All drivers originally from the UK.
Click picture to visit the website
Pricematch Guaranteed, book your
return transfer and get a free gift!
Click the logo to visit
yellowfishtransfers.com
Airport, golf and local transfers
Bring your team to
the Algarve!! Click to visit our website
Alternatives to satellite dishes also supplied and
installed
BESPOKE GOLF HOLIDAYS -
CLICK AD TO VISIT THEIR SITE
Family friendly holidays and baby equipment to hire
click the logo to visit their site
Useful website for visitor information on safety and
security.
Click logo to visit
Bike rentals, tours, sales and service. Click to see their
site.
Located on the N125 near Algarve Shopping, Guia.
VISITING THE ALGARVE?
WANT TO PLAY LAWN BOWLS?
THE BALAIA BOWLS
CLUB NEAR ALBUFEIRA WELCOMES YOU
We will be open from Monday 19th April
Visitors are welcome
BUT YOU MUST BOOK IN ADVANCE.
Please visit this page for the details
Roll-ups Tuesday and Friday mornings, meet at 0945 for
1000 start. (this may be changed, so please check.) Visitors pay €10
per person. We can provide woods, but not shoes at this time.
We are also happy to welcome touring sides and can provide
our own team as your competition. Four rinks on natural
grass. Bar adjacent! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE CLUB
WEBSITE HOLIDAY OR LONG TERM RENTAL
MODERN TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT FOR HOLIDAY RENT LONG OR SHORT STAYS IN THE
VERY CENTRE OF ALBUFEIRA OLD TOWN
No pool, no parking, but 2 minutes walk from the beach
area, 1 minute walk from the old town's main square.
The apartment is NOT suitable for those who cannot manage
46 stairs up from the street! No lift / elevator.
Long lets available in winter. Price around €250 a week,
negotiable, minimum 'long' let is three weeks. Unlimited
wifi, fully equipped kitchen. Large balcony. I know
the owner and can put you in touch with him direct!
Bookable for holidays at Booking.com - click here.
The same owner has a 1 bedroom apartment, fully modernised last year, in
a quiet about 5 minutes walk from the old town but close to all amenities. Details here. SHAMELESS BOOK PLUG!
available as a paperback and Kindle at Amazon.
Paul Marsh has lived in the Algarve for fifty years.
This is the first part of Paul's story – how he threw away the opportunity of
a privileged education and a glittering career in accountancy and opted
instead to bum his way around Europe for a few years until finally
settling in the Algarve, where he had a stroke of good fortune, became
emotionally attached to a local street dog – that’s him in the title of
this book – and fell in love with the country and its people.
The Algarve region of Portugal - information on bus
and train services
This is an unofficial website compiled by a
resident of the Algarve. It has come about as a result
of many enquiries in various forums. No responsibility
can be accepted for any problems caused by errors or
omissions. This site is not connected with, nor endorsed
by, any official operator or organisation. I welcome any
feedback, comments and
suggestions. In all cases I strongly recommend that you
check times locally at the bus terminal etc as timetable
changes are usually made without prior warning!
Timetables are NOT posted at most bus stops. They still
wonder why few people use the buses here.
Contents - summary
YOU ARE STRONGLY
ADVISED TO READ THE GUIDANCE NOTES first as,
at first sight, the operations here can seem a bit
complicated.
For example, most buses in the Algarve do not have
route / line numbers as they do in many countries.
News and updates - latest
- Saturday 17th April 2021
IMPORTANT
- WEARING A MASK IS COMPULSORY BY LAW ON ALL
FORMS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT WITH BIG FINES IF YOU
DO NOT. THIS INCLUDES TAXIS AND FERRIES.
CHANGES TO ALGARVE REGIONAL BUS SERVICE
If planning for a future trip please check your times closer to the actual date. Changes are being made all the time.
The
regional bus companies EVA and Frota Azul made a large
number of changes to bus service in effect from Monday April 19th. I have updated all relevant Algarve pages. A few buses have been restored, but weekend service is still very limited with several routes having no service at all. In some areas buses that were operated primarily for schoolchildren and students have been removed from the public timetables.
Bus service in the major
towns such as Albufeira, Faro, Lagos and Portimão is operating to normal
timetables so far as I am aware.
