A drive round Faial: Espalamaca, the Ribeirinha lighthouse, Cedros and the west coast

It is easy to treat a hire car on Faial as a way to get from Horta to Capelinhos, perhaps via the Caldeira, and back the same way. That leaves out most of the island: the ruined lighthouse at Ribeirinha, the north-coast villages, the cliff over the Fajã da Praia do Norte, the old whaling post at Porto do Comprido and the white dome of Castelo Branco. The regional road goes all the way round, and with a day and a car you can see the lot.

Faial is small, 21 km from east to west and 173 km² in all, so the driving is not what fills the day; the stops are. Below is the loop clockwise from Horta, with the viewpoints that are worth pulling over for and what each one shows you.

Go clockwise: north out of Horta, along the north coast, round the western tip and back along the south. That way you reach Capelinhos around the middle of the day and have the south coast, with its swimming pools, for the afternoon.

Plan a full day. The driving is short, but each viewpoint takes ten or fifteen minutes and Capelinhos easily takes two hours if you go into the interpretation centre and up the lighthouse. If the top of the island is clear in the morning, you can add the Caldeira from the inside road; our Capelinhos and Caldeira guide covers both. The buses run in two halves, north coast and south coast, both ending at Ribeira Funda, with few runs on Saturday and none on Sunday, so this is a day for a hire car; see getting around Faial.

The first stop is a few minutes from the marina, on the ridge north of town. The Miradouro de Nossa Senhora da Conceição sits at the top of Espalamaca by a white marble monument to the Virgin, about 28.5 m tall, put up in 1970 to replace a smaller one that a storm destroyed.

From here you see Horta laid out round its bay, with Monte Queimado and Monte da Guia closing it to the south and Pico across the channel. On a clear day São Jorge and Graciosa show to the north-east. It is free, open at all hours, with parking at the top. The light is better in the late afternoon, so if you only come once, you may prefer to keep it for the end of the day.

Past Pedro Miguel the road reaches Ribeirinha, the oldest ground on Faial and the place that suffered most in the earthquake of 9 July 1998. Two viewpoints look down on what it left.

The Ribeiro Seco viewpoint is on the regional road itself, with parking. It looks along the Ribeirinha headland to the old lighthouse and across to Pico, São Jorge and Graciosa. The Cabeço das Pedras Negras viewpoint is the parish's newest and gives a closer view down onto the lighthouse.

The Farol da Ribeirinha was begun in May 1915 and lit on 1 November 1919. It was damaged in the 1973 earthquakes and repaired. The 1998 earthquake, with its epicentre about 5 km from the point, put the light out for good, and only a small automatic light works there now. The tower and the keepers' house round it stand as a ruin.

The village church of São Mateus has a similar history. An earthquake in 1926 flattened it, the rebuilt church opened in 1934, and the 1998 earthquake brought it down again. Its ruin is on the Ribeirinha walking circuit, 8.3 km in about two and a half hours, if you want to stretch your legs.

The north coast is farmland and small villages. In Cedros the church of Santa Bárbara is worth a look from outside: a fire in 1971 brought it down, leaving only the tower and the Gothic arch of the doorway, and it was rebuilt around them and reopened in 1977.

Above the village the Piolho viewpoint shows the whole parish spread over the slope to the sea, with a picnic area and parking. A little further west, the Ribeira Funda viewpoint looks into a deep stream valley with a waterfall, and has a car park, tables and barbecue grills. It is a good place for lunch if you have brought it.

Praia do Norte is the parish that suffered most from the Cabeço do Fogo eruption of 1672, and its church is a modern building of 1960 and 1961. Stop at the Ribeira das Cabras viewpoint, on a cliff top above Baía das Cabras. It looks along the north-west coast to Capelinhos and down on the Fajã da Praia do Norte, a flat shelf that a lava flow pushed into the sea. The beach below is considered the best surfing spot on the island.

To go down to the fajã on foot, the Fajã da Praia do Norte circuit is 5 km and graded medium, with a steep descent. Our Faial walking trails guide has the details.

The road then drops into Capelo and the grey ash country of the west. The Capelinhos eruption began in the sea on 27 September 1957 and went on until 24 October 1958, burying the lighthouse and adding new land to the island.

The interpretation centre is built underground beside the old lighthouse, which you can climb. In 2026 it opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00 from April to October, and from 1 November to 31 March Tuesday to Saturday and on holidays from 09:00 to 17:00. An adult ticket is 10 euros, 5 euros for ages 7 to 14 and over 65, and 20 euros for a family. If you are driving the loop on a winter Sunday or Monday, the centre is closed; the ash field and the outside of the lighthouse are still there to see.

Just south of the cone, Porto do Comprido was the main sperm-whale hunting post on Faial when the volcano erupted. Today it is a bathing spot with a natural pool, and the Casa dos Botes, restored by the parish in 2011, keeps a whaleboat and a small exhibition on the hunt.

Next comes Varadouro, the old summer resort of the west. The sea pools are set into the lava, with decks, ladders and a bar, and in the bathing season they have lifeguards and a Blue Flag. In a heavy swell they can be closed. The village grew up around thermal water found in June 1853; the island tourist office's 2022 guide lists the spa as closed. Our beaches guide covers the pools in more detail.

On the south coast, the Morro de Castelo Branco stands out as a pale block joined to the shore by a narrow neck. It is a dome of trachyte, a thick lava that piled up over its vent instead of flowing, and its sea cliffs are of rock so altered that it looks white: hence the name, white castle. It is a nature reserve of about 16 hectares, rising to 149 m, and Cory's shearwaters nest on it from March to October, along with Barolo shearwaters and common terns.

To walk out to it, the Morro de Castelo Branco circuit starts at Lombega by the regional road and is 3.7 km, about an hour and a half. If you are flying out of Faial, this is the walk to fit into your last morning, as it is close to the airport.

The last village before Horta is Feteira. Its church of the Divino Espírito Santo already existed in 1568 and was rebuilt between 1824 and 1864; it may be the oldest church on the island. Just before town, the Ponta Furada viewpoint looks at a rock pierced through by the sea. From there it is a few minutes back to Horta, in time to go up Espalamaca again for the evening light if you skipped it in the morning.

How long does it take to drive round Faial?

The driving itself is short, as the island is only 21 km long. With stops at the viewpoints and two hours at Capelinhos, plan a full day.

Which way should you drive round the island?

Clockwise from Horta works well: the north coast in the morning, Capelinhos around midday and the south coast's swimming spots in the afternoon.

Can you visit the Ribeirinha lighthouse?

You see it from the Ribeiro Seco and Cabeço das Pedras Negras viewpoints. It has been a ruin since the earthquake of 9 July 1998.

Is the Capelinhos centre open every day?

In 2026 it is open daily from April to October. From 1 November to 31 March it opens Tuesday to Saturday and on holidays, 09:00 to 17:00. Check before you go.