Flores Island Azores Guide: 18 Things to Do + Itinerary

I landed on Flores on May 26th and left on June 1st; of those six days, three gave me proper sunshine. The rest was fog, drizzle, and a forecast that lied in both directions. I still came off that island thinking it might be my favorite in the Azores, and I have now been to the archipelago three times.

So here is the answer before you scroll: yes, Flores is worth the extra flight, the extra cost, and the risk that the weather ruins a day or two. It is the greenest, wettest, most vertical island in the Azores, and the reason is simple. You drive around a corner, and a waterfall is falling off a cliff face in front of you. Then another one. Then a wall of them. Nowhere else in Portugal looks like this.

But you have to plan around the rain instead of hoping it will not come, and almost nobody tells you that clearly. This guide covers 18 things to do on Flores, a 3-day itinerary built so a rainy day does not wreck it, where I stay and ate, what the supermarkets are actually like, and the small logistical trap that caught me on my last morning. If you are still shaping the bigger trip, start with my Azores travel guide and come back here for the western group.

Actually, I want to anticipate an important tip in case you don’t feel like reading the entire post. I stayed at Moradia da Flores Terra Cha and loved it, but it was a bit isolated, and I do recommend staying in Fajã Grande because it’s closer to the best attractions, including the famous postcard waterfalls and the Westernmost point in Europe. More about it later.

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Flores Travel Tips in 30 Seconds

• Getting there: SATA flight to Santa Cruz das Flores from São Miguel, Terceira, Faial or Horta. Summer ferry from the central islands.
• How long to stay: 4 days minimum. I had 6 and used every one of them waiting for the weather.
• Best time: July to September for the best odds. Late June onward if you want hydrangeas in bloom.
• Getting around: rent a car. I used Autatlantis and would again. Not that you have much choice. However, you can compare prices on Discovercars.com. Without a car, book a full-day tour.
• The one thing to see: Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, the wall of waterfalls near Fajã Grande.
• Where to stay: Fajã Grande if you want to walk to the waterfalls. Santa Cruz if you want supermarkets and the airport.
• Know before you go: supermarkets are basic, cafés are underwhelming, and the crater road gets thick fog with no warning.

Flores Island at a Glance

Flores is the westernmost island of the Azores and one of the two islands in the western group, along with Corvo. It covers about 143 square kilometers and has roughly 3,500 residents spread across small villages, with Santa Cruz das Flores in the northeast holding the airport, the harbor and most of the shops.

The whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It has seven crater lakes, more waterfalls per square kilometer than anywhere else in the archipelago, and one road system that takes about two and a half hours to loop if you never stop, which you will not manage because there’s a view at every corner. If you love photography, that’s paradise.

Being there 5 days, even if I spent one full day at home because it was constantly raining, I managed to go back to the same places multiple times at different times of the day to capture the best pictures. Or at least to try to.

Where Is Flores Island: Map

Flores sits at the far western edge of the Azores, around 2,000 kilometers from mainland Portugal and about 18 kilometers south of Corvo. Along with Corvo, it sits on the North American tectonic plate, so geologically you are standing in North America while holding a Portuguese passport stamp. I built my own Google map with the viewpoints and stops I actually rated, in the order that made sense when driving, and you can use it as your working plan for the island.

How to Get to Flores Island

You can only reach Flores from inside the Azores, by air year-round or by ferry in summer. There are no connections from mainland Portugal or anywhere else directly, so Flores is always the second or third leg of an Azores trip. My guide on how to get to the Azores covers the international routes into the archipelago.

By Plane

SATA Air Açores flies into Santa Cruz das Flores from São Miguel, Terceira, Faial and Horta on small propeller planes. Book early, because seat capacity on these routes is genuinely limited in July and August and prices climb steeply once the cheap fare buckets sell out. Cancellations and delays for weather happen regularly on the western routes, so never plan a same-day international connection off Flores.

By Ferry

In summer, Atlânticoline runs the long inter-island route that connects the central group to Flores and Corvo, usually from around mid-July to early September. It is slow, and it is entirely at the mercy of the sea, but it is cheaper than flying, and it is a real option if your dates are flexible. My Azores ferries guide breaks down which routes run in which months, because they are not intuitive.

