Islet of Vila Franca do Campo

Vila Franca is an unusual beach in the crater of an old volcano, located on a tiny islet near the Sao Miguel island, Azores. The water is shallow with a stony bottom. There is also a small sandy area good for smaller children. So in a contrast to most of Atlantic, the water is warm, and there are no waves. The islet has toilet room and lifeguards. Shore and seabed: stones, sand. [edit]

Coordinates: 37.705823, -25.443708

See also: Sao Miguel island

Hotels [edit]

There are no hotels on the islet, as well as camping is prohibited. On the other hand, the town of Vila Franca has a lot of accommodation options from US$50 per night. However, the average rooms' fares are about US$100-200.

How to get there [edit]

Fly to Sao Miguel international airport (PDL). Follow by taxi or by bus to the town of Vila Franca do Campo.

To get to the islet, you have to purchase a boat ticket early in the morning in the booth at the marina (5 euros per person for the round trip). There is a daily quota of a maximum 400 people, so usually all tickets are sold out before noon.

Then you may take any boat, that runs once per hour (or even much more often during the high season). The journey takes 10 minutes per way. In order to take a place under a tree, you have to get by the first boat.

When to go [edit]

The best time to relax on the islet of Vila Franca is a warm summer half of the year.

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