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Published: 10/9/23
An Azores Packing List That Covers All the Essentials
If you’re headed to the Azores soon, you’re going to want an Azores packing list.
While these subtropical islands located in the middle of the north Atlantic about 1000 miles off the Portugal mainland are often compared to Hawaii, if you follow my Hawaii packing list, for your Azores trip, you’re going to be in a world of hurt. Never really hot, never really cold, with wicked winds and more than their fair share of fog and rain, the Azores provide even frequent travelers with unique packing dilemmas.
In this post, I’ll share everything that went into my suitcase for my first trip to the Azores. You’ll also find a printable Azores packing list PDF at the end of the post. That printable list includes everything I’ll actually pack on my next Azores trip. (Yes, I have a few regrets!)
Read on to learn what you must pack for the Azores and what you can live without.
What to Pack for an Azores Trip
Azores residents often describe their islands as a cross between Ireland and Hawaii. Sure, there are palm trees and you’re going to need some swimsuits, but during our early spring visit in March/April 2023, what I wore in the Azores more closely resembled what I wore during a spring semester on Ireland’s West Coast than what I wore in Honolulu or Kauai.
Because contrasts abound on these islands it can be challenging to pack light. The landscape frequently changes from pastoral to rugged, from heavy mists to clear skies, from rural to urban. One day in our 8-day Azores Itinerary we went from bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean looking for whales to dining in a high end steak and sushi restaurant and walking the decorative cobbled streets of Ponta Delgada on a wine tour.
With so many differing and sometimes conflicting needs, the Azores just might be the perfect trip to test out some packing cubes. Don’t forget, you’re also going to need space in your suitcase for all your souvenirs!
Layers are definitely your friend in the Azores and you absolutely, no question about it, are going to need a rain jacket. Quick dry, wicking fabrics are also a good idea and life will be a lot more comfortable if you pack some waterproof shoes.
My Azores Luggage
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Victorinox Roller Bag  Victorinox Swiss Army Spectra 2.0 Medium Hardside Expandable Upright Luggage Red |
Camelbak H.A.W.G Backpack  |
Pacsafe Convertible Backpack  Pacsafe Women’s Citysafe Cx Anti Theft Convertible Backpack-Fits 10″ Tablet, Black |
Checked luggage – No question about it, my medium 27″ tall Victorinox Roller Bag is a lot of suitcase. I intentionally left plenty of room in my suitcase to accommodate the multiple bottles of wine I planned to bring home. I’m glad I did!
Carry-on – I love using my H.A.W.G Mil Spec Backpack as my carry-on. It fits my laptop, a change of clothes, and all the other essentials you want close at hand during a flight. During the trip, it worked great for hikes and other adventures.
Personal item– I’m still singing the praises of my convertible Pacsafe Backpack which I originally bought for my trip to Savannah. I used it as a crossbody bag on the plane, then converted it to backpack for our Azores explorations.
Essential Azores Accessories
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Waterproof Phone Case  |
Reusable Water Bottle  |
Wine Skins  |
Waterproof Phone Case – Nowadays, almost every phone is waterproof, but I wasn’t going to risk dropping my phone into the iron-stained waters of the Furnas thermal baths. Happily, the waterproof phone case that I didn’t use in Hawaii, came in very handy. Just know that the plastic screen will fog up quickly, so grab those influencer shots fast!
Nalgene Water Bottle – To be honest, I’m rarely more than three feet away from my Nalgene water bottle whether I’m traveling or at home. Since the Azores involve a lot of outdoor adventures, it’s important to have one (or two) full water bottles on hand to make sure you’re hydrated for any spontaneous hikes.
Wine Skins – I wasn’t going to go Portugal – albeit an autonomous region of Portugal – and not bring back wine! I actually picked up these wine skins in Kauai and they definitely provided peace of mind as I transported several precious bottles of Azores wine home.
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Plug Adapters  |
Beach Towel  |
Wine Opener  |
Plug adapters – You might only be a few hours’ flight from Boston in the Azores, but you’re still in Europe. Don’t forgot those plug adapters for charging your phone and any other devices you brought along.
Beach Towel – While our hotel on Sao Miguel did offer towels you could take off-site to the hot springs and beaches, I was happy to have my own beach towel. The one I packed was actually a souvenir from the Outer Banks!
