Vila do Porto, Santa Maria island (Azores, Portugal)
Vila do Porto is the capital of the island of Santa Maria. This is the first settlement in the territory of the Azores.
Santa Maria Island is worth a visit just because it has a unique landscape that is different from other Azores. The island is divided into two parts. One of them, where Vila do Porto is located, is practically devoid of vegetation, as there is very little rainfall. You can be almost 100% sure that it will be sunny here when you visit this part of the island. In another part of Santa Maria, there is a lot of vegetation, hills and small mountains. The climate here is more humid and it rains more often.
For a wonderful holiday you can enjoy the beach of Formosa. Every year in August, rallies are held on the island.
Santa Maria can be reached by ferry from Ponta Delgada. The island has a large airport.
Horta, Faial Island (Azores, Portugal)
According to Eshaoxing, Horta is the capital of the island of Faial, one of the Azores. For centuries, the city has been the anchorage of all ships crossing the Atlantic, and is currently home to ocean-going yachts. Numerous open-ocean fishing, diving and whale and dolphin watching trips are also organized from Horta.
In the city, it is worth visiting the local history museum, which displays old furniture, portraits, photographs of the harbor and navigational instruments; the Scrimshau Museum, where you can see the teeth and bones of whales dating back to 1884. 15 km from Horta is Caldeira Cabeço Gordo, a vast volcanic crater 400 m deep.
Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel island (Azores, Portugal)
Ponta Delgada is the capital of the largest Azores island of Sao Miguel and the entire district. The city stretches along the southern coast of the island. In the past, Ponta Delgada was a wealthy port city at the crossroads between Europe and the New World. Since that time, many impressive churches and rich white houses have been preserved here. In the city, you can see the Sao Sebastiao church (1533), built in the Manueline style and famous for its two prominent baroque doorways and a cedar altar. The Carlos Machado Museum, housed in the former convent of Santo André, shows the development of fishing and agriculture in the region over the centuries.
Convenient day trips from Ponta Delgada along the island – to volcanic lakes located in craters, to thermal springs in the center of the island, to an extinct volcano Caldeira das Sete Cidades in the northwest of San Miguel, where two unique lakes are located – one with emerald green water, the other with blue.
Santa Cruz das Flores, Flores island (Azores, Portugal)
Santa Cruz das Flores is the capital of Flores Island. The exact date of the discovery of the island is unknown, but it was one of the last to be discovered. The Florish area is 143 km 2 and measures 17 km by 12.5 km at its widest point. Remote from other islands and devoid of products for export, the island was isolated for a long time. In the XVI century. farmers from the mainland of Portugal began to come here and develop agriculture. Numerous fields of grain crops and vegetables appeared.
Santa Cruz Das Floris interesting for its mansions, the baroque churches of San Boaventura and Nossa Señora da Conceisan of the 19th century, the Ethnographic Museum. Excursions are organized to the Ribeira Grande waterfall, Enshareush grotto (by boat) and to seven lakes located in the picturesque craters of extinct volcanoes.
