Terceira

Terceira holidays

The Lilac Island

Elliptic in shape, Terceira covers an area of 382 sq.km, is 29km at its longest and 17.5km at its widest. The island is a plateau, with the Serra do Cume to the east, the Serra do Labacal in the centre (rising to 808m), and the Serra da Santa Barbara (rising to 1,021m) to the west.

Angra do Heroismo, Terceira, the Azores

Holidays In Terceira

Angra do Heroismo, with its origins in the late 15th century, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a picture book town of imposing townhouses and cobbled streets seemingly untouched by time. The best views of this once prosperous trading centre are from the 1,205m high Monte Brasil across the harbour. The west coast harbours a host of villages and the wilder, centre of the island is ideal for walks. 

Praia da Vitoria, to the east, with its sandy beach is a charming small town and, inland, the views from the 500m high point of the Serra do  Cume, over the gigantic quilt made up of green pastures separated by  black volcanic stone walls, quite breathtaking.

Terceira caters for all interests from golf, to exploring volcanoes, to walking, to swimming in natural rock pools and to visiting the sixty eight 19th century ‘Imperias’, (small chapels to the Holy Spirit), which are scattered throughout the island. Then there are the colourful festivals and street bullfights (they pad the bulls’ horns and bulls are never killed) where the only casualty is young men’s wounded pride.

Area: 382 sq. km
Length: 29 km (18 miles)
Width: 17.5 km (11 miles)
Population: 56,000 inhabitants
Capital: Angra do Heroismo

Algar do Carvao
Formed by several caves, and about 100m depth, this underground lava tube has plenty of stalactites and stalagmites. A visit is included when booking an island tour.

Verdelho wine
Taste the locally made Verdelho – a sweet aperitif wine. You can also visit the wine museum at Biscoitos where the production of Verdelho is housed.

Viewpoints
Climb the heights of the botanical garden in Angra do Heroismo, to the Miradouro of Memory, for a wonderful view over the capital and Monte Brasil. The woods of Mata da Serreta, Serra do Cume and Pico Alto offer excellent panoramas of the island.

Handicrafts
Clay and wicker works, embroidered linen and colourful weaved bed spreads are traditionally made on Terceira.

  • Espírito Santo (7 weeks after Easter)
  • Tourada a Corda (May-Oct)
  • Sao Joaninas (24th June is the high point of this 10 day festival)
  • Santo Cristo (early August) – boat races, bullfights and cultural events
  • Praia da Vitoria (2nd week of August) – Gastronomic fair
  • Angrajazz (1st weekend of October)
  • Ramo Grande Festival (end Oct / early  Nov) – World music

Note: Dates are subject to change.

My Sunvil

This is the area for your personal interactions with Sunvil. Manage your booking and upate your subcriptions via the links below.

Booking With Sunvil

Our holidays range from packaged hotel and villa breaks to Greece and Cyprus to bespoke travel itineraries off-the-beaten-track in Europe and beyond.

Book using our enquiry form or, for holidays bookable online, look for the Check Availability section and enter your requirements to get live availability.

Check Availability

To book, or for more information please call

020 8758 4722

Or complete our online booking form and we'll contact you to discuss your requirements… Enquire Online