The Azores are nine volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, 1,500 kilometres west of Lisbon, and they feel genuinely remote. Green hills drop sharply into a dark ocean. Calderas hold twin lakes of different colours. Hot springs bubble up through the ground. Sperm whales feed offshore. It is one of the most striking landscapes in Europe, and one of the most undervisited.
The archipelago divides into three groups. São Miguel, in the eastern group, is the largest island and the one most visitors arrive on — its capital Ponta Delgada has direct international flights, and the island contains some of the most dramatic scenery: the Sete Cidades twin crater lakes, the geothermal valley of Furnas where locals cook in the volcanic ground, and the tea plantations of the north coast (the only tea grown in Europe). Terceira, in the central group, is built around Angra do Heroísmo, a UNESCO World Heritage city whose Renaissance street plan and baroque churches survived centuries of Atlantic trade and one severe earthquake. Faial and Pico are connected by a short ferry crossing; Pico's 2,351-metre volcano is the highest point in Portugal, and the island also produces a distinctive wine grown on black volcanic terraces.
SATA, the regional airline, connects the islands to each other and to Lisbon, Porto, and several international destinations. There are no regular boat connections from the mainland.
