The drive to Sete Cidades is the one every visitor to São Miguel comes for, and the one that needs a hire car more than any other. The twin crater lakes of Sete Cidades, one blue and one green, sit in a vast volcanic caldera in the West of the island, ringed by viewpoints that no bus will take you to.
This Sete Cidades scenic drive links those viewpoints into a full day from Ponta Delgada, out along the crater rim, down into the village between the lakes, and on to the wild black-sand coast at Mosteiros. The Sete Cidades scenic drive is around 75km all in, easily driven in a day, and it is the single best argument for hiring a car in São Miguel.
One thing matters more here than on any other drive on the island: the weather. The famous view from the rim is completely weather-dependent, and cloud can blank it out entirely even when the coast below is sunny. Locals check the live webcams at spotazores.com before driving up, and so should you. Pick the clearest morning of your trip for this one, keep the others flexible, and you will not regret it.
Sete Cidades Scenic Drive at a Glance
| Stage | Road | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Ponta Delgada | EN1-1A | Collect the hire car, head West |
| Mosteiros | EN1-1A | Black sand, sea stacks, sunset |
| Ponta da Ferraria | EN9-1A | Thermal spring meets the Atlantic |
| Sete Cidades village | Into the caldera | Lakeside lunch, São Nicolau church |
| Boca do Inferno | Walk from Lagoa do Canário | The best panorama on the island |
| Vista do Rei | EN9-1A | Postcard twin-lakes view, Monte Palace ruins |
| Miradouro do Pico do Carvão | EN1-1A | Final viewpoint before the descent |
Distance: around 75km round trip from Ponta Delgada. Driving time: about 2 hours moving, but allow a full day. Best for: crater lakes, rim viewpoints, a lakeside village and a wild west coast. Gateway: Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL), about 25 minutes from the first viewpoint.
On This Page
- The Drive, Stop by Stop
- Where to Stop for Lunch
- The Legend and the Geology of the Lakes
- When to Go and How Long to Allow
- Getting There: Your Gateway
- Driving Tips for the West
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Sete Cidades Scenic Drive, Stop by Stop
2. Mosteiros and the West Coast
Heading west from Ponta Delgada, the Sete Cidades scenic drive runs first to the coast village of Mosteiros, known for its black volcanic sand, the dramatic sea stacks just offshore, and some of the best sunsets on the island. The Caneiros natural tidal pools here are carved into the lava and make a fine spot for a swim on a calm day. The four islets offshore are the eroded remains of old lava flows from a small volcanic cone, and they frame the sunset perfectly.
If you can time the drive to finish here in the evening, the light over the islets is the reward for the whole Sete Cidades scenic drive. The black sand and the lava-carved Caneiros pools are a reminder, if you needed one, that this whole landscape was built by fire.
3. Ponta da Ferraria
A short hop south, the Sete Cidades scenic drive reaches Ponta da Ferraria, one of the most unusual spots in the Azores: a thermal spring on the shoreline where naturally hot water mixes with the cold Atlantic in a rock pool you can bathe in. It is best at low tide, when the balance of hot and cold is right, and ropes are strung across the pool to hold onto against the swell. Check the tide times before you go, and treat the sea with respect.
4. Sete Cidades Village
From the coast the Sete Cidades scenic drive climbs toward the caldera, where the village of Sete Cidades sits right on the shore of the lake between the two colours of water. It is far quieter than the viewpoints above, even when the rim is busy. The neo-Gothic church of São Nicolau is the landmark, and the lakeshore is the place to stretch your legs, rent a kayak, or simply sit by the water before lunch. This is the natural midpoint of the Sete Cidades scenic drive.
5. Boca do Inferno
Many islanders will tell you the best view on São Miguel is not Vista do Rei at all, but Boca do Inferno, Hell’s Mouth, a short walk further on. You park at the Lagoa do Canario car park off the main road and walk roughly 15 minutes to a platform that gives a full panorama of the caldera, taking in the main lake, Lagoa Rasa and Lagoa de Santiago all at once. It is more effort than Vista do Rei and just as weather-dependent, but on a clear morning it is unforgettable. The small, perfectly circular Lagoa do Canario, hidden in laurel forest right by the car park, is worth the few minutes it takes to see it.
The walk to Boca do Inferno is mostly flat with a short, steeper final climb, and the platform sits high enough that it is noticeably cooler than the coast, often by several degrees, so take a light layer even on a warm day. The access gate that once let cars drive closer is now usually shut, which is part of why an early arrival on foot pays off.
