The wedding will take place on the beautiful island of São Miguel, the largest of the Azores archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. With all the people coming for the wedding there will be many different needs and desires for accommodation, and we will try to help you all with whatever you need.

Ribeira Grande

As far as possible we would like to gather all wedding guest in Ribeira Grande, where Nídia is from.

We really think that by having everyone staying in the same area it would easy to meet up and arrange whatever you want, from a lunch to a trip around the island.

Ribeira Grande is a small town on the north coast of São Miguel. It has a good balance between small village feel and still have stuff to do and see. It is located centrally on the island and is right next to the ocean.

For more information of the town head to our recommendations for the island.

We have contacts to a number of private villas in Ribeira Grande that will give 15% discount. Send us an email to get information and contact details.

Big shared villas

We have booked some big villas in Ribeira Grande, with around 10 rooms. In these you will have a private room (some with private bathroom others with shared bathroom) and share the rest of the villa with other wedding guests.

If you wish to stay in one of these villas, please send us an email with information about when you will be staying and how many rooms you will need. We will then find the perfect option for you.

Other places

For those of you who prefer to find something by yourself, São Miguel has plenty of hotels and private villas to select from all around the island. As described above we are trying to gather people in Ribeira Grande, but there is also plenty of other options. If you for example wish to stay in a larger town, Ponta Delgada is a good option. For other options please reach out to us.

First laying eyes on Säo Miguel, through the window of the airplane, you quickly realize why it is known as the green island of the Azores. The island is completely covered in a green blanket, like you most likely have never seen before. Mostly this green blanket is grass fields where the happy cows are.

Here is our sugestions of what to do, what to see and where to eat on São Miguel. First some “groundrules” for the island

1. The Azores has its own micro climate. We recommend starting the day looking at SpotAzores to see how the wheather lools like where you are planning to go.
2. No matter where you are going there is always a viewpoint on your path. Don’t forget to stop!
3. If you have the time, explore some of the many hiking paths on the island, it is the best way to explore it. We can highly recommend Lagoa do Fogo, Boca do Inferno or Salto do Cavalo.
4. In Portugal you get tremoço with your beer, not peanuts.
5. In Portugal you get small draft beers (20 cl), if you are thirsty you get two. The name for a small draft beer in Portugal and Azores is Imperial. The local beer name is “Especial”.

Ribeira Grande and surroundings

See & do

• Bath in the hot springs of Caldeira Velha .
• Visit the best view on the island at Lagoa do Fogo .
• Visit the only tea plantations in Europe. Fábrica do Chá da Gorreana or Fábrica de Chá do Porto Formoso .
• Dip your toes at the hot springs at Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande in Ribeirinha .
• Visit the beach Santa Bárbara (possibility to get surf lections there).
• Visit the outdoor pool Poças da Ribeira Grande and the beach next to it.
• Praia dos Moinhos is one of the island most beautiful beaches, surrounded by steep cliffs covered in green plants. It is good for kids as there is a small creek, running into the ocean, where the kids can play safely.
• Visit the museum for contemporary art - Arquipélago
• Visit the Town museum of Ribeira Grande
• Go hiking

Eat & drink

• Associação Agrícola is known for its local meat.
• Restaurante Alabote is located with a fantastic view to the sea.
• Tasca do Manuel Flor is located at the central square, which means it is the place to meet up for a for a beer or a snack after a full day of exploring. Try out the tremoço with salt and local pepper (pimenta da terra).
• Located down to Santa Bárbara beach, Tukátulá is the place to get a perfect snack or a drink while you are at the beach. Even if you are not at the beach it is still a good place to go for nice food and a great view.
• Restaurante Caldeiras is honest and local food with its location right next to the hot springs where you can only dip your feet.
• Cervejaria Cascata is another central option in Ribeira Grande for an afternoon snack. Great place to try local sea food as cracas or lapas (grilled or alive).

Furnas and surroundings

See & do

• Experience the natural “boilers” at Caldeiras , where you can smell the sulfur in the air and hear the naturally boiling water. Make sure to try the corn on a cob that has been cooked in the natural boilers as well as taste the fresh water from some of the many natural springs in the area.
• Visit the lake in the old crater at Lagoa das Furnas . It has a nice gothic church (unfortunaly it is not possible to enter). It is also a really nice place for a picnic.
• Parque Natural Terra Nostra is a really nice park with the largest hot pool on the island. MUST VISIT!!!
• The best hot spring experience you find at Poça da Dona Beija , where the water is 35 degrees.
• With its view over Lagoa das Furnas and all the the eastern part of São Miguel Miradouro do Pico do Ferro is certainly worth the visit.
• A local speciality on São Miguel is the sweet bread Bolos lêvedos and the best one you find at Rosa Quental . When you try it you can not get enough and will long for it long after you leave the island.
• At the town of Ribeira Quente you will find the beach Praia do fogo . A fantastic long and wide beach that normally has fairly calm water. There is only one road to connect Furnas to Ribeira Quente and it passes through the only tunnel on the island. It is customary to hunk while going through the tunnel…So feel free to do it! :).

