Sete Cidades, Azores: Viewpoints, Lakes and How to Visit

Miradouros

The best Sete Cidades viewpoints

The crater rim is ringed with viewpoints, each showing the lakes from a different angle. These are the ones worth stopping at, roughly in the order you reach them coming from Ponta Delgada.

• Pico do Carvão Viewpoint: the first big view on the road from Ponta Delgada, over green volcanic cones to both the north and south coasts. Just beyond it, the stone arches of the old Aqueduto do Carvão and the “wall of nine windows” (Muro das Nove Janelas) make a short, photogenic stop.
• Vista do Rei Viewpoint: the classic view of the blue and green lakes with the village beyond, named after the visit of King Carlos and Queen Amélia in 1901. Parking right by the road.
• The abandoned Monte Palace Hotel, right next to Vista do Rei: the large concrete building beside the viewpoint opened in 1989 as a luxury hotel with the best view in the Azores, closed after only about a year and a half and has stood empty ever since. Stripped and covered in graffiti, it became famous online as an “abandoned hotel with a view”, and plans to restore it have been announced more than once.

  ⛔ Entering is forbidden. The hotel is private property and closed to the public. The building is structurally unsafe, with open drops, broken stairs and loose concrete, and it is not monitored. Don’t climb fences or go inside, even if you see others doing it. The view from the public viewpoint next to it is the same one the hotel was built for.

• Grota do Inferno Viewpoint: the most spectacular view, over a narrow ridge to several lakes at once. Park at Lagoa do Canário and walk about 15–20 minutes along a forest track. Busy in summer; go early.
• Lagoa de Santiago Viewpoint: a small, steep-sided crater lake hidden in the forest, just off the road down to the village.
• Cerrado das Freiras Viewpoint: a quieter spot on the rim road with a wide view over the lakes.
• Cumeeiras Viewpoint: on the northern rim, looking across the crater and out to the north coast.
• Escalvado Viewpoint: outside the crater on the west coast, over the cliffs and the village of Mosteiros. One of the best sunset spots on the island.

Lagoas

The lakes of Sete Cidades

The crater floor holds two main lakes, joined by a narrow channel crossed by a bridge. Lagoa Azul, the blue lake, is the larger; Lagoa Verde, the green lake, is smaller and shallower. Their different colours come from the depth, the light and the algae, but local legend tells of a princess with blue eyes and a shepherd with green eyes whose tears filled the two lakes when they were forbidden to marry.

Around them are smaller lakes worth seeking out:

• Lagoa de Santiago: deep green, in a small crater of its own.
• Lagoa Rasa: a shallow lake on the crater floor.
• Lagoa do Canário: a small lake in the cedar forest outside the rim, the start of the walk to Grota do Inferno.
• Lagoa das Empadadas: two quiet forest lakes a short drive east of the crater.

On the lakeshore

Sete Cidades village and São Nicolau church

Most visitors only see the village from the rim, but it is worth half an hour on the crater floor. Sete Cidades is a small farming village on the shore of Lagoa Azul, with a few cafés and restaurants, a picnic area by the water and the bridge between the blue and green lakes a short walk away.

Its landmark is the Igreja de São Nicolau, the parish church built in 1857. The white church with dark stone trim stands at the end of a long, straight path lined with tall trees and, in early summer, hydrangeas: one of the most photographed spots in the crater. The interior is simple; the setting is the reason to come. Allow 10–15 minutes for the church and its little garden.

On foot

Hiking in Sete Cidades

• Grota do Inferno (easy): about 15–20 minutes each way from the Lagoa do Canário car park to the viewpoint.
• The crater rim (moderate): the classic route follows the rim from the Vista do Rei area and descends into the village, about 12 km and 3–4 hours. Arrange a taxi back to your car, or start and finish in the village.
• Serra Devassa (easy to moderate): a loop through the forest and past small lakes east of the crater, near Lagoa das Empadadas.
• Around the lakes (easy): a flat walk on the crater floor around Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde.

Check the official trail status before you go: paths can close after heavy rain.

Access

How to get to Sete Cidades

• By car: about 30 minutes from Ponta Delgada. The usual route climbs west past the Pico do Carvão area to the rim viewpoints, then drops into the crater to the village. Parking is free but fills up by mid-morning in summer.
• By bus: a few buses a day run between Ponta Delgada and the village, but they don’t stop at the rim viewpoints.
• By tour: half-day and full-day tours from Ponta Delgada, by minibus or jeep, include the main viewpoints and often a stop at a pineapple plantation or Ferraria.
• By taxi: taxis offer fixed-price trips and will drop hikers at the start of the rim walk.

Planning

A day at Sete Cidades

1. Early morning: Pico do Carvão on the way, then Vista do Rei, then the walk to Grota do Inferno from Lagoa do Canário.
2. Late morning: down into the crater: the bridge between the lakes, São Nicolau church and the village, and a kayak or a walk by Lagoa Azul.
3. Lunch: a café in the village, or a picnic by the lake.
4. Afternoon: drive down to the coast for a soak in the ocean hot spring at Ponta da Ferraria.
5. Sunset: Escalvado Viewpoint, then the lava pools and beach at Mosteiros.

Short on time? A half day covers Vista do Rei, Grota do Inferno and the village.

Combine with

Near Sete Cidades

• Ponta da Ferraria: a natural pool where a hot spring flows into the ocean, about 20 minutes from the crater. Best at low tide. See all the Azores hot springs compared.
• Mosteiros: a village with a black-sand beach, lava pools and sea stacks, the best sunset spot on the west coast. More on the island’s beaches in São Miguel beaches.
• Lagoa das Empadadas: two quiet forest lakes just east of the crater.

Back to the full São Miguel guide, or open the São Miguel map to see every place around the crater.

Questions

Sete Cidades FAQ