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Poça da Dona Beija with Kids: Our Furnas Visit

Poça da Dona Beija with Kids: Family Guide to Furnas Hot Springs

Our broader Azores family film · Full film (6 min 8 sec)

▶Watch full film 6 min 8 sec

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Poça da Dona Beija was one of our stops in Furnas on São Miguel. We visited twice: once the parking lot was full and we came back another day. The pools sit in a beautiful volcanic setting, but with kids the practical details matter just as much as the scenery.

Getting to Poça da Dona Beija

The hot springs are in Furnas, on the eastern side of São Miguel. The area is known for volcanic activity, steaming ground, and cozido, a local meal cooked with geothermal heat. The town has a strong sulfur smell. We stayed in Nordeste, so the drive to Furnas took about 45 minutes; the mountainous, curvy roads can be rough if anyone gets carsick. We used a rental car to explore the island, and a tour is another option if you prefer not to drive.

The film introduces this outing with our family in the car before arriving at the pools. Driving, getting everyone changed, and gathering wet things afterward are all part of the visit with kids, so I would leave room for those steps when planning the day.

Starting our São Miguel outing · Scene from our family film (36 sec)

▶Watch scene from our family film 36 sec

Parking and arrival

The small dedicated lot had around twenty spaces when we visited, and it was full both times. The first time we gave up and returned another day. If the lot is full, you may need to wait or look for legal street parking, and pay close attention to local signs.

Tickets, lockers, and changing

At our visit, tickets were bought on site and had to be scanned both on entry and exit, so we kept ours handy. For our group of six (two adults and four children), we paid about 35 euros then; that is a historical price, not a current estimate. Online booking is available now through Poça da Dona Beija’s booking site. In March 2022, the small changing area had about five stalls and two toilet rooms, and the showers were closed. Lockers could be rented; we left our bags on the benches outside. Green mesh baskets were available for storage. Our visit had a 90-minute limit, which was enough time for the kids to warm up, play, and get out. Confirm current entry, capacity, facilities, and time limits before you go.

What the pools are like

We remember four small pools beside the river, connected by paths and a bridge. At our visit each pool could fit about ten people comfortably, and all four were around 39°C. The water’s orange color comes from iron-rich mineral water, which temporarily stained swimsuits and skin. Each pool had a different water feature—a waterfall, a curtain of water, or an inlet. You could lean toward the infinity edge to look at the river, but we kept a close eye on our little kids. Access to the river itself was not available, and the current was not safe for them to explore. We went on a cold, rainy day, so the kids could get out of the hot water for a few minutes and cool off in the air.

The entrance sign in the film identifies Poça da Dona Beija, followed by our family in the steaming, brown mineral water with greenery around the pools. That footage gives a closer look at the setting described here. The rest of the film covers other parts of São Miguel as well.

Our visit to Poça da Dona Beija · Scene from our family film (1 min 37 sec)

▶Watch scene from our family film 1 min 37 sec

What we packed

Bring towels, a dark swimsuit you do not mind potentially staining, and a mesh bag for wet things. The iron-rich water temporarily stained our skin; the reddish clay can leave temporary tattoo-like marks. We were also warned that it could discolor dyed or bleached hair, so keep treated hair out of the water. Young children wearing diapers need swim diapers; confirm current venue rules for swim diapers and flotation aids. Plastic baskets were available by the gift shop, which also had a few swimsuits, postcards, and small gifts. When we were looking for a swimsuit, the original article recommended trying one of Furnas’s local “Chinese stores,” general shops with a mix of big-box and dollar-store goods.

Make a day of Furnas

Furnas offers more than a soak: you can explore the volcanic landscape and try local food. The sulfur smell is part of the geothermal setting. On our rainy, cool visit, the children could get out of the hot water for a few minutes to cool down before going back in. The people there were warm with our three boisterous boys, and we did not feel anyone was bothered by them.

Our broader family film also includes a local farm visit, where the kids learned to milk a cow, and a stop at Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. Those scenes add wider São Miguel context to the pool visit.

For wider island context, our film moves from the pools to a farm outing. The kids get a close look at a cow and help with milking. This is a separate São Miguel stop, rather than an activity at Poça da Dona Beija; I would plan the pool visit and other island outings separately.

A farm stop from our wider São Miguel trip · Scene from our family film (1 min 29 sec)

▶Watch scene from our family film 1 min 29 sec