

Algarve-365 transfers
All drivers originally from the UK.
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 ad 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 ALBUFEIRA?
WANT TO PLAY LAWN BOWLS?
THE BALAIA BOWLS CLUB
NEAR ALBUFEIRA WELCOMES YOU
Visitors
of all abilities are welcome
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 for about two hours play. We
can provide woods, also bowling shoes if you need them.
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
There are also lawn bowls clubs based near Alvor, Cabanas,
Almancil and Floresta BC at Aldeia Azul near Lagos
HOLIDAY OR LONG TERM
RENTAL
MODERN APARTMENT
ROOMS FOR HOLIDAY RENT LONG OR SHORT STAYS IN THE
CENTRE OF ALBUFEIRA OLD TOWN
ROOM only! Shared kitchen (brand new) and bathroom.
The whole apartment of two double bedrooms and one room
with sofa bed + balcony can be booked if desired.
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.
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
in 2021, in a quiet residential area about 5 minutes walk
from the old town and 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.
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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 often made with little or no prior warning!
Timetables are NOT posted at some bus stops.
Contents - summary
YOU ARE STRONGLY
ADVISED TO READ THE GUIDANCE NOTES first as,
at first sight, the operations here can seem a bit
complicated.
There are separate bus companies with separate tickets
and fares for long distance, regional and local
operations in the cities and towns.
A list of all tursday 9the timetables on the
site Alphabetical list of all
places in the Algarve served by train or bus
All timetable pages carry the date on which I was last
able to verify the times as being correct.
I have used almost all the buses and trains myself.
THE MOST
FREQUENTLY CONSULTED PAGES
Fast Buses Faro
<> Albufeira <> Portimão <>
Lagos
|
Buses along the coast between Faro,
Almancil, Quarteira, Vilamoura, Albufeira,
Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos
|
Buses along the
coast between Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa, Albufeira,
Vilamoura, Quarteira, Almancil and Faro
|
Buses
between Faro, Olhão, Tavira, Monte Gordo, Vila
Real de Santo António
|
Travel
between the Algarve and Seville (Spain)
|
Buses
between Lagos and Sagres
Diagram
of Algarve bus and train routes
|
List of
timetables
Notes
on
the bus systems |
Alphabetical
list
of towns and villages with links to timetables
|
Public
Holidays in Portugal 2023
|
Outdoor
markets in the Algarve
|
Local
buses around Albufeira |
Bus maps of Albufeira |
Buses and in other parts of
Portugal
|
Long-distance
buses (coaches) in Portugal
|
Trains in the Algarve and
to/from Lisbon |
Football
(soccer) in the Algarve |
|
Beer price
conversion table - download and save this
MS EXCEL
file then find out how much your
beer here really costs!
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EMAIL ME
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News and updates - latest
- Wednesday 29th March 2023
MORE RAILWAY
STRIKES?
MORE
STRIKES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THE WHOLE OF APRIL.
DISRUPTION
TO TRAIN SERVICE IS EXPECTED, WITH A GENERAL STOPPAGE OF WORK ON THURSDAY
6th APRIL
GO TO
WWW.CP.PT FOR INFORMATION ABOUT CANCELLATIONS AND
ALTERATIONS
IF YOU HAVE AN ESSENTIAL JOURNEY TO MAKE, BOOK A
COACH (BUS) TICKET AND FORGET GOING BY TRAIN
ALBUFEIRA GIRO BUS SERVICE - STILL NO INFORMATION
AVAILABLE AT BUS STOPS ETC
There is STILL NO INFORMATION about the 'new'
routes and timetables at the bus stops and very
little at the bus station except for paper maps and
timetables posted at the various stops. This is now
four months after the first changes. Some timetables
have changed five times since then. People are still having to
stop drivers to ask if it's the right bus for them.
Not everyone is holding a mobile phone and even
those who do have little or no idea where to look
for information!
It's www.vamusalgarve.pt/giro
- or find the VAMUS app. Click 'Idioma' to see the
site in American English, French and Spanish. So
it's 'line' not 'route' and 'schedule' not
timetable.
I have managed to construct new timetables, using
official information, which can be accessed here. I will
