My 3 days in Terceira Island, the Azores

Terceira is part of the Azores islands and is considered to be the third island that was found from the archipelago. The island was also an important stop for all the voyage ships during the time of the discoveries and the traders too. Not to mention the wars that happened on the island both with pirates or other nations, especially in the main city of Terceira island.

However, Terceira is slightly different from the other islands and São Miguel. It is a bit plain and not that hilly if we exclude the numerous volcano cones on the island. Terceira is a small, calm island that is attracting mostly peace seekers and you can easily feel the serenity here. It is that tranquil!

So I and my boyfriend decided to visit Terceira for a couple of days and explore what it offers. Thus, after creating a map and making a detailed plan for our trip we packed our stuff and flew to the island of tranquillity.

How to get to Terceira?

We went to Terceira by hopping on a small island plane from São Miguel and the flight took around 40 minutes. However, you can get to Terceira from almost any airport in Portugal and the United Kingdom or Germany. There are plenty of options to choose from, especially when it comes to cheap airlines. For example, Ryanair operates the flights from Porto and Lisbon to the Azores and also has regular flights from the United Kingdom to the island. You can also use TAP air Portugal, but I would advise you to always check what Ryanair offers, as they are way cheaper.

Another option is the Azorean airline – SATA Azores. It provides direct flights from Europe and the States to the Azores. Furthermore, they provide flights to all of the Azores islands daily, so you can hop-on and hop-off a lot around the islands. They even have the option to provide you with a free flight to any Azorean island, if you are having a 24 hours layover between your arrival and departure flight in the islands. You just have to ask them at the counter or through their support on the website.

What is the weather like in Terceira?

The weather in Terceira is the same as that in all the Azores islands – unpredictable. This means that you can expect a lot of rain, then sun, then some overcast that will spread all over the island and you may not see the sun for days. However, this is absolutely normal for the Azores islands and don’t expect it to be cold there. It won’t get cold; as the temperature, all year round is around 20 degrees. Thus, the weather is quite pleasant there, but be prepared.

How to go around in Terceira?

I will be honest and tell you to not even think of using public transportation. Going around the Azores is better with a car, as it is fast and also convenient. When we arrived in Terceira we didn’t have anything planned and the place that we booked was almost in the middle of the island. So we had to figure out what to do fast. Thus, at the airport, we saw the most-well known car rental companies, which we always use only if there are no other options. Thus, we checked on Google and we found a local car rental company, which also had an office in the airport, but away from the other companies.

We were very lucky, as we didn’t have to wait a lot to get our car like the other people. Also, it was not that expensive and they had the option for no deposit, so it was a pretty good deal. Thus, in no time were on our way to our place!

Where to stay in Terceira?

Terceira is a very peaceful island. So, you stay here for sure will be nice everywhere. However, I would suggest that you check for the camping places, as most of them offer great facilities. We have booked a stay in the village of Agualva and the camping there was fantastic. It consisted of a couple of houses painted in green and yellow, big and clean rooms, a living room and a spacious kitchen that had everything along with a barbeque in the garden. They even had the sweetest dog Ramon that was following us everywhere.

Where and what to eat?

While we were in Terceira we were more into cooking for ourselves, but we checked out two restaurants on the island at some point. The Marisqueira Sabores Do Atlântico was a restaurant near the place we were staying at in Agualva, so we went there one night. It was an authentic Portuguese restaurant full of freshly cooked meals with fresh fish. I remember that we got a fish soup that was very nice and tasty. Then, we got a meal with codfish and shared it between the two of us, as it was quite a lot.

When we were in Angra do Heroísmo we visited Cais d'Angra restaurant for a quick lunch and got one of the best grilled limpets! The staff was quick with the order and in no time we had our food and a nice view of the bay of Angra do Heroísmo.

However, since we wanted to cook for ourselves we tried red bream fish grilled on our barbeque in the hostel and added some potato salad to it. This fish was very sweet and became my absolute favourite. During the other days, we tried other fishes that were available in the fish shops or the nearest Continente supermarket. However, in one of the days, we made beef hamburgers that were absolutely amazing! Delish!

Day 1 In Terceira

On the first day of our arrival, we didn’t have much time to explore, as it was almost lunchtime when we reached our place, but we tried to visit the nearest places to Agualva in Terceira.

Praia da Vitória

We went to Praia da Vitória to check the beach and chill for a bit, as were tired from our early flight. It was 15 minutes drive away from our place, so in no time we were there. Then, we walked around the colourful city for a bit and went up to the Monumento do Imaculado Coração de Maria viewpoint from where you can see the whole city.

Miradouro da Serra do Cume

Later, we also went to the Miradouro da Serra do Cume viewpoint from where you can see the east part of the island, as well as the city of Praia da Vitória. It’s a very nice and peaceful part of the island where I think it will be best to either see the sunrise or the sunset.

Natural swimming pools of Biscoitos

Then, we headed to the closest natural swimming pools in Biscoitos to see if it will be pleasant to swim in them, as the water was very cold in Praia da Vitória. Even though the swimming pools here were nice and sort of separated by the ocean, the water was still cold, so we decided to just skip the swimming and head back to our place.

Surprisingly, on the way back to Agualva we had to stop the car as there was no way to pass through the crowds of people that surrounded the village. Thus, we parked it and went out a bit confused as people were screaming and running around. To our surprise, there was a rope bullfight! At first, I got really scared and wanted to run too, but then we decided to stay and watch it from afar. People made a sort of a circle around the little bull and were teasing him with a red cloth. There were people from all age and the youngest ones were standing on the tallest fences of the houses or the trees so that they don’t get hurt.

