Experience the best of Angra do Heroísmo

Angra do Heroísmo, on the south coast of Terceira island in the Azores, was a key stop for ships sailing between Europe, Africa, India and the Americas from the fifteenth century. Its old town, a grid of cobbled streets lined with whitewashed and pastel houses trimmed in dark volcanic stone, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1980 and kept its old shape. The Sé Cathedral and the Jardim Duque da Terceira are at its heart.

Monte Brasil, a volcanic headland closing the bay, is crowned by the São João Baptista fortress, built under Spanish rule in the 1590s, and has parkland and lookouts. Inland, the Algar do Carvão is a volcanic chimney leading to a cavern with a lake, and the fumaroles of Furnas do Enxofre steam in the highlands. At Biscoitos, vines grow in black lava walls, and natural lava pools open to the sea.

Alcatra, beef slowly cooked in a clay pot with wine, onions and spices, is the signature dish of Terceira, served with sweet bread, and the island has its own cheeses and linguiça sausage. In June the Sanjoaninas festival fills the streets, and on summer evenings bulls are led on ropes through villages. The weather is mild, changeable and green.