Praia da Vitoria (Terceira Island Azores Portugal)

Praia da Vitoria is a port town on Terceira Island in Azores (Portuguese archipelago), with population around 21,000.

City's urban centre includes the parishes Santa Cruz and Lajes and fronts a ridge overlooking Lajes Airport. It was used as lookout for invaders and pirates, and later as lighthouse and semaphore station. Apart from pasture-lands, the ridge was occupied by Portuguese Air Base 4.

Praia da Vitoria's economy is based on commercial fishing, agriculture and services. Here are located a large marina and Terceira Island's largest sand beach. Lajes Air Base (joint Portugal-USA air force base) is approx 3 km (2 ml) to the north of the city. US military frequent town's clubs and restaurants thus adding to the island's economy.

Downtown Praia da Vitoria has several public squares, two churches, restaurants and hotels. Praia is popular among windsurfers due to the constant seabreezes. Here is hosted the annual triathlon famous for its bullfighting.

In 2018, Azores Islands received a total of 180,000 cruise passengers via 136 ship calls (compared to the previous record year 2015 of 141,000 pax). Of those, Ponta Delgada handled 80 calls (124,000 pax), Praia da Vitoria 27 calls (30,000 pax) and Horta 29 calls (23,000 pax). For 2019 were booked total 145 ship calls with estimated 175,000 passengers. Maiden visits in 2019 included the newbuild ships Nieuw Statendam (2018), Celebrity Edge (2018), Roald Amundsen (2019), Hanseatic Nature (2019).

Praia da Vitoria cruise terminal