What is this three-island guided Azores tour like?
Azores 3 island tour
This customizable 7-day tour combines Faial, Pico and São Miguel with private guided sightseeing and arranged island transportation. Stay in Horta, tour Faial's Caldeira and Capelinhos, cross by ferry to Pico, then fly to São Miguel for Furnas, Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo.
The package is designed for travelers who want to experience three contrasting volcanic islands in one week without arranging hotels, transfers, flights, ferries and guides separately.
Is this package right for you?
This itinerary suits couples, families and small private parties who want a compact multi-island vacation with guided sightseeing and transportation arranged. It is vehicle-based rather than a hiking program, but travelers should be comfortable with airports, ferry terminals, steps and short walks on uneven surfaces.
The program can be customized, subject to hotel, flight, ferry, vehicle and guide availability.
Itinerary at a Glance
Day 1 — Arrive on Faial; transfer to Horta
Day 2 — Half-day guided Faial Island tour
Day 3 — Ferry to Pico and full-day guided tour
Day 4 — Fly from Faial to São Miguel
Day 5 — Full-day guided Furnas tour
Day 6 — Full-day Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo tour
Day 7 — Airport transfer and departure
Day-by-day itinerary
Flight and ferry schedules, weather and local requirements may change the order of activities.
Day 1 — Faial Island — Arrival
Arrive on Faial and transfer to your hotel in Horta for three nights. The remainder of the day is free to explore the historic center, waterfront and marina.
Day 2 — Faial Island — Half-day guided tour
Travel with your private driver-guide through the island's interior toward the Faial Caldeira, then continue to Capelinhos, where the 1957–58 eruption reshaped the western coast. Entrance to the interpretation center is not included unless confirmed.
Day 3 — Pico Island — Full-day guided tour
Transfer to Horta harbor and take the ferry to Madalena. Meet your driver-guide for a full-day tour beneath Pico Mountain, with black-stone villages, maritime heritage and the UNESCO-listed vineyard landscape. Return to Faial by ferry. Lunch and entrance fees are not included.
Day 4 — Faial to São Miguel
Transfer to Horta Airport for the flight to São Miguel. On arrival, transfer to your hotel in Ponta Delgada for three nights. The remainder of the day is free.
Day 5 — São Miguel — Full-day Furnas tour
Travel to the Furnas Valley to see its lake and geothermal areas, then continue to Terra Nostra Park. Return toward Ponta Delgada by the north coast with a tea-plantation visit. Lunch and entrance fees are not included.
Day 6 — São Miguel — Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo
Explore the Sete Cidades volcanic complex and continue toward Lagoa do Fogo, with possible stops at a pineapple plantation, Ribeira Grande and Caldeira Velha. A picnic lunch is included. Routing may change because of weather or seasonal access controls.
Day 7 — São Miguel — Departure
Check out and enjoy free time according to your flight schedule before transferring to the airport.
What's included
Please note
The order of activities may change because of flights, ferries, weather or local operating conditions.
Guided sightseeing is private unless otherwise stated in your quotation.
Included
6 nights' accommodation
Daily breakfast
Inter-island flight from Faial to São Miguel
Round-trip ferry tickets between Faial and Pico
Airport, hotel and harbor transfers as described
Private sightseeing with English-speaking driver-guides
Half-day Faial Island tour
Full-day Pico Island tour
Full-day Furnas tour on São Miguel
Full-day Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo tour with picnic lunch
Hotel service charges
Complimentary crate of local products on São Miguel
24-hour assistance during the trip
Not included
International flights; ask us to include airfare in your quotation
Meals other than breakfast and the included picnic lunch
Entrance fees unless specifically listed as included
Municipal tourist taxes payable at hotel check-in
Personal expenses, gratuities and travel insurance
Meals
Daily breakfast and the Day 6 picnic lunch are included. Other meals are at your own expense.
What to bring
Bring comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing and a waterproof jacket. Pack swimwear and a towel for optional thermal bathing.
Dates & rates
Understanding the rates
Package Type
For some packages you may be given a choice of different hotel categories.
Superior/Premier Hotel Package - Includes first class 4-star lodging, and standard rooms.
Comfort/Standard Hotel Package - Includes 4-star tourist class lodging. May include first class 3-star lodging in the smaller islands, standard rooms.
Hotel Notes
Each package has a hotel summary description. For detailed information, please visit the hotel's official webpage online.
For specific hotel or ocean-view room preference, please notify us when filing your booking form. Additional charges may apply.
