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, ALBUFEIRA WELCOMES YOU
IMPORTANT!!!
The green at Balaia is closed until further notice.
This is because of construction work nearby. We have
made arrangements to play elsewhere. Details are shown
at http://balaiabowls.org/
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. Visitors pay €10 per person for about two hours
play. We can provide woods from size 0 upwards, please
bring FLAT SOLED shoes.
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
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.
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 the timetables on the site
Alphabetical list of all places in
the Algarve served by train or bus
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
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Buses
along the coast between Faro, Almancil,
Quarteira, Vilamoura, Albufeira, Lagoa, Portimão
and Lagos
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Buses along the
coast between Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa, Albufeira,
Vilamoura, Quarteira, Almancil and Faro
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Buses between Faro,
Olhão, Tavira, Monte Gordo, Vila Real de Santo
António
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Travel
between the Algarve and Seville (Spain)
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Buses between Lagos and
Sagres
Diagram
of Algarve bus and train routes
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List of
timetables on the site
Notes
on the bus systems |
Alphabetical list of towns and
villages with links to timetables
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Public
Holidays in Portugal 2023/2024
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Outdoor
markets in the Algarve
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Local
buses between Albufeira and other towns
and villages
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Bus maps of Albufeira |
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Buses in other parts of
Portugal
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Long-distance buses (coaches) in
Portugal
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Albufeira Giro Bus
town network
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Football
(soccer) in the Algarve |
OFFICIAL MAP OF ALGARVE BUS ROUTES
this can be viewed and downloaded here. |
MAP SHOWING THE 'ON DEMAND
RURAL BUS ROUTES HERE
List of routes, links to timetables and the
booking process here
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Summertime
Cliffs Line Bus from Alvor to Zoomarina via the
cost, including Praia da Rocha, Ferragudo,
Carvoeiro, Benagil and Armaçõ de Pêra
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Trains in the Algarve and
to/from Lisbon |
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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
- Friday 24th November 2023
UPDATE TO 'NON-ALGARVE' PAGES
I have checked and updated where necessary all
'non-Algarve' pages.
ALGARVE REGIONAL BUS TIMETABLES STILL BEING CHANGED
AT 24 HOURS NOTICE!
VAMUS is still changing timetables at 24 hours
notice. Latest 'victim' is route 65, between Faro and São
Bras de Alportel. It was only a minor change, but only
published on the day it came into effect. The
timetable for route 55 between the airport and
Vilamoura was recently changed twice in the space of
seven days.
WINTER TIMETABLES NOW IN EFFECT
Winter timetables are now
in effect across the VAMUS regional bus network until
30th April 2024.
A change in the time of the last bus between Monchique
and Portimão means that a day trip to Monchique
and back from Albufeira by bus via Portimão is no
longer possible.
The reduction in weekend
bus service for the winter means that a Saturday or
Sunday day out by bus from Carvoeiro to Albufeira, or
the reverse, is no longer possible.
NATIONAL MONTHLY TRAIN PASS FOR REGIONAL TRAINS
CP have introduced a monthly (calendar month) pass
for unlimited travel on REGIONAL trains. This costs
€49 per person. There is NO seniors discount. Details
can be found here.
Do check the regional rail map. Regional train service
is not available in all parts of the country, notably
between Lisbon and the Algarve. This pass is NOT valid
on suburban trains around Lisbon and Porto. ID and
photo needed.
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 a limited winter service
of three journeys daily , calling at Portimão,
Albufeira, Faro Airport, Faro and Tavira in Portugal.
The night-time
journey and two daytime journeys Lisbon - Albufeira
- Faro - Tavira - Seville are also operating.
Some journeys also stop in Huelva. Times here.
Flixbus is also
operating between Lagos and Seville via Albufeira,
Faro Airport, Faro and Huelva, but not every day. They
also run daytime journeys between Lisbon and Seville,
with stops in Albufeira, Faro, Faro Airport and
Huelva. CHECK THE TIMES AT THEIR WEBSITE! They
have overnight journeys between Lisbon and Seville,
but those no longer stop in Albufeira or at Faro
Airport.
ALBUFEIRA GIRO BUS
SERVICE
Maps and timetables are posted at almost all bus
stops, but there are none at the bus station . If you
are somewhere there is nothing, you can find times on
line at 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.
'Business Days' = weekdays, 'Non-Business days' =
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.
I have managed to construct unofficial timetables,
using that information, which can be found here.
I will keep checking and update as often as I can. 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 two or three times a week
to take people into town during the morning and take
them back early afternoon. Some routes are available
every day, some only during school holidays. All 'on
demand' buses operate only on weekdays and must be pre
booked. Check here.
VAMUS BUS TICKET MACHINES 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 most bus stations, also at
the Faro Airport bus stop, Forum Algarve Shopping
Centre in Faro and Aqua Shopping in 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 unspecified
future date.
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 flixbus.com or find the 'apps'
for either or both.
Paying for the bus - local buses in the Algarve
region
Most buses in the Algarve
do not take contactless debit or credit cards. The
only current exception I know of is the local Proximo
bus service in and around Faro. 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,
creating an account and paying on board via your
mobile device.
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!
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 VAMUS
regional 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 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
Closed 26th November to
5th January.
Visit their website or
Facebook page for the latest news. Quiz nights and live
music. Barbecue on summer Sunday evenings. UK sports
channels on TV.
ALGARVE SENIOR LIVING
Buy your dream retirement home abroad
click the picture to visit their website
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