{"id":1172,"date":"2026-06-24T11:27:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T11:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getcarhire.com\/blog\/?p=1172"},"modified":"2026-07-05T20:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T20:59:02","slug":"sete-cidades-scenic-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getcarhire.com\/blog\/sete-cidades-scenic-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Sete Cidades Scenic Drive: Explore The Stunning Twin Crater Lakes and West Coast of S\u00e3o Miguel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The drive to Sete Cidades is the one every visitor to S\u00e3o 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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 S\u00e3o Miguel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sete Cidades Scenic Drive at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage<\/th>Road<\/th>Highlights<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Ponta Delgada<\/td>EN1-1A<\/td>Collect the hire car, head West<\/td><\/tr>
Mosteiros<\/td>EN1-1A<\/td>Black sand, sea stacks, sunset<\/td><\/tr>
Ponta da Ferraria<\/td>EN9-1A<\/td>Thermal spring meets the Atlantic<\/td><\/tr>
Sete Cidades village<\/td>Into the caldera<\/td>Lakeside lunch, S\u00e3o Nicolau church<\/td><\/tr>
Boca do Inferno<\/td>Walk from Lagoa do Can\u00e1rio<\/td>The best panorama on the island<\/td><\/tr>
Vista do Rei<\/td>EN9-1A<\/td>Postcard twin-lakes view, Monte Palace ruins<\/td><\/tr>
Miradouro do Pico do Carv\u00e3o<\/td>EN1-1A<\/td>Final viewpoint before the descent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Around 75km round trip; about 2 hours driving; allow a full day with viewpoints, the village and the coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Distance:<\/strong> around 75km round trip from Ponta Delgada. Driving time:<\/strong> about 2 hours moving, but allow a full day. Best for:<\/strong> crater lakes, rim viewpoints, a lakeside village and a wild west coast. Gateway:<\/strong> Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL), about 25 minutes from the first viewpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Map
The Sete Cidades Scenic Drive is one of the most spectacular road trips in the Azores, combining dramatic crater lakes, panoramic rim viewpoints, a traditional lakeside village and S\u00e3o Miguel’s rugged west coast. This 75km circular route links Ponta Delgada, Pico do Carv\u00e3o, Vista do Rei, Boca do Inferno, Sete Cidades village, Mosteiros and Ponta da Ferraria, making it an ideal full-day drive for visitors exploring the island by car. Use this route map to plan your journey and discover why Sete Cidades is considered one of the highlights of any S\u00e3o Miguel road trip.nd the Mosteiros coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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