Practical essentials on Flores: the health centre, pharmacies, fuel, post and cash

Flores has two towns, Santa Cruz das Flores on the east coast and Lajes das Flores in the south, and almost every service a visitor might need is in one or the other. Santa Cruz has the health centre, a pharmacy, a post office and the airport. Lajes has a smaller health post, a second pharmacy and a second post office. The west coast villages, Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha among them, have very little.

If you are staying in the west, the drive to either town takes a while on winding roads. Plan errands, fuel and cash for the days you pass through Santa Cruz or Lajes anyway.

In an emergency, call 112, the European emergency number. Pre-hospital emergency care on Flores is provided by the Bombeiros Voluntários de Santa Cruz das Flores, the island's only fire brigade.

For anything less urgent, the island's public health service is the Unidade de Saúde de Ilha das Flores. Its main centre is on Rua do Hospital in Santa Cruz, phone +351 292 590 270. The regional government's health register also lists three smaller health posts:

• Lajes das Flores, Avenida do Emigrante, +351 292 593 165
• Fazenda das Lajes, Rua da Caldeira, +351 292 593 594
• Ponta Delgada, in the north of the island, +351 292 592 133

We could not find published opening hours for any of them, or confirm whether the Santa Cruz centre has a doctor on call around the clock. Phone before you go if it is not an emergency, or ask your host.

Flores has no hospital. A patient who needs one is flown to another island, and wind affects those flights as it does the scheduled ones. On 17 May 2026 an Air Force C-295M needed a second attempt to take off from Flores with a patient, in strong crosswinds. On 21 June 2026 a single C-295M mission picked up patients on Graciosa, São Miguel, Flores and Faial. Buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation, and if you are an EU resident, bring your European Health Insurance Card.

The regional register lists two places to get medicines:

• Farmácia da Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Largo 25 de Abril, Santa Cruz das Flores, +351 292 592 294
• Posto Farmacêutico Flores, Avenida do Emigrante 8, Lajes das Flores, +351 292 593 373

The second is a pharmacy post, which usually stocks less than a full pharmacy. Neither lists opening hours online, and the register may not be up to date, so ask locally. If you take a regular prescription, bring the full supply for the trip and a copy of the prescription. A small island pharmacy may not stock the brand you use.

The petrol station most visitors use is the Galp next to the airport in Santa Cruz. A travel writer, writing in 2025, said it was the only one they saw on the island. A national list of fuel stations published in 2019 also names a Galp road station on Travessa da Cruz in Lajes das Flores. We could not confirm that it is still open in 2026, so treat Santa Cruz as your sure option.

The regional government sets maximum fuel prices for the Azores and revises them every month. From 1 October 2026 the maximum was €1.924 a litre for 95 unleaded and €1.939 for diesel.

Flores is small, but the roads climb and twist, and a day that takes in the crater lakes, the west coast and Lajes adds up. If you collect a hire car at the airport, check the tank there and fill up before a day in the west. Our guide to getting around Flores covers car hire, taxis and the bus.

CTT, the Portuguese post, has a shop in Santa Cruz das Flores and another in Lajes das Flores. Either will sell you stamps for postcards.

Cash is still used widely on Flores, and there are few cash machines. A guide written in 2026 counts a few in Santa Cruz, one in Fajã Grande and one in Ponta Delgada. Take out enough in Santa Cruz for small cafés, a taxi or a boat trip, and do not count on the single machine in the west working on the day you need it.

Village shops and restaurants keep short hours, and you should not count on them on a Sunday. Our guide to food on Flores has the shops and the advice on what to buy on arrival. In winter more places close, and flights are cancelled more often; see Flores in winter. If you need medicine or cash, sort it on a weekday.

• Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover, and the European Health Insurance Card if you have one.
• Your full supply of any regular medicine, with the prescription.
• Cash, taken out in Santa Cruz.
• A full tank before a day in the west.
• Food for Sunday, bought on Saturday.

Is there a hospital on Flores?

No. The island has a health centre in Santa Cruz das Flores and three smaller health posts. Patients who need hospital care are flown to another island.

Where is the pharmacy on Flores?

The regional register lists Farmácia da Santa Casa da Misericórdia on Largo 25 de Abril in Santa Cruz (+351 292 592 294) and a pharmacy post on Avenida do Emigrante in Lajes (+351 292 593 373).

Where can I get fuel on Flores?

At the Galp station next to the airport in Santa Cruz das Flores. A 2019 list also names a station in Lajes das Flores, which we could not confirm for 2026. From 1 October 2026 the maximum price in the Azores was €1.924 a litre for 95 unleaded.

Are there cash machines on Flores?

A few, in Santa Cruz, Fajã Grande and Ponta Delgada. Cash is still used in most places, so take some out in Santa Cruz.