Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel in the Azores, Portugal, turned out to be more like what I expected Funchal on Madeira to be. A quiet, small town. At least that was my initial impression. After exploring a for a few days, it is still far from a big city, but it do stretch out. However mostly residential areas, by the look of it. Undoubtedly I spent most of my time in the centre of town, as that’s where my super nice hotel was located. I liked the place, but I have to admit, it might get a bit boring in the long run. Not the dream vacation destination for one that needs lots to happen. The rest of the island though, is another matter – thumbs up! Most of Ponta Delgada‘s activity go on around the town square with the city gates and the main church. From here very narrow streets spread out. Offering some restaurants, bars, shops, and the likes. For shopping sprees, head to Parque Atlantico shopping mall (I did not go). Across the road from the square, a waterfront promenade runs all the way from the fort at one end, to the marina, and a harbour restaurant area, at the other. Relatively quiet, both day and night. Some stalls pop up at night. A cool feature is the small works of art made by sailors, who have stopped by over the years. Since I visited early December, I was around for the Christmas shopping kick-off event. Shops are open late, and streets are filled with people and live music. Unfortunately, that night I came home after a long day out and about, so missed out 🙁
I took the easy way out, getting from the airport to my hotel. Taxi. Supposedly there is a bus/shuttle option, but with little info on the world wide web, I hopped in one of the cabs lined up outside the terminal, when I discovered it cost approx. 10 euros (2021) only. Fixed price. I paid my way out of the hassle of figuring things out on the spot. The centre of Ponta Delgada is a short ride away.
Waterfront
Christmas is coming
Flying in
Flying out
