Things to know: 1. Admission is for up to 100 people for an hour and a half. If you arrive at a random time, you may not have a place. 2. Admission costs 10 euros per adult, less for children and the elderly, and there are also lockers for storing for 2 euros per unit. 3. There are 4 pools with varying heights from knee to thigh at the temperature of a jacuzzi and another pool with a waterfall at the temperature of a shower. 4. You can purchase tickets for viewing only without bathing. 5. The experience is pleasant and a little crowded, but not too much, thanks to the restrictions. There are plenty of toilets and changing rooms.

I had such a magical time at Caldeira Velha, it’s peaceful and beautiful. If you’re lucky it’ll rain while you’re there, really such a cool place. There’s not many bathrooms though, but there’s plenty of changing rooms.

Amazing place regardless of the weather, but even more amazing if you know about these hacks: 1. Book your tickets in advance and, if you can, arrange your schedule so as to visit the hot springs on a weekday to avoid crowds of tourists (the place IS touristy though, so you'll probably be with a lot of other people). 2. When booking your tickets, choose the first time slot of the day (the one that starts at 9.00 AM). 3. Before heading to the park, pack a swimsuit, a towel AND swimming shoes! Ideally, it's better to already wear a swimsuit under your clothes (this will be life-changing for your experience, you will see why if you continue reading). 4. If you plan on taking a backpack with you, make sure to empty it from all things that won't be necessary for visiting the park and leave as many things as possible in your car or at your accommodation. 5. If you've just entered the park and haven't put on your swimsuit yet, you may want to change. DON'T stop at the very first changing cabins you'll see. There are other cabins higher up on the path which are considerably less crowded, behind which there are lockers to store your stuff in. On your way to those cabins, you will find a building with a desk, a small museum and, close to it, another small building with showers. Go to the desk and ask for a lock to close your locker (if you've booked the tickets online, I think it is possible to also mention whether or not you may want to use a locker... and trust me, you do!). 6. After getting the lock at the desk, head over to the changing cabins near the waterfall and get changed. Put your personal belongings in the lockers behind the cabins. A lot of people also put their stuff on the ground near the springs. 7. Head back towards the desk where you came from and take a shower (most tourists don't even see the showers so they don't use them and that might be very unhygienic!). 8. You are ready for a nice bath/swim. Enjoy!

Very cosy, 4 warm medium size thermal lakes. The security staff are not very friendly, and unnecessarly strict and not welcoming, which we didn't appreciate. Other staff members were ok. You also have to pay for hot shower and locker extra money, which is uncomfortable if you pay already quite enough for 1.5h entirence.

Nice and surreal place to take a hot plunge. I thought the pools will be warmer. It is absolutely mandatory to get your ticked a day ahead of your visit

A park with natural spa. Buy tickets online in advance! The price of the ticket was 10 eur for adults, the price for a locker was 2 eur. Lockers are quite old, and do not have much space inside (I put my backpack and my shoes inside the locker). Your ticket is valid for 1 hour and 30 minutes, I suggest buying ticket for the first time slot (from 9.00 am to 10.30 am), at that slot there aren't that many people inside yet, you have a lot of empty parking spaces, and you most likely get an overall better spa experience. Spa has 4 natural pools. Pool at the top is the most beautiful with a waterfall, and the coldest water (water temperature around 24 degreec Celsius). Three pools below are smaller and the water thete is much warmer (probably around 40 degrees celsius, different temperatures on each pool). Close to the pools are two shower cabins, and two toilets (one for males and one for females). You get the keylock for the locker at the wodden cabin by the toilets. I think there can be max 100 visitors at the same time slot in the spa. I recommend visiting the spa, if you are visiting the island, it is really one of a kind experience.

We had a fun time exploring the thermal springs here. There are three sets of springs you can enter and one that has boiling temperature water so you cannot. The first and second were hot springs and the third was much colder but had a nice waterfall and picture opportunity. The second seemed to be the most crowded and the highest spring the least (probably due to the colder water). Research told us to buy tickets to the first available time slot and I would pass that bit of information on. In the interest of time, I would also recommend coming dressed ready to enter the springs, as we were able to walk in and were the first group to get into the springs. We enjoyed a good 10-15 minutes at the first spring before anyone even joined us.

What a beautiful beach. Very long beach with black sand. Waves were very big, when I visited the beach. I saw people swimming, and there were a lot of surfers there. There are restaurants and toilets at the start of the beach. Also there is a free parking lot there.

