This page is unofficial. The information has
been obtained from printed timetables and other local sources
and is given in good faith.
The planes, trains and coaches on this page are operated by
numerous different companies, so some sections will be more up
to date than others.
CHECKED AND UPDATED 4th JANUARY 2023
FOR ENTRY TO SPAIN PLEASE CHECK THEIR CURRENT
PUBLIC HEALTH REGULATIONS!
THERE ARE NO HEALTH RELATED REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY TO
PORTUGAL
MASKS ARE NOT NEEDED ON BUSES OR TRAINS IN PORTUGAL, BUT
THEY ARE IN SPAIN.
The main focus of this page is travel between the Algarve and Seville.
I accept no responsibility for any problems
caused by errors or changes made by the operators that I can’t
find out about.
Note - the vehicles used for the long journeys in this page
are called COACHES in the UK, called bus anywhere else.
In all cases you MUST have a ticket before boarding coaches / long distance buses.
Faro and Barcelona with Vueling Air two or three
flights each week from early June until late October
IBERIA
Faro - Madrid route had two or three flights each week in
summer.
Complete information on all scheduled flights
at Faro airport can be viewed here
- the link will open in a new window.
See below. There are no trains between the Algarve and Spain. The lines do not cross or even meet up at the border.
The nearest station in Spain is in Huelva,
some 60km /36 miles from the border.
Huelva currently has only three trains a day. Two run to and
from Seville and one runs direct to and from Cordoba and
Madrid.
In fact there are only four trains a day (normally) between
anywhere in Portugal and anywhere in Spain. And none of them
in the Algarve.
TRAIN LISBON <> MADRID VIA BADAJOZ
A daytime train journey between Lisbon and
Madrid is just about possible. However this tAkes about 10
hours, requires three different trains and a fairly tight
connection in Badajoz, Spain. It is not possible to buy one
ticket for the whole journey! I have the details here.
GETTING ON OR OFF AT PORTIMÃO?
The long distance bus station is 1.5km from the town centre.
Very few local buses go there.
Do allow enough time to get there. Location details etc here.
EARLY MORNING DEPARTURES -
TICKET OFFICE HOURS
BUS STATION TICKET OFFICES ARE NOT OPEN FOR THE NIGHT-TIME OR
MOST VERY EARLY MORNING DEPARTURES
Travellers intending to get a very early service should buy
their tickets from the website or at the bus station prior to
the day of travel.
CURRENT
TIMETABLE until further notice. There are many
more journeys in summer. All subject to change of course! Please confirm times for your exact date of travel at the official website. Check the official websites for times of the other possible Lisbon <> Seville journeys, changing en route. All journeys are DAILY. |
|||||||||
Lagos Bus
Station |
From | 0800 |
From | 1530 |
Seville Santa Justa Railway Station (see note below) |
2330 |
0930 |
1330 | 1530 |
Portimão see note here | Lisbon | 0830 |
Lisbon | 1600 |
Seville
Plaza de Armas Bus Station |
2359 | 1000 |
1400 | 1600 |
Albufeira
Bus Station (1.6km from centre) |
0115 |
0900 |
1115 |
1630 |
Huelva Bus Station | 0100 | no stop |
1455 | no stop |
Faro Airport | 0230 |
0945 | 1200 |
1715 | CHANGE TO PORTUGAL TIME - 1 HOUR |
||||
Faro Bus
Station |
0215^ |
1000 | 1215 |
1730 |
Tavira Bus Station (Portuguese time) |
0100 | 1100 |
1500 | 1700 |
Tavira Bus Station | 0300 |
1045 |
1300 | 1815 | Faro Airport (Portuguese time) | 0145 | 1145 | 1545 | 1745 |
CHANGE TO SPANISH TIME +1 HOUR |
Faro Bus Station | 0130^ | 1200 |
1600 | 1800 | ||||
Huelva
Bus Station (Spanish time) |
0500 |
no stop |
1500 | no stop |
Albufeira Bus Station (1.6km from centre) | 0215 | 1240 |
1645 | 1845 |
Seville
Plaza de Armas Bus Station |
0600 |
1345 |
1600 | 2115 |
Portimão see note here | to | 1315 | to | 1915 |
Seville Santa Justa Railway Station |
0630 | 1415 |
1630 | 2145 | Lagos Bus Station | Lisbon |
1345 |
Lisbon | 1945 |
The Plaza de Armas bus terminal in Seville is about 2km across the city from the Santa Justa railway station. It is also about 2km from the Prado San Sebastian Bus Station. Official website for the bus station here. In Spanish mostly, some information is available other languages via the national flags at top right of first page.
