The Azores Archipelago is a group of nine distinct islands, lying on the same latitude as New York and Lisbon, around 950 miles from the Portuguese capital. Legend has it that they are the tips of the lost continent of Atlantis but the stunning craggy scenery points to volcanic rather than mythical origins.
Weather is of a mild maritime Mediterranean type and summers are generally very good.
Click here to see what the weather is like here today. You can fly direct to the Azores from either Lisbon, Boston or Frankfurt with TAP Air Portugal and SATA International. Connecting flights are available from the UK, the US and many airports across Europe. They were discovered in 1427 by Portuguese explorers and colonized shortly after by people of mainly Portuguese and Flemish descent. Visitors have included Christopher Columbus, Sir Walter Raleigh, undersea communications cables, Trans- Atlantic flights and yachtsmen.