Getting Around Flores: Renting a Car

Rent a car. Public transport is limited on Flores, the sights are spread across the whole island, and half the value of being there is being able to stop when the light does something interesting. I booked with Autatlantis and had a genuinely good experience, no surprises at pickup and no invented damage at drop-off. You can book direct with them or compare rates on Discover Cars to see if another local supplier is cheaper for your dates. My general notes on renting a car in the Azores apply here too, with one addition: the fleet on Flores is small, so book weeks ahead for summer rather than days. I was traveling in the last week of May and booked in early February, just to give you an idea. But that’s not only for the car; it’s also for accommodation.

PRO TIP: Get the smallest car you are comfortable with. Village lanes on Flores are narrow, some viewpoint pull-ins fit three cars at most, and the road down to certain spots is steep and single track. Nobody has ever regretted having a smaller car on this island. You Can check out my videos about driving in Flores to get a better idea.

Leaving Flores: The Airport to Harbor Gap Nobody Warns You About

This one is important as I risked missing my boat to Corvo. I returned my rental car at the airport, and that is where the rental company’s involvement ends. They do not drop you at the harbor. Porto das Poças is close in absolute terms, but with two large bags it is not a walk, and I could not find a taxi because a plane had just landed and every driver on the island was already booked.

I got lucky because a lady was waiting for her pre-booked taxi and they gave me a ride, for 5 euros. I was so relieved I gave him 10.

If your onward move is the boat to Corvo, or a ferry, or you are staying in Flores without a car, arrange your transfer in advance. Get a driver’s phone number from your accommodation host on day one and book the pickup the day before.

How Many Days Do You Need in Flores?

Four days minimum, and I would push for five or six, if you can. You can physically see the main sights of Flores in two full sunny days. The problem is that you cannot order two full sunny days.

I had six days and got three with usable weather, and that was in late May, which is not even the worst window. Every day I lost to rain would have been a catastrophe on a three-day trip. So the maths is not “how long do the sights take”, it is “how many chances do I want at good light”. Two days of sights plus two buffer days is the honest minimum. Add a day if you want to fit in Corvo, which you should, unless you want to stay in Corvo for a few days, as I did. Check out my guide to Corvo to learn about my experience. Or book your day trip to Corvo here.

And on a wet day, reframe it. If Flores didn’t get this much rain, it wouldn’t be this green, the ravines wouldn’t be full, and those waterfalls would be dry streaks on a cliff. The weather that ruins your photo day is the same weather that built the thing you came to photograph.

Best Time to Visit Flores Island

July and August give you the best odds of sun, with June and September close behind and considerably quieter. Those are odds, not promises. The Azores get four seasons in a day, and Flores gets them faster than the rest, because it is small, steep, and stuck in the middle of the Atlantic with nothing upwind of it. My wider best time to visit the Azores post covers the archipelago month by month.

Late May, when I went, was a gamble that half paid off. Temperatures were fine, the island was empty, and accommodation was easy to get. But I lost days, and I lost one thing I actively wanted…

When the Hydrangeas Bloom on Flores

If you are coming for the blue hydrangea roadsides that fill every Azores photo, do not arrive before the last week of June. I was there through the end of May, and there were a handful of flowers scattered around, nothing close to the walls of blue you see in pictures. The main bloom runs from late June through August, and early July is the safer bet if this is your reason for going. Learning that the hard way cost me a set of shots I had planned the trip around.

In my defense, locals told me they usually bloom by the end of May, but that year was atypical.

PRO TIP: Do not trust the forecast on Flores, in either direction. My forecast for those six days was bad, and I got three good ones and a half. Check the sky each morning, keep your plans flexible, and if it clears at 4 pm, drop what you are doing and drive. If it’s cloudy, don’t change your plans unless locals tell you so. Fog is unpredictable, and it may lift as quickly as it rolls in.

If you booked a trip to Corvo, keep an open mind because that is tricky, and boat trips can easily be suspended even if it seems like a good day. The sea conditions are a different story.

18 Best Things to Do in Flores Island (Top Places to Visit)

These are ordered roughly by how much of your limited good weather they deserve. If you only get one clear day, do the first three and consider the trip a success.

1. Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro (Alagoinha)

If you do one thing on Flores, do this. Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, also called Alagoinha, is the wall of waterfalls you have seen in every photo of this island: a curved cliff face with dozens of streams pouring down it into a shallow lagoon, the whole thing draped in green. It does not look like a place on earth that people drive to. It looks like a film set.