6. Vista do Rei and the Monte Palace Ruins
This is the one you have seen on every postcard. Vista do Rei, the King’s View, sits on the southern rim of the caldera at around 550 metres and looks straight down onto the twin lakes of Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, with the village nestled between them. It was named for King Carlos I and Queen Amélia of Portugal, who stood here during their royal visit in 1901 and were captivated by the view. Beside the viewpoint stands the eerie, half-finished shell of the Monte Palace Hotel, abandoned in the early 1990s and now a magnet for photographers.
Parking is easy but fills fast, so arrive before 10am. There is a small kiosk near the ruins for a coffee, and the more energetic can walk down into the village from here, though it is a steep climb back up. The colour contrast between the two lakes is sharpest in full sun, so the same clear weather that gives you the view also gives you the blue and the green at their most distinct.
7. Miradouro do Pico do Carvão
Leaving Ponta Delgada on the EN1-1A, the last of the rim viewpoints before the road drops back toward Ponta Delgada is Miradouro do Pico do Carvão, a sweeping viewpoint over the green volcanic interior of São Miguel, with the coast on both sides on a clear day. It is a good place to take a final look over the green interior before the descent back to the capital. If it is socked in here, consider doing the drive in reverse and saving the rim viewpoints for later in the day when it may clear.
Where to Stop for Lunch on the Sete Cidades Scenic Drive
The West is not as thick with restaurants as Ponta Delgada, so stops are listed in driving order around the loop. As ever in the Azores, menus and opening hours change out of season, so it is worth checking ahead.
Sete Cidades Village
Restaurante Lagoa Azul on Rua da Caridade is the village favourite, a traditional Azorean buffet of home-cooked dishes where the signature is cabrito assado, slow-roasted kid, alongside excellent octopus and a good-value spread that includes drinks. For something lighter and right on the water, Green Love Restaurant on the shore of Lagoa Azul is a modern, family-friendly café bar with a big terrace, ideal if you have been hiking or kayaking in the caldera.
Mosteiros
On the coast, O Américo de Barbosa on Rua das Pensões is the name to know, a bustling local restaurant where grilled octopus is the speciality, piled high with potatoes. It fills up, so put your name down and take a walk on the black-sand beach while you wait. For sunset, Poça da Pedra, known locally as Steve’s Bar, serves snacks, burgers and cocktails in the best seat in the village as the sun drops behind the sea stacks.
The Legend and the Geology of the Lakes
The two lakes of Sete Cidades are joined by a narrow channel and divided, in colour, between blue and green. The science is simple enough: the difference comes from the way light reflects off each lake, with depth and the angle of the sun doing the rest. The legend is better. It tells of a blue-eyed shepherd and a green-eyed princess who fell in love but were forbidden to be together. At their last meeting they wept, and their tears formed the two lakes, each the colour of the other’s eyes.
It is a story every guide on the island will tell you, and standing on the rim it is easy to see why it stuck. The village takes its name, Sete Cidades or Seven Cities, from an old Iberian legend of seven bishops who fled across the ocean and founded seven golden cities on a far island, a story Portuguese and Spanish sailors carried for centuries.
The caldera itself was formed by a massive volcanic collapse around 22,000 years ago, and the whole bowl, some 5km across, is what you are looking down into from the rim.
The hydrangeas that line the roads and viewpoints from June to September, peaking in July and August, are not native but have become the signature bloom of the Azorean summer, turning the crater rim blue and white at the height of the season.
When to Go and How Long to Allow
The Sete Cidades drive works in any season, but the experience changes through the year. From June to September the hydrangeas are out and the rim is at its most photogenic, though July and August also bring the most visitors and the tightest parking. Spring and autumn are quieter and still green, while winter can be dramatic and moody, with a higher chance of cloud on the rim but far fewer people. Whatever the month, the rule is the same: this is the drive to save for a clear day.
For timing within the day, on the Sete Cidades scenic drive an early start is worth more than anywhere else on São Miguel. The tour buses tend to reach Vista do Rei between late morning and early afternoon, and the light is softer and the cloud lower first thing. Aim to be at the rim by 9am, take the viewpoints and the walk to Boca do Inferno before the crowds, then drop into the village for an unhurried lunch. That leaves the afternoon for the west coast and Mosteiros, and the option of staying out for sunset over the sea stacks.
If you have more than one day on the island, this Sete Cidades scenic drive pairs naturally with Lagoa do Fogo, the second of São Miguel’s great crater lakes, which sits in the centre of the island and rewards the same clear-weather strategy. Doing the two on separate clear mornings is the surest way to see both at their best, rather than gambling everything on a single day.
