São Sebastião on Terceira: the frescoed church, the forts trail, Salga Bay and the Contendas lighthouse

São Sebastião is the village at Terceira's south-eastern corner, about 14 km east of Angra by road. It is easy to drive straight through on the way to somewhere else, but it is worth half a day. In that time you can see a church with early 16th-century frescoes, walk an easy coastal trail past four old forts, look at the lighthouse on Ponta das Contendas and, in summer, swim in the bay where the islanders turned back a Spanish landing in 1581.

The Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião stands on the village square. It is a Gothic parish church with three naves, in the Portuguese tradition of the mendicant orders' churches. The earthquake of 9 April 1614 damaged it badly, and in 1789 a fire destroyed almost everything inside. Between 1954 and 1965 the national monuments service restored it, trying to bring back its Manueline appearance. It has been listed as a property of public interest since 5 January 1951.

The reason to go in is the side aisles, where large areas of fresco survive on the walls, dated to the first third of the 16th century. The subjects include Saint Martin, Saint Barbara, Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene, Saint Sebastian, Saints Joachim and Anne, the Last Judgement and Saint Michael. Wall paintings of that age are rare in the Azores.

Three panels painted for the old high altar in the late 16th century, scenes from the life of Saint Sebastian, are no longer in the church. They went to the Museu de Angra do Heroísmo around 1954, so if you want to see them, look for them there.

Entry is free. The door is usually open in the daytime, but outside Mass that is not guaranteed, so do not plan the whole trip around the interior. Opposite the church stands a painted império, one of the small Holy Spirit chapels you see all over Terceira.

The official trail PR05TER, Fortes de São Sebastião, follows this coast on foot. It is linear and graded easy: 5.9 km, about two and a half hours, from sea level to 155 metres. It starts on the road out to Ponta das Contendas and ends on the village square by the church.

The forts along the way belong to the defences Terceira built when it held out against Spain. The Forte da Greta and Santa Catarina das Mós both date from 1581 and look over the bays of Mós and Mina. The trail leaflet describes Baía da Mina as a good surf spot. A short side path, out and back, goes down to the Forte do Bom Jesus, built in 1644. Further on, after a wood of endemic Azorean heather, a trig point and pastures, you reach the Forte do Pesqueiro dos Meninos, another of 1581.

The last stretch climbs into the village past a rebuilt watermill, through the Arrabalde quarter, and past the chapels of Nossa Senhora da Graça and Sant'Ana before the church.

Because the trail is linear, decide in advance how you will get back to your car at the start: a taxi, a second driver, or a walk back along the road. The trail page lists 5.9 km; the older printed leaflet says 5.7 km. Parts of the route cross protected areas of the Terceira Natural Park, so keep to the marked path and close any gate you open. Trail status changes, so check trails.visitazores.com on the morning you go. For more walks across the island, see our guide to hiking on Terceira.

The Farol da Ponta das Contendas marks the south-eastern tip of the island. It was built between 1930 and 1934 and first lit on 1 February 1934. The tower is 13 metres tall, the light sits 53 metres above the sea, and it reaches 23 nautical miles, flashing four times every 15 seconds in white and red sectors.

The lighthouse is not normally open. You see it from outside, from the end of the road. The point itself is black lava and low cliffs. The Ilhéus das Cabras lie to the west, and on a clear day São Jorge and Pico appear on the horizon. The islets are also one of Terceira's dive sites, covered in our guide to diving and snorkelling on Terceira.

On 25 July 1581, the feast of Santiago, a Spanish force under Pedro de Valdez landed in the bay at Salga. Terceira was then backing António, Prior of Crato, against Philip II's claim to the Portuguese throne. The landing party took the first houses and prisoners, among them the farmer Bartolomeu Lourenço. The defenders then drove a herd of cattle at the Spanish lines, with goads and gunfire, and the attack broke. Local tradition gives more than a thousand animals and credits Bartolomeu's wife, Brianda Pereira, with rallying the women of the villages. Even Explore Terceira, the island's tourism site, says that history and legend are hard to separate here. A monument above the shore commemorates the battle.

Today Baía da Salga is a pebble bay with a small bar, a car park and a slipway. It was one of Terceira's 16 official bathing waters in 2026, with a season from 15 June to 15 September 2026, and it flies the Blue Flag in 2026. The water gets deep within a few metres, and water shoes help on the pebbles. Next to it is the Parque de Campismo da Salga, open from 4 June to 15 September in 2026, at 5 euros a day for a tent that year and with no reservations. Our guides to swimming on Terceira and camping on Terceira have the details.

• Morning: drive to the start of PR05TER on the Contendas road, look at the lighthouse from the point, then walk the trail to the village.
• Midday: finish at the square and go into the church if the door is open. Bring a picnic so you are not tied to opening hours.
• Afternoon: drive down to Baía da Salga for the monument and, between mid-June and mid-September, a swim.
• A car is the simplest way to do all of this. For buses from Angra, ask the Terceira tourism office (+351 295 404 800) for the current timetable before you go.

How far is São Sebastião from Angra do Heroísmo? About 14 km by road from the centre of Angra to Salga.

Can you visit the Contendas lighthouse? Not normally. It is seen from outside, from the end of the road on the point.

How long is the São Sebastião forts walk? PR05TER is 5.9 km, linear and easy, about two and a half hours from the Contendas road to the village square.

Can you swim at Salga? Yes. In 2026 Salga was an official bathing water with a Blue Flag and a season from 15 June to 15 September. The seasons are set again each spring, so check the current year.