Bus and train timetables for the Algarve - an unofficial website

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.

ALBUFEIRA GIRO BUS SERVICE - YET MORE UNANNOUNCED CHANGES!

Most timetables and even some routes were changed on 1st February, with the announcement only being made the previous day! Two sets of routes were combined to make circular routes, one of which is actually quite reasonable and useful as it officially provides a direct bus service for the first time ever between São Rafael, Galé, Salgados, Vale de Parra and the Algarve Shopping mall near Guia. Many other changes were minor but...

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 eight weeks after the first changes. Some timetables have changed three 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 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 many buses may 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! Some timetables for longer routes e.g. Faro to Lagos have had a few minutes added to make them more accurate.

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 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.

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 ned to know the exact stops yuu will board and alight and in some 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.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.

www.algarvebus.info An unofficial website for buses and trains in the Algarve Owned and maintained by a local resident	Questions about Albufeira? Visit the forum
Albufeira on Facebook - lots of pictures!	My own picture blog of the Algarve and more http://cubsur51.wordpress.com

www.algarvebus.info

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Contents - summary

News and updates - latest - Sunday 5th February 2023