Things to do in Ribeira Grande

Ribeira Grande is São Miguel's second town, a 20 to 25 minute drive north of Ponta Delgada, built around a compact historic centre of black basalt and white plaster façades.

It works best as a stop on the way to or from Furnas rather than a standalone destination: the town itself takes an hour or two, and the real draws sit in the surrounding municipality.

The Salto do Cabrito waterfall is a short walk from a roadside car park, the Caldeira Velha thermal pools charge an entrance fee of a few euros and get busy by mid-morning in summer, and a minor road climbs south from town to a northern viewpoint over the Lagoa do Fogo crater lake, usually cloud-covered by early afternoon.