The walk in from the parking area takes about 20 minutes on a mostly flat forest trail, easy enough for anyone with reasonable mobility. It can be muddy after rain, so bring shoes you do not mind wrecking. Go early if you want the lagoon to yourself; by late morning in summer there are groups.

This is the closest point to these iconic waterfalls. However, don’t miss the lookout points that let you admire them from a distance, where you can enjoy the full panoramic view. I found these lookout points by chance, but you don’t have to. I have included them in the interactive map above and linked to Google Maps here for you to find them easily.

You can see them from Miradouro Craveiro Lopez and Miradouro do Portal (included in the map)

2. Fajã Grande, My Favorite Place on the Island

Fajã Grande is a small village on the west coast, close to the waterfall hike mentioned above. Sitting on a flat shelf of land at the base of a cliff wall (hence the name faja), it is where I would tell almost anyone to base themselves.

It is the westernmost settlement in Europe, which is a nice fact, but the reason to be there is that you walk out your door and waterfalls surround you. Not one attraction you drive to. Waterfalls, plural, visible from the village itself.

There is a seafront promenade that makes a genuinely nice walk with the Atlantic breaking on the rocks beside you, a swimming area at the old port, and a couple of places to eat. I stayed elsewhere on the island, and this is my one real regret about the trip. My base was beautiful and quiet, but in Fajã Grande I could have walked out in the evening and been surrounded by the thing I came for. That mattered more than I expected.

3. Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau

In Fajã Grande, Poço do Bacalhau is a single tall waterfall dropping around 90 meters into a pool at its base, and it is the easiest major sight on the island to reach. You park, walk roughly 100 meters on a paved path, and there it is. That is the whole effort.

It is also the only freshwater spot on Flores where swimming is allowed, and people do, though the water is cold enough that most do it once and then stand on the rocks, pleased with themselves. You can see the fall from the road as you approach, and the cliff wall it sits in has more water coming off it in other places, especially after rain. Late afternoon light hits it better than midday.

4. Miradouro das Lagoas: Lagoa Negra and Lagoa Comprida

The single most photographed viewpoint on the interior plateau, looking down on two crater lakes at once: Lagoa Negra, dark and round, and Lagoa Comprida, long and narrow, sitting side by side in a landscape of bare green.

On a foggy day, you will see approximately nothing, and this is the part of the island where fog wins most often. Drive up when the sky is clear, not when you have a gap in your schedule.

There is also a beautiful hiking trail around the area, and you can do the entire circuit or just parts of it. Check out the official Azore Trails website for trail info such as length, elevation gain and difficulty level.

5. Lagoa Funda and Lagoa Rasa

Lagoa Funda is the deep one, a large crater lake in the southern part of the plateau with a viewpoint above it, and Lagoa Rasa is its shallow neighbor. They sit close enough to the main road that you can see both on a short stop, and they photograph well in flat overcast light, making them a decent option on a day that is grey but not actively raining.

6. Lagoa Branca and Lagoa Seca

The last of the seven lakes worth stopping for, up on the high plateau near the road that crosses the island. Lagoa Branca and Lagoa Seca are smaller and quieter than the famous pair, and you will usually have them to yourself. This whole crater road is where the fog lives. I drove it once in conditions where I could see maybe fifteen meters ahead, and it was genuinely unnerving. If it happens to you, slow right down and keep going; you drop below the cloud layer within a few minutes of descending.

7. Rocha dos Bordões

Rocha dos Bordões is a wall of vertical basalt columns roughly 20 meters tall, formed when a lava flow cooled and cracked into these organ-pipe shapes around half a million years ago. You can see it from the road, with a viewpoint above it, and it takes about ten minutes. It is also one of the few sights on Flores that works in bad weather, because low cloud behind the columns actually improves the picture, unless they cover it all 🙂

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS: Flores and Corvo were sighted by the Portuguese navigator Diogo de Teive in 1452, making them among the last Azorean islands found, and settlement only took hold decades later. Because of their position at the western edge of the Atlantic crossing, both islands became reference points for ships heading to and from the Americas, and for centuries Flores was better known to passing sailors than to anyone in mainland Portugal.

