- Discover Terceira Island - its stunning coastline and lush green forest
- Discover colourful buildings and picturesque plazas in the historic capital
- Explore dramatic volcanic scenery: lava cave, natural pools and volcano pit
Azores By E-bike
Cycling
Activity Level
Moderate & Challenging
See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you.
In Terceira Island, explore the stunning coastline and the luxurious green pastures.
Enjoy landscapes of dramatic lava coastline and natural pools, visit a volcano pit, a UNESCO World Heritage Town, and ride along lush green sceneries. Enjoy whale and dolphin watching.
Relax in one of the numerous natural bathing sites with warm water baths in tidal pools or the ocean and enjoy captivating pastel sunsets.
Admire the magnificent colourful contrasts of this volcanic island between ocean deep blue, lush green landscapes and black lava rocks.
Highlights
Key Information
- Luggage transfers between hotels
- Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
- Countries visited: Portugal
What's Included
- 6 nights hotel-to-hotel accommodation in a mix of HHH and 3-star hotels
- All breakfasts
- Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
- Headwater Navigation App
- E-bikes
- Luggage transfers between hotels
What's Not Included
- Travel insurance
- Single accommodation (available on request)
- Visas or vaccinations
6 Days of Cycling
Day 2
39 km / 24.2 miles
Day 3
23 km / 14.3 miles
Day 4
46 km / 28.6 miles
Day 5
38 km / 23.6 miles
Day 6
31 km / 19.3 miles
Itinerary
Angra Do Heroismo Angra Do Heroismo London London
Arrival in Terceira Island at Angra do Heroismo
Transfer from the airport to your hotel. Explore the oldest city in Azores, listed by UNESCO. The historic centre of Angra do Heroismo is a testimony to the kings and noblemen who passed by here, leaving behind some beautiful architecture in its network of streets and alleyways, and its churches, palaces, mansions, monuments, squares and gardens, which have been preserved until the present day.
At Angra do Heroismo
Cycle through the natural park to the Christmas cave, a lava tube created by flowing lava originated by the surrounding volcanoes, centuries ago. This cave is a wonder for its extensive, straight, long passages. The walls, ground and ceiling have different colours and shapes, transforming the cave into a mystic place.
Angra do Heroismo - Serreta
Ride longing the beautiful coastline passing via quaint villages such as Sao Mateus, a fishing village and Santa Barbara, overlooked by the mountain, that offers the best views over Terceira island.
Serreta - Praia da Vitoria
Cycle along the coast via Biscoitos, famous for its natural pools. Enjoy a swim within black lava rocks. Later, enjoy the visit at the Biscoitos Wine Museum which is in a winery that produces verdelho wine, characteristic of the Azores. Explore wine process and taste a sample of local produced wines that grow from the rich porous lava rock.
At Praia da Vitoria
Day devoted to the visit of the Volcano pit including the cave Algar do Carvao, an old volcano and lava tube located in the centre of the island. This site offers a volcanic chimney that dazzles by its immensity space. From its arched roof hang remarkable silica stalactites. Then continue to Lagoa das Patas lake a perfect picnic spot surrounded by azaleas.
Praia da Vitoria - Angra do Heroismo
Follow the coast, to visit Porto Martins and Porto Judeu both offering beautiful natural pools. Along your way, observe the uninhabited Cabras Islet. Half a nautical mile from the south coast of Terceira Island, this islet is an excellent place for snorkelling. The Cave of the Sheep Islet, or the Cave of Stingrays, is located on the north slope of the islet, and it takes its name from the stingrays that can be observed swimming inside.
Leave Angra do Heroismo
Transfer from your hotel to the airport.
Azores Cycling
Your accommodation reflects the best of the Azores hospitality, ranging from boutique style hotels and a traditional villa.
All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory supplement for a single room for the tour duration.
For a solo traveller there is an additional charge to cover transfer costs.