Wine Opener – I swear, this trip didn’t completely revolve around wine . . . . However, when we grabbed a bottle at a grocery store, I sure was happy to have a small wine opener in my suitcase!
My Other Azores Packing List Travel Accessories
What I Used
Scissors – I don’t travel with a sewing kit (if it tears, I toss), but having a small set of embroidery scissors along often proves handy.
Games – We were pretty tuckered out after our full days of adventuring in the Azores, so having some card games like Five Crowns and Phase 10 to play after dinner was the perfect way to close out the evening.
Books – SATA Airlines doesn’t have any inflight entertainment (other than the infamous North Atlantic turbulence) so I got plenty of quality reading time in during our flights. Both Leah and I enjoyed this one on the trip. If we’d communicated better, we would have just packed one copy!
Solar power bank – We spent a lot of time away from our hotels, so being able to charge my phone with a solar power bank was key in the Azores!
Snack bag – Speaking of being on the go a lot, we all dipped into our snack bags on hikes, at the airport, and elsewhere. These granola bars are a must for any travel snack bag!
What I Didn’t Use
Trash bags and Ziplocs – While these didn’t take up much room in my suitcase, they also didn’t get used.
Laundry detergent – I always bring a teeny container, but it went unused on this trip.
Clothespins – As handy as these were in Hawaii, I didn’t have a use for them in the Azores.
I also packed:
Pocket knife
Guidebooks
Notebook/pens
Shout wipes
Laptop/phone/chargers
Knitting (ha – nope)
Zeiss lens cleaning wipes
Azores Must-Have Toiletries
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Hand Sanitizer  Purell Pump Bottle Hand Sanitizer 8 oz. Bottle
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Pee Cloth  |
Goli Ashwagandha Gummies  |
Hand Sanitizer – When you’re out hiking in the Azores, it’s fairly common to take your bathroom breaks “in nature.” Even when there are toilet facilities available, they don’t always have running water. You’ll definitely want to throw some hand sanitizing wipes into your pack each morning!
Pee Cloth – Along the same lines as the hand sanitizer, having a reusable pee cloth in your backpack makes those hiking pee breaks so much more comfortable!
Goli Ashwagandha Gummies – I just threw in my whole bottle of Goli gummies when I packed for the Azores. A couple of these about an hour before bedtime helped lull me into a restorative night’s sleep every night.
Other Azores Toiletries That I Packed
Pharmacy bag – No one want to spend their vacation under the weather, but if you do get sick, you probably don’t want to be stumbling around in a foreign country looking for over the counter drugs. Just in case, I like to pack a couple doses each of Ex-Lax, Immodium, Emergen C, NyQuil, Advil, and cough drops. I also highly recommend proactively taking a Gas-x before any flight longer than four hours.
First aid kit – Just some Band-aids and antiseptic cream, really.
Sunscreen – You’ll play peekaboo with the sun a lot in the Azores, so it’s a good idea to apply it every morning since you never know when it’s going to make its presence known. I like this spray sunscreen and facial sunscreen.
Sleep kit – You know I don’t travel without this. You can learn about everything inside this little kit here.
Toiletry kit – Nothing exciting in here: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, razor, etc. etc. Don’t forget the travel packs of Kleenex!
Shoes You Need in the Azores
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Waterproof Boots or Sneakers  |
Water Shoes  KEEN Women’s Whisper Closed Toe Sport Sandals, Medium Grey/Peacock Green, 10 US |
Flats  Ollio Women’s Shoe Comfort Ballet Flat BN17(8.5 B(M) US, Black) |
Waterproof Hiking Boots or Sneakers – By far, my biggest Azores packing mistake was not packing any waterproof shoes. While the most popular Azores hiking trails have good tread and don’t require hiking boots, if you opt to do these trails in sneakers, make sure your shoes are waterproof.
It rains frequently in the Azores in March and having to spend the entire day with wet feet is no fun. So many times during the trip, I wished I’d budgeted enough suitcase space for my beloved Asolo hiking boots.
Water Shoes – Don’t let the photos of open ocean and palm trees fool you – the Azores are not a tropical destination. While you can leave the sandals at home, you will want some sort of protective water shoe for clamoring over the rough basalt rocks if you take a dip in the thermal ocean pools. My Keen sneaker sandals worked great for protecting me from stubbed toes and scraped feet.
