Where is Terceira Island, Portugal?
Terceira (AKA “The Lilac Island’) is part of the Azores archipelago, which is located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,000 miles west of Lisbon and 2,500 miles southeast of New York. It’s one of the larger islands with a land mass of approximately 153 square miles and a population of about 53,000. The oldest city in the Azores, Angra do Heroismo, is located on Terceira.
A Little History of Terceira Island
Terceira, in Portuguese, meaning “the third island,” was initially known as the Island of Jesus Christ. Settlement on Terceira Island began around the year 1450, but the island really came into its own during the 15th and 16th centuries, when galleons bringing wealth and goods from the Americas engaged in trade with ships from India.
But I’m no historian, I would recommend visiting the museum in Angra to understand how this rock in the middle of the North Atlantic came to be.
Things to Do on Terceira Island
There’s a surprising amount of activities to do on an island this size. At first, we worried that maybe a week in Terceira would be too long when in fact, we could easily have spent more time leisurely exploring the island.
Here’s a list of our favourite activities:
Explore the lovely old city of Angra do Heroísmo. The town is best explored on foot. Admire the old architecture and charming homes. For ideas on where to get the best viewpoints of the city and places to eat, see below.
Visit the museum in Angra; excellent value at just €2 per person and is surprisingly good.
Listen to fado; there are some amazingly talented singers on the island. Fado is sung at the weekends at the Taberna do Fado and on Sunday evenings at the Fort.
Hire a car (avoid GoldCar) and get out and explore the island. The roads are mostly good, and there’s not much traffic apart from the odd tractor and a few cows. Book your car before you arrive though, as there is a limited amount of vehicles on offer and public transport isn’t great, especially on weekends.
Relax in the natural swimming pools of Biscoitos. There’s a cute-looking wine museum in Biscoitos too, but unfortunately, it wasn’t open when we were there, so we will just have to save that for our next visit.
Try some local Azorean food such as the cheese. Free cheese tasting is available at Quiejo Vaquinha, aka Cheese Factory, in Cinco Ribeiras.
And you must try the delicious Dona Amelie cakes. Our guest house gave us some homemade ones, and oh boy, they were good!
Not active enough for you, well, there’s always whale watching, snorkelling, bird watching, volcano hiking, golfing, and exploring caves.
If you visit in the height of summer, you can also join in local festivals or rope bullfighting. Umm, not so sure about this one!
Best Tours On Terceira Island
These tours come highly rated; if time is short on the island, why not try these to maximise your time on Terceira Island?
Explore the island of Terceira-Azores on a guided day tour.
Terceira Island – Whale Watching and Jeep Tour
See also:
The best viewpoints of Angra do Heroismo
Monte Brasil
Great views of the city, the island, and the ocean. It’s also a good spot for hiking and enjoying a picnic.
Alto de Memoria
Offers an excellent view of the city and Monte Brasil. The owner of our guesthouse dropped us off at the top so we could enjoy the view, and then we strolled down the path through the gardens to the town centre.
Quinta dos Açores
Great place for a view and the chance to try the delicious ice cream. I recommend the After Eight!
The Best Viewpoints on Terceira Island, Azores
We hired a car to explore the island. It really is the best way to discover the beauty of Terceira.
Along the way, you’ll come across so many viewpoints ‘miradouros’. It’s a good idea just to drive slowly and stop often to take photos and admire the picturesque scenery. Although, be sure to drive up to Serra da Cume viewpoint.
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Recommended Bars and Restaurants on Terceira Island, Portugal
Favorite Restaurants in Angra do Heroísmo –
Alto Sé
Altos dos Covos1. Serves food all day. Fantastic cakes. Try the cheesecake. Friendly service.
Caso de Pasto A Canadinha
Avenida Infante Dom Henrique 24 E. Serves food all day. Good idea to make reservations at weekends. Huge portions and not expensive.
Quinta dos Açores
Vinha Brava – Delicious ice cream with a view over Angra. Also, it offers meals, but we only tried the ice cream, but the food being served looked good. Also, there’s a small market shop selling local produce. We stocked up on cheese here on our way home.
A Pirata Gastropub
Rua da Rocha. – Nice place for a drink offering a great selection of craft beers. Friendly service. Closed on Sundays.
Taberna do Fado
Rua do Rego 74 – Great place to enjoy a drink, enjoy some nibbles and listen to Fado. The night we went, there were some amazing singers.
Tasca das Tias
Rua de São João 117 – Nice place for dinner. Try the tuna steak or the pasta with shrimp.
A Minha Casa
Rua Direita – One of the few places open on a Sunday afternoon. Excellent for sandwiches, wraps, and desserts. Friendly service and not expensive.
Favorite Restaurant in São Mateus –
Beira Mar
Caminho da Vila Maria – Popular seafood restaurant. Good idea to make an advance reservation, especially at weekends. Overlooks a small fishing port.
Favorite Restaurant in Vila Nova –
Valadão – Casa da Galinha
Rua Dr. Francisco Valadão 1 – American fried chicken. According to Jon, some of the best chicken he’s eaten in years. Been a family business for almost 40 years.
