Historic Praia da Vitória, a major point of interest about 20 km northeast of Angra, is one of the most modern towns in the Azores. Located in a large bay on the east coast, this pretty town boasts a long and attractive sandy beach, a smart marina, a nice pedestrian shopping zone and a very pleasant ambiance.
With its recently modernized and extended harbour, featuring a 1,400 m long jetty and a marina with a capacity for 210 boats, Praia da Vitória has got the better of Angra and now constitutes Terceira’s most important seaport.
Praia’s centre has a pleasant pedestrian zone with many attractive shops and some notable historic buildings that well deserve a glance. The most impressive of all is probably the all-dominating Igreja Matriz de Santa Cruz, an attractive parish church with a large façade with two imposing bell-towers that can be seen from far.