Flats – We didn’t find too many opportunities to dress up in the Azores, but my Tieks paired nicely with a dress when we did. They also provided something I could quickly slip into when we headed down to the hotel’s (epic) breakfast buffet.
Clothes I Packed for the Azores
Plane outfit – Cotopaxi full-zip fleece, Minus 33 merino wool t-shirt, joggers Yup, I wore this to Hawaii and it’ll probably be on repeat for every plane ride I take for the next several years.
Rain pants – Here’s a pro tip, if you pack them, wear them. While I only truly needed rain pants once (on our whale watching tour) they definitely deserved a spot in my suitcase. If only I’d actually pulled these on before we headed out in the Zodiac boat, I wouldn’t have had to walk around in wet pants for the rest of the day . . . .
Rain jacket – I definitely wouldn’t head to the Azores without a rain jacket.
Sun hat – While it rained more often than not during our time on the Azores, I did break out my beloved Wallaroo hat several times.
Stocking hat – But even more than my sun hat, I was very happy to have also packed a winter stocking hat.
Vest – The perfect extra layer on drizzly, windy days, I love my Cotapaxi down vest and wore it every day in the Azores.
Sunglasses – I don’t leave home without these.
2 swimsuits – Make sure you bring one “burner” swimsuit because the iron content in the thermal baths on Sao Miguel will stain your suit.
2 T-shirts – I really didn’t need these. Instead of your usual cotton t-shirts, I should have packed a couple wool t-shirts for wicking and layering.
3 long sleeve shirts – These Minus 33 midweight crew tops were the perfect base layer for the Azores.
Dress – While our time on the Azores was mostly spent outside exploring the dramatic landscapes, I was happy to have thrown in a ThredUp dress that I originally bought for my New England trip.
2 pairs First Lite pants – While these lightweight wool hunting pants felt like a bit of a gamble when I packed them, but they ended up working so well. Don’t worry, they aren’t itchy! They take up less space in a suitcase than jeans and also hold up to multiple wears before needing a wash.
Leggings – I always like to have a change of clothes in my carry-on just in case my checked luggage goes missing. These KUHL leggings don’t take up much room and are both comfy and stylish.
Athletic capris – I always think I’m going change into actual athletic pants for vacation hiking, but I never do.
Tank top – If I didn’t need t-shirts for this trip, I really, really didn’t need a tank top!
Underwear 1x number of days
Socks– 1 x number of days
Bras x 2 (1 sports)
Pajamas – I’m a big fan to LAKE pajamas, but I just went the old t-shirt and pajama shorts route this time to save room in my carry-on.
My Azores Packing List Must-Haves
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Cotapaxi Fleece Pullover  |
First Lite Wool Pants  |
Winter Hat  OZERO Winter Knit Beanie Hat Warm Thick Polar Fleece Lined Ski Stocking Cap for Men and Women Brown |
Cotapaxi Fleece – You’ll see me wearing a Cotapaxi fleece jacket in almost every photo from the Azores. (I have several Cotapaxi items, but my pullover, hooded jacket, and down vest all made the trip across the Atlantic.) Since the average day time spring Azores temps were in the upper 50s and low 60s, these fleeces were the perfect top layers to keep me cozy without being too bulky.
First Lite Wool Pants – I’ll admit, I didn’t ever imagine I’d be at a point in my life where I’d pack two pairs of hunting pants for a European trip. But here we are. I brought my First Lite Obsidian and Alturas pants and they proved indispensable. The lightweight wool kept me warm and also dried quickly and wicked away moisture.
Winter Hat – Not only did my hat help keep me warm, it also kept my hair in line even with the Azores’ crazy winds. If you’re planning to go out in a boat on the Atlantic during your visit, a stocking cap is an absolute must!
What You Actually Need to Pack for the Azores
Below is a printable Azores packing list of what I’ll actually pack next time I’m on the Azores for eight days.
I hope this post helps you feel more confident as you pack for your epic Azores adventure. If you have one take away from this Azores packing list, be sure to pack high quality, heavy hitting pieces of clothing that can protect you from the Azores’ versatile weather and also go several days without needing to be washed.
It’s also important to realize that the Azores are not a warm weather destination. Plan to dress for a lot of time outside in windy and often wet conditions. As long as you start each day with plenty of layers on, you’ll be set up for success on an epic trip you’ll never forget!
Printable Azores Packing List
If you enjoyed this Azores packing list, check out my other Azores content!
