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 buses on this page are operated by
numerous different companies, so some sections will be more up
to date than others.
Travel by plane,
bus or train between the Algarve and Spain
IT CAN BE
A BIT DIFFICULT!!
The main focus of information is travel
between the Algarve and Seville.
I have added such information on travel between the Algarve and
certain other parts of Spain, either gained through personal
experience or contributed by others.
I accept no responsibility for any problems
caused by errors or changes made by the operators that I can’t
find out about.
I will of course update when new information becomes available.
If you have any contributions to this information, please email
me!
Thanks again to Barlavento
Expert for the information on buses between various parts
of Spain and Portugal - summarised here.
PLANE - checked 6th January 2015
There is now only one Spanish destination that
can reached by scheduled flights direct from Faro.
Air Berlin
operates between Faro and Palma de Mallorca four times a week.
Flying to Palma de Mallorca might sound a bit odd, but there are
connections there for Barcelona, Bilbao and many other places
There are currently no flights between Faro and
anywhere in mainland Spain.
Vueling Air (www.vueling.com) is intending three flights per week between
Faro and Barcelona from June 2015.
TRAINS
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 has only four trains a
day, three to Seville and one direct to Cordoba and Madrid.
In fact there are now only THREE trains a day between anywhere
in Portugal and anywhere in Spain. And none of them go anywhere
near the Algarve.
This bus (coach) service between Lagos and
Seville is operated jointly by Eva Bus
(Portugal) and DAMAS (Spain)
Connections are available at Faro to and from Lisbon
There are also direct buses (coaches) between Lisbon and Seville
via the Algarve, operated by the Spanish company ALSA see below
One way fare Lagos to Seville is €21; return/round trip €35. To
print the timetable below click here. Does
not include connections.
THESE TIMETABLES MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT WARNING SO PLEASE CHECK
ON THE WEBSITES!
Spanish time is 1 hour AHEAD of
Portuguese time
ONE HOUR LATER in
summer30
minutes LATER in
summer
Does not run = não circular, ne marche pas, kein Betrieb
operates only between 28.06.15 - 06.09.15
X - bus does not stop and there are
no usable connections from these places
Connections -
separate tickets needed in all cases
(a)
- bus from Lagoa to Portimão at 13.20 on
weekdays / 13.30 Saturdays that would connect with this
bus.
No connection on Sundays and Holidays.
(b) - bus from Portimão
to Lagoa at 12.00 daily to connect with this bus. (c) - bus from
Olhão to Tavira WEEKDAYS ONLY at 1235. Train daily,
leaves 1224. (d) - bus from
Portimão to Albufeira daily at 1100, from Lagoa at 1120. Arrival in Albufeira 1205. (e) - bus from
Tavira to Olhão at 0855 daily or train at 0934. Railway
station is 10min walk from bus station. (f) - bus from
Tavira at 1510 daily, train on weekdays only at 1525. (g) - bus from
Albufeira to Lagoa and Portimão at 1030 daily. (h) - bus from
Albufeira to Lagoa and Portimão at1615 and 1720 WEEKDAYS ONLY.
Weekends and Holidays not until 1800.
For other connections please refer to the timetables elsewhere
on the site.
DAMAS
COACH
AT LAGOS
Ticket Purchase
These are the only stops. Tickets are not
sold on board. This is an 'all-reserved' service. Tickets
can be bought on line for all journeys.
Go to www.eva-bus.com
for journeys starting in Portugal, www.movelia.es
for journeys starting in Spain.
A correspondent noted that when you book ON
LINE your ticket may show the departure in SPANISH TIME even if
you are leaving from Portugal.
Spanish websites definitely do show the times in Portugal in
Spanish time! Do double check.
Otherwise, you must buy your ticket at
the ticket office before the bus arrives, so allow sufficient
time or go there a day or two earlier. The ticket offices in
LAGOS and LAGOA are NOT OPEN for the early morning buses. You
MUST buy your ticket at least the day before. At weekends the
ticket office at Portimão will likewise not be open.
Warning - a correspondent travelled on the 1330 Seville
- Lagos bus. There were tickets available at the DAMAS
ticket office but by the time the bus arrived it was obvious
that some 15 - 20 more tickets had been sold than there were
seats on the bus. Those who had bought tickets on line were
not given priority. Late arrivals had to wait for the next
journey. This has, they said, happened before. Advice - arrive
early even if you have booked on line!
