The village of Madalena is dwarfed by the towering Pico, a volcano that also is the highest point in all of Portugal.

MCT / Diane Stoneback

Europe is closer than you think and less expensive than you’d expect, if you travel to the Azores, an archipelago of nine islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

Eight hundred miles west of Portugal and just a four-hour flight from Providence or Boston, the islands are the closest point of Europe to the United States, other than the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland.

A vacation can cost as little as $709 per person, thanks to Azores Express package deals including round-trip airfare from Boston, six nights’ hotel and full breakfasts. Visit two islands instead of one, requiring an inter-island flight, and the cost is $969.

But proximity and affordability are only the start of the reasons the Azores are a great vacation destination.

These islands will open your eyes to nature’s moods, ranging from explosive and destructive to calm and peaceful. And the lessons the Azores offer in geography, seismology and volcanology are unforgettable.

The ground rumbles, mud boils and hot springs bubble in certain places. In fact, there’s so much underground thermal activity in the Furnas area of Sao Miguel, the largest Azorean island, that home cooks and restaurant chefs use “hot spots” alongside Furnas Lake to cook a special stew (Cozido das Furnas) in steaming holes in the ground.

Elsewhere, dormant volcanoes release occasional puffs of smoke and it’s not unusual to feel the earth shake under your feet.

In other places, the stunning beauty of lofty lava cliffs lining the islands’ shores, placid lakes filling the craters of ancient volcanoes, sweeping mountain views, flower-studded landscapes and cascading waterfalls compete for visitors’ attention.

The islands’ temperate Atlantic climate, between 55 and 75 degrees year-round, means comfortable touring and blooming flowers all year. However, the weather is very changeable and requires ponchos for the blustery downpours that can strike, particularly during the off season, October to April.

Flower lovers, who have discovered the islands are blooming treasures, often time their vacations to see the azaleas and rhododendrons (as large as trees) flower in late March and early April, or hydrangea time in July and August when the bushes add vibrant color to hedgerows, hillsides and shoulders of the road.

Even more pleasant is the sense of peace that overspreads the islands. Because of their isolation, they’re behind the times when it comes to crowds, traffic and crime (now that they don’t need to pay pirates for protection!).

When you step off the curb and into a crosswalk, drivers stop. Driving a rental car is fairly easy, too, even on the curving, hilly, two-lane roads.

And Americans really are welcome here. Start a conversation with an islander and you’re likely to learn that he or she either has relatives in the States or has lived in the States for a few years.

The ties binding Americans and Azoreans go back to the days when New England whaling ships stopped in the Azores for supplies and sailors. But they also include the times when trans-Atlantic cables were laid and when the United States established a military base in the islands (first on Santa Maria, then on Terceira).

Still more ties linked the two countries when the Capelinhos volcano (on Faial’s west coast) erupted in 1957 and continued for more than a year. The catastrophe had some Azoreans emigrating to the States.

Even without those ties, Azoreans are open and hospitable. When I was leaning over a fence to photograph an array of colorful orchids growing in front of a home on Pico, the owners opened their gate and invited me in for a closer look at the flowers. And, they gave me the most beautiful bouquet of orchids I’ll ever receive.

A Faial cabdriver taking me from Horta to the airport for my inter-island flight back to Sao Miguel made an impromptu side trip to his home so I could see his early-blooming hydrangeas and flourishing vegetable garden.

Another cabbie quoted 13 euros (about $21) to take me to the vineyards of Pico — a few miles from the island’s ferry port at Madalena — and wait while I toured a wine-production facility and bought wine. When she realized I was interested in the island’s history, flowers, fruit and foods, the excursion took on new dimensions.

She took me to see abandoned homes with serious cracks, crumbled walls and damaged roofs caused by the 1978 earthquake, as well as the memorial commemorating this most recent of Pico’s “serious” seismic events.

The cabbie also suggested stops at a bakery for crusty bread and at a cheese factory for a round of soft and buttery cow’s milk cheese. I needed both, she said, to enjoy with my wine. Who could object?

We were gone far longer and went much farther than the cabbie expected when she named her price at the start of our journey. But she refused to accept any more money than the original amount she requested. “I had fun, too,” she said, as she pulled away.

The Azores consists of nine islands: Sao Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico, Faial, Flores and Corvo. My Azores Express package included three nights on Sao Miguel and three nights on Faial. Because Pico is so close to Faial and an inexpensive ferry links the two, I got to explore Pico, too.

En route to the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel in Furnas on Sao Miguel, I got my first glimpses of the grand views from lofty lookouts along the coastal roads. With my head spinning from the initial beauty of the land and the flowers I had just seen, I faced my first reality check as I read a sign next to the hotel’s elevator.

“In case of fire . . . or EARTHQUAKE. . . .”

The word jumped out at me. Was this the start of a story that would end in disaster?

A call to the hotel’s front desk made me feel better. “The last time there was a serious quake was in the 1970s,” the desk clerk said. Sensing my next question, he added, “And the last time a volcano erupted was 1957.”

