{"id":1188,"date":"2026-06-25T11:02:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T11:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getcarhire.com\/blog\/?p=1188"},"modified":"2026-07-03T16:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:40:03","slug":"furnas-scenic-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getcarhire.com\/blog\/furnas-scenic-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Furnas Scenic Drive: The Geothermal Valley of S\u00e3o Miguel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Furnas scenic drive is the one that gives you the Azores in concentrate: a volcanic valley where the ground steams, lunch is cooked underground, and you can soak in an iron-rich thermal pool under tree ferns, all in a single day from Ponta Delgada. Furnas sits 43km East of the capital, a 45-minute drive on the EN1-1A, and a hire car is the only sensible way to do it, because the viewpoints, the tea plantation and the hot springs are spread across the valley and no bus will string them together. This Furnas scenic drive maps the whole loop, the best stops, where to eat the famous cozido, and how to time it.<\/p>\n\n

There is a smart way to drive it. Two roads connect Ponta Delgada and Furnas, the southern EN1-1A and the northern route through Ribeira Grande, so the trick is to go out one way and back the other, taking in different scenery and the Gorreana tea plantation on the northern leg. A small car suits the narrow, winding valley roads best, prices for car hire in Sao Miguel start from around \u00a312 per day in the low season, and there are no tolls anywhere on the island.<\/p>\n\n

The Furnas Scenic Drive at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n
Stage<\/th>Road<\/th>Highlights<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Ponta Delgada<\/td>EN1-1A<\/td>Collect the hire car, head East<\/td><\/tr>
Gorreana Tea<\/td>EN2-1A (north route)<\/td>Europe’s oldest tea plantation, free tasting<\/td><\/tr>
Pico do Ferro<\/td>Signed off the north road<\/td>The panoramic view over the valley and lake<\/td><\/tr>
Caldeiras das Furnas<\/td>In Furnas town<\/td>Steaming fumaroles, bubbling mud, cozido pits<\/td><\/tr>
Terra Nostra Park<\/td>Furnas village<\/td>Iron-rich thermal pool, botanical garden<\/td><\/tr>
Po\u00e7a da Dona Beija<\/td>Furnas village<\/td>Six warm pools, open late<\/td><\/tr>
Lagoa das Furnas<\/td>EN1-1A<\/td>The lake, the chapel and the cozido fumaroles<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Around 90km round trip from Ponta Delgada with the north-and-south loop; about 2 hours driving; allow a full day for the valley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Distance:<\/strong> roughly 90km round trip doing the north-and-south loop. Driving time:<\/strong> about 2 hours moving, but allow a full day. Best for:<\/strong> geothermal valley, the famous cozido stew, thermal pools and a tea plantation. Gateway:<\/strong> Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL), about 45 minutes from Furnas.<\/p>\n\n

Unlike the west-coast Sete Cidades drive, the Furnas scenic drive heads east into the island\u2019s steaming heart, so the two pair perfectly across a trip: one day for the crater lakes of the west, another for the geothermal valley of the east, each on its own clear morning.<\/p>\n\n

\"Map
The Furnas scenic drive: the geothermal valley loop from Ponta Delgada, out one road and back the other.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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