Flights to the Azores

flight to the Azores For Europeans, it is like a flight to Hawaii for Americans. This beautiful archipelago, located in the heart of the ocean a third of the way to North America, looks like it was taken from a legend about Captain Cook. It is unknown to most people, and this is one of the things that makes it such a perfect destination. The archipelago is made up of nine islands, which constitute an ecological and cultural niche completely separate from mainland Europe, as well as from North America. Furthermore, thanks to the distance between the islands themselves, the population on each island developed A culture unique to it, one that you won't find anywhere else.

The great diversity that can be found in the Azores makes them an attractive destination for travelers of all types and ages. Whether you are sixty years old or twenty years old; Whether you prefer museums or whether you are nature lovers who can't imagine a trip without a trek; Whether you are night and party people or whether you are morning and landscape people. Be sure that the Azores have something to offer you.

When is it recommended to travel to the Azores?

Most of the activities in the archipelago happening outside, which makes the weather the most decisive factor in choosing the time of the trip there, even more than in other places. The tourism season in the archipelago is concentrated between the months of May and October, as the weather is welcoming and allows for a trip. This is especially true if one of the goals of your trip is whale watching, which pass through this area from April to September. On top of that, the fact that the Azores attract vacationers from all over Europe (and not only), makes July and August hot months in terms of tourism. However, and in contrast to the other European tourist destinations, the summer in the Azores is relatively mild, and is not characterized by excessively high heat that makes the trip difficult and burdens the vacation.

If you choose to come here this half of the year, you should expect relatively high prices for tourism services, meaning flights, sleeping places and attractions. Getting to the Azores is not cheap anyway, so choosing the right dates and booking the vacation as far in advance as possible may save you a lot of money.

For those equipped with the necessary adventurous spirit, it is possible but challenging to reach the archipelago even in the second half of the year, that is between November and April. Keep in mind that the particularly large amounts of precipitation that the islands receive during these months can make non-outdoor activities difficult, and trekking can be a real danger. However, for those who decide that it suits them, expect extremely low prices that are not possible at other times of the year. 

Flights and airports

Not surprisingly, there are no direct flights from Israel to the Azores archipelago. The number of tourists between the countries does not justify the existence of a direct line, therefore those who choose to vacation in the Azores are required to reach them by means of a connection flight. Naturally, many of the connecting flights will make a stopover in Lisbon, as this is the destination from which most of the flights arriving at Ponta Delgada Joao Paulo II Airport (PDL), the main and largest airport in the archipelago (do not confuse it with the similarly named airport in Krakow, Poland). 

Despite its remote location, Punta Delgada airport is a respectable and active airport, and many different airlines operate there. The vast majority of its flights are on the axis between the archipelago and Europe, but there are also flights (seasonal or regular) between Punta Delgada and destinations in North America, such as Toronto and Boston. Of course, you will also find domestic flights here, which transport residents and tourists between the nine islands in the archipelago.

Those arriving from Israel will make an intermediate stop at one of the destinations in Europe, before they can board a plane to the Azores. Most tourists will stop in Lisbon (which has Direct flights from Israel, operated by El Al or the Portuguese TAP company), but the islands can also be reached via Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Brussels (some lines are seasonal, so they only operate from April). 

If you prefer to start your trip to the islands on another island, and not in Punta Delgada, you can find several other airports in the archipelago that can also be reached by flight with a stopover (usually in Lisbon). Examples of such fields are the fields in Terceira (Lajes Airport - TER), in Horta (Horta airport - HOR) and Pico Island (Pico airport - PIX). These are small fields, and with the exception of the field in Terceira, they are also fields where there are only domestic flights. The direct arrival to them is good for those who intend to vacation on a specific island, and do not want to make a stop in Punta Delgada.

In terms of prices, it is important to say that due to the location of the archipelago, flights to it are more expensive than to other destinations in mainland Europe. The starting price of a flight to Punta Delgada usually does not drop from around 200 US dollars, and usually reaches more than that. At the peak of the season, the flights to the archipelago can even scratch the thousand dollar mark, certainly if you want to fly to one of the smaller islands in it.