Seven days is the right amount of time for São Miguel for travellers who want the full island. You cover everything in the 3 and 5-day plans with proper rest days, plus the Nordeste (eastern São Miguel), a serious hike, and time to absorb the experience without rushing.

The pattern below assumes a rental car for the full week and a two-base split: 4 nights in Ponta Delgada, 3 in Furnas. The single-base PDL version is also workable; see the variation note at the bottom.

The plan in one paragraph

Day 1: arrive PDL. Day 2: west day (Sete Cidades + Lagoa do Fogo). Day 3: whale watching morning, move base to Furnas in the afternoon, evening cozido. Day 4: Furnas full day (caldeiras, Terra Nostra, Poça da Dona Beija evening). Day 5: Nordeste day trip from Furnas (Gorreana, Pico da Vara, Nordeste village). Day 6: return to PDL, adventure activity (canyoning or kayaking). Day 7: Lagoa do Fogo hike or rest day, evening flight or final night in PDL.

Day 1: arrival and Ponta Delgada

Same as the 3-day and 5-day plans. Arrive PDL, walk the historic centre, dinner on the marina. Take time for the Carlos Machado museum (€3, 90 minutes) if you arrive in the morning. Consider an evening walk to Praia das Milícias (15 minutes) for a sunset swim if the timing works.

Day 2: Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo

The classic west day. Drive yourself (90 km loop, 3.5 hours behind the wheel) or book the Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo tour with lunch. With a full week available, take the slow version: include the Boca do Inferno walk (45 minutes return) for a less-photographed viewpoint, lunch in Sete Cidades village, swim at Caloura sea pools on the way home.

Evening: dinner at Restaurante Anfiteatro on the marina, with the harbour view. €30 to €45 per person.

Day 3: whales, then move to Furnas

Morning whale watching from PDL. The whale and dolphin watching trip is the most-reviewed option (€70, 3 hours, 4.7 with 4,353 reviews). Return to harbour at noon.

Afternoon: check out of the PDL hotel, drive to Furnas (1h15). Check in at a Furnas hotel. Early afternoon walk through the village, see the Poça da Dona Beija pool from outside, the small village church.

Evening: cozido dinner at one of the village restaurants (Tony’s, Caldeiras e Vulcões, or Casa de Pasto Furnense). The cozido is the beef-pork-chicken stew cooked underground in volcanic vents, lifted at 11:30am and served at the evening service. €18 to €25 per person.

Day 4: full day in Furnas

The geothermal valley deserves a full day on its own. With three nights in Furnas, you can take it slow.

Time	What happens
9:00	Breakfast at the hotel, then drive 5 minutes to the Furnas Lake.
9:30	Walk the caldeiras (cooking holes) and the lake shore.
10:30	Drive to the José do Canto botanical garden, walk for 90 minutes.
12:00	Lunch at the Hotel Terra Nostra restaurant or back in the village.
14:00	Terra Nostra Garden thermal pool, 2 to 3 hours. The iron-rich orange water.
17:30	Walk back to the village square, coffee at Café Central.
19:00	Dinner: try a different village restaurant from Day 3.
21:00	Evening soak at Poça da Dona Beija (€8 entry, open until 11pm).

See the Furnas thermal pools guide and the hot spring day experience for the detailed thermal pool comparison.

Day 5: Nordeste day trip

A loop drive from Furnas through the eastern half of the island. Less famous than the western caldera but quieter and more agriculturally distinctive.

Time	What happens
9:30	Depart Furnas. Drive 25 minutes to Povoação on the south coast.
10:00	Coffee in Povoação, the first Portuguese settlement on São Miguel.
11:00	Drive the coastal road up to Nordeste, stopping at Miradouro do Sossego.
12:30	Lunch in Nordeste village.
14:00	Drive to Pico da Vara nature reserve, walk the priolo trail for an hour (the endemic Azores bullfinch lives here).
16:00	Return south via Gorreana tea plantation. Free visit, tea tasting, 90 minutes.
18:00	Back in Furnas.
20:00	Dinner, evening soak again at Poça da Dona Beija.

