São Miguel

Furnas

Furnas is a village inside a volcanic crater in eastern São Miguel, with hot springs, fumaroles and a lake.

Fumaroles steaming beside the lake at Furnas
Steam rising from fumaroles beside Lagoa das Furnas

Furnas facts

Setting
Village inside a volcanic crater
Lake
Lagoa das Furnas
Hot springs
Poça da Dona Beija, Terra Nostra
Walk
9.4 km circular route

Getting there: About 42 minutes by car from Ponta Delgada.

Lagoa das Furnas · weather now

17.7°C

Observed , Azores time · IPMA

Visiting Furnas on your own

Parque Terra Nostra and Poça da Dona Beija sell separate tickets. You can visit either without a tour.

Parque Terra Nostra

the botanical garden with the big iron-rich thermal pool and two jacuzzis

Hours
10:30 to 16:30 daily, except 25 December. Last entry is at 16:00.
Tickets
Adults aged 18 to 64 pay €17. Ages 6 to 17 and 65 and over pay €14.50. A family ticket costs €57 for two adults and two children. Each extra child aged 6 to 17 costs €13. Admission includes the garden, collections, thermal pool and jacuzzis.
Booking
online on the park's site, where dates open only 15 days ahead; tickets also sold at the gate

Checked on the park's ticketing page.

Poça da Dona Beija

the open-air hot stream pools on the edge of the village

Hours
Open daily from 08:30 to 23:00, including holidays. Last entry is at 21:30. Leave the pools by 22:30. Your whole visit is limited to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Tickets
€12 per person until 17:30 and €16 from 18:00; children 2 to 6 €10 and €14; under 2 free
Booking
tickets are sold only online, at bookings.pocadadonabeija.com; you get a QR code by email and show it at the gate

Checked on the pools' own site (information and FAQ pages).

Furnas hot springs

Parque Terra Nostra has a thermal pool and botanical garden. The local cozido stew cooks underground in the volcanic heat.

Caldeiras
Hot springs and fumaroles
Poça da Dona Beija
Hot springs at Furnas
Parque Terra Nostra
Thermal pool and botanical garden
Lagoa das Furnas
Lake beside the steaming fumaroles
The thermal pool at Parque Terra Nostra from above
The thermal pool at Parque Terra Nostra from above

Questions about Furnas

What is cozido in Furnas?

Cozido das Furnas is a meat and vegetable stew cooked underground with volcanic heat. The ingredients cook slowly in their own juices. No extra liquid is added to the stew during cooking.

How do you get to Furnas from Ponta Delgada?

Take AzoresBus 318 via Vila Franca do Campo or 110 via Ribeira Grande from Ponta Delgada. Both routes serve Furnas. Check the timetable for your travel day. Choose a return bus before planning your time in the village.

Are the Azores volcanic?

Yes, all nine Azores islands are volcanic in origin. They grew from the surrounding seabed. Furnas has a volcanic lake and a geothermal system that includes fumaroles and hot springs.

Places near Furnas

All places on São Miguel →
Lagoa do Fogo in its crater

Lagoa do Fogo

Lagoa do Fogo is a lake inside a crater.

27 minutes by car from Furnas

 Rows of tea bushes at the Gorreana plantation

Gorreana tea

A tea plantation where you can see tea growing in rows.

17 minutes by car

 The round crater islet off Vila Franca do Campo

Vila Franca Islet

A round crater islet off the coast of Vila Franca do Campo.

20 minutes by car to the pier at Vila Franca do Campo, then the boat

Roman Antonov, editor

I live in Portugal and I love these islands. The weather and walk status update automatically. I check tour prices when I reread the collection. I check opening hours and tickets on official pages.