After visiting family and touring the island of Faial, we had a free day, so we decided to catch a ferry to an island that we had never been to before.

Boat rides between the two islands are the most popular means of transportation. One thing that is extremely convenient, is that as long as the weather permits you can expect the boats to be departing every 30 minutes.

Each of the islands operates on different lines, connecting the ports in order of popularity. During the summer months, there are two (2) additional operational lines, the yellow and white, in order to best keep up with the increase of rides necessary during the Festa months.

As someone who is always looking for a great deal, do know that if you have an opportunity to purchase tickets on the islands themselves, it will be cheaper than trying to purchase them ahead of time. Purchasing them ahead of time via the internet only adds exchange fees that tend to add up quickly.

We took the blue line from Horta, Faial to Madalena, Pico for 12 euros per person in order to spend the day on the island. That evening after swimming the majority of the day, we took another boat from São Roque, Pico into Calheta, São Jorge for 10.50 euros per person.

You may find that photographs in mobile view are cropped disproportionately. Viewing these pages on a desktop will remedy the situation. 

We decided to spend our day just walking around the port town of Madalena, visiting the church, walking through the streets to see what the city had to offer, and most importantly looking for a bite to eat.

Alongside the coast, there are several small cafes and ice cream shops, so there is a variety of snacking options to chose from before hitting the water.

My love for the water tends to pull me to it any chance it has. As the most popular pastime, it is only fitting for us to spend the day in the water. Many will jump off the volcanic rocks formations into the water or off the docks between ship arrivals. Being that the water here is so calm due to the man-made barriers for the port, this particular area is quickly crowded during peak times of lunch and the afternoon.

In my bias opinion, nothing beats the warm, crystal clear water against your skin.

About an hour prior to us departing to São Jorge, we caught a taxi. Twenty-three (23) minute taxi ride later, we arrived at the northern port city, São Roque.