Getting to Sete Cidades: Your Gateway
Every visitor to São Miguel arrives through Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL), also called João Paulo II, just west of the capital and around 25 minutes from the first viewpoint on this drive. A hire car is close to essential, as no public transport serves the rim viewpoints or the west coast. Compare cheap car hire in São Miguel in a single search, and for the wider archipelago see our car hire in the Azores guide. The official Azores tourism board has further background on the Sete Cidades protected landscape. Remember that you hire a separate car on each island, as rentals cannot travel between the islands on the ferries.
Collecting your hire car for the Sete Cidades scenic drive is straightforward: the rental desks sit in the arrivals hall, and the drive west picks up quickly on the EN1-1A out of Ponta Delgada. If your flight lands early, it is tempting to head straight for the rim while the morning is clear, dropping your bags later, though most travellers settle in first and save the drive for a confirmed clear day. Either way, a small or compact car is the sensible choice for the narrow lanes, and booking ahead matters because island stock is genuinely limited, particularly for automatics.
Sete Cidades Scenic Drive: Driving Tips for the West
The roads on the Sete Cidades scenic drive are well surfaced but narrow and winding, especially the descent into the caldera and the lanes around Mosteiros, so a small car is far easier here than a large one. You drive on the right. The single most important tip is to watch the weather: the rim viewpoints can be in cloud while the coast is clear, so check the live webcams at spotazores.com and be ready to flip the order of the drive.
Parking at Vista do Rei and Lagoa do Canario fills by mid-morning, so start early. Fuel up in Ponta Delgada before you set off, as stations are scarce in the West. There are no tolls anywhere on the island.
A few practical notes make the Sete Cidades scenic drive smoother. Take a light jacket or fleece even in summer, as the rim viewpoints sit around 550 metres and can be 10 degrees cooler and far windier than the coast. Wear shoes you can walk in, since the best of this Sete Cidades scenic drive involves short trails that can be muddy after rain. Carry water and a few snacks, because facilities at the viewpoints are limited to the odd kiosk and food truck, and bring some cash for the smaller village spots that may not take cards.
If you plan to bathe at Ponta da Ferraria, check the tide times before you set out, as the thermal pool is only comfortable around low tide when the hot spring water and the cold sea reach the right balance. The swell can be strong, ropes are there to hold onto for a reason, and it is not a place to take risks in rough conditions. On a calm day at the right tide, though, it is one of the most memorable swims in the Azores.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Sete Cidades scenic drive take?
About 2 hours of actual driving for the roughly 75km loop, but you should allow a full day. The viewpoints, the walk to Boca do Inferno, lunch in the village and the coast at Mosteiros easily fill the time, and rushing it defeats the point.
Do I need a car to visit Sete Cidades?
Effectively yes. Public buses do not reach the crater rim viewpoints, the village sits down in the caldera, and the west coast is not served at all. A hire car, or a guided tour, is the only practical way to do this drive.
When is the best time to drive to Sete Cidades?
Early on the clearest morning of your trip. The famous lake view is completely weather-dependent and cloud can hide it entirely, so check the webcams at spotazores.com first. Early starts also beat the tour buses and the parking crush.
Is the Sete Cidades scenic drive difficult?
No. The roads are good, just narrow and winding in places, particularly the descent into the caldera. A small car, sensible speed and care on the blind bends are all you need. You drive on the right.
Can you swim in the lakes at Sete Cidades?
You can kayak and paddleboard on Lagoa Azul from the village, and there is bathing on the west coast at Mosteiros and the thermal pool at Ponta da Ferraria. The lakes are better enjoyed from the water by kayak than as a swimming spot.
What else is near Sete Cidades?
The west coast highlights of Mosteiros, Ponta da Ferraria and the Caneiros tidal pools are all on this route. Lagoa do Fogo, another spectacular crater lake, sits in the centre of the island and pairs well with a separate day.
Download the Sete Cidades Drive Guide
Download includes:
- The full route with all 7 stops in driving order
- Safety and driving tips for the narrow west roads
- Best-for recommendations and the weather-window tip
- Ponta Delgada Airport gateway access guide
Drive Sete Cidades for Yourself
The crater lakes are the reason people fall for São Miguel, and the only way to see them properly is to do the Sete Cidades scenic drive yourself. Compare cheap car hire in São Miguel across trusted suppliers in a single search, pick the clearest morning of your trip, and go.
About the Author
Written by the Digitalhound.co.uk editorial team. Every guide is thoroughly researched with genuine local knowledge, road numbers, food stops and practical driving tips gathered from on-the-ground experience.