Continued...

Faial (meaning “beech wood”) was named for once abundant wax myrtle, which the island’s discoverers thought were beech trees.

Yachts still regularly visit Faial. The port is visited by more than 1,000 yachts with more than 4,400 crewmembers aboard each year, making it the busiest marina in Portugal. The port has about 250 slips.

Horta’s internationally flavoured waterfront offers shops that outfit the ships that pass through. The city is full of modern cafes, bars and a few nightclubs, while the architecture is largely from the 19th century.

With a local fishing fleet just offshore and cattle grazing on the island, the local cuisine focuses on fresh fish and beef. Most food served in restaurants is locally grown or produced, including a soft, velvety Ilha Azul cheese.

Horta’s waterfront bar, Peter Café Sport, has served sailors since 1918 and was rated one of the best bars in the world by Newsweek. The café walls are covered with sailing banners and notes from ships seeking crewmembers. The café has an on-site museum with an extensive scrimshaw collection, and is also a place where visitors can catch a whale-watching tour, spotted by former whalers, or an adventure bicycling tour.

From the Espalamaca vista, tourists can admire Horta and look down into the 300-foot crater of the extinct volcano. Faial is also a great base from which to explore Pico Island, just 30 minutes away by ferry, and São Jorge, about an hour-and-a-half long trip.