There is a direct bus between the Plaza de Armas
and the Santa Justa railway station.This is route (line) 21,
which also stops at the Prado de San Sebastian bus station. The
number 21 bus runs 4 - 6 times an hour on weekdays and
Saturdays, 3 times every hour on Sundays and Holidays. Intervals
between buses are slightly irregular.
The official website of the Seville city bus service is at www.tussam.es including a downloadable map. This is however only in Spanish. A useful site for Seville public transport information in English at https://en.redtransporte.com/sevilla/ which includes information about buses to places more distant. There is a lot more information about Seville, including maps,here
The single line of Seville's metro (underground)
rail network does not serve either the Plaza de Armas bus
station or the Santa Justa rail station. It does have a stop at
the Prado San Sebastian, the other major bus station and at San
Bernado rail and bus station, served by regional trains and
where some regional buses start their journeys. The metro
website is http://www.metro-sevilla.es/en/ -
available in English.
Most parts of Seville can also reached by city
buses from outside the Plaza de Armas.
There is comprehensive information on buses in the Seville region (in Spanish only) at the 'Consorcio Transportes' website
Buses to many suburban destinations leave from
the Plaza de Armas, but some leave from the Prado San Sebastian.
The C3 and C4 circular routes link the two bus stations. The bus
station at Prado San Sebastian is the yellow painted building
with the arches, just around the corner from the
tram/light rail stop**. The entrance is actually in the Plaza
San Sebastian. The bus companies Casal,Los Amarillos, Grupo Valenzuela and Alsina Graells
(ALSA) use this terminal. They each have their own
ticket/enquiry offices inside. Los Amarillos lost their contract
to operate certain regional routes in favour of DAMAS. In
particular this includes the popular route for tourists
Sevilla – Ronda – Chipiona – Málaga. Please
therefore check times and buy tickets at the DAMAS website.
** The short tram line runs between San Bernado metro station via Prado San Sebastian (close to a lot of bus stops) to the old city centre at the Plaza Nueva, a distance of about 2km. Ticketing is integrated with the city buses operated under the Tussam banner.
Buses from Seville to some regional destinations
(eg Cadiz, Jerez, Tarifa, La Linea and Algeciras) are operated
by DAMAS
and Transportes
Generales
Comes. The TG Comes company use the Prado San Sebastian
bus station, DAMAS use Plaza de Armas. The MONBUS service
to Jerez and Algeciras leaves from the Prado San Sebastian bus
station in Seville. CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL as to which company
goes from where.
The route M124 bus from Seville to Carmona,
operated by CASAL, starts from San Bernardo, at the metro
station and runs via Avenida San Franciso Javier and Avenida
Kansas City towards Carmona. This bus DOES NOT STOP at the
airport.
Long distance buses to many other parts of Spain
leave from Plaza de Armas. These companies use Plaza de
Armas - ALSA,
DAMAS, SOCIBUS, LEDA, EUROLINES
You can check times of buses from the
Plaza de Armas bus station on this website http://www.autobusesplazadearmas.es/
with some sections available in more than one language.
The ALSA and Eurolines sites are available in
English, the TG Comes site has quite of a lot of its information
in English, but isn't very easy to navigate!
The airport bus (EA, Especial Aeroporto) runs to and from the bus station at Plaza de Armas in the city centre, calling at the Prado San Sebastian bus station and the Santa Justa railway station on the way.
At Plaza de Armas the airport bus now stops
INSIDE the bus station building, at stand number 21.
First bus from the city to the airport is at
0430 daily, last bus is at 00.11. From the airport the
first bus is at 05.22, last bus at 01.00. Buses run every 12 to
15 minutes between 0730 and 2100. Earlier and later buses run
every 20 - 30 minutes. Additional journeys may run in summer.
One way fare is 4 Euros, return fare 6 Euros.
Journey is between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on traffic.
The download of the information and timetable
leaflet has vanished from the website. However times in detail
can be checked at https://reddelineas.tussam.es/?lang=en
In the direction Algarve - Seville, you have to
take the train or bus to Vila Real de Santo António (VRSA). This
town is on the Portuguese side of the wide Guadiana river, which
forms the border between Portugal and Spain.
The railway station at Vila Real de Santo
António is at the end of the Algarve line from Lagos, which
also serves Portimão, Faro and Tavira etc as do the buses above.
Train times are very irregular; the current times are here.