One of the best and largest beaches on the island. Perfect for windsurfing, a long walk, or just relaxing on the sand. Big waves, in some places a high sand threshold on the beach but most of the beach with a gentle slope. The scenery of green cliffs, rocks and stones covered with algae creates a really nice beach and also a restaurant/bar and a large car park (free). Just go and enjoy!

Amazing views and relaxing atmosphere! The beach has clean sand, great waves for surfing, and stunning natural beauty. Highly recommended for a peaceful escape and unforgettable moments in São Miguel.

Lovely soft black sand beach about a mile long with life guards at both ends and some nice looking cafes, changing rooms, showers and bathrooms. Chair rentals and surf lessons also available (although waves weren’t really big enough for that today). Plenty of parking.

Amazing beach! It’s really big with many free facilities. Free WC, showers, changing room and many life guards.the beach is really clean and some nice big waves. I definitely recommend this beach. And make sure you eat at the bar. Their food is great.

This was our favorite beach on the island. We often tried to end our day here. Stop by the close by supermarket, get few bottles of wine and some local cheese and head to the beach to swim and watch the sunset. The beach is long with soft send. It's also the local surfers favorite spot and many of them are in the water trying to catch some waves. There's a bathroom and a restaurant on the cliff top.

This beach is awesome if you want to relax, watch surfers and enjoy a beautiful sunset. There are also facilities like fresh water showers and a few small shops nearby to grab an ice cream or drink. Be careful if you take a swim, because there are strong currents and few lifeguards for the length of the beach.

This is such a beautiful viewpoint to hang out. There is a souvenir kiosk at the end of the path. Sunset is also stunning from here.

Must visit during day! The views are one of the most beautiful in the island. You can get there easily with the car.

Worth a stop on the way. In the beautiful moments between the rain and fog, when the sun shone on the area, the view of the coast and the hinterland was truly beautiful. However, the really strong wind was annoying, which made it impossible to keep a steady hand while taking photos.

Nice viewpoint where you can see the coast on both sides. Plenty of parking available, but no toilet facilities.

Amazing view, strongly recomnend visiting, if you are passing by.

We was here 15 of November, it was windy. It’s good to take with you warm clothes

Beautiful views, even in bad weather it's worth a visit.

Lovely place, with a very interesting exhibition and personal introduction by a very simpatic guide! Really nicely showing how tabacco products where manufactured in the 90's.

Fascinating place to visit..so much history here...this tobacco factory was a booming industry in Maia until 1988 when external elements forced it's closure...this is a must see.. absolutely loved walking through this former factory

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Tobacco Museum. Our guide was exceptionally helpful and informative. We were impressed by the meticulous process of tobacco production spanning over a century and how beautifully everything has been restored, despite its previous condition. The 1.5-hour tour flew by as we learned so much. We highly recommend a visit!

Wonderful guided tour. Incredible quality exhibits. Truly a hidden gem.

As a nonsmoker myself, I actually found the experience highly engaging. It was about the people working there and how they kept this tradition alive as much as about the process itself. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and passionate and can’t believe it was only 3,5 euro for the full experience! Highly recommend the visit.

With a lot of love well preserved and presented from a wonderful woman called Ermelinda. Her parents worked in the factory back in the days! Thank you so much for your time and your great presentation 🙏🏼

Worth visiting! Even as a non smoker😉. There is a lot more to tobacco than I knew. Madalena provided a great tour in English. Very informative with room for all questions. The exhibition is in the process of being extended.

(Translated by Google) The museum was a bit disappointing. The most important museum piece are the nun's dolls and houses. Everything displayed in a large display case. There is not much to see in the rest of the museum. It was very warm in the museum and we quickly saw it. This was certainly not the fault of the enthusiastic tour guide. She had a lot to say. Beforehand we were shown a 10-minute film with Dutch subtitles. (Original) Het museum viel wat tegen. Het belangrijkste museumstuk zijn de poppetjes en huisjes van een non. Alles uitgestald in een grote vitrine. In de rest van het museum valt niet zoveel te zien. Het was heel warm in het museum en wij hadden het gauw gezien. Dit lag zeker niet aan de enthousiaste rond leidster. Zij wist heel veel te vertellen. Vooraf kregen wij een 10 minuten durende film te zien met Nederlandse ondertiteling.

This museum shows you what real dedication and faith is.

