The gardens of São Miguel: Terra Nostra, the two José do Canto gardens, António Borges and the camellia season

São Miguel has five historic gardens a visitor can walk into, and they sit in two places: three in Ponta Delgada and two on the edge of Furnas. If you have time for one, make it Parque Terra Nostra in Furnas, for its camellia collection, its old trees and the thermal pool at the end. If you are in Ponta Delgada without a car, the José do Canto botanical garden and the free António Borges garden fill a morning on foot. Go between November and April if you can: that is when the camellias flower, and the two Furnas gardens are full of them.

Most of them were laid out in the 19th century, when São Miguel grew rich exporting oranges to Britain. Their owners imported trees from Australia, New Zealand and further afield, and in the mild, wet climate those trees are now huge. That is what you come for: Moreton Bay figs, tree ferns and paths lined with camellias planted generations ago.

Terra Nostra is our pick of the island's gardens, and many visitors only see its pool. The Boston merchant Thomas Hickling bought the land in 1782 and built a summer house there the following year. The oak he planted still stands near the pool. In 1848 his son sold the estate to the Viscounts of Praia, who added the serpentine canal in 1872 and agreed to keep the garden open to the public. Vasco Bensaude took it over in 1936 and, with the Scottish gardener John McInroy, laid out the Ginkgo avenue and much of what you see now.

The garden keeps four named collections: bromeliads, ferns, cycads and camellias. The camellia collection was started in 2004 and now holds 43 species and 704 cultivars, planted in four sections. In 2014 the International Camellia Society named Terra Nostra a Camellia Garden of Excellence.

The garden suggests a 3 km route that takes about an hour and a half. In 2026 the adult ticket was €17, and €14.50 for children and seniors; the ticket also covers the thermal pool. Opening hours were 10:30 to 16:30, closed on 25 December. If you want both the garden and the pool, arrive by 14:00 and walk first: after a soak in the iron-rich water few people feel like a long walk.

On the south shore of Lagoa das Furnas, outside the village, is the woodland garden of José do Canto, the island's great 19th-century plant collector. The French landscape architect Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps drew the layout. The garden has about 2,000 camellia trees, many of them very old, along its paths, and a fern valley on the west side that the family rebuilt in the mid-20th century.

In the middle stands the neo-Gothic chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. José do Canto built it between 1877 and 1885 after a vow he made while his wife was seriously ill, and both are buried there. It has thirteen stained-glass windows.

Hours, from the garden's own site:

• April to September: 10:00 to 18:00, every day.
• October to March: 09:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Sunday, so closed on Mondays.
• Last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Entry was €5 from age 13 when we checked in November 2026, and free for children under 13. You can buy online and get a QR ticket by email, but online tickets cannot be refunded, so wait for the morning's forecast before you buy. The official PRC06SMI trail round Lagoa das Furnas, 9.4 km and graded easy, passes the chapel and the garden, so you can combine the two.

José do Canto's town garden is a short walk from the old centre, at Rua José do Canto 9. He started it in 1845 as a place to acclimatise plants from all over the world. When the German botanist Edmond Goeze visited in 1866, he estimated it held more than 3,000 species. The garden was later split between heirs, and it no longer has that range, but 5.8 hectares remain. The regional government listed it as a property of public interest in February 2025.

The trees are the reason to go. Look for the Moreton Bay figs, bunya pines and Queensland kauris from Australia, the New Zealand Christmas trees, camphor trees and a swamp cypress. At the south-west corner is the chapel of Sant'Ana, founded in 1624 and the oldest building in the garden, which you enter from inside.

The garden opens every day except 1 January and 25 December: 9:00 to 17:00 from October to March, and 9:00 to 19:00 from April to September. The garden's site does not publish an entry price, so ask at the gate.

Next door is the garden of the Palácio de Sant'Ana, built in the 19th century by José Jácome Correia. The estate covers about 4 hectares. Since 1980 the palace has been the seat of the Regional Government of the Azores and the official residence of its President, and it still hosts official events. The garden has a formal front parterre, a vegetable garden, a greenhouse and an old orange tower, and a New Zealand Christmas tree with a tangle of aerial roots.

The opening hours we found are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, from a regional listing last updated in November 2024. Because it is a working government building, check before you plan around it, and do not count on it at weekends.

The city park is free. António Borges da Câmara Medeiros built it between 1858 and 1861 as his private garden, with a cistern that doubles as a viewpoint, two ponds, greenhouses and a set of artificial grottoes. The plants came from nurseries in Liège, Ghent, Brussels and London. The town bought it from his heirs and opened it to the public on 11 September 1957.

It covers just over 2.5 hectares on Avenida Antero de Quental. The grotto paths have steps, which children love and pushchairs do not; there is also a duck pond and a playground. The gates close in the evening.

The camellias flower for about six months, from autumn into spring. At Terra Nostra the Camellia sasanqua flowers from October to December, Camellia japonica from January to April and Camellia reticulata in February and March. The old trees in the Furnas woodland garden flower from January to May, and Furnas holds a camellia show every February or March.

So winter, the weak season for beaches on São Miguel, is the best time for the gardens. In any month, a garden is a good plan for a grey day when the crater lakes are hidden in cloud. Wear shoes that can take mud.

• One garden, half a day: Terra Nostra, with the pool at the end.
• A Furnas day: Terra Nostra and the Mata-Jardim, with the lake walk between them if the weather holds. The Mata-Jardim is closed on Mondays from October to March.
• Ponta Delgada on foot: the José do Canto botanical garden and the António Borges garden; allow about two hours for both, and add Sant'Ana on a weekday.
• With small children: António Borges for the grottoes and the playground.

Furnas is about 40 minutes' drive from Ponta Delgada.

What is the best garden on São Miguel? Our pick is Parque Terra Nostra in Furnas. It keeps four plant collections, including 704 camellia cultivars, and the ticket includes the thermal pool.

How much does Terra Nostra cost? In 2026 the adult ticket was €17, and €14.50 for children and seniors, garden and pool included.

When do the camellias flower on São Miguel? From October to May, depending on the species. The peak for the common Camellia japonica is January to April.

Is there a free garden in Ponta Delgada? Yes. The Jardim António Borges has been a free public park since 1957.

• Parque Terra Nostra: history
• Parque Terra Nostra: the camellia collection
• Parque Terra Nostra: frequently asked questions and prices
• Parque Terra Nostra: what you need to know
• Mata-Jardim José do Canto: plan your visit
• Mata-Jardim José do Canto: tickets
• Mata-Jardim José do Canto, Destinazores
• Jardim Botânico José do Canto: about the garden
• Jardim Botânico José do Canto: the Sant'Ana chapel
• Jardim Palácio de Sant'Ana, byAçores
• Jardim António Borges, SIARAM (Azores government)
• António Borges Garden, Visit Azores
• PRC06SMI Lagoa das Furnas, Trails Azores