33 Best Sights in The Azores, Portugal

Home to one of the only tea plantations in Europe, Gorreana has been cultivating organically grown black and green tea since 1883. A visit here is rather homespun; visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour (or a free guided tour) of the factory, with machinery dating from the 19th century, before helping themselves to samples of both hot and cold teas. There’s also a tearoom that serves light meals (along with tea, of course), and a shop to buy products to take home.

This long stretch of beach along the south coast, about 21 km (13 miles) east of Ponta Delgada, is popular with locals and visitors alike for its clear water, beach bar, and proximity to town. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

The largest church in the Azores, dating from the late 1500s, is missing much of its baroque interior because it was largely destroyed in Terceira’s 1980 earthquake as well as a fire in 1983. Not all was lost, however. The high altar is decorated in 18th-century silverplate, and the Our Lady of the Angels altar also dates from the 18th century.