Named this way after the many beech trees that grew on the island, this is a small and charming island, with its capital city of Horta planted by the sea.
Faial played a very important role in the past as a port of support. Its port housed the whaling ships coming from America and it was their first stop of the long trip around the world to hunt Moby Dick.
At the beginning of aviation, its port offered exceptional conditions for the calls of the seaplane Clipper that in the ’30s connected Europe to America. It was also the centre of submarine cables between the two continents, giving the city a cosmopolitan atmosphere for the variety of foreigners who worked there.
This city is still an important port of call for pleasure yachts crossing the Atlantic and not only.
During the visit to the island, it is important to highlight the Capelinhos volcano, whose eruption occurred in 1957.