My friend and I will travel to São Miguel in February next year while I’ll be 18 and just got my drivers license. Since I can’t get a rental car (except for one place which is about ~700€ for one week), which is the best way to get around the island? Is moped a good idea (can I rent those?) or will public service like bus or taxi the best option?

When I research where to stay, I see Ponta Delgada recommended often, but I live in NYC and want an escape from the city. Santa Barbara eco-beach resort looks like a great option but after reading some reviews, it seems like the service might be so so. We're pretty discerning travelers, so looking for something that is beautiful with great food and great service. Traveling with a 4 yo so no adults only places. TY!

Hi everyone. My parents want to add my name to their home in P. Delgada and PT bank accounts...in case anything should happen to them. Parents are both PT citizens (and Canadian). I'm Canadian and just got my PT citizenship recently ..👍. I have other siblings but they are just CAD. Anyhow, I'm flying over to meet up with them there next week-and wondering what I may need to bring to complete the process. As it is, I have my Cartao with all 3 numbers, my Canadian passport, Canadian birth certificate and proof of income (retired). I've tried Google but couldn't find a definitive answer as to the processes involved for each. Thanks

What's the story with the pub that opened in Furnas across the street from Dona Beija? It was open about a month ago. Google is showing it as temporarily closed. I passed by today it's closed and the signs are gone.

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Hi, I'm posting here because I would like to create a family trip itinerary. My grandma's family is from Portugal, specifically the Azores, but she's never been. She's first gen Portuguese-American from Massachusetts (now lives in SoCal). I want to take her there next year as my sister is eloping either in France or Italy. We thought it would be a fun idea to have the family go on a trip as a Christmas gift instead of presents this year and to see her get married. My mom took a DNA test for fun and she's 42% Azores and wants to visit her heritage as well. I believe my Portuguese side is from Sao Miguel, and I was wondering what we could do there and the best things to do. I think two weeks is great with the plan: Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy!

Thank you so much :)

In Sao Miguel this weekend for a couple of days and looking for a short board rental and someone to show/tell me the best spots to go. Thanks for any help.

I want to do an awesome hike - I'm athletic and used to altitude - and see beautiful things. I don't need nightlife or shopping. Just tell me the best place to stay for maximum nature access, best place to hike and best food within my time constraints. I know that I will be full of regret when it's time to leave, but this is how it is. Help me make the most of it.

I'm arriving on the weekend and it seems next week there will be tons of rain, what are the best activities when it is rainy with a kid?

I have a flight out of Sao Miguel at 0630 and am returning a rental car with Autatlantis at 0500 in the airport. Is that enough time to make my flight or is it best to return the car earlier with a different company?

Where is a fun spot to watch a Benfica match while in Ponta Delgada? We have been in the past and know that most places have a TV with a game on but is there any place that is a bit more "lively" if that makes sense.

Thanks in advance

Found near Lagoa do Canario

Excited to hit the Azores tomorrow but have been reading contradictory information about whether thermal baths on Sao Miguel are open or not. If so, which ones? Thanks for any updates.

I’m a karaoke MC who loves to find karaoke spots when traveling to see different vibes! Anyone know if there’s any spots to do karaoke anywhere on São Miguel?

A friendly PSA to any tourists planning to drive in the Azores.

You CANNOT park on a solid yellow line painted on the street.

These yellow lines are meant to keep the street empty so that residents can exit their garages, or to allow turning onto certain narrow streets.

I have to tell tourists this nearly every day, otherwise I can't take my car out of my garage in downtown Ponta Delgada.

If your car is reported to the police (PSP) for this, you will be issued a parking ticket which will likely cost 70 EUR or more.

Ideally the car rental companies would tell this directly to clients, as part of a general one-pager with rules of the road, but as that doesn't appear to be happening, I'm posting this PSA here.

Thank you and enjoy your visit!

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This is just a collection of things that my family and I noted when we were visiting São Miguel last month. We're from the US, but most of this applies to anyone.

