Getting around by bus and coach The Azores

This is one of three bus companies operating on São Miguel. Departures to the west of the island. Weekdays to Sete Cidades, five departures a day, and four returns. Several daily departures to Mosteiros (seven weekdays, five Saturdays and four Sundays), to Ramal dos Mosteiros, to João Bom, to Fenais da Luz, to Capelas (19 weekdays, 12 Saturdays and seven Sundays), to Santo António (16 weekdays, 11 Saturdays and six Sundays), and to Relva (25 weekdays, 11 Saturdays and six Sundays). Alternative to car rental.

This bus company operates from Ponta Delgada to the north of the island. There are numerous options for Ribeira Grande and Rabo de Peixe. To Maia, seven departures a day on weekdays and four to five departures at weekends. For Furnas, two departures daily (morning and afternoon) via the north coast. For Nordeste, four departures a day on weekdays, two on Saturday and Sunday. For Fenais da Ajuda, four departures during the week and two or three at weekends.

This is the third bus company operating in São Miguel. From Ponta Delgada, there are numerous departures to Fajã de Baixo, Fajã de Cima, Lagoa and Vila Franca do Campo. For Remédios, the bus passes through Lagoa; count nine departures on weekdays and two or three on Saturdays and Sundays. For Ribeira Chã, two departures a day on weekdays only. For Povoção, five departures on weekdays and two at weekends. Buses also run to Água Retorta from Povoção and Ribeira Quente from Furnas. Convenient for car-free travel.

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.

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).

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.

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.