Pico Alto: 360º Views Over Santa Maria and Its Cold War Bunkers
At 587 metres, the island’s highest point holds 1950s military installations built to protect a radar, and the site of Portugal’s deadliest air disaster.
Santo Espírito: the Baroque Church Many Call the Most Beautiful in the Azores
Built in 1779 over a 16th-century foundation, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Purificação has a facade so ornate it featured on a postage stamp in 1985.
Praia da Areia: Corvo’s Only Sandy Beach
Right next to the airport runway, this small bay of black and red volcanic sand is the only spot on the whole island with easy, comfortable sea access.
Alcatra: the Clay-Cooked Dish That Defines Terceira’s Cuisine
Slow-cooked for hours in an unglazed red clay dish, this dish began with the less prized cuts of meat and became the most iconic dish in the Azores.
Morro de Castelo Branco: the Volcanic Dome With Natural Pools at Its Feet
Formed roughly ten thousand years ago, this whitish trachytic dome is a seabird nature reserve and gives its name to its own parish, with pools right next to the airport runway.
Lajes do Pico: From Whale Hunting to Whale Watching
Founded before 1460, this town saw the last whaleboats depart in 1987 and hosted, on the same pier, the Azores’ first whale-watching company.
Ilhéu da Praia: the World’s Only Home to the Monteiro’s Storm-Petrel
Just 1.5 km from Vila da Praia, this 11-hectare islet holds the world’s largest colony of the Azores’ smallest and rarest seabird.
Migratory Bird Watching in Corvo: Europe’s Best Spot for American Birds
Every October, more than 60 birdwatchers from around the world arrive on the smallest Azorean island in search of North American species blown off course by storms.
Church of Nossa Senhora dos Milagres: the Image the Sea Brought to Corvo
Found on the shore inside a wooden box in the 16th century, this Flemish image survived a pirate attack in 1632 and a fire in 1932.
António Borges Garden: Ponta Delgada’s Romantic Green Lung
Created between 1858 and 1861 by a São Miguel collector passionate about botany, this free garden brings together species from every continent and red volcanic stone grottoes.
Biscoitos Wine Museum: 430 Years of Verdelho in a Single Estate
Opened in 1990 to mark the centenary of Casa Agrícola Brum, this museum tells the story of Terceira’s only demarcated wine region, with a cellar and tasting included.
Azores Pineapple Plantation: the Only Pineapple Grown in Greenhouses in Europe
In Fajã de Baixo, near Ponta Delgada, pineapples take 18 months to grow in whitewashed glass greenhouses, using a cultivation method unique in the world since 1919.