The station in VRSA is about ten minutes walk (flat, no hills) from the ferry terminal. To get from the railway station to the ferry, walk out of the station, straight down the road, past the roundabout and on to the next junction. Turn left and pass through an area of small factories, until you get to a T-junction and can see the river. Turn right and you will see the bus station ahead of you. The ferry is just beyond. The Intermarché supermarket outside the VRSA train station is a good place to stock up. It’s open daily including Sunday afternoons. There aren't any other supermarkets until you get to Spain. The town centre of VRSA is off to the right when you get to the bus station. There you will see bars, restaurants etc. Map here - opens in a new window.
If you are staying somewhere (eg Faro, Tavira, Monte Gordo) where there is a bus to Vila Real de Santo António bus might be best, as the bus station at VRSA is at the ferry terminal.
Seville - Algarve - I have used the coach/ferry/bus option from Seville to Albufeira via the ferry! It was fairly painless except for a half hour delay caused by traffic congestion on the outskirts of Seville. The coach (cost now about €15) took me in three hours from Seville to Ayamonte bus station, on the Spanish side of the river. Times and tickets at www.alsa.es
From the bus station it's about 15 minutes flat
walk through the town to the ferry terminal. This isn't
signposted very well, so keep the river to your left. Then
there's the ten minute ferry ride (€2,10) across to Portugal -
see below.
The Spanish railway line from Madrid and Seville
runs only as far as Huelva. There are only four trains a day
between Huelvas and Seville and one more between Huelva
and Madrid which does not stop in Seville. For train times and
tickets go to www.renfe.com
Spanish
time is 1 hour ahead of Portugal
JANUARY 2023 - Ferry is operating once each hour weekdays and Saturdays, limited service on Sundays and holidays
The
ferry is operated by Transporte Fluvial Guadiana. Their website
is https://www.rioguadiana.com/ and
Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/TransporteFluvialGuadiana
I have used the ferry
a few times. That’s a picture of it to the left. It can take two
or three cars and maybe 50 passengers maximum. (Spanish time is
one hour ahead of Portugal, so you gain or lose an hour in the
10 minute crossing of the river.)
TAKE YOUR PASSPORT OR ID CARD! PORTUGUESE
FRONTIER POLICE SOMETIMES CHECK THEM BOTH OUTBOUND AND INBOUND.
ALSO IT THE LAW HERE IN PORTUGAL THAT ALL ADULTS MUST CARRY
PHOTO ID AT ALL TIMES INCLUDING TOURISTS.
For all BUS timetable enquiries around Ayamonte,
Isla Cristina and Huelva go to the
regional bus website here this site is only in Spanish.
There are several different buses between Ayamonte and Huelva,
so you will have to fish around a little.
The DAMAS company runs several daily journeys
between Seville (Plaza da Armas) and Ayamonte. LAB = weekdays, SAB = Saturdays, DOM = Sundays and
Holidays. Salidas = departures. Timetable below valid until
30th June 2023, subject of course to any future alterations!
Journey is about three hours, one way fare is
€15,10. There are also journeys between Ayamonte and Huelva
about every two hours. You have more options Ayamonte -
Seville with a change in Huelva. These journeys are also
operated by DAMAS.
Socibus
operate two journeys a day between Ayamonte, Seville and Madrid
- details below. There are
currently no other direct buses / coaches between Ayamonte and
Madrid.
Huelva's railway station and the bus station
1.7km (just over 1 mile) apart. Do allow enough time between
train and bus if required. The Huelva city bus website is
http://www.emtusahuelva.com. Routes
2 and 4 run between the bus station and railway station, only in
that direction. Routes 5 and 8 stop near the railway station
going towards the bus station.
The ALVIA train to Huelva leaves Madrid at 1805
daily, arriving in Huelva at 2154. These trains stop in Córdoba
but NOT Seville. Details and fares at www.renfe.com
- normal tourist class fare one-way is about €70, can be cheaper
if booked well in advance.
There is now also a slower Intercity train From
Huelva to Madrid (Atocha) at 1750 daily arriving 2212. From
Madrid (Atocha) to Seville at 0945 arriving at 1402. These two
trains run via Seville and Córdoba
Seat reservation is COMPULSORY. Trains are
frequently sold out - book early! Do check the official website
carefully. Short notice changes to the timetable are always
likely. Tickets can also be purchased in £ or € at https://raileurope.com/ - an
accredited ticket seller for many European railways.
A number of companies and travel agents
advertise that they will do airport transfers to Seville, so
that could be an avenue worth exploring, especially if there is
a group of you. For example, try www.yellowfishtransfers.com
The
information below is a guide. CHECK ON OFFICIAL
WEBSITES before making travel plans.