I have removed the printable timetables from the site. There are so few buses running and so many changes to timetables, often at as little as 24 hours notice, that it has become an almost impossible task to keep them updated. If and when a reasonable level of service is restored and there is some stability, they will be re-instated.
REDUCTIONS IN LONG DISTANCE TRAIN AND BUS (COACH) OPERATIONS
The railway has restored most long distance trains, but a few are still not operating. I
have updated the trains page. The national long distance bus (coach)
operator Rede Expressos is now operating about 80% of the pre-criisis service on the busiest routes, less elsewhere. Short notice changes are likely. Check official
websites carefully. Rede-Expressos is currently selling tickets only one week in advance.There are (currently) no reductions in regional
train service.
Bus Station ticket office hours
Bus station ticket offices are open but with limited hours. Some are closed completely. Few are open after about 1500hrs at weekends. If you need a ticket for a long distance journey go to www.rede-expressos.pt
Paying for the bus - local buses in the Algarve region
Buses here do not
take contactless debit or credit cards. The crisis situation did not push
them towards it. Unless you have a pre paid pass or season ticket, for local journeys it's
cash only on board or at bus stations. Change is given, but bus drivers will not thank you for a
€20 note.
Bus stops on Google Maps
EVA and Frota Azul stops in the Algarve region are now
marked on Google Maps! Major breakthrough!
Click on a bus stop symbol and you will see the times
of the buses and their destination. The route
numbers on the departure board are however fictitious.
They are not shown on the front of the bus. Some stops
do not show up on the map unless you zoom right in.
Warning - although there have been few recent changes to regional bus
times, they are made with as little as 24hrs notice. I recommend you
check bus times at the official websites if your journey is important. The
information on Google is not necessarily going to be correct.
Also shown on Google Maps are the Albufeira local GIRO system bus stops, routes and times - but a warning!
Many of the times shown on Google are WRONG
by up to 10 minutes. Also, last buses are up to 30 MINUTES EARLIER than
Google states. There is NO officially published timetable. The times here and on linked pages are correct and based on almost daily use of the system.
REDE EXPRESSOS / ALSA INTERNATIONAL
BUS / COACH SERVICES BETWEEN ALGARVE TOWNS AND SPAIN
ALL SERVICE ON THESE ROUTES IS SUSPENDED. THE BORDER IS CLOSED TO ALL 'NON ESSENTIAL' TRAVEL
Flixbus is operating a daytime service twice each week between
Lisbon and
Seville, which calls in Albufeira, Faro and Faro airport. I cannot find
any other journeys operating on a regular basis. Cross border travel is
prohibited except for residents of either Portugal or Spain if travelling for essential reasons eg work.
TRAINS
Ticket sales on Alfa Pendular (AP) and Intercidades
(IC) long distance trains are limited to two-thirds of the normal
capacity. Remember that reservation is COMPULSORY on
these trains. Timetable changes may be made at short notice. You should check
times FOR THE EXACT DATE OF TRAVEL at the official website www.cp.pt
GOOD NEWS - tickets for REGIONAL trains can now be
bought from the CP website or using their 'app'. You
must either print your ticket or keep it on your
mobile device. There is no 'collection' option, if
only because most stations have no ticket office and
there are no ticket machines. Payment on board the train is cash only.
TAXIS INCLUDING UBER
Taxis and Uber etc (normal 4
seat size) are limited to TWO passengers per
vehicle. Most municipal taxis do NOT accept card payments.
FURTHER DISCOUNTS TO 'SEASON TICKETS' ON
REGIONAL BUSES
A promotional drive has further reduced the cost of
monthly passes to 50% of the base fare and with a
maximum price per month of €40 ie equivalent to €2
each working day. Might be useful to long term
visitors staying outside towns or in places not served
by the purely urban networks. Details at http://eva-bus.com/pdf/tarifas_inter_2020.pdf
NEW WEBSITE FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN THE ALGARVE
- USEFUL MAP OF BUS ROUTES AND STOPS
A new website has been created with the aim of
promoting sustainable transport in the Algarve. Among
the early features is a map, overlaid onto Google
Maps, which shows every inter-urban bus route and all
stopping places. A commendable start and at first
glance you may think it's a comprehensive network, but
remember that many routes run only once or twice a
day. The site offers no timetable information that I
can find. The map will be a useful cross reference to
other information. It can be found at https://algarve.city-platform.com/app/?a=carreiras
- link will open in a new window. The main website
itself is www.vamus.pt and is available in
Portuguese and English.
