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Portugal Vacation Package

Azores 3-Island Self-Drive Adventure: 7-Day Island Tour

7 Days/6 Nights. Explore Faial, Pico and São Miguel independently with rental cars and suggested scenic drives.

This printable guide is intended as a convenient reference. Final vouchers, confirmations and travel documents remain the official record of services included in a reservation.

Tour Overview

Discover three of the Azores Islands on this 7-day independent self-drive vacation through Faial, Pico and São Miguel. With rental cars and a suggested route, you can explore volcanic landscapes, historic towns, coastal scenery and island communities at your own pace.

Begin on Faial in the historic port city of Horta, with time to explore the island and make a ferry day trip to neighboring Pico. Continue to São Miguel, where suggested drives include Furnas, Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo and Ribeira Grande. Accommodations and daily breakfast are included, along with local assistance and a suggested itinerary provided after final payment.

Map of three island self-drive tour of the Azores

Itinerary

Day 1 - Faial: Arrival

Arrive on Faial, collect your rental car at the airport and drive to your hotel in Horta. Spend the remainder of the day getting acquainted with the marina, waterfront and historic center.

Day 2 - Pico: Ferry & Self-Drive Day Trip

Take the ferry from Horta to Madalena on Pico and collect a rental car on arrival. Spend the day exploring Pico’s volcanic scenery, vineyard areas, traditional villages and coastline before returning the car and taking the ferry back to Faial.

Day 3 - Faial: Caldeira & Capelinhos

Suggested drive: explore Faial’s green interior and central Caldeira, then continue west toward Capelinhos and its distinctive volcanic landscape. Return to Horta with time for scenic viewpoints and coastal stops along the way.

Day 4 - Faial to São Miguel

Check out of your hotel, return your rental car at Faial Airport and fly to São Miguel. Collect a new rental car at Ponta Delgada Airport and drive to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 5 - São Miguel: Furnas & the East

Suggested drive: travel east through Lagoa and Vila Franca do Campo toward Furnas. Explore the lake, geothermal areas and village, then consider continuing toward scenic viewpoints and a tea plantation before returning to Ponta Delgada.

Day 6 - São Miguel: Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo

Suggested drive: visit Sete Cidades and the Vista do Rei viewpoint, then explore the western countryside. Later, consider Ribeira Grande and Lagoa do Fogo, with additional stops depending on your interests and available time.

Day 7 - São Miguel: Departure

Check out of your hotel, drive to Ponta Delgada Airport and return your rental car before your departing flight.

What's Included

Hotels

Note: Hotels shown are for reference only. We reserve the right to change hotels based on availability, group size or other factors. Should an alternate hotel be required, it will be of the same or a better rating.

Comfort Hotels

horta, faial, azores, portugal wine view pico mountain

Hotel Horta

Horta - Faial Island

Located in the old Azorean town of Horta, the newly-renovated Hotel Horta offers views of Pico Island. It features rooms with balconies, a large garden and an outdoor pool. Horta’s rooms are decorated in neutral colors, and have wooden furniture. Each of the air-conditioned rooms has a cable TV and a private bathroom with a hairdryer.

The hotel’s panoramic restaurant offers international and regional dishes. The bar and the lounge offer views of the outdoor pool, the pool bar and the garden. Guests can rent a bicycle to explore the surrounding area.

Horta is famous for the whale watching and the volcanoes of Capelinhos and Caldeira. Horta Airport is 4.3 mi away, and the hotel provides free private parking on site. A car rental service is also available.

Hotel Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada

Hotel Ponta Delgada is 5 minutes by car from the airport and 5 minutes walking distance from the historical city center.
The hotel has 98 rooms with city view, bar, restaurant, jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath and an elevated indoor pool with a panoramic terrace.
All rooms open into a private balcony and are equipped with air-conditioned, double-glazed windows. Rooms also include cable TV, a private bathroom with amenities, a hairdryer, and a telephone.