keep checking and update as often as I can. In the
meantime, I apologise for errors or omissions!
TRANSPORT ON DEMAND BUSES IN VERY RURAL AREAS
I have added a page to list the 'on demand' buses
that operate in some of the Algarve's very rural
areas. Typically, these run twice or three times a
week to take people into town during the morning and
take them back early afternoon. All buses operate
only on weekdays and must be pre booked. Check here.
BUS TICKET MACHINES NOW BEING INSTALLED AT BUS
STATIONS
VAMUS, the regional bus company, is installing
ticket machines at bus stations. These will make it
easier to purchase tickets and recharge pre paid
passes. They are now up and running at Faro, Lagos,
Albufeira and Tavira bus stations, also at the Faro
Airport bus stop. Soon to follow at Loulé and
Quarteira bus stations, also at Aqua Shopping at
Portimão. They work in English and Portuguese, but
will not sell tickets and passes for the urban
networks such as Vai e Vem in Portimão and Giro in
Albufeira. I have read that these will be available
at some future date.
REDE- EXPRESSOS CROSS BORDER COACH / LONG DISTANCE
BUS SERVICE TO SPAIN
The cross border coach / long distance bus
service of Rede Expressos / ALSA between Lagos
and Seville is now operating just two journeys per
day in each direction for the winter, calling
at Portimão, Albufeira, Faro Airport, Faro and
Tavira in Portugal, some also stop in Huelva in
Spain. The
night-time journey and one daytime journey Lisbon
- Albufeira - Faro - Seville are also operating.
Times here.
Flixbus
is running six journeys a week between Lagos and
Seville via Albufeira, Faro Airport, Faro and
Huelva. They are also operating daytime journeys
each day between Lisbon and Seville, with stops in
Albufeira, Faro, Faro Airport and Huelva.
CHECK THE TIMES AT THEIR WEBSITE! They have also
restored the overnight journeys, but these no longer
stop in Albufeira or at Faro Airport.
OPERATOR FOR ALGARVE REGIONAL BUSES
The regional bus
service in the Algarve is operated under the name
VAMUS. Buses have a mainly white colour scheme.
Click a picture to see it full size. You may
occasionally see a bus in the old green and white or
blue and white colours of the former operators.
Their website is vamusalgarve.pt
and an 'app' for your mobile is available in
Portuguese, Spanish and (American) English. Pre paid
tickets for multiple journeys can be loaded into an
account you create.The website and app include
interactive maps of all routes including the stops,
an A to B journey planner and a calculator for
season ticket fares. There is also a pre paid ticket
card available at bus stations, which can be renewed
on line, rather than having to go to a bus station.
OFFICIAL MAP OF ALGARVE BUS ROUTES
The VAMUS bus company
has kindly provided me with a copy of their official
route map which can be viewed and downloaded here.
Bus Station ticket office hours
Bus station ticket
offices are open but some with limited hours. There
is an updated list here. If you need a
ticket for a long distance journey go to www.rede-expressos.pt
or if using Flixbus, to their website.
Paying for the bus - local buses in the Algarve
region
Buses in the Algarve do
not take contactless debit or credit cards. Unless
you have a pre paid pass or season ticket, for local
journeys it's cash only on board. Change is given,
but bus drivers will not thank you for a €20 note.
You can pay for a pre paid pass or season ticket at
a bus station using a debit card. The VAMUS
bus company offers a pre paid 'pay as you go' card
valid for all its buses, which reduces on board
fares by 40 - 50%. Information in Portuguese and
English here
or you can have the same by downloading their app
and creating an account.
TOURIST PASSES FOR ALGARVE BUSES
These are available as three day versions at €35 and
seven days for €45. Days must be consecutive. They
can be bought using their 'app' or at any bus
station ticket office and the bus ticket office in
Largo do Dique, Portimão. They are valid on ALL
buses operated by VAMUS listed in timetables on this
site. They are NOT VALID on Mundial Turismo
(MT), Rede-Expressos or other long distance services
or international services, 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 buses might
not be relied upon to run to time, especially on
