Means of transport The Azores

From France, SATA Azores Airlines flies direct to the Azores only to Ponta Delgada. To get to the other islands, you'll need to either take an inter-island flight from Ponta Delgada, or fly via Lisbon or Porto to the other islands. Inter-island passes available at reduced rates. For travel to and within the archipelago, visit the airline's website. Please note that flights to the Azores are always highly dependent on weather conditions. It is sometimes impossible to take off!

From France, SATA Azores Airlines only flies to Ponta Delgada (often via Lisbon or Porto): you'll then need to take another inter-island flight to Graciosa. This route is operated several times a week, most of the time with a stopover; direct flights are few and far between. Please note that flights can be disrupted by the sometimes capricious weather conditions in the Azores. You won't always be sure of taking off!

From France, SATA Azores Airlines only flies to Ponta Delgada (direct or via Lisbon or Porto). You will then need to take another inter-island flight to reach São Jorge. From Ponta Delgada, it's about a 1-hour flight to São Jorge (direct flight). The route is operated several times a day, depending on the season, and it is now possible to make the round trip during the day. Flights can be disrupted by the sometimes capricious weather conditions in the Azores.

The Varela bus service makes it easy to reach the surrounding area. You will find the exact schedules at the tourist office in Furnas.

For Ribeira Quente and its beach: Monday to Friday, three to six departures per day depending on the period (school holidays or not); on weekends and public holidays, two to three departures, between and. In the other direction, even number of departures per day than above, with slightly different timetables.

For Povaoção, many departures in the week, the first at p. m., the last at 18 p. m. (20 p. m. on Friday); during school holidays, a little fewer, but enough to plan a trip; Saturday, three departures (first at pm). Sunday, two departures but not always.

In the other direction, first departure in the week at 6 p. m., last at 18 p. m.; during school holidays, last return to 17 p. m.; on Saturday and Sunday, substantially the same conditions.

This journey can interest those who reside in Furnas and want to visit the Povoação region a little better, or those staying at Hotel do Mar in Povoação and want to spend a day at Furnas Lake, for example.

Although it is not difficult to find your way around with buses in São Jorge, we invite you to get the four-line timetables from the Velas Tourist Office or from the Velas and Calheta tourist information kiosks. To give you an idea, the north is covered by lines 1 (Calheta-Velas) and 2 (Velas-Calheta). To the south, the Topo-Calheta-Velas line operates from Monday to Saturday with one round trip per day; the same applies to the Velas-Rosais Igreja-Rosais Ponta line. You can also connect Santo Amaro, Biscoitos or Queimada.

In week, departures by bus from Lajes to Madalena at am and pm to Piedade at 9 pm and 19 pm. Sunday, at a. m. to Madalena and p. m. to Piedade.

The local bus company offers a range of daily routes. The tourist office will give you a leaflet with timetables and routes.

Line 2: Praia-Angra. One return trip per hour between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays.

Line 3: Raminho-Biscoitos-Praia. Six round-trips per day weekdays between 6.45 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Route 8: Praia-Porto Martins. Six round-trips weekdays between 6.50 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Route 151: Lajes (airport)-Praia. A dozen round trips a day on weekdays.

Pico's taxis can take you anywhere on the island, for simple journeys or for more tourist tours. They park or make regular rounds near the port and Largo Cardeal Costa Nunes. If you don't feel like taking the few existing public transport or renting a car to explore the roads and paths of Pico Island, taxis are an option. The latter is obviously more expensive than the other two, but it can also be pleasant to let yourself be transported and carried.

The local bus company Pico Cristiano provides the only two lines on the island.

North coast: Madalena-São Roque-Piedade. From Monday to Saturday, two round trips per day from Piedade: the first at 6:15 am and the second at 1:30 pm. Sundays and public holidays, only one.

South coast: Madalena-Lajes-Ribeirinha. From Monday to Saturday, two round trips per day from Ribeirinha: the first at 5:40 am and the second at 12:45 pm. Sundays and public holidays, only one.

