Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
60.6km²
Area
48km
Coastline
402m
Highest point
4,090
People
23°C
Warmest sea
August
1,593km
To the mainland
When to go to Graciosa Island
Best for the beach in August.
The sea is warmest in August (23 °C) and coolest in February (16 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to September.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Azores, Portugal
Graciosa Island is an island in Portugal. It covers 60.6 km², with 48 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 402 m. About 4,090 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,593 km away.
Getting there
- Graciosa Airport (GRW)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at SJZ airport (Velas)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 1,593 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Graciosa Island.
- 2beaches
- 6viewpointsMiradouro da Eira, Miradouro Ponta da Barca and 4 more
- 2lighthousesFarol do Carapacho, Farol da Ponta da Barca
- 1ferry terminalsGraciosa
- 2named peaksFacho, Pico da Saúde
- 2volcanoesCaldeirinha, Vulcão da Caldeira da Graciosa
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesTanque Velho
- 7waymarked walking routesPR03GRA Baía da Folga, PR01GRA Arquitetura da Água I, PRC02GRA Volta à Caldeira - Furna do Enxofre and 4 more
- 3campsitesPinheiro, campsite of Carapacho
- 6hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 22restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Graciosa Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Graciosa Island, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
3mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
294m
Facho
according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
23.0°C
Praia da Graciosa
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
2 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Praia da Graciosa23.0°C
- Portinho da Barracove23.0°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 123 m above the sea. 79 % of it is below 200 m.
- 25 %0–50 m
- 54 %50–200 m
- 21 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Santa Cruz da Graciosa1,776 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
| Night low (°C) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 16 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 |
| Rain (mm) | 80 | 78 | 69 | 57 | 54 | 43 | 24 | 28 | 56 | 83 | 67 | 105 |
| Wet days | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 17 |
| Sun h/day | 3.5 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 7.7 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 29 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 29 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.4 | −0.4 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | −0.1 |
| 2021 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +1.0 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.8 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.6 | +0.4 | +1.6 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +0.2 | −0.2 |
| 2023 | −0.4 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +1.5 | +1.8 | +1.7 | +2.3 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.7 |
| 2025 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +0.4 | +1.6 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.3 | ±0.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
São Jorge Island
Portugal244 km²1,053 m47 km away
Terceira IslandPortugal400 km²1,022 m70 km away
Pico IslandPortugal445 km²2,351 m70 km away
Faial IslandPortugal173 km²1,043 m80 km away
São Miguel IslandPortugal745 km²1,103 m259 km away
Flores IslandPortugal141 km²914 m280 km away
Corvo IslandPortugal17 km²718 m276 km away
Santa Maria IslandPortugal97 km²587 m345 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q592315) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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