the longer journeys. However, I have very little
recent bus travel beyond Albufeira to report on!
On the longer routes eg Lagos - Faro and Albufeira
- Lagos, delays of 10 - 15 minutes towards the end
of the journey were commonplace, on any day of the
week. Delays are even more likely in summer.
TIMETABLES AT BUS STATIONS ETC
Timetables may not be currently posted at bus
stations and were not seen at Faro and Loulé. Most
bus stops now have a timetable panel showing the
times buses leave and to where they go. But not at
all stops, including some in Albufeira I know of.
Copies of the official timetables can be downloaded
from the VAMUS website,
but finding which one(s) you need can be a problem.
For example, between Albufeira and Portimão there
are five 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.
Bus stops on Google Maps
VAMUS regional bus stops in the Algarve region are
marked on Google Maps! 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 may not be shown on the front of the bus, just
the destination. Some stops do not show up on the map
unless you zoom right in. Warning - because of short
notice changes to bus times, I recommend you check bus
times and other details 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 plus some of
the other local operations.
TRAINS - TICKETS AND RESERVATIONS
Remember that reservation is COMPULSORY on all long
distance trains (marked AP or IC in the official
timetables), even for the shortest journeys. Tickets
are sold up to 60 days in advance. 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
Reserved seats are not available on other trains.
Tickets for regional trains can 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.
TOURIST PASSES FOR REGIONAL TRAINS IN THE ALGARVE
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.
Passes cost €20,90 for two days 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
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. Some new modifications are
being made on the eastern section of the line in
tandem with the electrification works.
TAXIS INCLUDING UBER ETC
Taxis, Uber, BOLT etc are available almost everywhere.
Most municipal taxis do NOT accept card payments. All
taxi companies have English speaking staff. In most
areas, they operate as co-operatives with a central
contact point by phone or app. A simple internet
search 'taxi + (name of town)' will find this
information.
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 often introduced
with little or no advance warning.
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 regional
bus company, VAMUS, is at https://vamusalgarve.pt/
available in English, Portuguese and
Spanish. To change language, go to the
bottom right hand corner of the page and
click 'idioma.'
This has interactive maps for each
route, showing all stopping places. There
is a journey planner, but to use it you
need to know the reference number of the
stops at which you will board and alight.
In many cases it is a different stop
number depending on direction.
The urban operators around the
larger towns also have websites, with
varying degrees of information. 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.
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CURRENT
ALBUFEIRA WEATHER
THE VIA ALGARVIANA

CLICK THE PICTURE FOR
TRACY BURTON'S GUIDE TO THE VIA ALGARVIANA HIKING TRAIL
CLICK HERE
FOR A MAP OF THE VIA ALGARVIANA

RECOMMENDED BARS
IN OLD TOWN ALBUFEIRA
Cavern Bar

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, 6pm on weekdays
every day in summer. Winter weekday hours may vary.
60's and 70's music plus all UK sport on TV. Free wifi for
customers
STARDUST BAR (FORMERLY TUNES BAR)

Old town Albufeira near the Sol e Mar Hotel
Up the steps by the tunnel, turn right to Praça Miguel
Bombarda
Good music, UK Sports on TV. Free wifi for customers
Open 11am until late, every day.
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'. Quiz night on Friday. Closed
Saturdays.
ARTE BAR, CERRO GRANDE
Re-opened February 2023 after some building work to fit
out a kitchen. They have a Facebook page for the latest
news. In summer, bar snacks, quiz nights and live music.


ALGARVE SENIOR LIVING
Buy your dream retirement home abroad
click the picture to visit their website
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