The whole event lasted for about half an hour and we went back to the car and drove back to Agualva. Later, I learned from our host that the bullfights are part of an old tradition in Terceira and the events are being held every year. Thus, if you want to see a real bullfight you can visit Terceira island from the beginning of May till October and you will for sure see one in most of the cities there.

Day 2 In Terceira

On the second day, we decided to go hiking and check most of the national parks in Terceira. One of them even led us to the highest point on the island from where you can observe the other Azorean islands.

Miradouro da Serra de Santa Bárbara

We first started our day by visiting the highest point on the island from where we saw the other islands of the archipelago. On the right side we saw Graciosa island and on the left side São Jorge, Pico and Faial island. However, we did not hike up to the top, as it requires a lot of time and we had other things on our list to do on this day, so we used the car to get there.

Reserva Florestal Natural Parcial do Biscoito da Ferraria

Next, we hiked a bit in one of the national parks of Terceira where is one of the sleeping volcanos on the island – Pico Alto. Here in this place you can see the finest Azorean flora and experience the tranquillity of this place at its fullest.

Lagoa das Patas

After that, we stopped by the Duck lake where you can have a nice barbeque or rest for a bit on the many resting areas around. It’s an artificial lake in the middle of the island and its main inhabitants are the ducks. The park also has a nice chapel to which you can go by following the staircase in the park.

Furnas do Enxofre

Last on our list was the Furnas do Enxofre, which is one of the must-do trails on the island of Terceira. Along the way, you will see lots of mini sulfur geysers spread around the whole area, but don’t worry, as everything is secured here. While we were on the trail my boyfriend found some of the famous red Azorean berries, so keep your eye on that!

Day 3 In Terceira

During our last day, we wanted to see as much as possible, so we first headed to the biggest city on the island and then went on to see the famous caves, as their opening hours were around 2 pm.

Angra do Heroísmo

The main city in Terceira was one of the first cities established on the island. It is famous for being the capital of the archipelago once and the seat for the bishop of the Azores and some important institutions. Furthermore, it was also the most important port for the voyagers on their way back from Africa and the Indies. Nowadays, Angra do Heroísmo is recognized for its well-preserved cultural traditions and historical monuments. It has also been recognized as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for that.

I loved Angra do Heroísmo, as it was full of colour everywhere and had those little narrow streets that only add to the cultural beauty of this place. The city is also full of gardens and viewpoints from where you can see the whole area and the hill of the city. Thus, we went to Alto da Memória, which is a memorial built in memory of the Civil wars here and it has one of the greatest vistas over the city, the Monte Brasil and the ocean. However, it is not an easy task to go there, as it is quite hilly and you have to climb a lot. Then, we went to the statue of Vasco da Gama near the Igreja da Misericórdiaand the port of Angra do Heroísmo. In front of the church, there is a nice fountain where you can take a very nice picture before going up to the church.

Monte Brasil

While we were in Angra do Heroísmo we made sure to visit Monte Brasil, as it is one of the cool green parks on the island. The path to it goes through an old fortress that was built to defend the city from pirates and warships. We went around the huge old fortress and then drove up to the park itself. On the way up we saw a deer that was roaming around and was kind of friendly, so we could go near it. Up in the hill, we found a mini zoo, holding a couple of big parrots and some of them even talked, also there were lots of deer in a stable that were roaming around uninterruptedly.

In the park, there were lots of places for rest and places for making barbeque. While we were there lots of people were celebrating the birthdays of their kids and there were decorations everywhere, so it was very nice to see it. While there we checked Miradouro do Pico das Cruzinhas, where we found a nice picture made out of blue tiles in the monument. It was depicting the old city of Angra do Heroísmo and how everything looked in the past, so it was very nice to see it.

After Monte Brasil, we went into the city for a quick lunch and then headed to Cabras Isletsthat were a bit further from the city. The islets remain uninhabited to this day, but back in the days, shepherds were bringing their cattle here, so they can roam freely. There is also a legend about a boy that was sent on exile here by the father of the girl he was in love with. I would say that the islets are one of the nicest places on the island and you should visit these interesting earth formations.

Gruta do Natal

We went to Gruta do Natal around 3 pm, as its opening hours were from 2:30 pm till 5 pm and the ticket cost 8 euros. They gave us white helmets and told us to be careful where we walk. We entered through a dark staircase leading us to the lava tubes and in no time I was walking on frozen lava. The cave appeared to be a system of lots of lava tubes gathered together during the period of high volcanic activity in the Azores. Our adventure took around half an hour and we were out. Up at the registry is a small museum with artefacts and different stones found in the cave from its foundation.

Then, we went to the volcanic cone nearby called Pico Gaspar and climbed up carefully on it. From there we could see the other hills and volcanic cones on the island that were now covered in lush vegetation. So I have to say that this was quite an experience, going down into a lava cave and then climbing a long-gone volcano. What a day!

Algar do Carvão

I have to say that this cave took my breath away! It for sure is a beautiful one! We went to Algar do Carvão after our visit to Gruta do Natal and after we paid 8 euros for the tickets we went straight to the cave through a long corridor. It led us to a huge open cave space where you will feel very insignificant and small. The cave’s cone is open and surrounded by lush vegetation, going down the stairs we saw a huge hole in the cave that was formed due to a huge gas explosion back in the days. Absolutely marvellous! Then, going further we saw a big pond in the cave and another unexplored cave on the other side. After staying there for a while we had to go up the stairs to exit the cave.

Then, in the evening we decided to get the bikes that our host was nice enough to provide us with and went to Zona Balnear Escaleiras near Agualva. The dog of our host followed us to make sure we were safe and when we reached the place we sat down and watched the sunset in Terceiraon our last day. It was beautiful.

Our journey in Terceira was for sure one of the best experiences in my life. There was not a single thing I didn’t like. Everything was absolutely mesmerizing! I will make sure to visit the island again someday!

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