A tip: if you keep walking downward from the lookout point toward the hill, look to your left on the curve. You will actually hear it. It’s a hidden waterfall, Cascata da Ribeira do Fundão, and if you climb over the guardrail, you will find a short path among the thick vegetation.

8. Santa Cruz das Flores

Santa Cruz das Flores is the largest town on the island, which on Flores means it has the airport, the harbor, a couple of supermarkets and a museum. Do not arrive expecting a town in the usual sense. It is a village with infrastructure.

What it does have is the practical stuff: fuel, an ATM, the Museu das Flores in the old Franciscan convent, and the departure point for boats to Corvo at Porto das Poças. There are also two supermarkets, but don’t expect much variety, and only a few restaurants.

The natural pools are naturally beautiful for swimming. See below.

9. The Natural Pools at Santa Cruz

This is the best place to swim in Flores. The volcanic rock pools, typical of the Azores Islands, are right there, a few minutes’ walk from the airport, with clear water and a view straight out to Corvo on the horizon. They are at their best in July and August when the sea is calm and warm enough to enjoy. Check the water before you get in for jellyfish and Portuguese man o’ war, which blow in on certain wind directions across the whole archipelago. My guide to Azores beaches and natural pools covers the swimming spots on the other islands.

10. Ponta Delgada and the View of Corvo

Ponta Delgada is the northernmost village on Flores, not to be confused with the city of the same name on São Miguel, and it is worth the drive for one reason: the view of Corvo. On a clear day, you see the whole shape of the island from there, the crater rim standing over the village, close enough to feel like you could reach it. I found it the most affecting view on Flores. In the village, you can have lunch or dinner at the Chico do Norte restaurant. It’s very simple but promising. I got there outside restaurant hours, but they offered me a tosta, one of the best I have ever eaten in the Azores and definitely not good if you are on a strict diet, but i enjoyed it 🙂 .

It is a relatively long drive from the south of the island, around an hour from the Lomba area, so pair it with the northern coast rather than treating it as a standalone trip or make stops along the way, depending on your schedule.

11. Farol do Albarnaz and Baía de Além

Near Ponta Delgada, the Albarnaz lighthouse sits on the island’s northwest point, and the viewpoint at Baía de Além gives you a long look down a coastline of cliffs and green terraces, with nothing beyond it but ocean. This corner of Flores feels considerably more remote than the rest, which is saying something.

12. Miradouro do Portal

I have mentioned it before, as one of the best viewpoints on the west side, looking over the coastal shelf toward Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha with the cliff wall behind. Almost everyone who writes about Flores calls it a favorite, and it earns it. Late afternoon light works best, with the sun moving out over the Atlantic in front of you rather than behind you, especially if you want to photograph the waterfalls instead of the coastline. So I would try both times of the day because this point is full of amazing subjects. My favorite was obviously the waterfalls, as you can see in the picture below. You can make a stop here on the way to Fajãzinha (small faja) or Faja Grande (big faja).

13. Miradouro Craveiro Lopes

A viewpoint high above Fajãzinha that gives you the classic composition of the west coast: village on a green shelf, cliff wall rising behind it, waterfalls threading down the rock. Fog moves through here constantly, and the honest advice is to stop every time you pass and see what the cloud is doing, because it changes within minutes.

14. Ribeira Grande Waterfall

Ribeira Grande Waterfall, one of the tallest in the Azores. The same one you see in the iconic pictures of 7 (or more waterfalls on a wall. There is a 1.8 km (a little more than a mile) trail that takes you there with little elevation gain. I didn’t do it, because I loved the views from above more. But if you have extra time, it’s an option. You can also check the AllTrails app for trail information. The free version is good enough.

15. Fajãzinha

Fajãzinha is the neighboring village to Fajã Grande, smaller and quieter, and sits right below Ribeira Grande waterfall. If you have extra time and love walking, you can park there and walk around the village. I found a cute restaurant at the end of the village, closer to the water, but it was closed when I was there. There is also a nice kiosk at the beginning of the village next to the church offering delicious local fast food. There is a public toilet nearby.

16. Lajes das Flores

The island’s second town, on the south coast, with a small harbor and a quieter feel than Santa Cruz. It is the natural stop when you are driving the southern loop, and it gives you a sense of how people actually live on Flores away from the airport. Worth just a quick stop, if anything, really.

