Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha: the west coast villages of Flores and where to swim

Most people drive to the west coast of Flores for the waterfalls. The two villages under the cliff, Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha, deserve some of the day too: there are two places to swim, a watermill that still works, a weekday bus you can actually use, and a shore that faces the sunset.

A fajã is a flat strip of land at the foot of a cliff, made by lava or by a landslide. On the west of Flores there are two of them side by side, and the villages are named after them. Fajã Grande is the larger, to the north. Fajãzinha, "the little fajã", is a couple of kilometres south. Both belong to the municipality of Lajes das Flores.

Behind them stands the cliff that makes this coast. The tourism board describes the Rocha da Fajã as more than 600 metres high in places, and the fossil cliff seen from the Portal viewpoint as about 300 metres, with waterfalls running down it into pools at the bottom. It counts close to twenty falls on this stretch, and more appear after rain.

These are small places. The 2021 census counted 220 residents in the parish of Fajã Grande and 71 in Fajãzinha. Between 1960 and 1980 about 60% of the working population of Fajã Grande left for the United States and Canada.

Coming from the south, the road crests a hill above Fajãzinha at the Miradouro do Portal. Stop here on the way in. From the railing you see both fajãs, the cliff and its falls in one view, which makes the rest of the day easier to plan. In low cloud you see very little, so if the viewpoint is blank, try again on the way out.

Fajãzinha became a parish of its own when it was separated from Lajes das Flores in July 1676, which makes it the fourth oldest parish on the island. The church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, with its three naves, stands among a few quiet lanes.

Between Fajãzinha and Fajã Grande, the official PR02FLO trail passes a watermill dated 1862 that the trail leaflet describes as still working. About 500 metres further on is the turn for Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, the pond under a wall of waterfalls that most people drive out here to see.

The cliff is not always benign. On 3 December 2010, after 72 hours of continuous rain, a mudslide came down on the village and damaged houses and roads. The slopes are green and quiet most days, but heavy rain here is a reason to stay on the road and off the paths.

Fajã Grande is often called the westernmost village in Europe, and there is only open ocean to the west of it. The westernmost point of Europe itself is the Ilhéu de Monchique, a rock about 1,500 metres off the coast.

The church of São José was built in 1868 on the site of a chapel from 1755. The old harbour was once a commercial port; today it is used mainly for leisure. The bathing area is on the same stretch of shore, and the village has a restaurant or two, a grocery and a few guesthouses.

At the north end of the fajã is Ponta da Fajã, a hamlet under the cliff. After landslides in 1987 it was declared a high-risk zone, and new building there is banned. Look at it from the village, and do not drive in after heavy rain.

Because the village faces due west, sunset is the time to be here. On a clear evening the sun goes down straight into the Atlantic.

There are three places, and they suit different conditions.

• The Zona Balnear da Fajã Grande, by the harbour. Rock pools and a concrete platform into the sea, with showers, toilets, a bar and parking. It is a monitored bathing water with lifeguards in July and August only; the 2024 designation ran from 1 July to 31 August, so check the current year's dates. The swell comes straight in from the west: on a calm morning this is the best sea swim on Flores, and on a rough day it is not a swim at all.
• Poço do Bacalhau, a pool under a waterfall of about 90 metres at the edge of Fajã Grande. It is a few minutes' walk from the village, signposted, and the tourism board lists it as a place where you can swim. There is no lifeguard.
• Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro is better treated as a place to look than to swim. Our guide to the Flores waterfalls and crater lakes covers both pools, and the walk to them, in detail.

A good warm afternoon here is the fresh-water pool first and the sea after it.

The official PR02FLO trail runs from Lajedo to Fajã Grande: about 13 km, three and a half hours, graded medium, and linear. It passes the Portal viewpoint, drops through Fajãzinha, goes by the 1862 watermill and ends at the Fajã Grande bathing area, which is a good place to finish a walk. The leaflet warns that the stone sections are slippery. Fajã Grande is also where PR01FLO from Ponta Delgada and PR03FLO from the crater lakes end, so check each trail's status on trails.visitazores.com before you set out.

The buses on Flores run on weekdays only. In the timetable UTC links in 2026, the 11:00 from Lajes reaches Fajãzinha at 11:40 and Fajã Grande at 11:47, and the return leaves Fajã Grande at 15:00. That gives you about three hours in the villages. In July and August only, a direct line runs from Santa Cruz at 08:00 and 18:00, returning from Fajã Grande at 08:40 and 18:40.

Fares since 1 February 2026 are €3.24 from Santa Cruz to Fajã Grande and €3.02 from Lajes. For anything more flexible you need a car; see getting around Flores.

Sleep in Fajã Grande if you want the sunsets, the swim before breakfast and the trail ends on your doorstep. The trade-off is distance: Santa Cruz, with the airport and the Corvo boat, is about 22 km of winding road away, and the choice of places to eat is small, especially outside summer. If you fly in and out on tight connections, Santa Cruz is the easier base, and the west coast works as a long day trip.

Is Fajã Grande the westernmost village in Europe?

It is usually described that way. The westernmost point of Europe is the Monchique islet, about 1,500 metres off the Flores coast.

Can you swim at Fajã Grande?

Yes. The bathing area by the harbour has lifeguards in July and August, and Poço do Bacalhau is a waterfall pool where swimming is allowed. Skip the sea when the western swell is up.

How long do you need for Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha?

Half a day by car covers the Portal viewpoint, both villages and the two pools. Add the evening if you want the sunset.

Can you get to Fajã Grande without a car?

On weekdays, yes: the 11:00 bus from Lajes and, in July and August, the direct bus from Santa Cruz. At weekends you need a car or a taxi.