Travelling around the island of Faial is best done with a rental car. Buses do run along the main roads, but you can't get anywhere but the towns.

If you're heading from the airport to your hotel first and you're not renting a car until the next day, or if you're going straight from the airport to the port and on to Pico Island, you can also use taxis.

Car rental

There are several car rental counters in the arrivals hall, with Autatlantis and Ilha Verde operating the most cars.

Rental prices range from around 50 eur per day in the summer and from 25 eur during the winter.

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Taxi

The taxi stand is right outside the arrivals hall and taxis wait here after each scheduled arrival. On the island of Faial, the only place you'll catch a taxi on the street in large numbers is in the town of Horta.

The price to Horta from the airport is set at 15 eur and is flat rate (no meter is used). Taxis can only be paid for in cash.

Bus

Public transport on the island works mainly for commuting locals to work and is virtually useless for exploring the island. Buses are particularly useful for travelling to the towns of Horta or Castelo Branco if you are only staying for 1 night and renting a car the next day.

The local public bus stops in front of the airport and runs on the route Horta - Castelo Brano - Airport - Capelo - Ribeira Funda.

The bus only runs 4 times a day and on Sundays/holidays there are no buses at all. Timetables can be found on the farias.pt website. You must always check the timetable in advance as there is no information at the bus stop.

Tickets cost around 1,50 eur and can be purchased from the driver.

The bus stop is on the main road about 100 metres from the terminal.