Which seven-day route should you choose?
For a first visit, choose six nights on São Miguel if Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo and Furnas are your priorities. It gives you five full days between arrival and departure without losing one to an inter-island move. Choose Pico and Faial for vineyard-and-lava landscapes plus Horta and Capelinhos, provided your flights and a dated ferry support that sequence.
These are independent trips, not two halves to combine in one week. The Pico-and-Faial route assumes arrival on Pico and departure from Faial; do not add positioning flights to São Miguel and pretend the sightseeing time is unchanged. Neither route includes a Pico summit ascent or a remote day trip.
Day-by-day plans and overnight bases
7 days · 6 nights
Six nights in Ponta Delgada. Route: Ponta Delgada → Sete Cidades and west → central lakes and north coast → Furnas → optional east → flexible day → departure. Reorder full days for weather.
- Day 1
Arrive and stay in Ponta Delgada
Transfer to Ponta Delgada and settle in. If arrival time allows, keep the outing local around the centre and waterfront. Do not attach a distant lake circuit to a flight day.
Overnight: Ponta Delgada
Official island information - Day 2
Sete Cidades and the west
Make Sete Cidades the main outing, with Vista do Rei and time in the lakeside village. Add Mosteiros only if you still have usable time. If the rim is in cloud, swap this day with day 6; do not drive there merely to keep the printed order.
Overnight: Ponta Delgada
Official island information - Day 3
Lagoa do Fogo and Ribeira Grande
Keep the central island together: Lagoa do Fogo viewpoints when visibility allows, then Ribeira Grande and the north coast. Resolve current road or shuttle access before setting out. This is a viewpoint-and-town day, not a lake descent or a promised bathing booking.
Overnight: Ponta Delgada
Official island information - Day 4
Furnas village and lake
Give Furnas a full day rather than combining it with the far west. Choose village and lake time; add a garden visit only after confirming admission. Thermal bathing is optional and depends on the venue’s current arrangements. Return to Ponta Delgada.
Overnight: Ponta Delgada
Official island information - Day 5
Nordeste, or a shorter south-coast day
Choose Nordeste for an east-island outing with garden viewpoints if you have transport and want another full excursion. For a less driving-heavy day, choose Vila Franca do Campo instead, with no assumed boat or islet access. Do not attempt both as a race around the east.
Overnight: Ponta Delgada
Official island information - Day 6
Keep a full day movable
Use this day for the lake views lost to cloud. If those are complete, stay local in Ponta Delgada or take an optional pre-arranged activity. If whale watching is essential, book the first attempt earlier in the week and retain this as a possible retry, subject to availability.
Overnight: Ponta Delgada
- Day 7
Depart from São Miguel
Allow for checkout, airport transfer and the airline’s required check-in. Add only a short local outing if the flight timing permits. This departure day is not counted as another full sightseeing day.
Transport on São Miguel
A Ponta Delgada base suits a mix of city time and arranged excursions. Without a car, book the west, central and Furnas days with confirmed pickup areas; do not expect an independently timed sequence of rural stops to work as a casual bus outing. Nordeste can be omitted if the available tour or transfer does not fit.
With a rental car, keep the excursions geographically grouped and check current access arrangements for Lagoa do Fogo. You do not need to change hotels to follow this plan. A split stay in Furnas would be a different night pattern, not an extra free day.
São Miguel: compare base and transport choicesTransport between Pico and Faial
The planned crossing is Madalena (MAD) on Pico to Horta (HOR) on Faial. Cais do Pico (CDP) is a different port: a ticket from there changes your transfer. Atlânticoline’s search currently shows the Madalena–Horta corridor, but choose a real departure for day 4 before making non-refundable accommodation bookings.
Travel as a foot passenger with separate island transport unless you have resolved written rental permission, vehicle acceptance and vehicle space. Include the return of the Pico vehicle and collection or transfer on Faial. The itinerary deliberately avoids a third island and a planned ferry on the morning of the flight.
Compare the complete air or sea journeyWhat to include when pricing these routes
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare every column.
| Your decision | São Miguel: six nights | Pico and Faial: three plus three |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Six nights at one Ponta Delgada stay | Three nights in Madalena and three in Horta |
| Main transport | Arrival and departure flights for São Miguel | Flights that deliver you to Pico and leave from Faial, including any disclosed connections |
| Local travel | Airport transfers plus rental and fuel, or booked excursion days | Airport and port transfers on both islands plus separate excursions or rentals |
| Inter-island fare | None in this plan | A dated Madalena to Horta ticket; vehicle only if separately qualified |
| Optional paid visits | Garden or bathing admission, whale watching or a guided walk if chosen | Visitor centres, wine visits or whale watching if chosen; no summit package included |
| Meals and flexibility | Meals and any change fees outside accommodation or tour inclusions | Meals, change fees and funds for an extended stay if a move is disrupted |
What to change if you have seven nights
A seven-night booking is not the same as this seven-day, six-night plan. Add the extra night on São Miguel for another flexible full day. On the two-island version, add it to the island where your main activity needs a second weather window, while retaining a useful margin on the departure island.
Do not spend the extra night on São Jorge just to increase the island count. If São Jorge’s walks are the priority, redesign the trip around that island and the actual dated connections.
Plan Pico, Faial and São Jorge without forcing all threeWhen to use these plans
Summer is the starting point for a mixed outdoor trip; spring is relevant if migrating baleen whales matter most. On either route, a clear coastal morning does not establish conditions on high ground. Swap the São Miguel lake days, and keep the Faial Caldeira visit conditional.
Choose the best time for your Azores activitiesBefore committing to a walk or bathing stop
The plans name areas and viewpoint visits, not open or safe hiking routes. Check the exact trail and current alerts before turning a viewpoint day into a walk. Bathing stops, marine trips and protected-site access need their own current conditions; none is included merely because it appears near a stop.
Official Azores Trails alerts