A Trip to the Azores: Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island
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**This post is the 4th of a 7-post series discussing what to see in this part of the Azores (You can check out the other parts in the list below, separated by each specific island/city. Everything is also summarized in another post here.**
The Azores islands are one of two autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being Madeira), located roughly 1000 miles from mainland Portugal. It is a 9-island archipelago that are split into three groups: Eastern (São Miguel, Santa Maria), Central (Terceira, Pico, Faial, São Jorge, Graciosa), and Western (Corvo, Flores). Their discovery dates back to the 14th century and were named ‘açor’, meaning Goshawk, which was a common bird known in that time. Each island is accessible either by plane or by ferry. For those who love nature and a bit of adventure, the Azores are an absolute must see.
In this blog post, I will cover the city of Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel. A Google Map of these places I will talk about can be seen at the end of this article. And you can see all my Azores islands related blog posts below:
Ponta Delgada (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island)
São Miguel Island (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: São Miguel Island)
Horta (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: Horta on Faial Island)
Faial Island (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: Faial Island)
Madalena (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: Madalena on Pico Island)
Pico Island (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: Pico Island)
Summary (Blog Post: A Trip to the Azores: A Summary)
Check out my drone video on the Azores below!
Ponta Delgada
Translating to ‘Thin Cape"‘, Ponta Delgada is the largest city within the Azores, located on São Miguel island, and is composed of the parishes of São Pedro, São Sebastião, and São José. The famous Portuguese chronicler Father Gaspar Frutuoso wrote about the origins of the Ponta Delgada name: ‘This city of Ponta Delgada is named for its situation located along volcanic lands, thin and not too considerable like on other islands, that lead to the sea, and where later, was constructed the chapel of Santa Clara (Saint Clare of Assisi), which was named the Santa Clara point.’ It has been populated since 1444.
Getting to Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island
Getting to Ponta Delgada is quick easy actually. It is the main airport of the Azores and will likely be where you will arrive first. The terminal is essentially just one very large room. The official airport name is Ponta Delgada - João Paulo II Airport.
In terms of getting to the city center of Ponta Delgada from the airport, you have these transportation options:
Take a taxi, which will cost you 10€
Airport shuttle with ANC Aerobus (8€ one way, 14€ return).
Walk! It’s less than an hour’s walk to the city center using a walking path.