Planning a cruise with a port stop on São Miguel in the Azores? Here’s my travel guide that covers the best things to do, places to see, and where to eat in the breathtaking Azores.
The Azores are a group of islands located in the Atlantic oceans that are a part of Portugal. On our recent transatlantic cruise, we stopped on the island of São Miguel and ported in Ponta Delgada.
We choose to rent a car so that we could explore different parts of the island at our leisure. Renting the car was an easy process and a good choice for our family cost wise and for what we got to see. We used ANC Holidays located the port, however, they will shuttle you to their location 5 minutes away to get your vehicle.
Ponta Delgada
We arrived in port prior to the car rental agency being open, so we explored the old town of Ponta Delgada. The black and white architecture was stunning and I highly recommend spending a little bit of time exploring this beautiful city at the beginning of your day or before heading back to your ship.
Some iconic and historic landmark in Ponta Delgado include the city gates, city hall, and the winding city streets of the old town.
Lagoa do Fogo
After getting our car, we headed for Vila Franca do Campo, a beautiful city located along the coast. On our way, we made a detour and went to an overlook to see Lagoa do Fogo. This lake is beautiful and was formed when a volcano collapsed and water gathered in it. There are a couple of overlooks that give you different perspectives of the lake.
Vila Franca do Campo
Our next stop was Our Lady of Peace Chapel. Built up the side of the hill, it was breathtakingly beautiful! Hydrangeas were just starting to bloom on the side of the mountain. The church’s architecture with the stark difference between the white and black and the blue tiles on the stairs was just amazing! So much history and so much beauty made this one of my favorite stops.
After taking a thousand photos at the church we headed into Vila Franca do Campo to explore their plaza which is also lined with buildings and churches keeping to the black and white architecture that São Miguel is famous for.
We went to Queijadas da Vila Franca do Campo to try their famous queijadas, a delicious afternoon snack! They were so good we went back and bought more. Also, their cappuccino was one of the best we had all trip!
Our last stop before heading back to Ponta Delgada was a quick stop at the beach. It was a cool day so we didn’t swim but we did walk along the beach and take in the amazing view.
We had such a wonderful day on São Miguel exploring both Ponta Delgada and Vila Franca do Campo along with Lagoa do Fogo.
I would love to visit the Azores again to explore even more! Have you visited the Azores?