These buses usually have on-board toilets you
will be pleased to know!
# for information about onward connections at
Seville please click here. Plaza das
Armas is 2km from the main Santa Justa Railway Station and the
other main bus station at Prado San Sebastian.
SEVILLE <> ALGARVE <> LISBON
Service operated by ALSA - www.alsa.es - the website is in English. Section checked and updated 2nd December 2014
FOR INTERNATIONAL JOURNEYS ONLY
To UK readers these are COACHES, like National Express. Tickets
MUST be
bought in advance.
If you used this route before, note that the ALBUFEIRA stop
is now the main bus station at Caliços. WARNING - I have noticed on recent occasions the
afternoon ALSA buses leaving Albufeira before the scheduled
departure time.
This I can only assume is because all ticketed passengers are on
board. You CANNOT buy tickets at the last minute!!
Connections are available at Seville for Algeciras, Malaga,
Torremolinos etc. Check the ALSA or MOVELIA website.
PLEASE CHECK AT WWW.ALSA.ES OR WWW.MOVELIA.ES FOR TIMES FOR THE EXACT DATE YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL
Stops at Ayamonte and Loulé have been discontinued, as have most at Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António.
In summary, an overnight journey runs every night between Lisbon and
Seville, passing through Albufeira, Faro,Tavira and Vila Real de Santo
António in the early morning.
In addition, in winter, a daytime journey runs Thursdays to Sundays in both directions. In summer this journey runs daily.
There is also at least one daytime journey each way between Seville and Lagos, calling at Faro, Albufeira and Portimão.
Towards Spain this leaves Lagos at 1400hrs, towards Portugal it leaves
Seville at 0900hrs. The complete trip takes 4 hours. These trips are
normally by 27 seat midi sized vehicles so early booking is advised in
summer.
I have been informed that tickets may be purchased at a main
bus station but are only available during 'office hours' on
weekdays! Tickets are not sold on board. It has been reported
several times that ALSA may not accept other than Spanish credit
cards on line. There is now an option to pay using Paypal.
The overnight journeys pass through the Algarve during the early
morning hours. The night-time buses stop OUTSIDE the bus station
in Faro.
There will be no local bus transport from or to the stops,
possibly not even taxis.
SEVILLE -
CONNECTIONS - checked and updated 5th January 2015
Connections within the city of Seville
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.
It is very busy, even on a Sunday morning, so allow ample time to
buy your ticket. Perhaps go there a day or two earlier as I did,
or book on-line if you can.
There is no direct bus between the Plaza de Armas
and the Santa Justa railway station. You need to take bus C4 to
Prado San Sebastian then change to the C2 for Santa Justa. The
official website of the Seville city bus service is at www.tussam.es
including a downloadable map. There is a lot more information
about Seville generally, including maps, here.
The first line of Seville's metro (underground)
rail network is in service. It 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. The
metro website is http://www.metro-sevilla.es/en/ - only in
Spanish.
Most parts of Seville can also reached by city
buses from outside the Plaza de Armas.
Buses to suburban and regional destinations
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. Timetables were
displayed when I last visited.
** 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 1km. Ticketing is integrated with the city buses operated
under the Tussam banner.
Buses from Seville to many regional destinations
(eg Cadiz, Jerez, Tarifa, La Linea and Algeciras) are operated by
DAMAS and Transportes
Generales
Comes. TG Comes buses use the Prado San Sebastian bus
station.
You can check times of buses from the Plaza
de Armas bus station on this website http://www.autobusesplazadearmas.es/
note that the site is in Spanish only
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!) but the other sites
are only in Spanish.
Seville Airport bus - checked and updated 5th January 2015
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 stops in front
of the bus station on Calle Torneo (not evident from the Tussam
website). There are two city bus stops in front of the station, on
the same side of Calle Torneo as the bus station itself. The
airport bus stops at the one furthest away to the left from the
bus station exit.
First bus from the city to the airport is at
0430am daily, last bus is at midnight. From the airport the first
bus is at 0520, last bus at 0045. Buses run three times each hour
between about 0730 and 2300hrs, earlier and later twice an hour,
mostly at slightly irregular intervals. One way fare is 4 Euros,
return fare 6 Euros. Journey is between 20 and 30 minutes,
depending on traffic.
