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 28th JUNE
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EU APPROVED HEALTH CERTIFICATE
A VALID NEGATIVE TEST MAY BE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY TO
PORTUGAL
CHECK CURRENT REGULATIONS! SELF TESTS ARE NOT
ACCEPTABLE!!
Please
do check everything on the official websites before committing
yourself. There are frequent changes to timetables.
This is a difficult page to keep up to date at the best of
times!.
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 seems to show two or three flights each week this
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 six trains a day (normally) between
anywhere in Portugal and anywhere in Spain. And none of them in
the Algarve.
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.
A
LIMITED CROSS BORDER SERVICE IS OPERATING
A
VALID NEGATIVE TEST MAY BE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO
PORTUGAL
SELF
TESTS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE!!
ONLY THESE
JOURNEYS ARE OPERATING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Daytime journeys between Lisbon and Seville are also possible with a change at Faro or elsewhere. Check the official websites for times of the other Lisbon <> Seville journeys. All journeys are DAILY. They do sell out in summer, so book early! |
|||||||||||||||
Lagos Bus
Station |
From | 0800 |
0900 |
From | 1030 |
1530 |
1700 |
Seville Santa Justa Railway Station (see note below) |
2330 |
0800 |
0930 |
1130 |
1530 |
no stop |
1800 |
Portimão see note here | Lisbon | 0830 |
0930 |
Lisbon | 1100 |
1600 |
1730 |
Seville
Plaza de Armas Bus Station |
2359 | 0830 |
1000 |
1200 |
1600 | 1730 |
1830 |
Albufeira
Bus Station (1.6km from centre) |
0115 |
0900 |
1000 |
1045 |
1130 |
1630 |
1800 |
Huelva Bus Station | 0100 | 0930 | no stop |
1315 | no stop |
no stop |
no stop |
Faro Airport | 0230 |
0945 | 1045 |
1130 |
1215 | 1715 | 1845 |
CHANGE TO PORTUGAL TIME - 1 HOUR |
|||||||
Faro Bus
Station |
0215^ |
1000 | 1100 |
1145 |
1230 |
1730 |
1900 |
Tavira Bus Station (Portuguese time) |
0100 | no stop |
1030 |
1415 | 1700 | 1825 |
1930 |
Tavira Bus Station | 0300 |
1045 |
1145 |
no stop |
1315 | 1815 | 1945 | Faro Airport (Portuguese time) | 0145 | 1010 | 1115 | 1400 |
1745 |
1940 |
2015 |
CHANGE TO SPANISH TIME +1 HOUR |
Faro Bus Station | 0130^ | 1030 |
1130 |
1415 |
1800 |
1955 |
2030 |
|||||||
Huelva Bus
Station (Spanish time) |
0500 |
no stop |
no stop |
1430 |
no stop |
no stop |
2145 | Albufeira Bus Station (1.6km from centre) | 0215 | 1115 |
1215 |
1500 |
1845 |
2040 |
2115 |
Seville
Plaza de Armas Bus Station |
0600* |
1345 |
1445 |
1525 |
1615 |
2115 |
2300 |
Portimão see note here | to | to | 1315 |
1530 |
1915 |
2110 |
2145 |
Seville Santa Justa Railway Station |
0630 | 1415 |
no stop |
1600 | 1645 |
2145 |
2330 | Lagos Bus Station | Lisbon |
Lisbon |
1345 |
1600 |
1945 |
2200 |
2215 |
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! It was fairly painless except for a half hour delay caused by traffic congestion on the outskirts of Seville. The coach (cost now €14,62) 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 easy
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 (€1.90) across to Portugal.
The Spanish railway line from Madrid and Seville
runs only as far as Huelva and there are only two or three trains
a day.
Spanish time
is 1 hour ahead of Portugal
MAY 2022 - Ferry is operating once each hour daily until 30th June - times at https://www.ayamonte.info/horarios-ferry-ayamonte-portugal-villa-real-de-santo-antonio/
The
ferry is operated by Transporte Fluvial Guadiana. Their website is
https://www.rioguadiana.net/ 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. DIDN'T KNOW THAT, DID YOU!
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. The winter 2021 /
2022 timetable is shown below and valid until 30th
June. LAB = weekdays, SAB = Saturdays, DOM = Sundays and
Holidays. Salidas = departures
Journey is about three hours, one way fare is
€15,08. 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 train to Huelva leaves Madrid at 1805, except
on Saturdays when it does not run. These trains stop in Córdoba
but NOT Seville. Details and fares at www.renfe.com -
normal tourist class fare one-way is about €49. Other options
(changing at Seville) are at present often not viable with some
journey times of over 8 hours!
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 to what I can find that is
currently running. CHECK ON OFFICIAL WEBSITES before
making travel plans.
Many cross-border routes are suspended. Those that are
operating have reduced service.
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 €22 daytime, €45 night-time, journey time 8 -
9 hours. Stops at Porto and Madrid airports.
Madrid <> Lisbon via Badajoz and Évora
One-way fare from €24. There is no exchange or refund on the
lowest price tickets. These journeys now call at the airports in
Lisbon and Madrid.
Two journeys currently running every day, one
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.
I CAN SEE NO WAY TO BUY TICKETS TO OR FROM LISBON SO I CONCLUDE THAT SERVICE IS SUSPENDED
Try www.rede-expressos.pt for possible journey options. The journey from Lisbon to San Sebastian is 15 hours!
DIRECT SERVICE SUSPENDED
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
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. Be aware that the railway station Vigo Urzáiz and Vigo bus station are about 2km from each other.
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 €12,
return (round-trip) €21 - discounts available for certain
travellers.
In Porto, these journeys stop at the Airport, Casa da Musica
metro / bus station and the Campo 24 de Agosto Bus Station.
INTERNATIONAL
SERVICE OPERATED JOINTLY BY ALSA and Rede
Expressos
FLIXBUS
Low cost buses / coaches between Spanish cities and major Portuguese cities and towns. Few services are running, check their website www.flixbus.com
IBEROCOACH
PORTO - VIGO - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
SERVICE
SUSPENDED - THREE JOURNEYS DAILY ARE AVAILABLE WITH FLIXBUS
WHICH ALSO STOP AT PORTO AIRPORT
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
€33 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 2022. 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
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