In the morning the caldera lies open: two lakes, one blue, one green.
Up top you walk the edge between the craters.
Around noon the cloud arrives – and it is all gone.
Scroll –
the fog is coming
Sete Cidades is the 5 km (3 mile) wide caldera at the western end of São Miguel, with the twin lakes Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde at 260 m (850 ft). There is no ticket, no guide requirement, no opening hours. CIVISA lists the volcano with no alert (V0) on 22 September 2026. The practical hurdles are fog, parking and a hotel ruin you are not allowed to enter.
Both viewpoints are accessible around the clock, free, with parking. Vista do Rei is wheelchair accessible and has restrooms. Boca do Inferno is a 15–20 minute walk from the lay-by on the EN9-1A.
Both trails are marked and open, both end down in the village. PR3SMI from Vista do Rei 7.5 km (4.7 miles) and 2 hours, PR4SMI along the crater rim 11.7 km (7.3 miles) and 3 hours. Closed only on severe-weather warnings; status at trails.visitazores.com.
Private property, main entrance walled up, entry prohibited. Inside: open elevator shafts and missing railings. That visitors still got in during 2025/2026 changes nothing.
Photo: José Luís Ávila Silveira/Pedro Noronha e Costa · Public domain
You drive up the ER9-2ª from Ponta Delgada, 25 minutes through pastures and hydrangea hedges, and suddenly the road ahead is missing: the ground drops 400 m (1,300 ft) into a basin holding two lakes. One mirrors the sky, the other the walls.
At Vista do Rei you stand next to the gray block of the Monte Palace and look at both lakes and the bridge that separates them. Four kilometers (2.5 miles) further east, at Boca do Inferno, a third lake joins in: Lagoa de Santiago in its own small crater, far below the rocky spur you are standing on.
Down in the village the lake is a shore with a picnic area. You can rent a kayak and paddle under the bridge from the blue lagoon into the green one. Up on the crater rim it is windy, there is no shade, and the view changes every few minutes – sun, cloud, sun.
That is the thing about Sete Cidades: the caldera makes its own weather. What is a postcard at nine is a white wall at eleven. Which is why the first tip on this page is not about parking but about the webcam.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026. Whether you see the lakes is up to the cloud – tours run in fog too.
Photo: Jan Helebrant · CC0
There is no reservation and no fee. What there is: a car park with a time limit, a building you may not enter, a bus that does not go where everyone wants to go – and fog.
Right at the viewpoint in front of the ruin there is a small short-stay car park with a 20-minute limit – for photos. If you stay longer or hike the PR3SMI, park at the larger lot at the junction behind it. Tour buses arrive in the morning, so come early.
The hotel is private property. The main entrance has been walled up; inside, railings are missing and elevator shafts stand open. Entry is prohibited and life-threatening. The best view of the ruin is from Vista do Rei anyway.
Lines 205–208 of Auto Viação Micaelense take about an hour from Ponta Delgada and end in the village of Sete Cidades at 260 m. There is no bus stop at Vista do Rei: from the village it is 2 hours up the PR3SMI, or a taxi.
The caldera clouds over as the morning goes on. Check the 'Sete Cidades Cumeeiras' webcam on spotazores.com before you leave and be at the top before 10 am. If it is white up there, go to the village or the shore first – the sun is often out below.
| Vista do Rei and Boca do Inferno viewpoints, PR3SMI and PR4SMI trails, car parks, lake shore | free |
| Two-seat kayak for one hour at Futurismo in the village, with life vest and insurance, from age 5 | €15 |
| Public bus Ponta Delgada – Sete Cidades (lines 205–208), about an hour to the village | fare not published |
Both trails are one-way and lead downhill into the village. To get back to the car you walk back up or take a taxi – sort that out beforehand.
| Miradouro da Vista do Rei (656 m / 2,152 ft) – on the ER9-2ª, platform overlooking both lakes and the village, wheelchair accessible, restrooms | 15–30 minutes · free |
| Miradouro da Boca do Inferno (about 850 m / 2,790 ft) – from the 'Lagoa do Canário' lay-by on the EN9-1A through the forest to the rocky spur above Lagoa de Santiago | 15–20 minutes each way · free |
| PR3SMI Vista do Rei – Sete Cidades – 7.5 km (4.7 miles) down the southwestern flank into the village, easy, one-way, steep and slippery final descent | 2 hours · free |
| PR4SMI Mata do Canário – Sete Cidades – 11.7 km (7.3 miles) along the crater rim, Muro das Nove Janelas aqueduct, Pico da Cruz, Boca do Inferno, then down into the village; moderate, no shade, often windy | 3 hours · free |
| Kayak, canoe or SUP on Lagoa Azul – from the lake shore in the village, under the bridge into Lagoa Verde; season roughly May to October | 1 hour · €15 per two-seat kayak |
Photo: Chris · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Sergey Ashmarin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Without a car: Auto Viação Micaelense, lines 205–208 from Ponta Delgada (stop 'Turismo' on the waterfront road) to Sete Cidades, about 1 hour; on weekdays five departures according to third-party timetables (8:25 am, 10:40 am, 3:00 pm, 5:30 pm, 6:50 pm), fewer on weekends, some with a change in Várzea or Ramal dos Mosteiros. The buses go to the village, not to Vista do Rei – from there it is a 2-hour walk up the PR3SMI or a taxi.