17. The Boat Tour to the Sea Caves

This is the one I did not do and wish I had. The sea caves and coastal waterfalls along the Flores shoreline are only reachable by boat, and no amount of driving gets you the view from the water looking back at those cliffs. If your schedule has room, book it early in your stay so a rough-sea cancellation still leaves you time to rebook.

➤ Boat tour to the caves and waterfalls of Flores: Get Info

18. Day Trip to Corvo

Corvo is 18 kilometers north, the smallest island in the Azores, with one village, around 400 people and an enormous volcanic crater you can hike down into. The boat from Santa Cruz takes about 40 minutes and the standard day tour handles your transport on the island as well.

I did not do the day trip. I took the 6 pm boat on my last day and stayed a week, because the crater spends most of its life inside a cloud and I wanted more than one attempt. In fact, I got only one full day of sun with no clouds and no wind. So, mission accomplished, but it took a week. I loved every bit of my stay in Corvo and I tell you all about it in my full guide to Corvo . If you only have a day, take the day trip, but keep in mind that it may be canceled. If you have more time, check my guide and plan your trip way ahead of time.

➤ Boat trip to Corvo from Santa Cruz das Flores: Get Info

19. The Hydrangea Drive

From late June onward, the roadsides and field boundaries across Flores fill with blue and pink hydrangeas, and the eastern coastal road between Santa Cruz and Ponta Delgada is where it looks best, with the flowers framing sea views and cattle grazing behind them. Unfortunately, that’s the road I would have driven and filmed multiple times if they were already in full bloom.

They weren’t, so I will have to go back 🙂 Oh well! This is a drive, not a destination, and it’s why you should time your trip for July, mid-June at the latest, if you have the choice. I was three or four weeks too early and saw what I was missing.

If you want to see what it’s like to drive in Flores, here is a video I published on one of my channels.

How to visit Flores: tour vs. car

Visiting Flores by Car: 3-day Itinerary Option

Three days cover Flores properly: one for Corvo and two on the road. The two driving days below are the exact routes I drove myself, starting from Lomba in the south, and between them you see everything on this list. The order matters more than it looks, so read on before you book anything.

Day 1: Corvo, and Why It Goes First

Book the Corvo day tour for your first day on Flores, not your last. The crossing takes about 40 minutes from Porto das Poças in Santa Cruz, and it gets canceled when the sea is rough, which happens often enough that you should plan for it rather than hope. If you use your first day on the boat and it doesn’t sail, you still have two more days to switch things around and try again. If you leave Corvo for your last day and the sea says no, that is the end of it.

The standard tour covers your transport on Corvo as well, since there are no taxis on the island, and gives you a few hours at the crater and in the village. My full guide to Corvo Island covers what you are actually going over there to see, and why I ended up staying a week instead of a day.

➤ Boat trip to Corvo from Santa Cruz das Flores: Get Info

Day 2: The Crater Lakes and the West Coast

This day needs clear weather, so check the forecast and the plateau from below before you commit. Leaving from Lomba (that is because I was staying there, but you can change it depending on where your accommodation is), the route runs: Miradouro da Caldeira da Lomba, then up to Miradouro das Lagoas Rasa e Funda, Miradouro da Caldeira Branca and Miradouro da Caldeira Negra e Comprida for the crater lakes. Come down to Rocha dos Bordões, then continue west to Miradouro do Portal and Miradouro Raul Brandão above Fajãzinha, finishing in Fajã Grande.

Fajã Grande is where you want to end up, because that is where Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and Poço do Bacalhau are, and because the west coast light in the late afternoon is the best light on the island. Allow at least two hours for the walk into Ribeira do Ferreiro, including the 20 minutes each way on foot. Eat at Maré em Terra before you drive back.

Obviously, you can do that backward depending on where you start.

If the plateau is in the clouds: skip straight to Rocha dos Bordões and the west coast. The waterfalls are better with more water in them, so a wet day is not a wasted day down there. Save the lakes for the following morning and swap this day with the next.

Day 3: The South, Then the Whole North Coast

A longer driving day and worth starting early. From Lomba, head down to Lajes das Flores and the harbor, then up to Miradouro Caldeira Rasa e Funda for the second angle on those lakes and Miradouro do Vale da Fazenda. From there it is a long run north to Miradouro de Ponta Delgada, which on a clear day gives you the whole shape of Corvo with its crater standing over the village, and on to Farol do Albarnaz at the northwest point.

