How to get there and how to move to the Azores Islands, but above all how to move between the nine islands that comprise this archipelago which is located in Portugal, read the post.
Azores Islands: so close, so far, one thinks when looking at the map.
There are no direct flights, but don't despair, the Portuguese archipelago located in theAtlantic Ocean however, it is easily accessible from our country.
First you need to get to Lisbon (or if you prefer Porto) via a scheduled flight operated for example by Alitalia or Tap Portugal, or even better if low cost with EasyJet or Ryanair, lasting about 4 hours and departing from the main airports Of course, this mandatory step can turn into a good opportunity to stop a couple of nights, on the way out or back from the Azores, and fully enjoy the beauties of the Portuguese capital.
From Lisbon it is then necessary to rely on a flight of about 2 and a half hours operated by the Azores airline, the Sata Airlines, which makes daily connections with the main islands: Sao Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Terceira (Lajes) and Faial (Horta).
Le nine islands they all have an airport they are all connected by internal flights always managed by the Sata, while for the summer season only, the alternative is to take the ferry which, however, significantly lengthens travel times.
Attention: the frequency of connections it varies from a few times a day to a few times a week and changes from season to season, so to avoid unpleasant surprises, book your itinerary in advance. The advice is to connect to the airline's website and build your ad hoc travel program, studying the best connections and those that allow you to save time and money. The site will also allow you to purchase a single package of flights, greatly facilitating your work.
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It should be borne in mind that the hub between the air links of the islands of the central group (Pico, Sao Jorge, Faial, Graciosa) is Terceira, while Horta is the best starting point to reach the islands of the western group.
The most complex issue is theFlores Island, the furthest away, but a real gem that is worth a visit even for just a couple of days. Flores (FLW) can be reached by plane only from Ponta Delgada (PDL) with daily flights, from Horta (HOR) almost daily flights and from Terceira (TER) with flights 2 or 5 times a week depending on the season. I would say that a rule to take into account is that from a tariff point of view it is advisable to make sure that the most distant destination within an itinerary is in the middle of the itinerary itself.
So in our case the best rate could be given by the itinerary: PDL / TER / FLW / HOR-PIX / PDL assuming that from Horta (HOR) to Pico (PIX) you will travel by ferry. You will thus visit the main islands of the archipelago by spending a reasonable price on flights avoiding unnecessary zig zags.
To move around the various islands, the best method is rent a car (the scooter is not recommended due to the highly variable weather). The rental companies are numerous within the various airports (Ilha Verde is the local one), however there are not many cars available, so, especially in the high season, book your car well in advance.
In Flores what is written above is almost an obligation to be imposed on you. You will understand that you have made the right choice, when you meet the eyes of those dejected who did not make it and wander around the island in search of a ride.
However, if you are unlucky with the rental agencies at the airport, contact the tourist information center of the city. They will give you a list of all the renters in the place.
You also prefer the buses to buses taxi. A little more expensive and often improvised, but they will save you a lot of time.
As you will have understood with a little ingenuity and patience, you will certainly have no difficulty in reaching and visiting this beautiful group of islands independently and in any case I can assure you that the effort and time spent in organizing will be amply repaid.
