Winter in the Azores: November to March

From October through March, winter on São Miguel is a time for hot springs, rainbows and the spray of waterfalls in full flow. It is a time to appreciate its crater lakes and fumaroles in greater peace. To take whatever the weather brings and turn it into a new memory, sinking into a thermal pool as the wind rustles through the ferns, or watching the sunset over the Atlantic with a hot mug of Azorean tea.

We advise you to focus your travel on São Miguel in winter. With its hot springs, waterfalls and different microclimates, you can really lean into slow off-season travel.

The island is noticeably quieter and calmer. Ponta Delgada has a more 'local' feel, with fewer tourists and more Azoreans in the streets on weekdays, especially when schools and the university are open. It is a great time for waterfalls and there are rainbows everywhere... It is a place to come and explore, out and about in your boots, whilst enjoying the indulgently cosy trappings of thermal hot springs, fireside conversation and cosy evening dinners.

Temperatures are pleasingly mild, hovering around 13-18°c (55-65°f). This is when rainfall and cloud cover are usually at their highest, the days are shortest and the wind can pick up. But none of that is particularly extreme and whilst this is the rainiest time of the year, often this comes in the form of short, sharp showers rather than entire days lost to rain. 

So, whilst you need a relaxed and flexible approach to planning, you would be very unlucky if it had a truly adverse impact on the enjoyment of your trip. Winter is noticeably less humid than the summer, so that is an absolute plus.

The sea temperatures are equally mild and so it is possible to swim, however more frequently the seas are a bit too rough for that to be safe or enjoyable except for in protected bays. Much more common is to enjoy the hot springs the island specialises in, be it the more formal pools in Furnas and near Ribeira Grande, or the thermally-vented sea pools on the northwest coast at low tide. It is absolutely the best time of the year for thermal pools.

Happily, the weather is less humid than in the summer months and therefore can make for even more comfortable hiking conditions. We can't guarantee it won't rain at all, but you'll take a rain jacket and waterproof boots won't you? 

The popular trails are much quieter at this time of the year and if it does rain then head for waterfalls the next day because São Miguel has lots of them and more rain = more water = more impressive waterfalls.

There are fewer whales in the water at this time because most species migrate and are only in the archipelago during spring and summer. However, sperm whales are be here all year round, as are three types of dolphins. It would be unusual to go out and not see anything.

Azorean flowers are much like our flowers in that they tend to do their blooming in spring and summer. The famous hydrangeas, which are everywhere, follow this trend. However, in more humid areas they can hang on into January. Because things never get particularly cold here, the forests have a higher proportion of evergreen trees. However, in late October and early November you do get little pockets of autumnal colour.