Furnas
Azores (São Miguel), Portugal
A volcanic valley town famous for its hot springs and the traditional cozido stew cooked underground in the heat.
Places in Furnas
- Terra Nostra Garden Hotel restaurant Famous for its cozido stew of root vegetables, greens, and meat, buried in the earth and steamed by hot springs for over six hours.
Practical notes for Azores (São Miguel)
- Best time to visit
- June to September brings the warmest, driest weather, ideal for hiking the crater lakes and whale-watching offshore.
- Getting around
- A rental car is essential outside Ponta Delgada, as the island's crater lakes, hot springs, and coastal viewpoints are spread across winding mountain roads.
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Language
- Portuguese. English is common in tourism.
- Timezone
- AZOT (UTC-1, UTC+0 in summer)
- Current trends
- Azores Cocktail Week, launched in 2024, has turned Ponta Delgada into a springtime destination for craft cocktail fans, while a wave of geothermal spa hotels near Furnas is capitalising on the island's volcanic hot springs.
Other neighborhoods in Azores (São Miguel)
- Ponta Delgada historic centre — The island's capital, with black-and-white basalt-paved streets, a working marina, and the best choice of restaurants and hotels.
- Sete Cidades — A village inside a vast volcanic crater ringed by twin lakes, one of the island's most photographed landscapes.
Read the full Azores (São Miguel) guide