There are a lot of enquiries about these buses,
as there are almost no trains between Portugal and Spain, as
already stated. Don't forget that Spanish time is one hour
ahead of Portugal. All times given below are local time to
the country and city concerned.
Also, the INTERNORTE consortium website offers
domestic and international services. EUROLINES - see below
The timetables do not state so specifically, but
services on holidays are usually as for
Sunday times. Service subject to change around major holidays eg
Easter. Tickets should be bought in advance if at all possible,
especially in summer. I do not claim that this information is
comprehensive. There may well be other links, especially in the
north of the country, but this site is really about the Algarve.
Many routes between Portugal and Spain are now jointly operated by the Spanish ALSA company (owned by National Express, a UK train and bus operator) and Portuguese company Rede Expressos. Tickets for those below may be purchased at either company's website. Both are available in English. ALSA and Rede Expressos
One daytime journey direct every day, one overnight journey via
Lisbon. Ticket price €27 daytime, €54 night-time, journey time 8
- 9 hours. Stops at Porto and Madrid airports.
Madrid <> Lisbon via Badajoz and Évora
One-way fare from €27. There is no exchange or refund on
the lowest price tickets. These journeys now call at the
airports in Lisbon and Madrid.
Three journeys currently running every day, two
daytime and one overnight. Extra journeys run on some dates.
Journey time is 8 to 9 hours. Check times on the official
website which will possibly be different when you wish to
travel.
One daytime journey each way, 7hrs 30 minutes, times vary and they do not run every day.
Fridays and Sundays all year in both directions, also operates
on certain other dates. See http://www.interurbana.ad/contingut/linia_andorra_portugal/idMenu-3
in English. Journeys actually start / end in Vila Praia Ancora
and stop also at Ponte da Lima, Braga, Guimarães, Amarante, Vila
Real and Bragança. In Spain they stop in Valladolid, Burgos and
Zarazoga, among others. Their website currently recommends
checking times for short notice changes. Tickets are around €80!
There is a downloadable timetable at http://autocareslazara.com/servicios/#lineas
The same company also has a journey on Fridays from Monção and
Valença do Minho across to Tuy and Vigo, returning on Sundays.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE OPERATED
BY AUTNA BUS
They now use a new bus station in Vigo, the Estación Intermodal
de Vigo (VIALIA). This is next to the Vigo Urzáiz Railway Station
but about 1.3km from the other Vigo station at Guixar. Connections
available at Vigo to and from Santiago de Compostela, also
possible by train or local bus. Trains are also available
between Vigo Urzáiz station, Santiago de Compostela and La Coruña
- www.renfe.com for times and
tickets.
This route also stops in Viana do Castelo, but only for
passengers who have purchased tickets at the website.
Tickets can be bought on line - one way fare Porto to Vigo €14,90
return (round-trip) €26,10 - small discounts available for those
under 26 or 65 and over.
In Porto, these journeys stop at the Airport, Casa da Musica
metro / bus station and the Campanhã Bus Station.
INTERNATIONAL
SERVICE OPERATED JOINTLY BY ALSA and Rede
Expressos
FLIXBUS
- PORTO - VIGO - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Three journeys daily
with FLIXBUS
these also stop at Porto Airport.
FLIXBUS - OTHER ROUTES
Low cost buses / coaches between Spanish cities and major Portuguese cities and towns. Check their website www.flixbus.com
Operated by Socibus
Madrid Airport stop is at Terminal One. Please check all times
when buying tickets. There are no downloadable timetables on their
website. One-way fare Madrid (City or Airport) <> Ayamonte
€39 approx. purchased via website. Journey time almost 9 hours.
One daytime and one overnight journey
each day, stopping at Isla Cristina, La Antilla and Lepe, then on
to Cordoba and Madrid. These do not stop in Seville.
Click here for a list of Portuguese public and religious holidays until end 2023. In general, trains and buses run to Sunday times on these holidays. At Christmas and New Year public transport does operate, but services may be reduced and in very rural areas local bus service is nil. All Spanish holidays are listed here - external link in a new window.
As in Portugal, Spanish holidays are not ‘moved’
and are held on the given date regardless of the day of the week.
Also, there are many local holidays and festivals. Particularly in
rural areas, bus service may not operate on these days. Do check
locally if making an important journey.
For an alphabetical list of places in the
Algarve, please click here.
For a bus map of the Algarve click here
For a quick list of all timetables on the site click here
For some important general notes about buses in the Algarve, click
here
Home Page