Best things to do in São Jorge island

São Jorge is one of my favourite islands in the Azores (and probably the one I go more often to, as I have good friends there). 

There are so many best things to do in São Jorge island in the Azores that I decided to write this article especially for you 🙂
Please keep in mind that, like in all the other Azores islands, you need to rent a car to do most (if not all) the activities listed here. Enjoy your time in São Jorge, it is a fabulous island!

The best things to do in São Jorge island are:

Have a bath at Poça Simão Dias

Even though Poça Simão Dias translates to Simão Dias’ puddle the name does no justice to this place as it one of the best natural pools in São Jorge island, period. No wonder: a natural pool, protected by spectacular basalt formations, with such crystal blue waters that your Instagram friends will doubt the veracity of your photos.

Poça Simão Dias is easily accessible through a small trail that starts on the tear-shaped road, on the way to Amílcar restaurant. There is a small car parking, which is very convenient.

Last time I was there I noticed that the road sign that usually marks the beginning of the route to Poça Simão Dias was missing, so here is the GPS coordinates of the exact point where you should stop the car and start walking: 38º40’45.1’’N 28º03’04.4”W.

The trail starts right beside a large, white house and it takes around 5 minutes to complete.

Near Poça Simões Dias is a nice restaurant where you can have grilled fish, called Amílcar. When you get tired of Poça Simão Dias you can just go to the other side for a dip in the natural pool at the port of Fajã do Ouvidor, which is also very cool.

Poça Simão Dias is a VERY popular spot, so I recommend you to get there early and avoid it all together during summer time (unless you’re OK with crowds).

Price: free of charge.

Try Espécies, a biscuit made with fennel

One of the best things to do in São Jorge island in the Azores is to eat one of its famous foods. The most famous ones are probably its long cured cheeses made from cow milk and the canned tuna in olive oil, available with various spices, and all delicious.

However, when I think of São Jorge, I immediately think of its wonderful Espécies – a round-shaped cookie with an unusual filling made with fennel, toasted bread, cinnamon and allspice. It’s absolutely divine!

These days you can find Espécies in the supermarket, but the REALLY good ones are still handmade and you can buy them at Dulçores (near Calheta). You can also get espécies in the supermarket, but why would you do that? 🙂

Price: it depends on how many Espécies you eat 😛

Hike to Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo

Hiking to the famous Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo is one of the most famous hikes in São Jorge island in the Azores and for good reason. The first stretch, from Serra do Topo (a viewpoint at the top of the hill) to the fajã itself, is glorious in its abundance of cinematic scenes, beautiful vegetation and the melodious song of countless birds.

When you arrive at Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo you will find a beautiful town entirely renovated, where you can stay for a couple of days.

You should stay at least for an hour or two, to bathe in the clear lagoon where the famous São Jorge clams are produced.

Then you can proceed your hike in the direction of Fajã dos Cubres, where your taxi driver will be expecting you to take back to your car (I highly, highly recommend you to arrange this beforehand as Fajã dos Cubres doesn’t have a permanent taxi rank!).

The entire hike takes around 3h to complete, not counting the time spent in the fajã itself.

Price: the hike itself is free, but costs around 25€ to get a taxi from the ending point of the hike back to the starting point.

Have a coffee produced in São Jorge!

My first time in Fajã dos Vimes was during a windy, winter day when everyone tried to convince me not to go hiking – but I am a very stubborn lady who hikes every day and I had decided to have a coffee in Fajã dos Vimes before my next hike 😛 

Coffee has been produced in the Azores since the eighteenth century, as some migrants coming back from Brazil decided to bring a coffee plant back to their island, São Jorge.

Every website on the internet will tell you to have coffee in the same spot in São Jorge, but there are actually THREE places where you can drink coffee in São Jorge island:

• Café Nunes, where it all started. Mr. Nunes is a grumpy old man who had been producing coffee for many years, for his family and friends but also to serve the customers of his handicraft shop. The demand was so great that, at some point, he opened a café where you can drink the coffee produced by the family, accompanied by a yam queijada.

• Ponta do Canário is probably my favourite place in terms of overall experience because, if you are lucky enough to find Mr. João there, you will get a very detailed explanation of the coffee production process in São Jorge in the Azores. The problem is that he is not always there (and you cannot book online…), so my recommendation, if you are unlucky, is to hit one of the other two places to drink coffee in São Jorge island.

• Quinta do Café is the place I recommend the least because the experience there is very inconsistent, depending on the person that is there: sometimes they are very nice, sometimes not so much. They charge 1€ for each visitor that wants to visit their coffee plantation, which is tiny and that you can visit for free at Café Nunes. They have, however, a nice handcraft shop on the back.

