Ponta Delgada

Introduction

Azores - Furnas Church

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Ponta Delgada is the capital of the Azores Islands and is located on the island of Sao Miguel. Roughly 50,000 people live in the urban area of this city.

Neighbourhoods

Administratively, the municipality is composed of 24 parishes.

Sights and Activities

• Tea plantation Cha Gorreana - On the north coast is one of Europe's few tea plantations. It has been ongoing since 1883, and the tea is packed by hand on the corresponding factory. You can taste four different kinds of tea, before possibly buying something.
• Terra Nostra Park - In Furnas is the beautiful and impressive botanical garden where you can bathe in the fountain of youth, with over 30 °C, ferrous water. Towels and bathing suits can have a yellowish discoloration of the water. You can rent towels at the park.
• ceramics factory - In the town of Lagoa, on the south coast, lies the ceramics factory Cerâmica Vieira. In here you can each day see how the women still to this day comes the clay and then paint it.
• Pineapple plantation - Just outside of Ponta Delgada you can see how pineapples are grown. The fruits are smaller and tastes sweeter than pineapples from elsewhere in the world. On the plantation, you can get an insight into the long process and view pineapple at different stages.
• Church of Nossa Senhora da Paz - On the hill above the town of Vila Franca do Campo is the little church, Nossa Senhora da Paz. The church was built there because the area is believed to be sacred. From this beautiful place is the most amazing views of Vila Franca do Campo city

Weather

Ponta Delgada has a fairly consistent climate throughout the year with temperatures ranging from around 17 °C during the day from January to March and around 25 °C from July to September. Nights range between 11 °C and 18 °C respectively for these periods. Precipitation averages around 1,000mm a year with nearly all of that falling between October and April. June to August is fairly dry.

Getting There

By Plane

João Paulo II Airport (PDL), 3 kilometres west of Ponta Delgada, is the busiest airport of the Azores. SATA International has flights to and from Amsterdam, Boston, Frankfurt, Funchal, Lisbon, London, Manchester, Montreal, Oslo, Porto and Toronto.
Several other airlines serve cities like Helsinki (Finnair), Amsterdam (Arkefly), Düsseldorf (Air Berlin and Lisbon (TAP Portugal).
SATA Air Açores flies to Corvo Island, Flores Island, Graciosa Island, Horta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Pico Island, Santa Maria, São Jorge Island and Terceira.

A taxi from the airport to the city centre or hotels costs around €10 (including baggage).

Getting Around

By Public Transport

In Ponta Delgada run mini buses on weekdays. 7:00 to 19:00. Line A runs in the western part of town, line B in the central / north, and line C in the east. There are bus services between Ponta Delgada and most towns on the island, but usually only a few times a day.

Taxis are cream colored. There are several taxi stations in Ponta Delgada, including at the city gate. Reception at the hotel will be happy to order a taxi directly to hotel. They do not run after the taximeter, but after constant prices. Always ask the driver about the price to the desired target before the tour starts.

By Foot

Azores invite you to hike. There are good possibilities for excursions with English speaking local guides.

Sleep

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

External Links

• Official Website