(Translated by Google) Without a doubt one of the best kept secrets of the Azores. It has been classified as the first treasure of the Azorean Archipelago. The house is small but well worth the visit. At the beginning, a video is shown that is essential for understanding the history behind this true jewel. There are also some very interesting small temporary exhibitions. I highly recommend it. (Original) Sem dúvida um dos segredos mais bem guardados dos Açores. Foi classificado como o primeiro tesouro do Arquipélago Açoriano. A casa é pequena mas vale bem a pena a visita. No início é apresentado um video que é fundamental para a compreensão da história que está por trás desta verdadeira jóia. Também são apresentadas algumas pequenas exposições temporárias muito interessantes. Recomendo vivamente

(Translated by Google) A special museum, and in August 2025, I was the only visitor, which I found extremely pleasant, even though the museum deserves more attention. At the beginning, a film (also in English) is shown about the life and work of the nun who arranged hundreds of tiny figures made of rice flour, gelatin, ground glass, gum arabic, and the like into biblical scenes. The attention to detail and the delicate craftsmanship of all the figures are amazing. The staff are also happy to answer questions, so communication in English is no problem. A visit is definitely worth it. In the immediate vicinity of the museum hangs a painting by the artist Yves Decoster, which I thought was both thematically and in its execution. (Original) Ein besonderes Museum und im August 2025 war ich der einzige Besucher, was ich äußerst angenehm fand, auch wenn das Museum mehr Beachtung verdient. Zu Beginn wird ein Film (auch in Englisch) über das Leben und Wirken der Nonne gezeigt, die hunderte winzige Figuren aus Reismehl, Gelatine, gemahlenem Glas oder Gummi arabicum und dergleichen zu Bibelszenen arrangiert hat. Sagenhaft, diese detailtreue und wie filigran alle Figuren gestaltet sind. Auch beantworten die Mitarbeiter gerne Fragen, die Verständigung in Englisch somit kein Problem. Unbedingt besuchen, lohnt sich. In unmittelbarer Nähe zum Museum hängt auch ein Gemälde des Künstlers Yves Decoster, was ich thematisch klasse fand, auch in der Umsetzung.

(Translated by Google) The Casa do Arcano Museum is the custodian of a fascinating work, a Lapinha with thousands of miniature pieces depicting biblical scenes. However, the lighting is inadequate in a display case that compromises the appreciation of this unique piece (there is specific lighting for sensitive works such as this, which requires technical knowledge). It is urgent that the Museum and the City Council improve the infrastructure to enhance this important cultural heritage of the Azores. (Original) O Museu Casa do Arcano é guardiã de uma obra fascinante, uma Lapinha com milhares de peças em miniatura a retratar cenas biblicas. No entanto, a iluminação é inadequada, num expositor que compromete apreciação desta peça única (existe iluminação específica para obras sensíveis como esta, requer conhecimento técnico). É urgente que o Museu e a Câmara Municipal melhorem a infraestrutura para valorizar esse importante patrimônio cultural dos Açores.

(Translated by Google) Extremely professional and incredibly friendly. Truly a hidden gem, a cultural and educational find. Recommended! (Original) Extremo profissionalismo, imensa simpatia. Efetivamente um tesouro escondido, um achado cultural e pedagógico. Recomendado!

(Translated by Google) Little-known house but with an interesting story: When religious orders were abolished in Portugal, a nun who left the convent "invented" a different way to spread the Bible - with a lot of art and ingenuity! (Original) Casa pouco divulgada mas com uma história interessante: Quando foram extintas as ordens religiosas em Portugal, uma freira saída do convento, "inventa" um modo diferente para divulgar a Bíblia - com muita arte e engenho!

Beautiful place with all the spirituality in there, it's the place where people come from all over the world to worship the "Imagem do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres" primarily in the middle of may.

One of the hubs of the town where locals and tourists gather, be prepared for some wannabe dj-s blasting their speakers on the public banks though. A place to experience local culture for sure, like random guys riding horses.

beautiful view. Simply great to see everything. And church also beautiful

Very ornate church. Definitely worth a visit if you're in town.

A great church with lots to see

Amazing place, must be seen ❤️

Must see it

Excellent for enjoying the view over the north of the island

It's impossible not to stop and admire everything around you.

Very nice views if you are lucky. Our weather was not in this time good. But still, good time enjoy it.

Don't go here during summer days when the only way to go up here is with a 70 minute, 5 EUR shuttle bus service from hell. Often nothing to see here anyway due to the clouds. If you're here between May and September, try to go after 19:00, when the road is open and it takes 5 minutes to drive up yourself.