Pousada Forte da Horta (Faial) will be closed until March 31. Hotel Azoris Faial Garden will be booked as alternative.
Alternative hotel accommodation will be provided for triple rooms, as not all properties offer this specific room type.
Room Rate Type
Solo = Person traveling alone
Single = Person staying in a single room and sharing tour services with others in travel party
Note: Hotels shown are for reference only. We reserve the right to change hotels based on availability, group size or other factors. Should an alternate hotel be required, it will be of the same or a better rating.
Comfort Hotels
Horta - Hotel Horta
Located in the old Azorean town of Horta, the newly-renovated Hotel Horta offers views of Pico Island. It features rooms with balconies, a large garden and an outdoor pool.
Horta’s rooms are decorated in neutral colors, and have wooden furniture. Each of the air-conditioned rooms has a cable TV and a private bathroom with a hairdryer.
The hotel’s panoramic restaurant offers international and regional dishes. The bar and the lounge offer views of the outdoor pool, the pool bar and the garden.
Guests can rent a bicycle to explore the surrounding area. Horta is famous for the whale watching and the volcanoes of Capelinhos and Caldeira.
Horta Airport is 4.3 mi away, and the hotel provides free private parking on site.
Ponta Delgada - Hotel Ponta Delgada
Hotel Ponta Delgada (RNET 6591) is centrally located and only a 10-minute drive from the airport. Hotel Ponta Delgada features a family ambiance and comfortable furnishings. It features an indoor pool.
Air-conditioned rooms all open out on to a private balcony and are fitted with double-glass windows. All rooms include a TV set with cable channels and private bathrooms with walk-in shower or bathtub. Free WiFi access is available in all areas of the hotel.
The Ponta Delgada’s Baco Restaurant offers authentic cuisine from the Azores. The hotel’s bar has an esplanade, where guests can enjoy a refreshing drink or cocktail.
Guests can stroll in the narrow streets of the city center. Alternatively, they can dip in the hot tub or relax in the on-site hammam and sauna.
Superior Hotels
Horta - Pousada Forte da Horta
Just an 8 minute walk from the beach, The Pousada Forte da Horta is set in a 16th century fortress with a view of Horta Bay and Pico island. This Pousada features air conditioned rooms, a swimming pool, and a regional restaurant. Most of the rooms offer a view of the marina.
Classified as a National Monument since 1947, the Pousada Forte da Horta offers modern rooms with cable TV and a minibar. Each private bathroom is stocked with a hairdryer and bathrobe.
A breakfast buffet is served daily on the poolside veranda terrace. Guests may taste fried pork, tuna and passion fruit pie in Pousada Forte da Horta’s restaurant.
The swimming pool area is furnished with sun beds, tables and parasols. Indoors, there is a lounge with various seating areas and a bar with a piano.
The 24-hour reception offers car rentals and free on-site parking. The Horta Airport is just 5.4 miles from the Pousada Forte da Horta.
Ponta Delgada - Vila Gale Collection S. Miguel
Located in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel island, the Vila Gale Collection S.Miguel provides superior accommodations, excellent restaurant, bar, sauna, swimming pool, kid's club and private parking.
The 4-star hotel has air-conditioned rooms with free WIFI, each with a private bathroom, and is at a short walking distance to the center of town.
All guest rooms in the hotel are equipped with a flat-screen TV. Each room includes a safety deposit box, while certain rooms will provide you with a balcony. At Vila Gale Collection S.Miguel every room includes bed linen and towels. A buffet breakfast is available every morning.
At Vila Gale Collection S.Miguel guests are welcome to use a sauna and a Turkish bath.
The attentive and professional reception staff speak English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and are always on hand to help.
Booking & policies
Common questions about this package
Is this a private guided tour?
Yes. Scheduled sightseeing is by private car with an English-speaking driver-guide unless your quotation states otherwise.
Are the Faial–São Miguel flight and Pico ferry included?
Yes. The inter-island flight and round-trip Faial–Pico ferry are included. International airfare is not included.
Can the tour be customized?
Yes, subject to hotel, flight, ferry, vehicle and guide availability. Changes may require a revised quotation.
Are meals and entrance fees included?
Daily breakfast and the Day 6 picnic are included. Other meals and entrance fees are excluded unless specifically confirmed.
How much walking is involved?
This is primarily a vehicle tour, with short walks at viewpoints, historic areas, gardens, airports and ferry terminals.
Can weather change the itinerary?
Yes. Weather, flight schedules, ferry operations and access restrictions may require changes to the sequence or route.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