Reviews
Add your own reviewExtra days in the Azores
We booked this cycling trip to provide an additional week following the Exodus ‘Walking in the Azores’. That holiday visits four islands but not Terceira. So, by booking both trips we were able to visit five of the nine islands. It’s easy to get between islands by ferry or plane. There is a lot to see on Terceira so it’s a good place to visit. Angra is super, the volcanic cave is really good and I developed a keenness for photographing the colourful ‘imperios’ of the Holy Spirit which can be found in most villages. They look like (but aren’t) brightly coloured little chapels. The cycle route takes you round the island over three days with inland rides on the other two – five days in total. You can see quite a lot. When you go inland off the coastal roads it can be quite steep. This is especially the case with the first day of cycling (Day 2) which is probably the toughest, especially if you’re getting used to the bikes. These are mountain bikes with 2 x 10/11 gears. We’re used to hybrids and 3 x 8 so these took a bit of getting used to and we found we needed to walk up some of the hills. Having recently done two ‘moderate Exodus’ cycle trips, I reckon it is one is at least ‘moderate’ with some tougher bits where it’s absolutely fine to walk. One of the nice things about Terceira is that outside the towns there isn’t lots of traffic. We adjusted our route on Days 2 and 5 (the inland days) to suit our interests and were given good ideas from Tiago who supplies the bikes. Day 3 was our best day. There is a choice of routes. I did the route down to the edge of the coast and my wife stuck more to the roads. There were great views of the islands of Soa Jorge and Graciosa and we had lunch at the café attached to the cheese factory. The highlights of Day 4 were cycling through a herd of cows that was being moved between fields, cycling through the US airbase (mostly mothballed) and arriving at the religious monument that looks down on Praia. Praia is lovely. My wife relaxed on Day 5 in Praia and I cycled in the morning to the mountain with the wind turbines, for a great view both ways. We were lucky, there was a summer festival while we were there and we enjoyed a local food area, bull running and marching bands. It rained on Day 6. I completed the route and could see that it is pretty nice through some fishing villages and past interesting volcanic hills. We then added an extra day in Angra. So there are five interesting days of cycling – especially if you’re used to mountain bikes, are good at steep hills or don’t mind walking occasionally. If you’re not so sure then e-bikes are available and one of us would have preferred that! Being self-guided, the dates are flexible and so it’s easy to combine this with another trip or your own island-hopping plan. We booked late and at relatively short notice but rooms were available by upgrading our accommodation. The other islands we visited were very interesting and had different attractions – see the walking tour for ideas. Tip: one of the delightful things about the Azores is the blue hydrangeas. Our week in Terceira was in early August and we found that the hydrangeas were getting past their best at lower elevations.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through a herd of cows moving from one field to another. Enjoying Angra.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This was self-guided.
Advice for Potential Travellers
See above about linking with other trips and the blue hydrangeas.
Extra days in the Azores
We booked this cycling trip to provide an additional week following the Exodus ‘Walking in the Azores’. That holiday visits four islands but not Terceira. So, by booking both trips we were able to visit five of the nine islands. It’s easy to get between islands by ferry or plane. There is a lot to see on Terceira so it’s a good place to visit. Angra is super, the volcanic cave is really good and I developed a keenness for photographing the colourful ‘imperios’ of the Holy Spirit which can be found in most villages. They look like (but aren’t) brightly coloured little chapels. The cycle route takes you round the island over three days with inland rides on the other two – five days in total. You can see quite a lot. When you go inland off the coastal roads it can be quite steep. This is especially the case with the first day of cycling (Day 2) which is probably the toughest, especially if you’re getting used to the bikes. These are mountain bikes with 2 x 10/11 gears. We’re used to hybrids and 3 x 8 so these took a bit of getting used to and we found we needed to walk up some of the hills. Having recently done two ‘moderate Exodus’ cycle trips, I reckon it is one is at least ‘moderate’ with some tougher bits where it’s absolutely fine to walk. One of the nice things about Terceira is that outside the towns there isn’t lots of traffic. We adjusted our route on Days 2 and 5 (the inland days) to suit our interests and were given good ideas from Tiago who supplies the bikes. Day 3 was our best day. There is a choice of routes. I did the route down to the edge of the coast and my wife stuck more to the roads. There were great views of the islands of Soa Jorge and Graciosa and we had lunch at the café attached to the cheese factory. The highlights of Day 4 were cycling through a herd of cows that was being moved between fields, cycling through the US airbase (mostly mothballed) and arriving at the religious monument that looks down on Praia. Praia is lovely. My wife relaxed on Day 5 in Praia and I cycled in the morning to the mountain with the wind turbines, for a great view both ways. We were lucky, there was a summer festival while we were there and we enjoyed a local food area, bull running and marching bands. It rained on Day 6. I completed the route and could see that it is pretty nice through some fishing villages and past interesting volcanic hills. We then added an extra day in Angra. So there are five interesting days of cycling – especially if you’re used to mountain bikes, are good at steep hills or don’t mind walking occasionally. If you’re not so sure then e-bikes are available and one of us would have preferred that! Being self-guided, the dates are flexible and so it’s easy to combine this with another trip or your own island-hopping plan. We booked late and at relatively short notice but rooms were available by upgrading our accommodation. The other islands we visited were very interesting and had different attractions – see the walking tour for ideas. Tip: one of the delightful things about the Azores is the blue hydrangeas. Our week in Terceira was in early August and we found that the hydrangeas were getting past their best at lower elevations.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through a herd of cows moving from one field to another. Enjoying Angra.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This was self-guided.
Advice for Potential Travellers
See above about linking with other trips and the blue hydrangeas.
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