Coming back down the east side, stop at the natural pools of Santa Cruz, then Miradouro da Fajã do Conde and Caveira. Time your arrival in Ponta Delgada for actual lunch service at Chico do Norte, which is advice I am giving you because I got there after the kitchen closed.

If it rains: this is the more weather-resistant of the two driving days. The coastal viewpoints still work under cloud, and the drive itself is the point.

If You Skip Corvo, or Have Extra Days

If Corvo is not in your itinerary for whatever reason, or the sea cancels it and you never get another window, you have a free day. Same if you have a fourth or fifth day on the island. In the order I would use them: go back to whichever place you liked most and see it in a different light, walk one of the official hiking trails, or take the boat tour along the Flores coast to the sea caves, which is the one thing I ran out of time for.

What I would not do is spread the two driving days out into three or four to take it slower. It sounds relaxed, and that’s what I would do in another place, but it is the wrong call on this island. If you wake up to a good day, use all of it, because tomorrow could be fog and drizzle and you will have spent your one clear window doing half a day of sightseeing. Push hard when the weather gives you permission. If the next day turns out to be good too, that is when you go back to your favorite place with nothing to prove.

PRO TIP: Keep Corvo on day one and everything else loose. Decide each morning based on what the cloud is doing on the plateau, and give the crater lakes your clearest sky. That single habit is worth more than any itinerary anyone can write for you, including this one.

Visiting Flores By Guided Tour

If you are on Flores for a single day, or you would rather not drive, a private or small-group tour is the efficient answer. I’ve seen a lot of people do this in groups of two to four, and a driver who knows the island can get you around the highlights in a day in a way that would take you two days of trial and error.

➤ Short version: three hours covering Ribeira do Ferreiro and the Bacalhau pools, good if you have half a day: Get Info

➤ Full-day tour of the island, the right choice if you have one day and no car: Get Info

Both are weather-dependent in practice, even when they aren’t canceled, so if you have a choice of days, take the clear one.

Hiking in Flores

Hiking is the main activity on Flores, or in all the Azores really. The official trails are signposted and maintained, and the regional government keeps an updated page with route descriptions, distances, difficulty ratings and current closures. Use it rather than a blog list, including this one, because trails in the Azores close more often for landslides and storm damage than you might expect.

➤ Official Azores trails for Flores, with maps and current status: Visit Azores Trails

Most people choose PR3 FLO, which runs from the lakes on the plateau down to Poço do Bacalhau and gives you the island’s full vertical range in one walk. If you want more hiking ideas across the country, my best hikes in Portugal post has the mainland routes too.

PRO TIP: If you are hiking alone, tell someone where you are going, when you expect to be back, and the trail name. Phone signal is unreliable in the ravines and on the plateau; the island is thinly populated, and on some of these trails you can walk for hours without passing another person. Your accommodation host is the right person to ask.

Where to Eat in Flores

I cooked for myself almost every night, partly because I had an apartment with a kitchen and partly because eating out on Flores is not the reason you go. That said, I ate well the couple of times I did go out, and I would send anyone to two places.

• Restaurante Maré em Terra, Fajã Grande. Genuinely good food and a nice terrace. Worth planning a day around. Different from many other restaurants, this one is open from 11 to 22:30 – Closed on Monday.
• Chico do Norte, Ponta Delgada. I arrived after the kitchen had closed for lunch and the only meal available was a tosta de queijo anyway, and it was one of the best I have had in Portugal. The owner is lovely. Time your northern drive to arrive for actual lunch service and you will do better than I did.

An Honest Note on the Cafés and Supermarkets

The café scene on Flores is not good. I looked repeatedly for somewhere I would happily sit with a coffee and a slice of cake, and the dessert display was not inviting. That is not a criticism of the island; it is just a thing nobody mentions, and if sitting in nice cafés is part of how you travel, adjust your expectations before you arrive.

The supermarkets are similarly basic. The first time I went into the main one in Santa Cruz, I genuinely thought something had gone wrong with the supply chain. Shelves were sparse, and half the things I would normally buy simply were not there. You can absolutely feed yourself well, but shop with flexibility rather than a list, buy what is there when you see it, and do not plan a specific recipe in advance.

