Getting around Faial: buses from Horta, taxis, car hire and the airport

Faial is small, 173 square kilometres, and almost everything a visitor does starts in Horta. That makes it tempting to skip the hire car. You can, for part of a trip, but the island's two big sights sit in the middle and at the far western end, and the buses are timed for people going to work and school. The decision is how many days you want a car for, and which ones.

Horta Airport (HOR) is in the parish of Castelo Branco, on the south coast, 9.5 kilometres south-west of the centre of Horta. Azores Airlines flies from there to Lisbon, and SATA Air Açores to Ponta Delgada, Terceira, Flores and Corvo.

There are three ways into town:

• A taxi. The ride to Horta is short, and it works whatever time your flight lands. Ask the fare before you set off.
• A hire car. Rental firms hand over cars at the airport, so this is the natural place to collect one if you want it from the first day.
• The bus. The airport is a stop on the south-coast line between Horta and Ribeira Funda. On weekdays buses pass Castelo Branco towards Horta at 07:45, 08:35, 14:10 and 16:10, plus 17:40 outside school term. Whether that works depends on when your flight lands. On Saturdays there is one bus into Horta in the morning, and on Sundays there is none.

If you arrive by boat instead, you step off at the ferry terminal in Horta itself, and the hire car question moves to when you actually need one. The crossing from Madalena on Pico takes about half an hour and cost 8.20 euros one way for an adult non-resident in 2026. Our guide to the ferries from Faial to Pico and São Jorge covers the lines and the winter timetable.

One company, Farias, runs every public bus on Faial, and a small minibus service inside Horta as well. It has four routes, and the timetables are on farias.pt. Checked in September 2026, they look like this:

• South coast, Horta to Ribeira Funda: through Feteira and Castelo Branco, past the airport, then Capelo and the Capelinhos volcano, and round to Praia do Norte. This is the one visitors use most.
• North coast, Horta to Ribeira Funda: up the east side through Pedro Miguel, Ribeirinha, Salão and Cedros.
• Praia do Almoxarife: a loop from Horta over the hill to Pedro Miguel, down to the beach at Praia do Almoxarife and back.
• Castelo Branco via Flamengos: one run in each direction on weekdays, mostly for commuters.

Read the timetables for these first:

• Monday to Friday there are four or five runs a day on the main routes. On Saturday there are one or two. On Sunday there are none.
• Some runs are marked as school term only and others as school holidays only. The afternoon buses on the south coast change with the school calendar, so check which period your dates fall in.
• On the south-coast line, several stops in Horta are served in one direction only. All four routes stop at the Avenida terminal.

Two trips that work by bus:

• A beach afternoon at Praia do Almoxarife on a weekday. The 12:40 from Horta reaches the beach at 13:05, and the 16:40 loop passes the beach at 17:05 and is back in Horta at 17:30. On Saturdays the loop leaves Horta at 07:10 and 13:15.
• Capelinhos outside school term. The 12:45 from Horta reaches Capelo at 13:25, and the volcano stops come a few minutes later. The holiday-period bus back passes Capelo at 17:20 and gets to Horta at 18:00. In school term there is no afternoon bus back through Capelo after 13:55, which leaves you well under half an hour at the volcano, so plan a taxi for the return.

There is no bus up to the Caldeira. The road leaves Horta north towards Flamengos and climbs, signposted "Caldeira", to the viewpoint on the rim, which is where the 6.8 kilometre circuit round the crater (PRC04FAI) starts, at about 840 metres. You need a car or a taxi for it.

Taxis cover what the buses do not: the airport, the Caldeira, and the one-way walks that end far from where they start. The Ten Volcanoes route from the Caldeira down to Capelinhos is the obvious case, since it finishes at the other end of the island from your car. Book the pickup the day before and agree the time, because you cannot count on finding a taxi at the western end. Our guide to Capelinhos and the Caldeira has the walks and how long they take.

For two or three days of a week on Faial, a car is the easiest answer. A road runs round the coast through the parishes, and the Caldeira road climbs to the centre from it. Distances are short. The limit is the weather more than time: the official trail page advises the rim walk only on days of good weather and visibility, so keep a second day spare in case the first one is grey.

A few practical points:

• If you arrive by ferry or spend the first days in Horta, ask the rental firm whether they hand over at the ferry terminal or your hotel, rather than paying for days you spend walking round town.
• In July and August, book ahead. A small island has a limited number of hire cars.
• To take the car across to Pico, check first that the rental contract allows it. Atlânticoline wants vehicles at the port at least 30 minutes before departure.

Mostly, yes, if you stay in Horta. The marina, Porto Pim, Monte da Guia and the town's museums are all on foot, and our guide to Horta covers them. Add a bus to Praia do Almoxarife, a bus to Capelinhos if your dates fall outside school term, and a taxi to the Caldeira, and you have seen most of the island. What you give up is Sundays, the freedom to wait for a clear morning on the rim, and the viewpoints and villages away from the bus routes.

Is there a bus from Horta Airport to Horta?

Yes, the south-coast line stops at the airport, but only a few times a day on weekdays, once on Saturday morning and never on Sunday. Unless your flight lands just before a bus, a taxi is simpler.

Do buses run on Sundays on Faial?

No. The Farias timetables have a Monday to Friday table and a Saturday table, and nothing for Sunday.

Can I get to the Caldeira by bus?

No. No bus route goes up to the Caldeira. Take a taxi or a hire car to the viewpoint on the rim.

How far is Horta Airport from Horta?

About 9.5 kilometres. The airport is in Castelo Branco on the south coast, south-west of the town.