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- Destinations
- Europe
- Portugal
- The Azores
The Azores
The remoteness of the archipelago of the Azores in the North
Atlantic has saved the nine beautiful green islands, which belong
to Portugal, from becoming overdeveloped. International flights do
make their way to the Azores, which lie 907 miles (1,460km) from
the coast of Europe, west of Portugal, but as yet tourism has not
spoilt the traditional way of life of the islanders or marred the
magnificent natural attractions, uncluding the steam vents and
geysers at Lagoa das Furnas, dramatic views and white sand beaches
of Lagoa da Fogo,and harbour at Faial Island.
Those who visit soon manage to drop the words 'stress' and
'pollution' from their vocabulary, and give in totally to enjoying
the islands' year round subtropical climate with mild temperatures
and high humidity. The only concern that might arise is the odd
earth tremor: the islands are rather geologically unstable and
pitted with volcanoes and hot sulphur springs. The 250,000
inhabitants seem unperturbed by this, however, and go about their
daily rounds much as their forefathers did hundreds of years
before. The daily business is generally agricultural labour. The
Azores is characterised by large tracts of vineyards and farmland,
sprinkled with little settlements of whitewashed houses. The gently
sloping hillsides are carpeted with vineyards and fruit orchards.
The coast of the islands is, in the main, rather rugged, but there
are bays and inlets with odd stretches of white sand for swimming
and sunbathing. Island hopping is simple to achieve because all the
islands are connected by ferry and local air services.
Information & Facts
Climate
The Azores islands have a sub-tropical climate, characterised by
high humidity and frequent fluctuations in weather patterns. The
islands enjoy pleasant temperatures year-round with mild winters
(January to March) and warm summers (July to September). The
highest rainfall in the Azores archipelago is from October through
to January.
Language
Portuguese is the official language, but English is
widely spoken and understood.
Money
Portugal is a member of the European Union and its official
currency is the Euro (EUR), which is divided into 100 cents. There
are numerous banks, bureaux de change and ATMs available in main
cities and tourist destinations. Foreign currency can be exchanged
at banks, bureaux de change and automatic currency exchange
machines. Banking hours are generally 8.30am to 3pm Monday to
Friday. Major credit cards are widely accepted, as are travellers
cheques.
Time
Local time is GMT (GMT +1 from last Sunday in March to
Saturday before last Sunday in October).