Pico or Faial, or both

They are not alternatives

Pico and Faial sit across a narrow channel from each other, and the ferry between Horta and Madalena is short enough that day trips in both directions are routine. Most people who reach either island see both, so the real question is not which to visit. It is which one to sleep on.

What each is for

Faial has Horta: a working harbour, the marina that transatlantic sailors stop at, and the social density that comes with a town. It is the more convivial of the two, and it is where the regional hospital is (see practical information).

Pico is the bigger, emptier island: 447 square kilometres, under 14,000 people, and a 2,351 metre volcano in the middle of it. It has the summit, the whale watching fleet on two coasts, and the UNESCO vineyard landscape. It does not have a town like Horta and does not pretend to.

Which to sleep on

Base on Faial if you want somewhere to walk out into in the evening, if you are travelling without a car, or if Horta itself is the draw.

Base on Pico if your days are the mountain, the boats and the vineyards. Every one of those starts early and none of them is near the ferry, so crossing each morning wastes the best part of the day. See where to stay.

Split the nights if you have a week. It is the most common arrangement and the least compromised.

The catch on Pico

Pico requires a car in a way Faial does not. See renting a car and driving on Pico before assuming a ferry-and-taxi plan will work.

What this page does not tell you

No Faial figures, no crossing times, no fares, no frequencies. This site covers Pico, and nothing about Faial beyond the outline above has been sourced here. Take crossing times from the operator.

See planning a trip, how many days you need, the 3-day itinerary if the trip is short, and the best time to visit for the season.