Where to Stay on Terceira Island
There are hotels and accommodations on Terceira to suit all budgets – from five-star hotels to camping. We stayed at the lovely and simple Quintal d’Angra in Angra do Heroismo.
Great location, it even came with its own fully equipped kitchen so we could self-cater, but we didn’t as too many nice restaurants on our doorstep. The owners, Xavier and Fatima, were great, too, and really looked after us.
Top Tips for visiting Terceira Island
Hire a car, but don’t book car rental GoldCar with Ryan Air as we did. Big mistake. They have a lot of hidden charges plus a very odd rule that because I was the lead name on our flight booking, that meant I had to be the primary driver.
So the only way Jon could drive, I had no intention of driving, was to pay an additional driver fee. Makes absolutely no sense. Why he couldn’t be the primary driver remains a mystery. Hopefully, the credit card company can sort it out. So our advice, book through Discover Cars; we have never had a problem with them.
Travel slow, stop often to take photos.
Try the local delicacies- the Dona Amelie cakes go well with coffee.
Pick up some local cheese and enjoy a picnic as you explore the island. There are picnic spots all over the island.
All the restaurants listed, we tried and can recommend. If you find another that you enjoyed, let us know so we can add it to the list.
Getting to Terceira Island, Azores
Airlines with regular flights from North America to the Azores.
Azore Airlines are the only airline offering direct flights from the US. Direct flights available from Boston.
Airlines with regular flights to the Azores from Lisbon and Porto, Portugal.
Ryanair
TAP Portugal
Flights from Terceira to other islands in the Azores are available with SATA airlines.
For More Information On Portugal, Check These Posts
- Queluz National Palace And Gardens (Palacio de Queluz)
- Tomar, Portugal the Convento de Cristo and Tomar Castle
- What to See When You Visit Evora, Portugal
- Drive Through the Algarve from Alte to Vila Nova de Milfontes
- Obidos, Castle On The Silver Coast of Portugal
- What To Do With One Day In Lisbon
- Visit to Viseu
- Portuguese Food
- Golega National Horse Fair
- Nazare For The Surf And Giant Waves
- Berlenga Islands
- Batalha Monastery
- Aveiro
- Iberian Wolf Sanctuary
- Evora
- What To To In Porto
- Visit to Aveiro, Agueda, Costa Nova and Barra Portugal
- Alcobaca
- Castelo de Vide and Marvao
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I’ve been to Portugal a few months ago but unfortunately, I haven’t visited Terceira Island, Sarah. I obviously missed a lot not going there as the scenery is mesmerizing! These are some exceptional recommendations which I hope to follow soon!
It was really lovely. I’m keeping an eye out for cheap flights, hoping to visit some of the other islands in the Azores!
Great information! Thank you for sharing. What month were you there? If we were to go in April, would it still be too cold to enjoy the water, and if so, do you know if the weather is typically nice enough to explore the island? Just wondering if we should wait and go a later month.
Very informative post. As an Azorean-born, I lived in Angra do Heroísmo several years before settling in the Portuguese Continent. When I visit Angra I often go to O Pirata. It has a splendid view over Angra Bay. It is a city full of history!
all best,
Hi. My husband and I are visiting Terceira next week for the first time and I appreciate all your tips. Can’t wait to see this island! Thanks for a great blog.
We spent our honeymoon in the Azores 8 years ago. Terceira was our first stop and our favourite island. Angra is enchanting and we plan to go back. To tour the island, we negotiated a daily rate with a taxi driver (we just asked at the taxi stand until we found one who spoke English well enough.) It was like having a private guided tour of the island.
We are visiting Terceira now! Staying in Angra in the Pousada. Perfect spot to enjoy the sunrise each day. Lots of great hiking. In Angra our favorite restaurant is Captains Table. Fresh ingredients and perfect for a vegetarian
We didn’t get to Captain’s Table, but we were tempted!
Thank you for all of your tips!! We are going to Terceira and just booked our flights with Ryan air. I see you said to avoid them. Should I cancel and rebook with another airline? I really need to get there on the date at the time I selected, are they not a reliable airline? If so, I’ll look for another airline. Please advise! Thank you in advance!
Hi Lesley. I am not sure about Ryan Air’s on-time performance. Our big gripe is, one example, their ever-changing carryon bag allowance. On this trip, on the return, we were called out of line and we had to pay extra for a standard carryon bag, one that we brought over with us and EASILY fit into the overhead bin. A bag that we carry on all other airlines no problem. 50 Euros I think. Flying Ryan Air doesn’t feel like a normal customer/provider relationship. They seem to like to make money with “gotchas.”
On this trip, we had also booked a car through Ryan Air. Sarah booked the air tickets and reserved the car. Although she typed my information into the form as the driver, when we got to the airport the company they used, Gold Star, insisted that I be added on as an “extra” driver, even though they never took her information as a primary driver so she never was authorized to drive the car. Another 50 Euro I think. Again, many people fly Ryan Air, but I don’t know many people that like it. The way they treat customers makes us feel a little, I don’t know, dirty.
Their prices are sometimes good, but we feel we lose a little bit of pride flying on them. Look out for the “gotchas” and there are a lot of them. We know a family that once had to pay hundreds of Euro because they didn’t know they had to print out boarding passes.
What is the swimming like on Terceira?