonal). Use the afternoon for last-minute souvenir shopping — Azorean tea, pineapple liqueur, local cheese — and a final joint dinner with anyone you've met along the route. Confirm your onward departure details for tomorrow.

🚌Inter-island flight ~£55–85 or ferry (seasonal)

🛏Hostel dormitory or budget guesthouse, Ponta Delgada (~£18–25/night)

• →Inter-island flight back to São Miguel
• →Free time in Horta or Ponta Delgada
• →Final dinner in Ponta Delgada

Catch the airport bus or a shared transfer for your flight out. If you have a late departure, leave bags at the hostel and take a final stroll along the waterfront before leaving.

🚌Airport bus ~£2 or shared transfer ~£8

🛏None (departure day)

• →Airport transfer
• →Optional final walk along the Ponta Delgada waterfront