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.

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Stumped on what to pack for the Azores? Pin this Azores packing list!

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

Victorinox Roller Bag

Camelbak H.A.W.G Backpack

Pacsafe Convertible Backpack

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

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.

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

Hand Sanitizer 

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

Waterproof Boots or Sneakers

Water Shoes

Flats

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