Ponta Delgada and surroundings

See & do

• The locals go to Mercado da Graça to buy fresh fish and vegetables - you can find some of the best local pineaples there.
• In the middle of the town you will find Portas do mar which stands as a symblom of the gate between the island and the ocean.
• Enter the belly of a sleeping vulkano at Gruta do Carvão
• Visit the tropical garden Jardim António Borges
• Visit one of the pineaple plantations in the area of Fajã de Baixo . The local pineable is not like the ones you are use to, as it is smaller and more sweet to the taste.
• In the habour your will find plenty of options of whale safari . If you are not lucky enough to see whales, you will for certain enjoy the trip with the company of many dolphins. Futurismo is the best option.
• Visit the beach Praia do Pópulo

Eat & drink

• Tasca (it is recommended to book in advanced)
• Louvre Micaelense (café/traditional shopkeeper)
• The Azores is among other things known for its happy cows and the good meat they provide. You will get the best meat at the restaurant Casa do Bife O Galego
• Otaka
• Hamburgueria Suplexio
• Anfiteatro in the habour of Ponta Delgada

Vila Franca do Campo and surroundings

See & do

• One of the first things you notice when getting close the the town is the small vulcanic crate in the ocean just outside the town. This is Ilhéu (is pronounced lhjao), here you can swim, sun bath, and get a bit of relaxing time. The number of people on the island is limited, so be sure to get your ticket in advance (online) and go early in the day as it is very popular.
• Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Paz is a unique church with is steep steps and view over the town.
• One of the best beaches on the southside of the island Praia de Água d’Alto .
• Caloura is a lovely and quiet old fishing town.

Eat & drink

• If you are in search of a quiet place, with a fantastic view, to enjoy a cop of coffee or a beer there is no place like Bar Caloura
• Casa do Abel
• Refúgio Food house is going to deliver the food for the wedding. If you could not get enough of their food at the weeding go there to get a second round.

Sete Cidades and surroundings

See & do

• Ponta da Ferraria is not like the other hot springs on the island, as it is located in the ocean. It is wonderful sitting in the warm water from the spring when a cold wave is hitting the shore and cools you off a little bit.
• The twin lake Caldeira das Sete Cidades is with its two colours (blue and green) a completely unique experience. It is possible to go on the lake in a kayak or Stand Up Paddle.
• Next to Sete Cidades is Lagoa de Santiago, make sure to stop by Miradouro da Lagoa de Santiago . Additionally is the roads here, with all the flowering hortensias, one of the most beautiful strech of road in the world.
• Miradouro da Vista do Rei is the best view over Caldeira das Sete Cidades, from here the two colors of the lakes is really shinning through. The best view is from the top of the closed hotel.
• It is a bit of a walk to Miradouro da Boca do Inferno , but it is definitely worth it with the view over Sete Cidades and Lagoa de Santiago.
• On the way to Miradouro da Boca do Inferno, make a stop by Lagoa do Canário
• With its iconic rocks in the ocean, Praia dos Mosteiros is a small and great beach on the west coast.

Nordeste

See & do

• Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões is definitely worth a stop with waterfall and loads of flowers.
• Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego has a unique view along the east coast of the island.
• The lighthouse Farol da Ponta do Arnel is almost 150 years old and found by the most eastern point of the island.

We will continuously add more information to this page!

Here you will find all sort of practical information, like how to get in, how to get around and so on.

If there is any information you cannot find, please send us an email.

How to get there?

São Miguel is one of nine islands from the Portuguese archipelago of Azores.

The only way to reach São Miguel is by plane to Ponta Delgada, and fortunately there is direct connections from a lot of major European cities.

From Lisbon and Porto there is several daily connections (10+ from Lisbon), so finding a flight there is easy. As an alternative Lufthansa have announced they will start flying directly from Frankfurt and there is direct flights from London as well.

To find tickets to both Lisbon and Ponta Delgada visit Momondo or Google flighs.

Corona

Due to Corona, there is restrictions in regards to travel to Portugal and Azores. We will try to keep these information as up to date as possible, but be aware that things might change. You can always check the sites of Visit Portugal and Visit Azores for up to date information

Restrictions in Azores

Luckily Azores has not been very heavily hit by Corona, thus the restrictions there are very limited. Bars and restaurants are open, but currently closes early. With the current plan for deconfinement, most restrictions will be lifted by May in all of Portugal. This is of course dependent on the development of the situation.

Rules on travelling to Azores

There is currently no limits on who can travel to Azores when you come from another EU country. But there is requirements on providing negative tests.

Negative test on arrival

It is required that everyone present a negative test upon arrival on the island, that is no more than 72 hours old (three days). We recommend you to preregister before flying, so you can go quickly through the check at arrival.

If you do not preregister the test they will have to check it on site, depending on how busy it is, there is normally a long queue.

If you are staying in mainland Portugal before flying to Azores, the Azorean goverment is offering to pay for your test. The requirements is that you have a ticket to go to the island and that you do the test in one of the labs they have an agreement with. Most places require you to book a time for doing the test.

If you are staying in Lisbon we can recommend using the University Hospital.

Getting around

We will try to arrange some tours around the island with our local family and/or friends as tour guides. If you are interested in joining us for these please send us an email.

By car

The easiest way to get around the island is by car and you can find several car rental companies by the airport.

We will recommend you use on of the local companies Ilha verde or Magic islands, but some of the major companies like Sixt and Avis also have offices by the airport.

São Miguel is a small islands and the roads are in excellent conditions, but there are no high ways. There is therefor no need to splash out on a big fancy car, unless you really want to.

By taxi

It is easy to find or book a taxi and they are fairly cheap, a taxi from the airport to Ribeira Grande is about 30 €. It is also possible to book a taxi for a full day, arranging your own private tour.

By public transport

São Miguel have a fairly decent public transport system that can take you to all the major points of interest. This option can be combined with private tours and taxis.

Private tours

As mentioned above we will try to arrange some private tours, but there is also several companies doing private tours on the island.

Other islands

Even though São Miguel have plenty to do and see for a couple of weeks, some of you might want to go to some of the other islands of the archipelago.

By plane

All islands can be reached by planes.

By ferry

The Azores consist of three group of islands, São Miguel being in the eastern group. There is a ferry sailing between the groups and also ferries sailing within the groups:

You can order tickets and find schedule at A ferry