The Azores are an increasingly popular destination, and most international flights go to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel, the Azores’ largest island.
Ponta Delgada Airport – João Paulo II (PLD) is located about 3 kilometres / 2 miles west of the city centre.
Once there, you have a few ways to travel between the airport and your hotel.
Take a Taxi
Taxis usually line up outside the arrivals area. A ride between the airport and central Ponta Delgada costs €7-10, depending on the day of the week and time of the year. A luggage charge and night fee of €2 may apply on trips to and from the airport.
Ponta Delgada’s Taxi Association also offers a transfer service to your hotel, made by advance booking, which means the taxi driver will be waiting for your flight at the airport. The service has a fixed price of €12 from the airport to your hotel. To use the service from your hotel back to the airport, it costs €10. Check out www.taxispdl.com for more information.
Hire a Car
Renting a car is actually the best option to explore São Miguel Island. Major car rental companies as well as local ones are represented on Ponta Delgada. You can rent a car upon arrival at the airport between 6am and midnight from Monday to Sunday and follow our suggested itineraries:
To get the best deal, check out the websites and compare prices from some of the following car rental companies: Autatlantis, Europcar, Guerin, Hertz, Ilha Verde, Sixt and Wayzor.
At the time of writing, there’s no bus service (MiniBus) running between Ponta Delgada Airport and the city centre, despite being licensed.