• Cars/Car Rental/Driving
  • The streets are VERY narrow and the curbs are right-angled and sharp. It seemed like every car had curb rash on the wheels/rims, if not more damage. This means:
  • Get a small car. Get the smallest car you can reasonably fit your group in. Consider multiple trips to/from the airport if you can't fit people + luggage.
  • Get the rental car insurance. Even if you're a great driver, the chances of getting a ding or scratch is very high.
  • Familiarize yourself with Portugal road rules. The roundabouts work a little different than you might expect. Most signs are self-explanatory but some (like no parking or one-way) are not.
  • You will probably want Google Maps or some equivalent to get around. There's tons of one-way streets and it can be very confusing.
  • Try to make sure your car has a backup camera. The car we got had 2 screens, one for the cluster and one for infotainment, but no backup camera (!?). Due to the aforementioned narrow roads and parking spaces, this made things...challenging. We had to have someone get out and guide the driver occasionally.
  • Gasoline is very expensive. 17+ euros for 1/4 tank of a "medium" vehicle (small or compact in the US)
• Cell Phones
  • If you happen to be on USMobile, their international data plan it isn't a good value - and we couldn't get it to work at anything faster than Edge.
  • Verizon just worked and connected to any of the 3 providers in the area (Vodaphone, NOS, MEO) just fine. Check your plan for the cost though.
  • If needed, get a data eSIM at someplace like www.portugalinternet.com (Vodaphone reseller). Cell coverage on São Miguel is pretty good nearly everywhere (LTE or better).
  • Google Translate doesn't work in offline mode, even if you download the language packs first.
  • Google Voice can't text to Portugal numbers, but it can make voice calls.
• Money/Currency
  • Don't bring US cash. There's ATMs that don't charge fees, check with your bank before going if they charge a fee. Some places don't take (non-local) cards, so you'll probably need some cash.
  • Bring a credit card that doesn't charge a currency conversion fee and instruct the machines to charge you in Euros. This usually means hitting a couple buttons - charge in Euros and DECLINE the conversion. The conversion rates built into the machines are never in your favor - you'll save 10% or so every transaction this way.
• Misc
  • Everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful.
  • Try a grocery store. There's lots of Continente stores scattered around. The wine and cheese is particularly inexpensive (compared to the US). We got sandwiches from the deli a couple of times and took them to one of the many lookout points for a little picnic.
  • Have good shoes. You'll probably do a lot of walking while sightseeing.
  • Most people in the service industry (restaurants, hotels, etc) speak remarkably good English. However, you may find some people who speak only Portuguese (e.g. the deli worker trying to take our sandwich order).
  • São Miguel's number one export is tourism, but it doesn't feel like it. We were not bombarded with advertisements, or felt like people were trying to get our money at every turn.
  • Bring a library card or an expired credit card to put into the hotel room's slot. These slots turn the hotel room's electricity on, but sometimes control the room's A/C too. You can leave any card in these slots to keep the A/C on when you leave the room...
  • There's very few bugs/insects, at least that we encountered (early October). This was a nice change from the US, where every wooded area and field is covered in mosquitoes.
  • A cheap pack of AC adapters like this works fine (type e/f) . Just make sure everything you plug in is dual voltage (120/240). The vast majority of US phone chargers and laptop power supplies are, but read the fine print in the input rating first. Plug the adapter into your cord/wall wart first then plug the whole thing into the wall or you may see a (surprising but not really dangerous) spark.

Can someone please advise on the best hypermarkets on the island? Are they all in Ponte Delgada?

Edit: I should specify that I don't have a driver's license, just a learner's permit--would've preferred to rent a car but not possible for me.

The Azores have been so high on my travel list for many years now; since I have no one who wants to go with me, I want to just use my holiday time this year to finally go.

I'm doing my research to put together my itinerary, and would appreciate input as I'm not sure if the advice here (public transport, ferries, flights, etc.) applies the same to the December/holiday period and off-season. My big "wants" are: 1. Climb Pico Mountain; and 2. Visit Corvo. And then everything else is just soaking up as much culture, hiking and food as possible. I'll be coming from Canada, so not too fussed by "bad" weather.

I'm more concerned about complications to transport and bookings for accommodation and tours. For that reason I'm thinking it might be better to avoid too much island-hopping? I don't want to rush myself either, since I don't have a car.

I was initially thinking to do 1 week in Sao Miguel, then a couple days in Pico and a couple days Flores/Corvo. If I do something like that, am I only looking at flights to get me around? I was looking at the atlanticoline ferry schedules but there's no info on January, and dates for end of Dec look iffy.

Or if I forget about Corvo (I just have a burning curiousity about it), would the better itinerary be 1 week in Pico + that "triangle", and 1 week Sao Miguel?

And how fucked am I without a car in December holidays?

TIA!!

On the last day of our trip on the way to the airport we finally got a clear image of this beauty

Our 7-day itinerary to the lovely Azores was absolutely incredible! Read all about it here.