The Nordeste circuit is the best part of São Miguel for travellers who like rural-agricultural landscape over volcanic drama. The priolo trail at Pico da Vara is a UNESCO biodiversity zone; see the endemic fauna and flora guide for context.

Day 6: adventure day, return to PDL

Check out of Furnas, drive to PDL (1h15). On the way or in the afternoon, do one adventure activity.

The three options are the same as the 5-day Day 4: canyoning at Ribeira dos Caldeirões (the Ribeira dos Caldeirões canyoning experience, €70, 4.9 rating), the Vila Franca islet kayak (the Vila Franca islet kayaking, €42, family-friendly), or the Lagoa do Fogo descent hike (free, the PR 2 SMI trail).

Evening: back to PDL, dinner in the city. With a full week, the right choice is a slow dinner at Cais 20 (seafood specialist, €35 to €55) or Restaurante Mexilhão (traditional Azorean, €25 to €40).

Day 7: hike or rest, then farewell

The last day. Two profiles:

The walker’s last day. Drive to the Lagoa do Fogo trailhead (25 minutes from PDL), descend to the white-sand beach at the bottom of the crater (45 minutes down), swim (water is cold), climb back up (70 minutes). 2.5 to 3 hours total walking. See the Lagoa do Fogo hike guide for trail conditions. Return to PDL, lunch in the city, slow afternoon in the marina cafés.

The rest day. Late breakfast, beach morning at Praia das Milícias or Praia do Pópulo. Lunch at the Cais 20 restaurant on the marina. Afternoon at the Carlos Machado Museum or the small botanic garden behind the city. Coffee at one of the historic cafés on Rua de São João. Easy on the legs after a week of walking.

Evening: farewell dinner. Take time over the meal. The Tasca da Praça for the local version (€12 to €18) or the Restaurante Otaka for a sushi splurge (€40 to €70).

Costs at a glance

Item	Per person
Accommodation 7 nights mid-range	€560 to €980
Rental car 7 days	€175 to €350 (split per person)
Petrol	€60 to €90 (split per person)
Whale watching trip	€70
Sete Cidades tour (if booked)	€80
Adventure activity (Day 6)	€42 to €80
Thermal pool entries (3 visits)	€30 to €50
Restaurant meals	€350 to €560
Coffees, snacks, drinks	€100 to €170
Total per person (estimate)	€1500 to €2500

Excludes flights and travel insurance. See the Azores on a budget guide for the broader cost breakdown.

Variations

Single-base PDL version. Skip the Furnas overnight. Drive to Furnas as a day trip on Day 4 (1h15 each way). The trade-off: you miss the early-morning caldeiras and the empty Poça da Dona Beija evening sessions. Saves the cost of changing hotels mid-trip.

Single-base Furnas version. 5 nights in Furnas, 2 nights in PDL only for the arrival and final departure. The right pattern for travellers who specifically prefer rural quiet over city restaurants.

Adding a second island. With 7 days you can credibly add a 2 to 3 day Pico extension (SATA inter-island flight, 50 minutes each way) or a 3-day Santa Maria extension (SATA 25 minutes). The trade-off is shortening São Miguel.

The premium version. Same itinerary, upgrade to the boutique hotel choices (Furnas Boutique, White Exclusive Hotel Sete Cidades, Hotel Marina Atlântico in PDL), restaurant meals at the top tier. Add €1000 to €1500 per person total.

The slow version. Cut Day 6 adventure activity, replace with a second slow rural drive (the central plateau between Sete Cidades and Furnas, less visited than either). Add an extra rest day on Day 7. Total walking and driving reduced 30%.

What this itinerary skips

Inter-island flights. Sticking to São Miguel keeps the week focused. Adding a second island is possible but compresses everything.

Multi-day hikes. The PR trails on São Miguel are mostly half-day. Longer pursuits (multi-day backpacking) do not really exist on the island.

Surfing. Worth a half-day for travellers who already surf (Praia de Santa Bárbara on the north coast is the main spot), but not central to a generalist trip.