# Azores travel advice **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065 "2019-08-22T15:45:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/1 "2019-08-22T15:45:03Z")
I just discovered that there are fairly inexpensive direct flights from Boston to the Azores. It must be due to the large Portuguese population around here. So we’re toying with the idea of a 5-day Thanksgiving mini-vacation. So my questions: [ul] [li]Who’s been to the Azores and do they recommend it?[/li][li]Is November too late in the year to really enjoy the islands?[/li][li]Is it worth trying to visit other islands besides São Miguel for such a short trip?[/li][li]What hikes or other outdoor adventures do people recommend?[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/2 "2019-08-22T16:27:13Z")
I haven’t spent any real time an the Azores but I love Madeira, which is culturally similar. I think you should go. The weather in the Azores, even in late fall, will be pretty mild. I think you can expect daytime temperatures in the low fifties to mid sixties. It might not be a real tropical getaway, but the food is wonderful and I’ve seen pictures of great hikes so I know they exist. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/3 "2019-08-26T08:23:56Z")
Never been there, but you may want to check the [Rigging Doctor Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSG2rLXWSP-nG0jCMGoT3lg/videos), they’ve spent several months going all over the Azores and some things may be of interest to you. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/4 "2022-02-10T20:25:49Z")
@Telemark, did you end up getting to the Azores? I’m heading to Sao Miguel in a few months and just wondering if you made it and had any advice to share. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/5 "2022-02-10T23:54:03Z")
No, still on the list but COVID put a damper on our international travel plans. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/6 "2022-02-12T14:03:24Z")
Ah well, then I’ll let you know how it is when I get back 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Keith1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/7 "2022-02-13T11:10:01Z")
Check with these people. I haven’t been to the Azores but have used them for other trips to Portugal. They offer good packages and are very helpful. Travel & hotels they arranged worked out well. > **[Azores Getaways | Travel Deals to the Azores by Local Experts](https://azoresgetaways.com/en-us)** > > Discover incredible travel deals to the Azores islands with flights, tours & hotels! Book your dream Azores vacation today (built by local experts!). PS/ Just noticed the original post is old. Maybe this will help someone else. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/8 "2022-07-20T14:34:45Z")
I just wanted to pop back in here for @Telemark, as I did end up jaunting over to the Azores at the end of June and I said I would report back. The first thing I learned was that the name is pronounced ah-SZORES, not AY-zores. So now you can fit in like a local 🙂 My wife and I enjoyed our time there quite a bit: the landscape is beautiful, it’s easy to get around (with a car), speaking English was not a problem, and most everyone was friendly. The flights to/from Boston were quick and easy - we had some minor delays, but nothing serious (which we feel very lucky about, given the crises at airports these days). We stayed entirely on the main island, Sao Miguel. The most difficult part for us was the weather. Our plan for this trip was largely hiking mountains and finding beautiful vistas (of which there are a lot). We were well aware that it’s humid and variable, but end of June/early July is supposed to be the dryer part of the year. Not for us. Almost every day the clouds rolled in from the north, collected on the mountains in the middle of the island, and kept many of the high vistas enveloped in clouds. There are webcams across the island, so you can look to see how the views are at any time, and we spent a lot of time (too much!) monitoring these cams to see where the best weather was and adjusting our plans accordingly. That was honestly a bit of a drag, and there were a couple of places we didn’t get to go because they were just clouded in the whole time. In general, the south coast stayed pretty sunny, though, so we spent more time down on that side of the island and we really only got drenched on one hike (our first one!) before we figured out how to maneuver around the clouds. We loved the Terra Nostra botanical garden, got in a bunch of waterfall hikes, some of which you can jump in for a swim (cold!!), walked some beaches, visited the only remaining tea plantation in Europe, drove to scenic lookouts (Miradouros) all over, and explored small villages around the island. The food was OK. (My wife has food allergies, so eating while traveling is always a challenge). If you like fish, you’ll be in heaven. If not, less so. Quite inexpensive, though, which was great. Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad we went. Not my top trip; I’d give it maybe a 7/10 due to the weather issues. But I’d still recommend it as long as you go in with open eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/9 "2022-07-20T17:10:36Z")
Thank you! Good information for a trip someday. I had been concerned about the weather and time of year. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/azores-travel-advice/839065/10 "2022-07-20T18:52:44Z")
In that vein, several people who live there said September is the ideal month they would recommend to visit.