My first tip-off was the trip reviews we would occasionally receive here at WendyPerrin.com, written by travelers just back from the Azores and delighted at their luck in discovering this off-the-radar spot. Before long, I was cooking up plans for my own family’s trip, with the help of WOW List Portugal specialist Gonçalo Correia. Here’s what I found most enchanting about the Azores:

They’re not crowded.
I visited in July, during the peak of Europe’s summer season. And yet in the Azores I easily found lounge chairs by the pool, ate at the best restaurants, and saw the locale’s top sights, always with plenty of breathing room. Even when a ferry was fully booked, I had no problem snagging a topside seat with a view of the sparkling seas. Indeed, the only crowd I came across was one of locals; I cheerfully joined them in a plaza where a big screen was broadcasting Portugal’s appearance in the Euro soccer championships.

An empty hiking trail near Lagoa do Fogo on São Miguel.

Cows create the only traffic jams you'll come across in the Azores.

There's plenty of room by the pool at the Octant Furnas hotel on São Miguel.

Cella Bar is a trendy restaurant on Pico Island, but there's no line out the door.

I happened upon this local crowd gathered to watch the Euro Cup quarterfinals.

The weather is ideal for outdoor adventures. 
It was blissfully temperate in the Azores in July: Temperatures rarely climbed above 70 degrees during the 11 days I spent there, and a scattering of clouds often moderated the sun’s intensity—perfect conditions for the hiking, biking, kayaking, and other outdoor adventures that had tempted my family into visiting in the first place. The Azores get rain year-round, but the occasional showers we experienced never derailed our plans. And in return, we were treated to a landscape lush with stands of Japanese cedar, enormous ferns, and colorful flowers, all fertilized by the islands’ volcanic soil.

My family biked on Pico Island...

...kayaked on São Miguel...

...swam in tide pools...

...went whale-watching...

...and caught a close-up peek at dolphins too.

They’re close to the U.S.
Nonstop flights from New York and Boston get you to the main island of São Miguel in just five hours. After exploring there for a few days, we flew to Pico Island in under an hour, and then took day trips via scenic ferry rides to Faial and São Jorge. (A new flight from San Francisco to Terceira, starting in June 2025, will make the islands more accessible to west coasters.) Since our overnight flight from New York barely gave me enough time to sleep, I’m glad I took Gonçalo’s advice and left our first day free to dip into the naturally fed, mineral-rich pools at our hotel, the Octant Furnas. As Wendy’s discovered as well, water is a great way to stave off the worst effects of jet lag.

Every island has its own character.
Each of the four islands I visited was distinct, and distinctly beautiful, from old-growth vineyards hemmed in by dry volcanic-stone walls, to thermal vents launching fountains of steam (and sometimes helping cook dinner), to blooming hedgerows of bowling ball-sized hydrangeas lining the country roads and cow pastures, to European-inflected villages of cobblestones and whitewashed houses. Usually, the logistics required to see such variety on a single trip eat up a fair amount of valuable vacation time; not so in the Azores.

Pico's volcanic soil produces delicious wines.

Hydrangeas grow everywhere, often as big as your head.

Locals cook stews in underground "ovens" heated by geothermal activity.

Some places are lushly forested...

...while other spots are beautifully barren...

..but wherever you are, you're never far from a gorgeous coastline.

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