Nov 10, 20261 min read
São Miguel health centres send heart tests to remote cardiologists
In September, ECGs taken at the health centres of Nordeste, Povoação and Vila Franca do Campo saved patients 167 round trips to Ponta Delgada.
Azores Guide
Nine islands in the middle of the Atlantic, each with its own weather, its own trails and its own calendar. Pick one to see what it is doing today.
São MiguelThe largest island: crater lakes, hot springs and Ponta Delgada.TerceiraAngra do Heroísmo, bullrings and the volcanic chimney of Algar do Carvão.PicoPortugal's highest mountain, vineyards on black lava, whales offshore.FaialHorta's marina, the Capelinhos volcano and the blue hydrangeas.FloresWaterfalls, lagoons and the westernmost point of Europe.São JorgeLong cliffs, the fajãs below them and the cheese made on top.Santa MariaThe driest island, with the only golden sand in the archipelago.GraciosaVineyards, windmills and a cave with a sulphur lake in it.CorvoOne village, one crater, and three hundred and fifty people.
Driving in PortugalRoundabouts in PortugalWatch the 1-minute animationAzores News
Nov 9, 20261 min read
Air arrivals in the Azores fall for a tenth month in a row
Faial, São Jorge and Flores were the only islands with more arrivals in October. Pico and São Miguel had the steepest falls, Regional Statistics Service figures show.
Nov 9, 20261 min read
Two land snail species new to science found on Santa Maria
The EU co-funded LIFE Snails project also recorded a snail thought to be extinct, but found none of two of its three priority species.
Nov 8, 20261 min read
Italian Route du Rhum sailor with suspected chest injury brought ashore at Horta
A lifeboat escorted the solo racer's undamaged yacht into the port of Horta, and an ambulance took him to hospital on Faial.
Nov 8, 20261 min read
Azores opens 3 million euro fuel support for fisheries and aquaculture
Fishing, aquaculture and fish-processing companies can claim back part of the higher fuel costs they carried since February. Applications close on 30 November.
Nov 7, 20262 min read
Depression Bruna brings yellow warnings to all nine Azores islands
Gusts of up to 90 km/h and waves of six metres are forecast from Sunday. Atlânticoline has cancelled Saturday's sailings between Corvo and Flores.
Travel Tips
Nov 10, 20267 min read
Carnival on Terceira: the danças and bailinhos, where to watch them and the 2027 dates
Terceira's Carnival is amateur theatre, not a parade: about 70 groups in 2019, touring the parish halls with rhymed, satirical bailinhos and sword dances late into the night. The 2027 dates (Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February), why many halls admit only members and the Auditório do Ramo Grande sells tickets to anyone, the free app that tracks each group, and the Hélio Costa Carnival Museum in Lajes.
Nov 7, 20267 min read
The gardens of São Miguel: Terra Nostra, the two José do Canto gardens, António Borges and the camellia season
Five historic gardens to walk on São Miguel, three in Ponta Delgada and two in Furnas. Which to pick, the 2026 tickets (Terra Nostra €17, the Furnas woodland garden €5, António Borges free), opening hours and Monday closures, and when the camellias flower.
Nov 4, 20267 min read
Graciosa weather day to day: where to check the forecast, how the warnings work, and how to plan each day
How to plan Graciosa around the wind and the sea: the IPMA five-day forecast for Santa Cruz da Graciosa, why there is no sea forecast for the island, what yellow, orange and red warnings mean for the central group, which coast to swim from by the wind, the Furna do Enxofre in bad weather, and where to check trails, flights and the summer ferry (2026).
Nov 1, 20266 min read
Surfing on Santa Maria: Praia Formosa in summer, Anjos in winter, and the São Lourenço paddle route
Santa Maria's two official surf spots face opposite coasts: Praia Formosa takes the summer swell from the south, Anjos the winter swell from the north. Tide, wind and level for each, how often the waves are clean, the stand-up paddle route under the São Lourenço cliffs, why there is no surf school on the island, and the SATA board limits (200 cm, 240 cm for a SUP) for flying one in.
Oct 31, 20266 min read
Semana dos Baleeiros in Lajes do Pico: whalers' week dates, regattas and the Lourdes procession
Every late August, Lajes do Pico puts its old whaleboats back on the water. The 2026 programme of the Semana dos Baleeiros, hour by hour where it matters: whaleboat rides, the rowing and sailing regattas in the bay, the sea procession and the Sunday procession of Our Lady of Lourdes, the midnight concerts, and where to sleep so you are not driving home at 02:00.
Oct 28, 20268 min read
São Jorge's north-coast fajã walks: Fajãs do Toledo (PRC08SJO) and Norte Pequeno (PRC06SJO)
Two official loop trails drop down São Jorge's north cliffs to fajãs few walkers see: the hard Fajãs do Toledo (6.8 km, from 549 m to the sea) past three fajãs emptied by the 1980 earthquake and the Poço das Airoses waterfall, and the easier Norte Pequeno loop (10.9 km) to the Santa Filomena chapel and a swim at the Fajã das Pontas harbour. Which to pick, the risks, and the weekday buses from Velas and Calheta.