By car: From Ponta Delgada on the ER9-2ª via Relva and Feteiras up to Vista do Rei, about 20 km (12 miles), 25–30 minutes. Vista do Rei: small short-stay car park (20 minutes) right at the viewpoint, larger car park at the junction behind it; arrive early, tour buses in the morning. Boca do Inferno: gravel lay-by on the EN9-1A ('Lagoa do Canário'). Village: free car park at the picnic area on the lake shore. Leave nothing visible in the car.
Before 10 am: the caldera has its own microclimate and fills with cloud as the morning goes on; clear days often follow fronts with northeasterly wind. April to June are statistically the most reliable months (plus hydrangea bloom from June), September/October the quietest. Check the 'Sete Cidades Cumeeiras' webcam on SpotAzores before driving up – if it is foggy on top, go to the village or the lake shore first.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
The crater-rim road and the forest tracks around the caldera are buggy and quad territory. If you would rather pedal: e-bikes are available in the village, with a GPS track.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026.
Photo: JopkeB · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vista do Rei is the famous one, Boca do Inferno the better one: from the 'Lagoa do Canário' lay-by on the EN9-1A you walk 15–20 minutes to the rocky spur and see three lakes at once. Both are free.
20 minutes in the small lot right at the viewpoint. For longer – the PR3SMI, say – there is the larger car park at the junction behind it. Both free.
Yes, on lines 205–208 from Ponta Delgada in about an hour – but only to the village. From there the PR3SMI climbs two hours to Vista do Rei, or you take a taxi. Without a car, a tour is usually the simpler option.
Yes, CIVISA monitors Sete Cidades as an active system – the caldera last erupted in 1439, the flanks in 1713 and 1811. On 22 September 2026 there is no alert (V0), there are no fumaroles in the caldera and no restrictions.
Go to the village or the lake shore first; the sun is often out there while the rim sits in cloud. Then drive up again later – the cloud comes and goes. The 'Sete Cidades Cumeeiras' webcam shows you beforehand what it looks like.
Yes, everything is open, there are no closures. On 22 September 2026 CIVISA lists Sete Cidades at the lowest level (no alert, V0). The only hazards are drop-offs on the crater rim, slippery descents and the hotel ruin.
No. Viewpoints, roads, trails, car parks and the lake shore are free. The only things to spend money on are kayaks, SUPs or bikes in the village (about €15 per two-seat kayak per hour) and tours.
No. With a rental car you reach both viewpoints in 30 minutes from Ponta Delgada, and the PR3SMI and PR4SMI trails are marked in red and yellow. Tours only pay off if you have no car or want to see several sights on the island in one day.
By car about 20 km (12 miles) on the ER9-2ª to Vista do Rei, 25–30 minutes. The bus (Auto Viação Micaelense, lines 205–208) takes about an hour and goes to the village, not to the viewpoint.
No. The building is private property, the entrance has been walled up, entry is prohibited and life-threatening because of open elevator shafts and missing railings. The best view of the ruin is from Vista do Rei anyway.
From Vista do Rei about 4 km (2.5 miles) along the crater-rim road (EN9-1A) to the 'Lagoa do Canário / Boca do Inferno' lay-by, then 15–20 minutes on foot through the forest to the rocky spur. Free; note the sign with the gate hours at the forest access road.
PR3SMI from Vista do Rei into the village: 7.5 km (4.7 miles), 2 hours, easy. PR4SMI from Mata do Canário along the crater rim into the village: 11.7 km (7.3 miles), 3 hours, moderate. Both one-way, both with a steep, slippery final descent.
Kayaks, canoes and SUPs are rented on the lake shore in the village in season (Futurismo €15 per two-seat kayak per hour, from age 5, life vest mandatory). The shore in the village is flat; no official swimming ban was found, but there is no lifeguard.
Yes: views with no effort, a picnic area and flat shore in the village, kayaks from age 5. Hold children by the hand on the crater rim and at Boca do Inferno.
Most likely early in the morning before 10 am; the caldera often clouds over during the morning. April to June are considered the most reliable months. Check the 'Sete Cidades Cumeeiras' webcam on SpotAzores first.
Layers and a rain jacket, even in summer – it is windy and noticeably cooler on top than in Ponta Delgada. Sturdy shoes for the trails, sun protection for the crater rim, since there is no shade.
Sources · accessed on 22 September 2026
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