Interactive Map of São Miguel
Explore the top landmarks and excursions around Ponta Delgada, from the Portas da Cidade and the Gruta do Carvão to Sete Cidades, Furnas and the Nordeste coast. Click any marker to learn more.
São Miguel landmarks
Day trips & excursions
Furnas: The Caldera Village Where Lunch Cooks Underground Furnas is São Miguel's inland caldera village: steaming ground, underground cozido, thermal gardens and mineral springs, not a beach. Lagoa do Fogo: São Miguel's Crater Lake Reserve Lagoa do Fogo: São Miguel's crater lake reserve, with no facilities and frequently in cloud. What to expect, and when to skip the drive up. Nordeste: São Miguel's Wild Eastern Tip Nordeste is São Miguel's wild eastern tip: clifftop viewpoints, the Arnel lighthouse, waterfall trails and Pico da Vara, the island's high point. Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada travel guide: historic centre, Portas do Mar cruise front, Gruta do Carvão lava tube, and how to use the Azores' capital as a base. São Miguel Island Guide São Miguel is the Azores' largest island: 744 km², 137,000 people, reachable only by air, about 2h15 from Lisbon. Sete Cidades Sete Cidades: a caldera village around twin lakes Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, viewed from Vista do Rei, Boca do Inferno and Grota do Inferno. Caldeira Velha: Thermal Waterfall and Hot Pools on São Miguel A hot waterfall and mineral pools on the road to Lagoa do Fogo: what Caldeira Velha is, when the road closes, and how to visit safely. Gorreana & Porto Formoso Tea Plantations Europe's last working tea gardens, on São Miguel's north coast: Gorreana (1883, free) and Porto Formoso (paid), what to see, and how to visit. Ilhéu de Vila Franca: São Miguel's Sunken Crater Islet A capped-visitor swim inside a sunken crater islet, reached by boat from Vila Franca do Campo in summer only, sea permitting. Mosteiros Mosteiros: São Miguel's black-sand village with sea stacks, on the Sete Cidades coast near Ginetes and Ponta da Ferraria. Ponta da Ferraria A volcanic hot spring meets the Atlantic at Ponta da Ferraria — swimmable only around low tide, with a paid spa above it. Ribeira Grande Ribeira Grande travel guide: São Miguel's second town, gateway to Caldeira Velha, Gorreana tea and Santa Bárbara's surf beach. Terra Nostra Park, Furnas Terra Nostra Park in Furnas pairs a subtropical botanical garden with an iron-rich, orange thermal pool around 35-40°C that stains light swimwear. Vila Franca do Campo Vila Franca do Campo was Azores' capital until a 1522 landslide. Now: a chapel-topped hillside, a harbour town, and a seasonal islet swim nearby. Água de Pau A quiet south-coast village on São Miguel, not to be confused with the volcanic massif of the same name that rises inland toward Lagoa do Fogo. Caloura Caloura is a quiet fishing harbour on São Miguel's south coast, between Ponta Delgada and Vila Franca do Campo, built around the sea rather than a resort. Capelas: São Miguel's Former Whaling Village A quiet north-coast village near Ribeira Grande, once a whaling station, now a calm stop on São Miguel's coastal drive. Faial da Terra Faial da Terra is the trailhead village for the Salto do Prego waterfall walk and the restored hamlet of Sanguinho, on São Miguel's east coast. Lagoa, São Miguel Lagoa is a south-coast town on São Miguel, not a lake — between Ponta Delgada and Vila Franca do Campo, near Caloura and Água de Pau. Povoação Povoação is a small east-coast town on São Miguel between Furnas and Nordeste, set in steep caldera valleys en route to Ribeira Quente. Praia de Santa Bárbara Praia de Santa Bárbara is São Miguel's main surf beach near Ribeira Grande: dark volcanic sand, cool Atlantic swell, and a break for every level. Rabo de Peixe: A Working Fishing Village São Miguel's largest fishing village, on the north coast between Ribeira Grande and Capelas — a working harbour, not a beach resort. Ribeira Quente Ribeira Quente is Furnas' beach on the far side of the ridge — a coastal village and black-sand shore, not a thermal site like Furnas itself. Serra da Tronqueira Serra da Tronqueira is São Miguel's laurel forest reserve near Nordeste, the only home of the priolo — a rare bird you must walk in to find.