Car Rental at Lajes Terceira Airport

Airport travel guide

Known not just for its typically Azorean volcanic landscape but also for some seriously impressive historical landmarks, Terceira is one of the best alternatives to the main island of the archipelago, São Miguel. These are four of its most interesting attractions:

• Angra do Heroísmo. One of the three co-capitals of the Azores, Angra is better known for having a fortress of great historical importance, a fact that has been recognized by UNESCO. Many of the medieval landmarks survive in a good condition to this day – it’s worth spending at least an hour strolling the fortress area with its wonderful ocean views. Angra do Heroísmo is on the south-central coast of the island and also has many of Terceira’s most popular accommodation options.
• Praia da Vitoria. The namesake of the island’s only airport, Praia da Vitoria is the other notable town of Terceira. Located on the island’s eastern coast, it is best known as the home of several magnificent miradouros or viewpoints that provide stunning sites of the island and the sea below, as well as for the Church of Santo Cristo, which has suffered fires and earthquakes, but was always rebuilt and celebrated its 500th birthday in 2021.
• Algar do Carvão. This is the biggest and arguably most impressive cave on the Azores, which was once formed by ancient magma flows. Starting from the fern- and moss-covered entrance it reaches a depth of 90 meters underground. The Algar do Carvão been made suitable for visitors with stone stairs and subtle lighting that keeps the natural look. It’s a spectacular site that’s a must-see on Terceira.
• Diving. In addition to many other water sports that can be practiced in the Azores, Terceira has a reputation as something of a diving and snorkeling mecca. Sites, instructors, and places to rent equipment can be found all across the island, but there’s an especially strong concentration of them around Praia da Vitória, a town on the northeastern coast that’s a lovely place to visit even if you’re not diving, as it also has one of the most accessible sand beaches of the island.

Top international routes

• Ponta Delgada
• Lisbon
• Horta
• Sao Jorge
• Graciosa
• Pico
• Porto
• Flores
• Boston
• Bermuda

Main airlines

SATA Air Acores, Ryanair, Azores Airlines, Air Europa, TAP Air Portugal, and TUI fly Netherlands

Terminals

Lajes Terceira Airport has a single passenger terminal that serves all domestic and international flights. The airport is also used by the Portuguese Air Force, the Azores Air Zone Command, and the United States Air Force.

Location

Lajes Airport is about 15km (9 miles) northeast of Angra do Heroísmo, the main town of Terceira Island. highway V R, Rua Dr. AnÍbal de Bettencourt, and Highway M505 are the main roads connecting the airport to the city. Lajes Airport is about 1,600km (990 miles) west of Lisbon and 3,800km (2,290 miles) east of New York City.

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $37 per day
• Medium cars - from $69 per day
• Vans - from $82 per day
• SUVs - from $53 per day
• Station wagons - from $138 per day

Car rental desks

Most are located inside the airport terminal.

Services and facilities

Even though the airport is really small, you’ll find three shops, a duty-free store on the second floor, three cafés, two ATMs, luggage lockers, a tourist information office, and a postal service.

Nearest gas station

A Galp gas station, located at Aos Remédios nº 20, can be reached in about four minutes and is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. There are other gas stations nearby and on the island of Terceira.