TOURIST PASS FOR ALGARVE
LINE REGIONAL TRAINS
Available from STAFFED stations only. (Lagos,
Portimao, Tunes, Albufeira, Loulé, Faro, Olhao, Tavira
and Vila Real de Santo António) and are NOT VALID ON
ALFA PENDULAR OR INTERCITY TRAINS. Do the maths first.
A return (round-trip) ticket from Faro to Lagos is
only €14,80.
Two days for €20,90 and three days for €31,90.
Reduced fares for children. Days must be consecutive.
The seven day pass is not being advertised, that I can
find.
Discounts for long distance train travel!
If you book more than
8 days in advance there are some really cheap fares
available on trains, eg between the Algarve stations
and Lisbon. These fares can be cheaper than coaches
(buses). These tickets might not be refunded if you do
not use them. Go to www.cp.pt
for all you need to know.
OTHER DISCOUNTS ON TRAIN TICKETS
If you are aged 25 or under, CP is offering a 25%
discount on all Alfa Pendular, Intercidades,
InterRegional and Regional train tickets. You can
use this discount in any class, any day of the week.
Just show official ID with proof of your age such as
a Citizen card, ID card, driving licence or
passport. You can buy your tickets from
long-distance ticket offices, netTICKET travel
agents. These tickets can be reissued or refunded.
Young people aged 26 or over can still enjoy the
Cartão Jovem discount for individual journeys.
In addition, a 40% or higher discount is available
to all travellers on long distance Intercity and
Alfa Pendular trains who make reservations on line
eight days or more in advance. Reservations open 60
days before travel. On some trains the number of
these discounted tickets is limited. These tickets
can be exchanged for a different train, but are not
refunded if you don't make the trip. You can buy
your print at home tickets at www.cp.pt and in English. DO
NOT buy tickets from RailEurope or any other site as
they cannot offer the discount and cannot provide
you with the mandatory seat reservations. These you
would have to obtain locally and pay an additional
fee for them. Anyone over 65 can travel half fare on
local trains so long they have ID eg passport.
STEP FREE ACCESS TO TRAINS - NOT POSSIBLE
I must emphasise that there is NO STEP FREE ACCESS at
any Algarve station to any train while it is in the
platform. All trains in use have steps up into the
carriage. Some platforms are very low, making it
difficult for some. I have added an item to the
'disabled page' with details
of the various stations.
TOURIST PASSES FOR ALGARVE BUSES
These are available as three day versions at €30,50
and seven days for €38,20. Days must be consecutive.
They can be bought at any bus station ticket office,
also the Albufeira old town Bus Shop and the EVA
ticket office in Largo do Dique, Portimão. They are
valid on ALL buses operated by EVA or Frota Azul
listed in timetables on this site. They are NOT
VALID on EVA Mundial Turismo (MT), Rede-Expressos or
other long distance services, international
services, the so called 'airport shuttle' between
the airport, Albufeira, Portimão and Lagos, nor on
the local urban buses in Lagos, Portimão, Albufeira,
Loulé, Vilamoura, Quarteira, Faro and Tavira. The
local buses in those towns have their own day
passes, multi-ride tickets and season tickets for
frequent or regular users.
BUS DELAYS
Traffic congestion and
unrealistic timetables mean that many buses cannot
be relied upon to run to time, especially on the
longer journeys. The 1800 bus from Lagos to Albufeira was ALWAYS at
least 10 minutes late by the time it reached
Albufeira, a 20 minute delay in summer was not
unusual. I regularly experienced similar delays
returning from Lagos or Portimão to Albufeira in the
late afternoon and early evening. With everything closed and nowhere to go, I have very little recent bus travel to report on!
On the longer routes eg Lagos - Faro and Albufeira -
Lagos, delays of 10 - 15 minutes towards the end of
the journey are commonplace, on any day of the week.
Delays are even more likely in summer.
TIMETABLES AT BUS STATIONS ETC
Timetables may not be currently not posted at
bus stations and were never seen at Faro and Loulé. They were never seen at
most bus stops. Copies of the official timetables can
be downloaded from the various websites, but finding
which one(s) you need can be a problem. For example
between Albufeira and Portimão there are four
different bus routes each with its own timetable.