Superior Hotels

pousada forte da horta room

Pousada Forte da Horta

Horta

Just an 8 minute walk from the beach, The Pousada Forte da Horta is set in a 16th century fortress with a view of Horta Bay and Pico island. This Pousada features air conditioned rooms, a swimming pool, and a regional restaurant. Most of the rooms offer a view of the marina. 

Classified as a National Monument since 1947, the Pousada Forte da Horta offers modern rooms with cable TV and a minibar. Each private bathroom is stocked with a hairdryer and bathrobe.

A breakfast buffet is served daily on the poolside veranda terrace. Guests may taste fried pork, tuna and passion fruit pie in Pousada Forte da Horta’s restaurant.

The swimming pool area is furnished with sun beds, tables and parasols. Indoors, there is a lounge with various seating areas and a bar with a piano.

The 24-hour reception offers car rentals and free on-site parking. The Horta Airport is just 5.4 miles from the Pousada Forte da Horta. 

Vila-gale-S-Miguel-Fachada

Vila Gale Collection São Miguel

Ponta Delgada

Situated in Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island, the Vila Gale Collection S. Miguel offers premium accommodations alongside an excellent restaurant, bar, sauna, swimming pool, kids’ club, and private parking.

This 4-star hotel features air-conditioned rooms with complimentary Wi-Fi, each equipped with a private bathroom and located just a short walk from the town center.

All guest rooms come with a flat-screen TV and a safety deposit box, with select rooms featuring a balcony. At Vila Gale Collection S. Miguel, guests will find bed linens and towels provided, and a buffet breakfast is served each morning.

Guests can enjoy access to a sauna and a Turkish bath during their stay.

The friendly and professional reception staff are fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, and are always available to assist.

Booking & Policies

Booking Your Vacation

  • Prices are shown in U.S. dollars. We can also charge in euros using the prevailing daily currency conversion rate.
  • Early booking is recommended. Availability of accommodations and inter-island flights can be limited, especially during the summer months.
  • If a hotel named in the itinerary is unavailable at the time of booking, a similar property of the same rating may be offered. Any change in price will be reflected in a revised quotation.
  • The order in which the islands are visited may need to be changed due to inter-island flight schedule changes.
  • When sightseeing tours are included, unless otherwise indicated, they are operated by private car with an English-speaking driver. Other languages may be available upon request.
  • Quotations requiring different hotels are subject to a non-refundable $50 deposit. This deposit will be credited toward the final booking price.

Booking Your Vacation With Air

  • International airfare is additional to the price shown in the Rates table. Departure cities are limited to those served by Azores Airlines.
  • If you would like airfare included in your quotation, select “Yes” when prompted during the booking or reservation request process.

Booking Conditions

  • A non-refundable, non-transferable deposit of $350 per person is required to confirm and hold both land and air arrangements.
  • Final payment is due 50 days before departure.
  • You may also choose to pay the full package price at the time of booking.

Cancellation Policy - Land Portion

  • If canceled 50 days or more before departure, the amount paid will be refunded less the non-refundable $350 deposit per person.
  • If canceled 49 to 39 days before departure, 75% of the total amount paid per person will be refunded.
  • If canceled 38 to 31 days before departure, 50% of the total amount paid per person will be refunded.
  • No refunds are provided for cancellations made fewer than 30 days before departure.

Cancellation Policy - Airfare

  • Airfare cancellation terms and conditions are determined by the airline and will be provided to you before the ticket is booked.

Refund Fees

  • For payments made by credit card, any refund will be reduced by a 3.9% credit-card processing fee assessed on the payment. This also applies to deposits refunded because requested services are unavailable for the requested travel dates.

I Want to Book. What Do I Do Next?

  • Click the “Request Quote” button to send us your reservation request.
  • No payment will be collected when you submit the request.
  • One of our travel associates will contact you by email to answer your questions and assist with booking your package.
  • If you are not ready to book, please contact us with any questions about your trip or vacation.

Booking Changes

  • A fee of $35 per person, per transaction, will be charged for revisions or changes made to a reservation after the booking has been confirmed.
  • If the requested change increases the total value of the booking, the $35 per person change fee will be waived.

Travel Insurance

  • We strongly recommend purchasing travel and cancellation insurance.