The local bus company operates 8 routes from Monday to Saturday. Two routes run between Horta and Castelo Branco (one of which also serves Pedregulho and Flamengos), a third runs north to Ribeira Funda, a fourth runs south to Ribeira Funda, and another covers the towns closest to Horta (Pedro Miguel and Praia do Almoxarife). On the other hand, the frequency of these routes is quite low, making bus travel a laborious business.

The local bus company offers various daily routes, although it's not the ideal way to get around the island. The tourist office will give you a leaflet with timetables and routes. You can also consult the timetables on the website. These include

Line 1: Biscoitos - Angra; Line 2: Angra - Praia; Line 3: Raminho - Praia; Line 5: Juncal - Angra; Line 7: Porto Judeu - Angra; Line 151: Praia - Lajes (airport).

Ponta Delgada airport's convenient shuttle service is provided by Agence ANC. When you arrive, ask directly at the orange counter located inside the airport. The line serves 21 stops, including the main hotels (Hotel Marina Atlantico, Hotel Azoris Royal Garden, Hotel VIP Executive...) and the city's points of interest (São Bras fort, São Pedro church...). See the complete list on the Internet. Please note that the shuttle operates on reservation only: contact the company to arrange a time.

Atlanticoline is the main airline operating between the islands. Between Flores and Corvo, these services operate at a minimum frequency of two return trips per day, two days a week in winter (pink line). From June onwards, you can take your car with you on the boat. Please note that the Western Group is not connected to the other islands by ferry. To get to another island from Corvo or Flores, you'll need to fly. Remember to bring your identity card with you when crossing the islands.

Five bus routes cover the island of Flores: route 1 between Santa Cruz and Ponta Delgada, route 2 between Santa Cruz and Lajes, route 3 between Lajes and Fajã Grande, route 4 between Fajã Grande and Santa Cruz (via Mato), and route 5 between Santa Cruz and Fajã Grande. Timetables available at the Santa Cruz tourist office and on the website. If you don't want to rent a car, this is the best way to get around Flores.

From France, SATA Azores Airlines only flies to Ponta Delgada (direct or via Lisbon or Porto): you'll then need to take another inter-island flight to Corvo. In summer, there's an almost daily service, with at least one stopover. In winter, there are only a few flights a week, with two stopovers. The journey is long! Flights can be disrupted by weather conditions: you can't always be sure of getting off the ground!

Tap Portugal is one of the companies that can take you to the Azores from Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille or Nice. After a stopover in Lisbon or Porto, you can land in Ponta Delgada (São Miguel Island), Horta (Faial Island), Madalena (Pico Island) or Lajes (Terceira Island). You can then reach other islands with the SATA company. Inter-island connections are relatively good, but flights can be disrupted by the sometimes capricious weather conditions in the Azores.

From France, SATA Azores Airlines only flies to Ponta Delgada (direct or via Lisbon or Porto): you'll then need to take another inter-island flight to Santa Maria. From Ponta Delgada, it's just a 30-minute flight to the island. The route operates one to four times a day depending on the season, but you can't make the round trip in the same day in winter. Finally, flights can be disrupted by the Azores' sometimes capricious weather conditions.

This is the only bus company operating on the island. Its 9 routes cover the main localities. A dozen round trips are scheduled per day on weekdays, half as many on Saturdays and none on Sundays. For the other lines, count on one to four round trips per day, weekdays only. The Mobilidade application provides real-time information on routes, timetables and fares. A good alternative if you don't want to rent a car.

With the possible exception of Lisbon, you've probably never seen an airport so close to the city it serves! In fact, it stretches all the way to the top of Santa Cruz. From the city, you can see the planes landing so close it's almost frightening... On foot, the airport entrance is less than 1 km from the center, so if you're not too heavy, you can save yourself a cab! The airport is alive with aircraft landings. The tourist office opens to coincide with arrivals, and car rental companies also follow the choreography of the skies.