Is it the best coffee in the world? My snob coffee friends will certainly argue that it is not. But for the of us, normal people who have coffee in normal places, the coffee produced in São Jorge island in the Azores is certainly much much better than the ones served in cafés (and in your hotel, as a matter of fact 😛) so just go for it 🙂

Price: at least 1€ (for the coffee).

Check the beautiful Cruzal Waterfall

I am usually not a big waterfalls fan so I was really surprised when I fell in love with the Cruzal waterfall, located in the extreme Southern point of the island.

Located in a small and beautiful forest on the side of the road, just take a short walk to reach the waterfall. You can’t bathe in this waterfall in the Azores (the water is super brown!), but you can take some beautiful pictures 🙂

Price: free of charge.

Visit an old whale lookout post

On the Northwest point of São Jorge island there is an old whale lookout post which was used for years to see the whales that swim at bay. As soon as a whale was spotted at these whale watch posts, the alarm would sound, making men leave their tasks to head to the ports from where the hunting boats for this magnificent mammal departed.

Nowadays (thankfully) whales are no longer hunted in the Azores, but traces of those times remain, such as this magnificent lookout post, from which you have one of the best views of the island.

So, without a doubt, one of the best things to do in São Jorge island in the Azores is to take a photo at the top of this lookout post, called “Vigia da Baleia”.

Price: free of charge.

Wander around Urzelina, a picturesque fishermen village

The first thing I ever do when I get to an island is to drive around to get “the vibe” of the place and most of the towns and villages in the Azores are very “functional” and not very interesting. But as soon as I saw Urzelina I completely fell in love with it – it is such a cute little town by the waterfront that it is impossible not to fall in love with it at first sight! 🙂

In Urzelina you will find several bathing areas, as well as a beautiful waterfront, called Marginal dos Casteletes, where you can take a romantic walk. It also has several restaurants and cafes, overlooking the sea, perfect for the late afternoon.

It really is a charming place, making it one of the best areas to stay on the island of São Jorge in the Azores.

Price: free of charge.

Visit the ONLY thing that survived a volcanic eruption!

Usually people like to visit the beautiful windmills in the village of Urzelina and they completely miss out on something a lot more interesting: the tower of the old church of Urzelina, which is the ONLY thing that survived a volcanic eruption in 1808!

The tower is absolutely gorgeous and it is located in a private garden with public access, entirely free of charge. The garden is a quiet place, and I thoroughly enjoy going there when I go to São Jorge.

Price: free of charge

Visit a beautiful baroque church

I am not much of a church person (even though I am a devoted Catholic) but all my friends in the island kept telling me that one of the best things to do in São Jorge island in the Azores is to visit the church of Manadas (also called Igreja de Santa Bárbara) so I decided to go there.

And they were absolutely right! It is an incredible baroque church dating from the end of the 18th century. It is a small church, entirely decorated with gilded carvings and with a magnificent painted wooden ceiling.

On the other hand, another thing I loved about this church is the fact that the visit is accompanied by a local guide, who explains everything about the history of the church and the different altars.

Price: free of charge.

Have a picnic in Fajã João Dias

Fajã João Dias is one of the very first places I ever visited on my first trips to São Jorge, and it was love at first sight. It is a remote fajã, without electricity (each house has its own power generator), where a community of happy vacationers go on weekends.

Although small, here you will find changing rooms where you can take a free shower, as well as toilets.

In front of the sea there is a table with a magnificent view of the small bay of Fajã João Dias, and one of the best things to do in São Jorge island in the Azores is having a picnic there.

There are basically two hiking trails to get to Fajã João Dias:

• The new trail, which is the first road sign, from someone driving from Beira. It starts at the swing in the Fajã de João Dias, where you can park your car. The views from this hiking trail are fantastic, but keep in mind that both Jeeps and quad bikes can drive on the trail, which is a serious bummer for me.

• The old trail, which is the first road sign, from someone driving from Beira. You can only do this trail walking BUT it is not an interesting trail because it’s covered with vegetation, so you can’t see a foot in front of your nose when you’re going down.

All and all, one of the best things to do in São Jorge island in the Azores is NOT to hike to Fajã de João Dias but instead to get there, meet its fantastic people, have a bath in the ocean and a picnic with a great view.

Price: free of charge (if you come back on the same path that you took to go down).

Taste the famous clams of São Jorge island

São Jorge is the only place in the Azores islands where clams are produced, precisely in the lagoon in Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo. There are strict quotas (of how many clams can be caught every year) following a strict calendar and currently only three companies / people have the license to catch the clams, so it is a very expensive delicacy.

A lot of other bloggers write that you have to have the clams of São Jorge in the only restaurant in Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo but that is bullshit. During summer time, when the clams are caught, you can eat them in any restaurant in the island!

Price: 50€ / kg (it is quite expensive!).