Povoação
A town on the south-east coast of São Miguel, the first settlement of the island.

Gastronomy and traditions
Povoação shares the flavours of São Miguel — fresh fish, local beef and the famous Furnas stew, cooked in the volcanic ground of the nearby valley — and its festivals, with their processions and music, are part of the Azorean calendar.
Nearby
The council includes the valley of Furnas, with the Lagoa das Furnas, the Parque Terra Nostra and the thermal springs of Caldeira Velha.
Visiting Povoação
Povoação is on the south-east coast of São Miguel, about 60 kilometres from Ponta Delgada, reached by road. Access to the town is free; for local services and events, check with the municipality before your visit.
Visitor information: cm-povoacao.pt.
Image credit: Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, by Portuguese_eyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Gastronomy and traditions
Povoação shares the flavours of São Miguel — fresh fish, local beef and the famous Furnas stew, cooked in the volcanic ground of the nearby valley — and its festivals, with their processions and music, are part of the Azorean calendar.
Nearby
The council includes the valley of Furnas, with the Lagoa das Furnas, the Parque Terra Nostra and the thermal springs of Caldeira Velha.
Visiting Povoação
Povoação is on the south-east coast of São Miguel, about 60 kilometres from Ponta Delgada, reached by road. Access to the town is free; for local services and events, check with the municipality before your visit.
Visitor information: cm-povoacao.pt.
Image credit: Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, by Portuguese_eyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Gastronomy and traditions
Povoação shares the flavours of São Miguel — fresh fish, local beef and the famous Furnas stew, cooked in the volcanic ground of the nearby valley — and its festivals, with their processions and music, are part of the Azorean calendar.
Nearby
The council includes the valley of Furnas, with the Lagoa das Furnas, the Parque Terra Nostra and the thermal springs of Caldeira Velha.
Visiting Povoação
Povoação is on the south-east coast of São Miguel, about 60 kilometres from Ponta Delgada, reached by road. Access to the town is free; for local services and events, check with the municipality before your visit.
Visitor information: cm-povoacao.pt.
Image credit: Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, by Portuguese_eyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- The town centre, with its churches and old houses.
- The viewpoints over the coast and the green hills.
- The nearby Furnas valley, with its hot springs and lake.
- The coastal roads and small beaches of the south-east.
Gastronomy and traditions
Povoação shares the flavours of São Miguel — fresh fish, local beef and the famous Furnas stew, cooked in the volcanic ground of the nearby valley — and its festivals, with their processions and music, are part of the Azorean calendar.
Nearby
The council includes the valley of Furnas, with the Lagoa das Furnas, the Parque Terra Nostra and the thermal springs of Caldeira Velha.
Visiting Povoação
Povoação is on the south-east coast of São Miguel, about 60 kilometres from Ponta Delgada, reached by road. Access to the town is free; for local services and events, check with the municipality before your visit.
Visitor information: cm-povoacao.pt.
Image credit: Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, by Portuguese_eyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- The town centre, with its churches and old houses.
- The viewpoints over the coast and the green hills.
- The nearby Furnas valley, with its hot springs and lake.
- The coastal roads and small beaches of the south-east.
Gastronomy and traditions
Povoação shares the flavours of São Miguel — fresh fish, local beef and the famous Furnas stew, cooked in the volcanic ground of the nearby valley — and its festivals, with their processions and music, are part of the Azorean calendar.
Nearby
The council includes the valley of Furnas, with the Lagoa das Furnas, the Parque Terra Nostra and the thermal springs of Caldeira Velha.
Visiting Povoação
Povoação is on the south-east coast of São Miguel, about 60 kilometres from Ponta Delgada, reached by road. Access to the town is free; for local services and events, check with the municipality before your visit.
Visitor information: cm-povoacao.pt.
Image credit: Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, by Portuguese_eyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
On the south-east coast of São Miguel, Povoação is where the island’s history began — the first settlers landed here in the fifteenth century. Sheltered by green hills and close to the famous Furnas valley, it is a quiet town with deep roots.
History and identity
Povoação was the first settlement of São Miguel, founded in the 1430s, and served as the island’s early administrative centre. Its name — “settlement” — recalls that origin, and the town keeps the atmosphere of the old Azorean villages, with its churches and its views over the sea.
What to see and do
- The town centre, with its churches and old houses.
- The viewpoints over the coast and the green hills.
- The nearby Furnas valley, with its hot springs and lake.
- The coastal roads and small beaches of the south-east.
Gastronomy and traditions
Povoação shares the flavours of São Miguel — fresh fish, local beef and the famous Furnas stew, cooked in the volcanic ground of the nearby valley — and its festivals, with their processions and music, are part of the Azorean calendar.
Nearby
The council includes the valley of Furnas, with the Lagoa das Furnas, the Parque Terra Nostra and the thermal springs of Caldeira Velha.
Visiting Povoação
Povoação is on the south-east coast of São Miguel, about 60 kilometres from Ponta Delgada, reached by road. Access to the town is free; for local services and events, check with the municipality before your visit.
Visitor information: cm-povoacao.pt.
Image credit: Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, by Portuguese_eyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sehenswertes
More to explore
Festa do Divino Espírito Santo
The great feast of the Holy Spirit in the Azores, in the Impérios and the processions of Terceira.
Plantação de Ananás Augusto Arruda
A traditional pineapple plantation in the Azores, with its white glasshouses and small museum.
Gorreana Tea Estate
Europe’s oldest tea plantation, on the green north coast of São Miguel in the Azores.
Erlebnisse