From June to September, Atlanticoline, the Azores' main shipping company, offers a single itinerary via Angra do Heroísmo. This is the purple line: Faial (Horta) - Madalena (Pico) - Calheta (São Jorge) - Terceira (Angra do Heroísmo). There is a direct connection between Angra and Calheta, on São Jorge. For the other islands, there will be stopovers. To reach Graciosa by ferry, the route is also direct, but departure is from the port of Praia da Vitória (white line). In winter, there is no ferry from Terceira.

Since 2023, Atlanticoline (the Azores' main shipping company) no longer offers ferries from São Miguel. To reach the other islands, you'll have to fly. However, there are direct connections between the islands of the Central Group and those of the Western Group. Taking a boat from island to island is a slower option than flying, but the scenery you'll be able to see from your boat is unrivalled and quite simply magnificent. An option worth considering.

From June to September, Atlanticoline offers just one itinerary, with a stop in Graciosa. The white line links the small island directly to its neighbors São Jorge (Velas, in 3 hours) and Terceira (Praia da Vitória, in 4 hours). The other islands of the central group can also be reached via Atlanticoline, but one - or even more - connections are unavoidable. Ferries to and from Graciosa don't run the rest of the year, so air travel is the only option for getting to other islands.

According to the destination, from 22 euros to 98 euros the return ticket from Faial to the other islands. Direct to Terceira, São Jorge and Pico but with connections for other islands. Hours on the site. The company operates from May 3 to October 10 only. Departures several times a week in this season.

From Velas, direct year-round connections with Pico (Madalena and São Roque). From June to September, Atlanticoline operates an additional route (the white one), linking Velas to Graciosa. To reach the other islands in the central group (Faial all year round and Terceira in summer), you'll need to count on at least one stopover from São Jorge. Ferry journeys are slower than air travel, but allow you to see some magnificent scenery - and even take your car with you! An option to consider if you have the time and inclination to travel differently.

From São Roque, you can reach Velas, on São Jorge, all year round with Atlanticoline ferries (green and orange lines). From June to September, the company also operates direct services between São Roque and Horta on Faial (white line). To reach the other islands from São Roque, you'll need to make at least one stopover. There are more departures from Madalena, Pico's other ferry terminal. In bad weather, ferries may be cancelled. An option worth considering for those with the time and inclination to travel differently...

Pico is linked by boat to Faial and São Jorge all year round. From June to September, the service is extended to Graciosa and Terceira. From Madalena, Atlanticoline operates around 5 round trips a day, at least 5 days a week, to Horta on Faial (blue line). The green line connects Madalena directly to Velas on São Jorge: count on two to three round trips a day, between two and four days a week, depending on the season. In summer, ferries also leave Madalena for Calheta on São Jorge, two days a week (purple line).

Atlanticoline, the Azores' main shipping company, operates a ferry service between Praia da Vitória and Graciosa, only from June to September. This line (the white one) also passes through São Jorge, Pico and Faial. For the rest of the year, Terceira is not connected to the other islands by boat, so you'll have to fly to get between them. Note that Atlanticoline operates a second line in summer (the purple one) from Angra do Heroísmo to Calheta, on São Jorge. For travellers who have the time and inclination to travel differently.

From May to September, Atlanticoline (the main shipping company in the Azores) operates direct flights between Ponta Delgada and Santa Maria. You can also reach the other islands with Atlanticoline, but one (or more) connections will then be inevitable. Taking the boat to travel from island to island is a slower alternative than flying, but the scenery you can see from your boat cannot be seen from anywhere else and is simply beautiful. An option to consider....

A very friendly, responsive and honest cab driver who speaks very good English. He covers the whole island of Terceira and will be at your service for transfers between the various towns, the airport and the tourist sites. An added bonus: he knows his island inside out, and will be able to give you lots of historical and practical information on its points of interest. Safe driving and a clean vehicle; in short, impeccable service.

Located in Lajes, Portugal, Táxi Lajes-Pico is a cab service available to visitors to the town. They offer cab services at reasonable rates. The company's website provides further information and allows customers to request a quote. Customers have left positive testimonials about the service, highlighting the driver's kindness and flexibility, as well as the beauty of the places visited on the journeys.