The island of Faial is one of the islands in the central group of the Azores, which is an island territory of Portugal. It’s the blue island – the colour of Hydrangea. The Faial is round, docile and like a giant turtle its geographical shape suggests to the eye. It can be seen from the top of Cabeço Gordo, where the Caldeira, the island’s mother, is located.
From its city of Horta, you can see the bay, the live sea of the Canal, Pico right in front and São Jorge on the rise line. Scenery of a dream that moves within and around us, the mountain belongs to the island of Pico; but only Faial contemplates the mimicry, the continuous metamorphosis of his presence. Horta is on every itinerary and dream – and both on Porto maps and on the imaginary routes of those who follow the Atlantic winds.
The Horta spreads upwards across the land above until finally, it dissolves across the entire landscape. On one of these ascending trails is the Escola do Mar dos Açores, where expat’25 will enjoy the facilities of a modern school about sea activities.
See you on Faial!
Adapted from Açores, O Segredo das Ilhas, João de Melo
expat’25 conference will take place at Escola do Mar dos Açores (Sea School of the Azores – EMA) in Horta, Faial Island, Azores, Portugal.
Horta, known as the Sea-City, has a great nautical tradition and centuries of history linked to navigation.
EMA, inaugurated in 2020, is a professional education institution that offers unique conditions in Portugal for the promotion of professional qualifications and the valorization of the Blue Economy sectors, enhancing the valorization of the Azores Sea Cluster.
EMA is located near the centre of Horta, within walking distance of any location in town and only about 10 minutes by taxi from the airport.
See on Google Maps
The best way to get to Faial is by plane. The SATA Azores Airlines offers daily direct flights from Lisbon to Faial (HOR airport) with a flight duration of 2 hours.
Many other flight options are available, including a stopover in S. Miguel Island (PDL Airport) or Terceira Island (TER Airport). S. Miguel and Terceira are less than a one-hour duration of Faial.
The Portuguese airlines SATA Azores Airlines and TAP Portugal (member of Star Alliance), and Ryanair have regular national and international direct flights to the Azores from the Portuguese mainland (Lisbon, Porto, Faro) and Madeira Island, as well as from several international destinations, such as Europe (UK, Spain, Italy, France), North America (Canada, USA), among others.
Within the Azores, it is possible to travel by plane (SATA Azores Airlines), thus providing more flying alternatives for getting to Faial from other islands. Moreover, it is also possible to get to Faial by ferry (Atlanticoline) from the nearest islands of Pico and S. Jorge. There are daily ferry connections among these three islands and between Faial and Pico several times a day. Faial-Pico takes 30 minutes and Faial-S. Jorge can take 90 minutes.
We recommend planning the trip due to the high tourist demand for the Azores destination.
Faial Island offers different accommodation options for different traveler profiles.
You can choose to stay in the city of Horta, in a more urban environment, or enjoy a closer contact with nature in the rural areas of the island.
We recommend booking in advance, especially during dates of the Conference.
ABREU EVENTS offers us their support and help to find the best accommodation in the Faial Island. If desired, book through Abreu Events online booking system, to benefit from:
· the best rates for a wide variety of hotels.
· easy and secure booking and payments.
. by clicking on the button below, you will be able to select the desired dates, and you will have different units available and dynamic prices.
Reservation and payment are made directly online, where a confirmation email will be sent with the payment receipt and an email with the corresponding voucher and Cancellation Policy.
Rates do not include city tax, which is paid directly at the hotel during check-in.
Abreu Events online booking system available HERE.
===> Be aware fake websites!
There are an increasing number of fake websites claiming to hotel services.
We would like to alert all participants to be aware of possible scams, and to only use trusted recommended accommodation services for bookings.
The only way to access the Expat’25 accommodation site will be via the link indicated.
– Government of the Azores – Regional Directorate for Tourism
– Discover all the 9 Azorean Islands
– SIARAM – Feeling and Interpreting the Environment of the Azores Through Multimedia Resources (ongoing project, in Portuguese)
– Traveling by plane to / within the Azores – SATA Azores Airlines
