Terceira, Azores

Our flight schedule from Flores to Terceira via Horta looked much better when I booked it back in June 2025. But as is common on smaller regional airlines, the flight schedules for the fleet were optimized closer to the date, and so we ended up with a five hour layover in Horta. (The flights themselves are only 50 minutes and 40 minutes respectively).

We packed up from our bnb in Flores, one of our favourite places on this trip. I topped up the tank at the gas station just across from the airport, and then we returned the car and checked in for the flight. The carry-on suitcase weighed 8.1 kg, but the agent didn’t mind, and checked it for free. Our flight wasn’t until 11:15 and the agent suggested we go through security around 10:35. We had about 40 minutes to kill so we walked back out of the airport and down to the waterfront (it’s a small airport).

There was a cruise ship visiting Flores today, the Hanseatic Nature, with 230 passengers. It was too large to dock, so it anchored outside the harbour and sent passengers in via a zodiac. We ran into some of the passengers walking around the waterfront while we waited for security to open for our flight. It didn’t seem like they were getting a good flavour of Flores (the waterfront is not exactly a highlight here), but I guess to each their own.

Anyways walked back to the airport and went through security. The captain of our adventurous boat ride from Corvo recognized us and said hi (presumably he was there to pick up incoming clients). That reminded me to post reviews for all the folks that helped us that evening, which I did while we waited to board.

It’s only 50 minutes from Flores to Horta. We were on the wrong side of the plane again for pics :(

Most of the folks on the flight were carrying on to Ponta Delgada, leaving just five of us in the terminal waiting for the 16:40 flight to Terceira.

Luckily I had made sandwiches to use up the rest of our charcuterie, as there was just a vending machine in the terminal at Horta. The sandwiches were good, followed with a coffee from the vending machine and some chocolate Heather had bought in Flores.

Finally our flight time rolled around, and we boarded for the 40 minute flight to Terceira. We were on the wrong side yet again for pics :(

Picked up our luggage at the conveyor belt (Corvo was too small for conveyors, they just push the luggage through the floppy rubber flaps like how beer used to be delivered at Brewers Retail stores in the 80s). We looked around for P1 where our rental car was. We walked out the complete opposite end of the airport from P1; oh well, we needed the walk as we’d been pretty sedentary all day.

The keys were in the glove compartment, as well as the rental agreement for me to sign. It was a Dacia Sandero, a very basic model, with no console screen. So no CarPlay and no rear view cam for reversing. Just like my old 89 Honda Civic :) At least all our luggage fit in the trunk.

Our hotel was across the island, 35 minutes away. We checked in, and then got ready for dinner. We had earlier asked the hotel for dinner recommendations, and they had made reservations for us at Restaurante Doze Ribeiras.

It’s a bit of a foodie restaurant. We had the lapas (limpets) in butter garlic sauce which was amazing. Then we had a couple fishes, grilled perfectly in the open kitchen. It was way too much food and very yummy. We even tried their dessert after which was great too.

It was a bit tricky driving back to the hotel in the dark. The roads are very narrow, especially down the smaller roads lined with rock walls. We fell asleep pretty quickly.