Where to Stay in Flores Island

Accommodation on Flores is limited, and it sells out, so book months ahead for July and August rather than weeks, especially if you travel on a budget. I search and compare on Booking.com, which has most of the island’s small apartments and guesthouses listed, and on an island this size that is the practical way to see what is actually available on your dates.

Which Area to Choose

Fajã Grande is where I would stay next time. You are within walking distance of waterfalls, the promenade, the beach area and the best restaurant on the island, and you are closest to Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro. If you are on Flores to be surrounded by the landscape rather than to drive to it, this is the answer.

Santa Cruz das Flores suits short stays and early flights. You have the airport, the harbor for Corvo boats, supermarkets, fuel and an ATM. It is the practical choice and the least scenic one.

Lomba and the south is quiet, rural, and often cheaper, which is where I ended up. Beautiful, but you drive everywhere. I loved my apartment though, so it deserves a shout-out.

Where I Stayed: Moradia das Flores Terra Chã

I booked the cheapest apartment I could find on the island, and it turned out to be one of the nicest places I have stayed in Portugal, which does not happen often. Moradia das Flores Terra Chã is in the village of Lomba on the southeast side, a ground-floor one-bedroom with a full kitchen, a terrace and sea views. The host is a lovely French lady, and she could not have been kinder or more helpful.

The trade-off is the driving. From Lomba, I had roughly 30 minutes to Santa Cruz, around 30 minutes to Fajã Grande on those slow, winding roads and an hour up to Ponta Delgada in the north. Nothing on Flores is far in kilometers, and everything takes longer than the map suggests. On the plus side, Rocha dos Bordões is about a five-minute walk away, so I had one of the island’s main sights on my doorstep.

➤ Moradia das Flores Terra Chã, Lomba: Check availability

Three More Places I Would Book in Fajã Grande

All three of these are in Fajã Grande, which tells you something about where the good accommodation on this island has concentrated. These are places I researched and would book myself, not places I have slept in (according to guests’ reviews for the detail below).

• The Cão & Calf. A renovated country house on a high point in the village with panoramic views over the ocean, beach and cliffs, plus a hot tub, garden and shared kitchen. Couples rate it very highly. Note that children are not accepted.
• Casa Atlântida. Two self-catering stone houses with direct sea access, sunset views and barbecue facilities, right by the old port and its natural swimming pool. The most requested location in the village for a reason.
• Casa Bidarta. A one-bedroom house with a full kitchen and free parking, a short walk from the bathing area, the restaurants and the village shop. Good value for a couple who want to self-cater.

Photography Tips for Flores

I went to Flores specifically to shoot it, and I would plan differently next time. Here is what I learned.

Shoot the waterfalls in “bad” weather, the viewpoints in good. Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and Poço do Bacalhau look better with more water and softer light, so overcast and drizzle are working conditions, not lost days. The crater lakes and coastal viewpoints need clear air, so save those for days when you can see the plateau from below. However, some clouds over the craters also make a great mystical picture.

The roadside viewpoints do most of the work. Because the terrain drops so steeply, the pull-ins above Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha give you compositions from above that would otherwise require a drone. If you shoot on a phone, you still get the shot.

On drones.  If you plan to fly, check current ANAC rules for Portugal and the specific restrictions inside the Flores Nature Park and other protected areas before you go, because much of what you would want to film sits inside protected zones and the rules change. Do not assume, and do not fly near the airport at Santa Cruz.

Timing. The west coast, so Fajã Grande, Fajãzinha, Miradouro do Portal, is a late afternoon and sunset proposition, because the sun goes out over the Atlantic in front of you. The east coast and Santa Cruz work better in the morning. Plan your driving around that rather than around the map.

Bring more rain protection than you think. Not for the storms, but for the constant fine mist that sits in the ravines. It gets on the front element within seconds, and you will spend the day wiping glass.

Practical Information for Flores

Currency: Euro. Cards are accepted in most places, but carry cash for small village shops and the occasional restaurant.

ATMs and fuel: concentrated in Santa Cruz and Lajes. Do not leave the tank low expecting to fill up in a village, and do not assume you will pass a cash machine.

Language: Portuguese, with English spoken in accommodation and tourism but much less so in shops and among older residents. A few words of Portuguese go a long way here.

Connectivity: fine in the villages, patchy to nonexistent on the plateau and in the ravines. If you are relying on data for navigation, download your offline maps before you set out.