Amazing view we got over town. Good for sunset or sunrise. We parked and eat.

Breathtaking views on the way to Lagoa do Fogo. Both Lagoa do Fogo and Bela Vista are a must if you are visiting the Azores. These stunning yellow flowers and periwinkle blue or red hydrangeas line the edge of this viewpoint. A quick stop, but a must.

Nice view over the north par of island

Entirence unser 25 is with discount. For adults 3€ per person. For very beautiful exhibitions. Loved it here 🌞🥹

Recommended must attend while in the area. Tree lined street, free street parking. Blissfully quiet surroundings, beautiful reconstructed buildings, and art on display. Wonderful views of the ocean from upper floors. Small charge (3 euro pp) for entry to exhibits.

I love the architecture of this place, but honestly the exhibition is a bit random. Mixed artworks without any explanation. Horribly curated if you ask me. More than half of the museum is closed or unused, so much wasted potential. Not just disappointing for me as a visitor who can't enter all rooms, but also a waste of space for upcoming artists who might be looking for exhibition venues. Please expand your exhibition and open all rooms for visitors, since you have such an amazing building! Also library closes for 90 minutes around lunch time which was a pity since I really enjoyed scrolling through the books.

The building is amazing. Worth seeing. The admission was 3 Eur. Good to spend some time with art. It gives different perspectives on life. Nice experience.

The exhibiotions were really interesting. Me and my boyfriend paid 6€ together. (There was no information that under 25 year olds only pay 1,50 per person)

A gem in Ribeira Grande, didn't know about its existence until the 3rd trip on this island! Beautiful building dedicated to the arts. Walked out feeling very inspired. There was also a small exhibition above the museum shop. The main highlight for us was all the interesting facts about the Azores islands that we learned from a lovely man in the library section. Thank you so much.

Awesome place. The only thing that was missing was art. We arrived at the moment they were preparing new exhibition.

Nice little museum in a former public market building. It deals with the Azorean diaspora both through time and then with sections on the communities of immigrants in different parts of the world. Included were discussions about the poverty and lack of opportunity in the past for some people, as well as things like avoiding military conscription during Portugal's colonial wars in the 60s and 70s. After 45 minutes or so we went to the food places in the market building next door and had lunch (there are eight or ten places from which to choose).

A wonderful experience, very educational and moving. We learned why my husband’s grandfather had to leave Sao Miguel at the age of 15 due to the level of poverty. The museum is beautifully laid out, and the lady who greeted us was very informative and welcoming.

Entrance fee was only 2 euros. It's a small museum you can finish in 20 minutes if you're in a hurry, 35 if you take the time to look at everything. Interesting piece of history about the emmigrations out of the Azores

Small but great museum about the history of Azores & its people. Took us about an hour to read everything. For those who does not speak English - use Google Translator with its camera, it will easily translate everything, the boards are structures for that. 🤟🏻

Great small but informative museum. €2 entry fee is great value.

A nice museum which i recommend for people visiting this island it tels quite interesting story with complete English translation but is overpriced with 2€ per person cost

Great museum — small but very informative. We enjoyed this precise window into Azorean migration. There are detailed statistics and explanations of immigration to Brazil, the US, Argentina, Bermuda, and other countries.

(Translated by Google) Beach and has a park for children to play. (Original) Praia e tem um parque para crianças brincarem.

(Translated by Google) Large bathing area with metal stairs and lots of fish. Good for snorkeling. There is a lifeguard. It is difficult to lay out towels as the area is rocky. There are showers and a bathroom. In bad weather the waves can reach the rocky area so be careful where you leave your things. (Original) Área balnear grande tem escadas de metal e muitos peixes. Bom para fazer snorkeling. Tem nadador salvador. É mau para estender toalhas a zona é toda rochosa. Tem chuveiros e casa de banho. Com mau tempo as ondas galgam a zona de pedras portanto atenção onde deixa as suas coisas.

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful, great for bathing (Original) Muito lindo , otima para banhos

Average room and basically equipped. The bed a little bit too soft. Nobody told us the system of breakfast (except the description in message about where the breakfast is). Very simply breakfast, no service, coffee was not there yet when we had breakfast.

Overall it's good 😊 The triple room we we were in was nice. Probably little for 3 but for a few nights that would do if you not a Hollywood star. Also the breakfast was okay. The worst we had in Sao Miguel but it is here and included with the night which is nice. Staff is nice. Flip side of the coin is the shared bathroom was downstairs so if you travel with elderly people it wouldn't be convenient at all. Also there is a big road behind so you can hear the cars rolling over a metallic thing.