Copies can be obtained from bus station ticket
offices. The official timetables have information in English as to which days buses do or do not run.
DISABLED OR FIND IT HARD TO GET AROUND?
DEFICIENTE? BEHINDERTE? HANDICAPÉ?
Please click here
for some observations on this issue. You will
have problems using the buses and trains
in the Algarve. I am able-bodied by
the way!
Why the site exists
I have built this site of local bus,
train and ferry information here in the
Algarve in response to many queries raised
through various forums.
The main idea is to allow visitors and
potential visitors to plan ahead by
getting an understanding of the local
public transport operations and the places
they serve and don’t! I recommend that
wherever possible you check times locally.
Updates are made here whenever changes are found on official websites or through personal experience!. Whenever I go
somewhere, I check the information. Each
timetable bears the date on which I was
last able to verify it as being
correct.Schedule changes currently (April 2021) very
frequent since the 'crisis' began. They are often introduced with
little or no advance warning.
Changes are highlighted on websites often only two or three days before they come into effect but sometimes only the day before!
I live in the Algarve and use these buses
and trains as I do not drive. Not all
routes and services are included. I have
left out those unlikely to be of use to
visitors, for example some short
schooldays only runs.
I have not included full details of some
of the local 'city' bus type operations.
They have websites to which I can
redirect. You can make enquiries at the
local bus station or tourist information
offices if required. Please note that
tickets are NOT interchangeable between
these purely urban buses and the other
buses.
As much as possible has been checked on
the ground eg by using the buses concerned
and/or obtaining the printed timetables.
Official websites
The official website of the major
local operator, EVA, can be found at www.eva-bus.com ;
the other, smaller, company Frota Azul
also has a website. They have
'search' functions enabling you to find
which buses run between two places, but do
not list buses to and from all
destinations nor all the fares. The
official timetables are available for
download and printing. As neither site has
a map of routes, it can be difficult to
discover which route serves which place.
There are often differences between the
information on the websites and the
timetables at the bus stations etc. I use
the printed information.
The urban operators around the
larger towns also have websites, with
varying degrees of information.That for
Albufeira is the worst. Some information is out of date. No official timetables are
published! Each local site is mentioned on
relevant pages, with links to them.
I would be pleased to receive any additional
information you think would be useful. If you can
scan or photo timetables, leaflets etc, please email
them to me. I can then include the
data in these pages.
CURRENT
ALBUFEIRA WEATHER
ALGARVE HOLIDAY FUN
INFORMATION, ADVICE AND DISCOUNTED
BOOKINGS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY FUN - CLICK THE LOGO TO VISIT
THE SITE
CLICK THE PICTURE FOR
TRACY BURTON'S GUIDE TO THE VIA ALGARVIANA
RECOMMENDED BARS
IN OLD TOWN ALBUFEIRA RESTAURANTS, BARS AND SIMILAR ESTABLISHMENTS ARE PERMITTED ONLY TO OFFER SERVICE AT OUTSIDE TABLES
The Cavern Pub - currently closed
English owned and run since 1991 Old town Albufeira, Rua
do MFA, two minutes walk from the square.
Open from 12 noon weekends for
the sports, during winter open from 6pm weekdays but not necessarily every day!
60's and 70's music plus all UK sport on TV. Free wifi for
customers
TUNES BAR
British owned
Old town Albufeira near the Sol e Mar Hotel
Up the steps by the tunnel and turn right to Praça Miguel
Bombarda
Good music, UK Sports on TV. Free wifi for customers
Open 11am until late, every day
Tel : 289 153 178 email :tunesbar2016@gmail.com
RECOMMENDED BARS IN OTHER PARTS OF TOWN
These inserts are not paid for. Just places I sometimes go
to plus ideas from regular visitors. Hours may vary
according to season.
FAT CATS DINER, RUA DUNFERMLINE
Near Paraiso, Tropical Sol, Eirasol, Forte do Vale etc Facebook page
VICTORIA BAR, RUA SAMORA BARROS
Near Albufera Jardim, Windmill Hill, Páteo Village.
THE WANDER INN, AREIAS DE SÃO JOÃO
Facebook page
In Rua Alexandre Herculano. British owned.
THE YORKSHIRE TAVERN
Facebook Page. Near the traffic
lights at the 'strip'. Closed Saturdays.