I began to relax. Then my misgivings vanished altogether when I walked onto my room’s balcony. The view? Like that from a pricey box seat overlooking a theater stage. On stage for my pleasure was Terra Nostra Garden, one of the world’s foremost gardens. Its roots begin in the mid 1700s.

The hotel’s main entrance is nondescript and its furnishings need an update (which begins this winter), but the garden privileges that come with your room make up for it.

A soothing dip in the garden’s tepid thermal swimming pool also helps. Although the pool water is so full of iron that it’s yellow, rather than green, I didn’t feel like an iron woman when I emerged. But my skin was softer and moister for days afterward.

I admired the produce, cheeses and needlework on sale at the farmers’ market at Ponta Delgada and explored its massive Gothic Church of Sao Sebastao.

I watched artists hand paint ceramics at the pottery factory in Lagoa, visited the Gorreana Tea Plantation and Factory (the only facility of its kind in Europe), and tasted the quality teas it produces. On a morning visit to Mulher De Capote Liqueurs in Ribeira Grande, I still managed to sample pineapple, passion fruit and blackberry liqueurs and fell in love with their smooth Queen of the Island whisky cream. I also toured one of the island’s 6,000 pineapple greenhouses (the only place in the world where pineapples are grown this way) where it takes 18 months for the fruit to mature.

On Faial, a short flight from Sao Miguel, my first stop after dropping off my suitcase at the four-star harborfront Hotel do Canal was Peter Café Sport. A colorful hangout for yachtsmen and sailors since the 1930s, it’s known for hearty lunches and dinners and the owner’s scrimshaw museum.

To walk off the massive sandwich, soup and island beer I had just consumed, I headed for the marina to view the sea walls painted with colorful art and messages from sailors. According to legend, sailors leaving their ships’ names behind insure they’ll have safe voyages home.

The most moving sights on Faial are on its western tip, where the 1957-58 eruption of Capelinhos volcano buried a village of homes under lava and a layer of solid gray ash so deep that only the roofs of a few homes are visible. A nearby lighthouse, destroyed by the volcano, is being restored to serve as a visitor’s center that tells the story of this devastating chapter of island history.

Pico was the unexpected bonus of the trip and the wild card that was the most charming of all. Besides discovering that its reputation as one of the friendliest of the islands is deserved, the towering Pico volcano at its heart is strangely fascinating.

I rode part way up the long-dormant volcano’s side, but couldn’t manage the rest of the way on foot, a three- to four-hour climb. Islanders strongly encourage anyone who wants to make the hike to the volcano’s cone to hire an experienced local guide. Said one Pico resident, “There’s only one path to the top, so climbing seems easy. But sudden weather changes, like fog or snow, can turn the experience into a nightmare.”

Elsewhere, waterfront lava formations including one that looks like a dog’s head, and multiple lava archways, make for good walks in the seaside villages of Cabrito, Arcos, Lajido and Porto Cachorro.

Lava also figures heavily in the way the islanders live (in stone homes made from black basalt) and in the wines they make and drink.

The historic way in which the vineyards are laid out — into square “corrals” formed by lava rock walls, has earned the area a Unesco World Heritage site designation. Stacking the rocks (broken up and cleared so grapevines could be planted) into walls protects the vines from Pico’s winds that sometimes reach 50 or even 75 mph.

I lunched at an inn called Aldeia da Fonte. But even in the serenity afforded by its perch on cliffs above the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding forest and flowers, there are reminders of towering Pico which last erupted in 1718 and 1720.

I ordered the dining room’s best-selling dessert, the lava cake. And after a few forkfuls, I asked my waitress what it’s like to live in the volcano’s shadow.

“It lets off some steam now and then,” she said.

“But don’t you worry about another eruption?” I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and answered, “It could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be never.”If you go . . .

GETTING THERE: Azores Express (SATA International) serves the Azores with year-round direct service from Boston and summer service from Providence. Flights from the United States land in Sao Miguel and Terceira (summer only). For best values, opt for an Azores Express package deal that includes airfare, six nights (or more) hotel and breakfast every morning.

GETTING AROUND: Rental cars, buses and taxis are available on eight of the nine islands. On Corvo, taxi and sightseeing services are available. Ferry service connects Sao Miguel with most other islands.

TEMPERATURE: Temperate all year, without major variations. Average minimum temperature is 57.2 while August average temperature is 77 degrees.

GEOLOGY: Eight of the nine islands were formed by volcanic eruptions and have rounded craters (”caldeiras”), often filled with lakes, as well as caves and deep tunnels formed by lava tubes. Black lava covers many surfaces.

ACTIVITIES: Golfing, tennis, horseback riding, cycling, mountaineering, jeep safaris, walking, swimming, scuba diving, line fishing, surfing, paragliding and whale watching are available.

WHAT TO PACK: The Atlantic climate is mild but given to sudden changes. Pack lightweight clothing, with one or two sweaters for cool evenings. Raincoats or ponchos are a good idea from October to April.

Time: Four hours later than Eastern Standard Time.

CURRENCY: The euro.

LANGUAGE: Portuguese and English.

INFO: www.azorestourism.com, www.sata.pt or (800) 762-9995 or (508) 677-0555.