We really enjoyed our stay here. Although the walls were thin and we were near the door, the other guests were really respectful. We didn't hear much noise. The breakfast was much better than we were expecting!

I think this was a cheap and nice way to stay at the Azores, everything was close from this place. Either by car or to the nearest beautiful beach, rooms were clean and breakfast was ok. Two bathrooms per house were sufficient, but sometimes we had to wait. Nice terrace with garden, ideal for evening/night talks outside. Overall experience 4,5/5. Lack of intimacy wasn't really felt here. Kitchen was fine, nothing fancy, but functional. An option with a washmashine would be great, cause there are strings outside to hang your washed clothes, but no washmashine. Room lacked more space to put your clothes from the luggage to. Beside that, room service was great. Every day fresh clean sheets. That's about it, if u're all day away, it's a great place to sleep over at.

We booked a room and was allocated it. But they gave that room to someone else for the night and messaged us in a rude language, saying that it was our fault somehow. When we called, the person talked very rudely and said ehy we are calling him.

Clean, well located house with friendly staff. Spacious rooms and common areas. The only downside is that as there is no AC, rooms get very hot during the summer. Unfortunately, during the night we had to keep the outdoor blinds down due to the street lamp just outside the window, limiting the pleasant breeze from the ocean.

This is not the prime location you have in other accommodations in Azores but it is quite a nice place (and very cheap). The rooms are large and spotless clean and so is the bathroom (we shared the bathroom) and the kitchen. The kitchen is well equipped, has lots of space for storage and a back yard for meals outside. The host is very friendly, gave us great tips and it is a really great place to stay if you are on a tight budget.

(Translated by Google) Maia Festival invites you to bathe, socialize and eat good food.🏊🏼‍♀️👍🏼🎉👏🏻🕊 (Original) Festa da Maia, convida ao banho, convívio e boa comida.🏊🏼‍♀️👍🏼🎉👏🏻🕊

(Translated by Google) A place of religious worship. It is spacious and has a simple and magnificent architecture, with paintings on the ceiling that draw the eye away as soon as you enter. (Original) Local de Culto Religioso. Amplo e de uma arquitetura simples e magistosa com suas pinturas no teto que desvião o olhar logo á entrada.

(Translated by Google) Excellent church (Original) Igreja excelente

(Translated by Google) Divine (Original) Divino

(Translated by Google) Great place to get to know the Azores and discover the best that Maia has to offer. 👍 (Original) Ótimo Posto para conhecer os Açores, e descobrir o que de melhor a Maia tem. 👍

(Translated by Google) Competent, friendly and helpful. A valuable help for those who visit us. (Original) Competentes, simpáticos e prestáveis. Uma ajuda preciosa para quem nos visita.

(Translated by Google) Highly functioning with great professionalism (Original) Altamente a funcionar com grande profissionalismo

(Translated by Google) Nice beach, but during our visit, swimming was prohibited here due to pollution. And it was really big and quite smelly. (Original) Hezká pláž, ale při naší návštěvě, zde bylo zakázané koupání z důvodu znečištění. A to bylo opravdu veliké a značně zapáchající.

(Translated by Google) Not great and a bit dirty (Original) Pas géniale et un peu sale

Fantastic views of the sea from here. Every corner on this island is another postcard worthy picture. Highly recommend to tour the island see as much as possible. We were here 10 days it it wasn't enough to do everything. Beautiful São Miguel, we will be back!

In the town of Maia, the cliffs offer serene views

Great playground area and picnic area with parking and scenic views!

Stunning and rugged scenery - go when the Atlantic is angry - huge spray and tidal drama. Geologists will get a kick out of the lava tube and caves ( no, you ain't getting out to either of them) and if there was calmer and warmer weather, there's tidal pools accessible by pathways ( and ladders!) down the cliff face. Untouristed in the winter, we had the entire waterfront of Maia to ourselves. Makes a nice visit just down from the Gorreanha Tea plantation ( road accessible from behind the parking lot - just drive to the right of the main building) . Rugged, dramatic, beautiful.

A beautiful view from the road, but you really have to go walk down and swim in the places you see attached to my review. Wonderful place on the northern shore of Sao Miguel.

Nice view, but nothing special! It s a good place to have a pocket lunch ! No bars in the surroundings and no trash bin so organize yourself!

Beautiful and you should take the time and do the "Maia - Pedra Queimada - Lajinha Degredo" Trail