The best airlines The Azores

TAP Air Portugal is one of the airlines 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 choose to land in Ponta Delgada (island of São Miguel), Horta (island of Faial), Madalena (island of Pico) or Lajes (island of Terceira). You can then travel to other islands with SATA. Inter-island connections are relatively good, but flights can be disrupted by the sometimes capricious weather conditions in the Azores.

From France, Azores Airlines, the regular Azorean airline, operates up to 3 direct flights a year between Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in just 4 hours, aboard a 186-seat Airbus 321 Neo (meals served on board). Inter-island connections are then operated by SATA Air Açores. From mainland Portugal, daily flights are operated from Lisbon and Porto to various islands in the archipelago. There are also flights to Canada, the USA, Cape Verde and Madeira.

Terceira is linked to the USA, Canada, Madeira, Portugal and other European countries by SATA Azores Airlines, which also has a monopoly on inter-island connections. From France, however, you can only fly to the Azores from Ponta Delgada: you'll then need to take another flight to Terceira. Terceira has direct flights to all the other islands in the archipelago, except Santa Maria and Corvo. Inter-island flights can be disrupted by the sometimes capricious weather conditions in 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 (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.

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.