For couples · Azores · Portugal
Romantic things to do in Azores
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The Azores make a striking couples' trip: soaks in hot springs under ferns, quiet crater-lake hikes, sunsets over the Atlantic and wine-tasting among Pico's lava-walled vineyards. Couples tend to stay in Furnas.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Furnas
- Best months
- May
Romantic ideas
1.Evening soak at Poça da Dona Beija
Relax together in the lit hot pools of Furnas after dark.
2.Crater-rim walk at Sete Cidades
Walk the rim above the twin lakes on a clear morning.
3.Sunset at Horta's marina
Watch Mount Pico glow across the channel from a terrace by the harbour.
4.Pico wine tasting
Taste salty Verdelho whites in a cellar among the black-walled vineyards.
5.Whale watching in spring
Head out together in April or May for the chance of seeing blue whales.
Sights couples love
Garden · Furnas
Terra Nostra Garden
Wear a dark swimsuit you don't mind staining; the iron-rich water leaves orange marks on light fabric.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Nature
- Rainy day
- Outdoors
Experience · Furnas
Poça da Dona Beija
Go in the evening after the day-trippers leave; the pools are lit and stay open into the night.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- After dark
- Rainy day
- Nature
Nature · Ribeira Grande
Caldeira Velha
Visit early in the morning; visitor numbers are limited at busy times.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for couples, quiet stays and families
Furnas
In a volcanic caldera in eastern São Miguel, Furnas has bubbling fumaroles in the village, the thermal pools of Terra Nostra Garden and Poça da Dona Beija, and the lakeside where cozido is cooked in the ground. Staying overnight lets you use the hot springs in the evening after day-trippers leave.
- Good
- Hot springs on the doorstep; Quiet evenings; Unique volcanic setting
- Watch out
- Smell of sulphur; Damp, misty climate; About 45 minutes from Ponta Delgada
- Nearby
- Terra Nostra Garden, Lagoa das Furnas, Poça da Dona Beija, Gorreana tea plantation
Romantic day trips
- Nordeste and the east coast (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Ponta Delgada) — São Miguel's remote north-east has manicured viewpoint gardens at Ponta do Sossego and Ponta da Madrugada, the Ribeira dos Caldeirões waterfalls and old watermills.
- Pico from Faial (About 30 minutes by ferry) — From Horta, a short ferry crossing reaches Madalena on Pico, where you can tour the UNESCO vineyards, the whaling museum at Lajes do Pico and lava-rock swimming pools, then return for dinner at Horta's marina.
- São Jorge and its fajãs (About 1–2 hours by ferry from Pico or Faial) — Long, narrow São Jorge is lined with fajãs — flat coastal platforms at the foot of high cliffs, reached by steep trails or roads.
- Corvo from Flores (About 45 minutes by boat) — The archipelago's smallest island has one village of a few hundred people and a vast crater, the Caldeirão, with lakes on its floor.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Cozido das Furnas, São Jorge cheese and Limpets. Azorean beef is grass-fed and good value; a steak is a reliable order almost anywhere.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Azores romantic?
The Azores make a striking couples' trip: soaks in hot springs under ferns, quiet crater-lake hikes, sunsets over the Atlantic and wine-tasting among Pico's lava-walled vineyards.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Azores?
Evening soak at Poça da Dona Beija: Relax together in the lit hot pools of Furnas after dark.
+Where should couples stay in Azores?
Furnas: Steaming valley village of hot springs, fumaroles and botanical gardens.