If you are planning a trip around the Azores archipelago, the small island of Faial is the perfect destination to experience the natural wonders of these beautiful islands. Popular for whale-watching trips, unspoiled Faial forms part of a triangle with its neighbours São Jorge and Pico.

Faial is known as the “Blue Island" for the billowing mass of blue hydrangeas that bloom across the island in spring and summer.

Horta is the main urban centre on the island and its harbour is a regular stopping point for yachts crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Unless you are arriving by sea, to reach Faial, you’ll need to catch a plane from the Portuguese capital Lisbon to Horta Airport which also offers connecting flights to the Azores islands of Flores, Ponta Delgada, Corvo and Terceira. Horta Airport serves over 200,000 passengers every year and is a major hub for the Azores islands.

If you want to plan a road trip around Faial, the drive takes just under two hours and you’ll find the roads are quiet and easy to navigate. Our friendly Avis car rental team at Horta Airport are experts on the island and ready to welcome you with the perfect rental vehicle for your trip.

You’ll find our Avis counter inside the terminal building at Horta Airport – just follow signs after the baggage reclaim. You’ll be collecting your hire car from the Avis rental car park a short walk from the terminal entrance.

Horta Airport is located 10 km from Horta city on the south-east coast of Faial Island and close to the villages of Atalaia, Castelo Branco, Feteira and Santa Catarina.

From the Avis car park at Horta Airport, you’ll turn right onto the coast road and head east on the EN1-1A and EN2-2A for the drive of around 10min into the centre of the city.

With its pretty yacht-filled harbour, Horta has a cosmopolitan feel. As well as its fishing industry and important place as a marine observation centre, the sheltered port is a destination for boats crossing the Atlantic and arriving from the Caribbean and Mediterranean making its 300-berth marina the 4th most visited in the world.

The city is also host to a number of annual international sailing events including Sea Week in August which brings together yachts and whale watching canoes. Alongside the yachts, the marina has an added attraction – it’s known as the most colourful harbour in the world for the murals painted on its walls by ships crews.

On your visit, stroll around in the late afternoon and watch the sun go down at the island’s famous bar, Peter’s Café Sport, a popular haunt for the sailing community for more than 80 years.  

Check out the Scrimshaw Museum above the café dedicated to a collection of centuries-old whale-bone carvings. Turn your back on the sea, tour the old town with its colourful, narrow streets filled with cafes and restaurants and stop off at the town’s museum dedicated to its marine history. Make your way back to the quayside to the Fort of Santa Cruz which dates back to the 1500s as a mainstay of the Azores defenses but today is an attractive heritage hotel. Before you leave Horta, stop off at the horseshoe-shaped Porta Pim Bay with its sandy beach and great views over the town.

If you are planning a road trip around Faial, the drive could take just under two hours but it’s worth taking a day or two to explore the island. One of the highlights is the highest peak on the island, Faial’s Caldeira crater, around 25 min drive from Horta via the EN2-2A or EN1-2A. You can park near the summit and on a clear day you can see for miles. There is an 8km walking trail around rim of the crater which takes around 2.5hrs.

Cross to the west of the island to see the Capelinhos, the site of the 1958 volcanic eruption on Faial which created a new landscape. There is a museum at the site and you can also climb to the lighthouse while you are there. You can reach the Capelinhos in 35min from Horta via the EN1-1A.

Hiring a car at Horta Airport gives you the freedom to explore the Azores island of Faial at your own pace. While there is a bus which circuits the island, to reach remote locations, car rental is the most practical option.

The Avis team at Horta Airport is ready to offer advice on the best places to go and to help make your car rental run smoothly from the moment you land.

The roads on Faial are quiet and touring the island you’ll be using good, open roads. As in Portugal and the rest of mainland Europe, you’ll be driving on the right-hand side of the road as you leave Horta airport.