Graciosa (Graciosa) - a romantic island with picturesque streets and ancient mansions, belonging to the central group of the Azores archipelago. Graciosa is an island of volcanic origin, located 50 km north-west of Terceira. The capital is Santa Cruz Da Graciosa, where the regional airport is located, built in the 80s of the 20th century

Graciosa is an island where there is a tranquility of life, almost detached from the rest of the world. Every day spent here will be a forceful stop and a meeting with serenity.

How to get to Graciosa

The island has a regional airport in Santa Cruz Da Graciosa that accepts local flights from Ponta Delgada and Terceira. There are several ways to get to the island:

• by plane: to Lisbon, then by domestic local flight Sata (about two hours) to Santa Cruz Da Graciosa,
• by ferry: between the islands of Terceira, Graciosa, Sa n-Jorge, Pico and Faial in summer there is a ferry service. The journey from Terceira to Graciosa takes about 3 hours by ferry.

Money

There are banks on the island where you can exchange money, and also a good network of ATMs. Credit cards Visa and Master Card are accepted in most restaurants, hotels and car rental outlets

Climate of Graciosis

Subtropical oceanic, mild and warm climate will allow you to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of the island. The average temperature in the winter is 18-19 ° C, in the summer 24-25 ° C. The water temperature in the summer is 21-23 ° C, in winter 17-20 ° C. The island is quite humid, but not stuffy

Transport Graciosa

Main type of public transport - bus

There are car rental points on the island. Rent a car you can, if there is a European insurance ("green card"), driving experience of more than 1 year and age over 21 years. There is a possibility to rent a taxi for a few hours or for a whole day

Cuisine and restaurants

Numerous dishes from fish and seafood. Stewed and fried fish are the most common dishes from fish caught in the immediate vicinity of the coast of the island. It's great for lobster and spider crabs. The island's cuisine is based on Portuguese, but local dishes are also present.

Sweet desserts such as the famous queijades da Ilha Graciosa (cheese cakes), pasteis de arrox (baked from rice dough), encharcados de ovos (pastry from egg dough) and massa sovada (sweet bread). Local white wines, aged brandy, wine aperitifs are considered very good and tasty

The restaurant "About Golfinno" (also known as "Dolphin") in Carapacho offers delicious seafood dishes. "Toma-la-da Ca" in the district Praia in the capital (Rua Moinhos de Vento, Rochela 14 Vila da Praia, tel. 295732243) is an inexpensive, cozy restaurant with warm hospitality and local regional cuisine.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of the island of Graciosa

The most fascinating place for tourists is the unique geological formation Furna do Enxofre - "Sulfur Cave". Inside the crater of the extinct volcano there is a sheer tunnel 100 m deep, ending with an impressive grotto with an amazing volcanic vault 80 m high and an underground lake with cold sulfur water (sunlight penetrates here from 11am to 2pm). The diameter of the lake is 130 m, the depth is 15 m. You can reach the grotto through two more gentle slopes with stone steps.

The area of ​​Carapacho is famous for the healing properties of hot mineral springs. Here is the sanatorium Termas do Carapacho, which provides procedures with thermal water for the treatment of bone and skin diseases. It is open from May to September. Here, from the tops of the local hills - Timão and Facho, about 400 m in height, an unforgettable view not only of the surroundings, but also to the vast ocean and the nearby islands - Terceira, São Jorge, Pico and Faial - opens.

@ In the capital of the island of Graciosa Santa Cruz Da Graciosa, there are preserved ancient streets and mansions, a beautiful cathedral of the 17th and 18th centuries, the church of Santa Cristo in the 16th century, the cross of the Crewe-Barra, the Local History Museum. It is worth visiting the baroque church "Guadalupe", the windmills "Lush" and "Praia."

Also, on the island of Graciosa, it is worth paying attention to the so-called "corrida on the rope", when a bull with a long rope on the neck is released into the street under the direction of experienced bullfighters. Before releasing the bull loud loud tones sound, warning that the game has started. There is also an arena of bullfight on the island, the difference of which is the fact that the bull is not killed to death, as in the Spanish corrida.