Making the most of Ponta Delgada Sao Miguel
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
The €50m ‘Portos do Mar’ project, or Gateways of the Sea, provides a dedicated cruise berth 380mtr long with 11mtr depth alongside. Passengers embark and disembark by gangway to a terminal building a few hundred meters from Ponta Delgada city centre, reached by a newly laid promenade. Excursion-bus parking is on the terminal roof, and the enjoyable walk into town takes 10 minutes.
Ponta Delgada Sao Miguel is easily the Azores’ most visited cruise port.
A printable map to take with you.
For the cruise schedule, choose Cruises and then select a port.
Ponta Delgada is São Miguel’s largest city and the largest city across all the Azores Islands. This exciting, charming business town has many old houses and narrow streets, plus a wide range of hotels, residencias and restaurants for every wallet. It also has the Azores’ greatest concentration of tourists.
Street pavements use a "mosaic" pattern made by setting cube-shaped white marble and black volcanic basalt stones into sand.
Getting around
Along the Avenida, town tours offer several ways to experience the city, including horse-drawn carriages, panoramic bus tours and the Lagarta Tourist Train, which travels through the streets.
People wanting to see more of the island often hire a taxi for a few hours. Check that the driver speaks English.
Nearby places
The island’s main attraction is Sete Cidades, an extinct volcanic crater covering 40 sq. km. Most visitors cannot resist spending half a day there, with its two magnificent lakes, one deep blue and the other emerald green.
You can hire a cab outside the pier, and it is very cheap compared with a ship tour. Because weather conditions often make the lakes invisible, travelling there on a ship-organised tour can waste your time.
Food and shopping
Shopping in Ponta Delgada is somewhat limited, though gifts, souvenirs and other items can be bought elsewhere on the island. The Hypermarket, which has a movie theater, opens daily from 9 am to 11 pm. Centro Comercial Solmar has fast-food restaurants, apparel shops, bookstores and a supermarket. In the city’s northern section, Parque Atlantico contains several shops, Pizza Hut and Burger King.
A good market opposite the port is useful for stocking up on snacks, drinks and more.
Tap water is not always suitable for drinking, although it can be used to brush teeth. Cheap mineral-water bottles are available in every supermarket; do not drink water from rivers or lakes.
Many restaurants close on Saturdays or Sundays, so those open can be very crowded.
Money
As part of Portugal, the Azores uses the Euro. Common credit-cards are accepted at most restaurants, hotels and car-rental companies, but not necessarily at smaller restaurants and residencias. Carry small bills, as changing bigger notes can be problematic in some places.
Most banks accept Visa/MasterCard's, and most have staff who speak English or French.
Staying connected
Portuguese is the national language, while Azoreans use a special dialect. Inhabitants, especially younger people, may also understand English or French.