Azores round trip part 1 – Once around Terceira

“There are only cows!” said a colleague when I told him about my Azores island hopping plans, starting on the easternmost island of the central group of the Azorean archipelago, Terceira. The Azores consist of a total of nine larger and several small Atlantic islands, which are divided into three island groups and are known as the namesake for our beautiful high-pressure weather. We have picked out four different islands for island hopping. Among them is Terceira, the second most populated island, whose landscape – and my colleague is right about this – is dominated by agriculture. But it is precisely this that gives Terceira it’s very own – extremely attractive – character. And what a surprise, there is of course much more to discover in Terceira than just cows. For a compact 400 km² land area, that’s quite a lot.

Start of the Azores tour in Angra do Heroísmo

Foremost, there is the island’s capital Angra do Heroísmo, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. The decisive factor was the well-preserved core of the oldest city in the Azores, with a large part being rebuilt true to the original after a severe earthquake in 1980. If you stroll through the pretty alleys of the old town, which are arranged according to a strict orthogonal pattern, you can hardly miss the two striking church buildings in yellow (Se Cathedral) and blue (Igreja Da Misericordia). Also a must is a stop at the O Forno bakery, which has the typical “Dona Amélia” pastries in its range. The perfect refreshment for the subsequent walk through the lively town square Praça Velha and the Jardim Duque high up to the Alto da Memória. Up here, the city is at your feet. Time for a breather.

Off to the wild west of the island

In addition to all the colorful facades, Angra offers some street art surprises that I wouldn’t have expected. The “Silos de Terceira” on the Avenida Infante Dom Henrique are decorated with a large-scale work of art. Now we want to check how many cows there really are on Terceira and start the tour around the island westwards. Terceira can be easily explored in one day by rental car. Of course, the sports enthusiasts among you can also cycle around the island. The pretty fishing village of Sao Mateus right next to Angra is followed by a stretch of coast characterized by fabulous avenues and fantastic views. A particularly beautiful view of the west coast is offered by the “Vigia da Baleis” viewpoint. For me, the landscape is definitely the prime piece of Terceira. The lush green cattle pastures divided by dry stone walls characterize the landscape on all sides of the island – but I like the resulting pattern. A bit like a chessboard. Cheerful. Sorted.

Spray, faith, and good food

It is still too cool for a swim in the naturally formed pools in the bay of Biscoitos and Quatro Ribeiras these days. But that doesn’t stop us from waving our toes in the cool Atlantic Ocean and watching the waves in fascination. Afterward we stop hungry at the restaurant Caneta (Rua As Presas 13, Altares) and order an Alcatra da Ilha Terceira. The meat stew is one of the classics among the island recipes. Cheese fans should undoubtedly try the Queijo Vaquinah or order a cheese platter as an appetizer.

Terceira’s brightly painted “Impérios” are striking. The Temples of the Holy Spirit are part of the villages on every Azores island, but the most beautiful ones are clearly to be found on Terceira. In both Sao Sebastio and Porto Judeu we make a short stop to marvel at two outstanding specimens. In between, the detour to the Farol da Ponta das Contendas is worthwhile. A beautiful ride on narrow roads lined with pastures on the left and right. In the restaurant Boca Negra, near the Temple of the Holy Spirit in Porto Judeu, we are confronted with another culinary specialty of Terceira. I can’t bring myself to order barnacles. But watch the friend fascinated as he pokes around in the snail-like structure, and finally try a bite in a death-defying way. Conclusion: Oh well. It doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.

And 10 kilometers later, we drive through Canada

We were surprised by the landscape in the center of the island, where the volcanic origin of the island with the Caldeira de Guilherme Moniz – with a circumference of 15 kilometers one of the largest craters of the archipelago – is clearly visible. In addition to the volcanic witnesses, the high plateau with its lakes, fir trees and harsh wind reminds us of Canada. The highlight – the 100 m deep volcanic vent Algar do Carvao – unfortunately remained closed to us. During the low season, access is limited to selected time slots and unfortunately remains closed on Sundays.

The most beautiful farming

At the end of our tour around the island, Terceira impressively showed us how magically the geometrically ordered cow pastures can be staged. For this view, we drove up to the Miradouro da Serra do Cume on a gravel road. Simply delightful! Dear colleague, fortunately there are all these cows here!

Practical tips for Terceira

• Arrival with TAP Portugal (daily connections from Zurich) via Lisbon to Terceira
• Rental car e.g. at Ilha3 Rent-A-Car (directly from the airport, also has automatic on offer)
• Overnight stay e.g. at the Terceira Mar Hotel on the outskirts of Angra (good base) or at the Quinta das Merces in Sao Mateus

Our trip to the Azores was made possible by Amin Travel GmbH. Amin Travel specialises in travelling to Portugal with the Azores and Madeira, the Cape Verde Islands, as well as Egypt and Jordan. The small team is happy to put together tailor-made programs. For us, they worked out a program for four islands in 9 days. If you want to follow our island hopping in a more leisurely 14 days, you can book it including TAP flights, hotel accommodation with breakfast and rental car from 1,725 CHF per person