Emergency number: 112 across Portugal, Azores included.

For the wider archipelago, my post on things to know before visiting the Azores covers the practical ground across all nine islands.

Budget and Costs on Flores

Flores is more expensive than mainland Portugal and more expensive than São Miguel, because everything arrives by boat or plane and accommodation supply is small. It is not a budget island, though self-catering brings it down a lot. Prices as of 2026:

• Accommodation: roughly 80 to 150 euros a night for a simple one-bedroom apartment, much more in July and August, considerably more for the higher-end village houses
• Car rental: budget for a small car per day plus fuel, and book early because the island fleet is tiny
• Meals out: a proper sit-down dinner runs well under what you would pay on the mainland coast, and portions are large
• Groceries: similar to mainland prices with less choice
• Corvo day trip: around 50 euros return for the organized boat day
• Attractions: free. The waterfalls, viewpoints, lakes and trails cost nothing

Safety Tips for Flores

• Fog on the crater road arrives without warning and can cut visibility to a few meters. Slow down, keep your lights on, and descend if you are uncomfortable, because you drop below the cloud within minutes
• Tell someone your trail and expected return time if you hike alone, and give your accommodation host the details rather than a friend in another country
• Trails close after landslides and storms. Check the official trails site the morning you walk, not the week before
• Check the sea for jellyfish and Portuguese man o’ war before swimming in the natural pools, as they blow in on certain winds. They can be really dangerous.
• Cliff edges at viewpoints are frequently unfenced, and the ground is often wet. This is the real risk on Flores, not crime
• Do not plan a tight connection off the island. Weather cancels flights and boats regularly, and you want a buffer day at the end. It happens more than you think.

Flores Island Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do you need in Flores?

Three full days minimum, five or six ideally. Two full sunny days cover the main sights, but you cannot guarantee sunny days, so the extra time is insurance rather than sightseeing. I had six and used them all, and missed the boat tour.

Do you need a car on Flores?

Yes, unless you are only there for a day and booking a tour. There is no useful public transport, taxis are scarce, and the sights are spread across the whole island. A car is what turns Flores from a place you glimpse into a place you explore.

Is Flores the most beautiful island in the Azores?

It is the most dramatic. Nowhere else in the archipelago has this density of waterfalls or this much vertical green. I wouldn’t say it beats Pico or Faial on every measure, because they offer different things, but for pure landscape, it is the one that stayed with me.

What is the weather like on Flores?

Wet and changeable. Flores is the rainiest island in the Azores, which is why it is the greenest. Even in summer, expect fog on the plateau and passing showers on the coast. Forecasts are unreliable for the same reason, so check the sky each morning and stay flexible.

When do the hydrangeas bloom on Flores?

From the last week of June through August, with July usually the peak. I was there through the end of May and saw only scattered individual flowers, nothing like the roadside walls of blue in the photos. If hydrangeas are your reason for going, do not book before late June.

Can you visit Flores and Corvo together?

Yes, and you should. Corvo is a 40-minute boat ride from Santa Cruz das Flores and the standard day tour covers the crossing and your transport on the island. Book it early in your Flores stay so rough seas don’t cost you your only chance.

You Might Also Find This Useful

If Flores is one stop in a longer trip, my complete Azores travel guide covers all nine islands and how to combine them. For the neighboring island, read my guide to Corvo, where I stayed seven nights waiting for one clear morning. And if you are still deciding which islands to prioritize, São Jorge is the one I would pair with Flores for contrast.

Is Flores Island Worth Visiting?

Yes, and it is worth the awkwardness of getting there. Flores costs you an extra flight, an extra hotel night somewhere else in the archipelago, and a real chance that the weather takes a day or two from you. I would do all of it again.

What makes it different is not any single sight. It is the density. You are driving a small road and a waterfall appears off a cliff face beside you, and then another, and then you round a corner, and there is a wall of them. I have been to the Azores three times now, and Flores is the island I keep describing to people who have not been.

Go for six days, base yourself in Fajã Grande, book the car early, and treat the rain as the price of the green. Then take the boat to Corvo and give that island more than the four hours everyone else gives it.

Have you been to Flores, or is it on your list? Tell me in the comments which Azores island you’d go back to first. I am always curious if people who have done all nine end up where I did.