The north of Flores: Baía da Alagoa, Ponta Delgada and the Albarnaz lighthouse

Most people on Flores spend their days on the west coast, at the waterfalls and the crater lakes. The north is the part they skip, and it is the easiest half-day on the island. One road runs up from Santa Cruz through Fazenda, Cedros and Ponta Ruiva and stops at Ponta Delgada. A narrow lane carries on from the village to the Albarnaz lighthouse, where Corvo sits across the channel. The bus route from Santa Cruz to Ponta Delgada is 20 km, so by car the whole outing fits into a morning or an afternoon with stops.

The first stop is near Cedros, about 8 km out of Santa Cruz. The Miradouro dos Caimbros is a pull-in on the north road above the Alagoa bay. Parking is free at the roadside and there are no facilities. From there you look down on a bay of grey cobbles between cliffs, with rocky islets standing in the water offshore.

A side road goes down to the bay itself. The municipal campsite and the Parque de Lazer da Casa da Guarda are on the slope above the stones, and that is where the toilets and the parking are. You can swim, but think twice: you get in over round stones, there is no ladder and no lifeguard, and the bay is open to the swell. Bring shoes you can swim in.

Cedros had 112 residents at the 2021 census. Its church, Nossa Senhora do Pilar, was rebuilt and consecrated in 1953. The parish also had an artillery battery at Alagoa, built against pirate raids, because the Alagoa anchorage was once the natural way onto Flores.

The road ends at Ponta Delgada, the northernmost village on Flores. It is not the Ponta Delgada that is the main town of São Miguel. The parish had 280 people in 2021. The church of São Pedro, dedicated to the patron of fishermen, dates from 1763.

The road is recent: the first car reached the parish in 1966, later than almost anywhere else on Flores. Walk down to the small harbour. On a clear day Corvo is in plain sight across the water, and the islets off the village, Maria Vaz to the west and João Martins to the north, carry the names of early settlers.

We found no current source for café or restaurant opening days in the village. Bring water and something to eat, or eat in Santa Cruz before you set off.

From the village a narrow paved road runs west to Ponta do Albarnaz, about 2.5 km in a straight line. The Farol do Albarnaz was lit on 28 January 1925 to guide ships through the channel between Flores and Corvo. The tower is 15 metres tall, but it stands so high on the cliff that its light shines from 104 metres above the sea and carries 22 nautical miles. At night it gives one white flash every five seconds. As late as 2005 it was the only lighthouse in Portugal not connected to the electricity grid.

It is a working light run by the national maritime authority, and no visiting hours are published, so plan to see it from outside. From the point you look down on the Ilhéu de Maria Vaz. The islet is a nature reserve inside the Flores Nature Park and a nesting site for yellow-legged gulls. Further along the trail towards Fajã Grande, the Monchique islet, 1,500 metres offshore, is counted as the westernmost point of Europe.

The cliff edge here is unfenced. Keep children close and stay well back in wind.

Two official trails reach this coast, and in October 2026 only one of them was open.

• PR01FLO, Ponta Delgada to Fajã Grande, starts in the centre of the village and passes the lighthouse. It is 12 km, graded hard, about four and a half hours. On 6 October 2026 the trails site listed it as temporarily closed, and it was the only Flores trail on the closures list.
• The Grande Rota das Flores, GR01FLO, runs its first stage from Santa Cruz to Ponta Delgada: 21 km, about eight hours, graded hard. It follows the north-east coast past the Além Fazenda hydroelectric station, which supplies half the island's electricity, and past Baía da Alagoa. Cory's shearwaters and common and roseate terns nest on these cliffs. The second stage, from Ponta Delgada to Lajedo, was marked closed.

The trail page warns that the rocks and the many small water channels are slippery after rain. Check the status on trails.visitazores.com on the morning you go, because closures open and close. For the rest of the island's network, see hiking on Flores.

The UTC bus runs to Ponta Delgada on weekdays only, according to the timetable UTC linked in October 2026. Only the departure times are fixed; the others are approximate, so be at the stop early.

• All year: Santa Cruz 07:05, Cedros 07:28, Ponta Delgada 07:58; and Santa Cruz 16:50, Ponta Delgada 17:54.
• Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Santa Cruz 13:00, Ponta Delgada 13:50.
• Back from Ponta Delgada: 08:00 (in Santa Cruz at 09:00), 14:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (Santa Cruz 14:35), and 17:45 (Santa Cruz 18:38).

The early bus out and the 17:45 back give you a full day in the north, enough to walk to the lighthouse and back. The fare from Santa Cruz to Ponta Delgada was €3.18 in the table in force from 1 February 2026, and €1.40 to Cedros. Children from 4 to 11 pay half. For car hire and taxis, see getting around Flores.

• Leave Santa Cruz in the morning and stop at the Caimbros viewpoint above Alagoa.
• Drive down to the bay if the sea is calm and you want a swim.
• Carry on to Ponta Delgada and walk down to the harbour.
• Drive or walk the lane to the Albarnaz lighthouse for the view of Corvo and Maria Vaz.
• Drive back to Santa Cruz the way you came.

Can you go inside the Albarnaz lighthouse?

No visiting hours are published. It is a working light run by the maritime authority, so treat it as a viewpoint.

Is Ponta Delgada on Flores the same as Ponta Delgada on São Miguel?

No. The Flores one is a village of 280 people at the north tip of the island. The other is the main town of São Miguel, in the eastern group of islands.

Can you swim at Baía da Alagoa?

On a calm day, over cobbles, with no ladder and no lifeguard. The bay is exposed, so skip it when there is a swell.

Is there a bus to Ponta Delgada?

Yes, on weekdays. In the timetable UTC linked in October 2026 it leaves Santa Cruz at 07:05 and 16:50, plus 13:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There is no service at weekends.