Check the times and route maps on the TUSSAM website. Or
there is this PDF file here in Spanish and English.
Gibraltar
TG Comes runs four buses each day from Seville (Prado San Sebastian)
to La Linea, for Gibraltar. Seville - La Linea timetable here.
There is no public transport across the Spain/Gibraltar border. You
have to walk across the border from La Linea and then take a local
bus and taxis on the Gibraltar side into the main part of town. This
takes only a few minutes. Alternatively you can go to Algeciras by GRUPO
VALENZUELA coach (bus) from Seville, then by local bus to La
Linea.
ALGARVE - SEVILLE USING THE FERRY?
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. Trains run
about every two hours; train 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 a rather dismal lot of mostly closed 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.
The ferry runs every 30 minutes in summer,
every 60 minutes in winter, between about 0830 and 1930 only. No
service on winter Sundays. Details below.
If you are staying somewhere (eg Faro, Tavira,
Monte Gordo) there is a bus to Vila Real de
Santo António and bus might be best, as the bus station at
VRSA is at the ferry terminal
Seville - Algarve - I have used the
bus/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 bus (cost now €14.25) took me
from Seville to Ayamonte, on the Spanish side of the river. The
Spanish railway line runs only as far as Huelva and there are only
three trains a day, so unless you are coming from elsewhere, the
bus from Seville is best. Then 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 (€1.70) across to Portugal.
Ferry
to
Ayamonte (Spain)
A little ferry
crosses the river between VRSA and Ayamonte - times checked in person 3rd December 2014
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. All the times
published in Portugal are in PORTUGUESE TIME so check return times
from Ayamonte carefully.
(Spanish time is one
hour ahead of Portugal, so you gain or lose an hour in the 10
minute crossing of the river.)
Winter service 2014/2015
valid until 31st March 2015 according to
information I saw at Vila Real.
PORTUGUESE BOAT IS RUNNING. THERE ARE NO FERRIES ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS.
Departure from Vila Real to Ayamonte at 0845, 0930 then at 30minutes past every hour until 1630, final trip at 1800.
Departure from Ayamonte to Vila Real SPANISH TIME at 1000 then every hour on the hour until 1800, final trip 1915.
Note that the timetables issued in Portugal
show all departures (including those from the Spanish side) in
PORTUGUESE time
Timetable from 1st April to 30th June subject to confirmation.
Summer service - every
30 minutes daily from 0830 to 1930. Summer service valid from 1st
July 2015 to 13th September.
An English language
website for Ayamonte has a timetable on line here. The information differs greatly from
what is available in Portugal!
The
crossing takes about 10 minutes. Fare for foot passengers is
€1.70; children under 4 go free, ages 4 to 10yrs €0.85.The
ticket office at Vila Real is within the restored former customs
control building.
TAKE YOUR PASSPORT OR ID CARD! PORTUGUESE
FRONTIER POLICE SOMETIMES CHECK THEM BOTH OUTBOUND AND INBOUND.
Ayamonte
to/from
Seville direct or via Huelva
PLEASE REFER TO THE TIMETABLE/TICKET WEBSITE FOR SPECIFIC
BUS/COACH TIMES FOR THE DAY YOU WISH TO TRAVEL
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.
For times, fares and tickets for longer journeys
in Spain eg Ayamonte - Seville go to www.movelia.es
- this site is available in English.
The DAMAS bus company runs between Seville (Plaza
da Armas) and Ayamonte four times daily on weekdays, three times
daily at weekends and on public holidays. Journey to Seville is
about 2¾ hours. There are also buses between Ayamonte and Huelva
about every two hours. You have more options Ayamonte -
Seville with a change of bus in Huelva. These buses are also
operated by DAMAS.
Socibus
also operate three times a day between Ayamonte, Sevllle and
Madrid - details below.
Trains - times checked and updated 23rd January 2015 valid until further notice.
There are a few trains (www.renfe.com)
between Huelva and Seville (Santa Justa). The railway between
Ayamonte and Huelva closed long ago and the railway station in
Ayamonte was converted into the bus station. Train times Huelva to
Seville daily at 0700, 1500 and 1900, with an extra
train on Sundays at 1750 which goes to Madrid. Journey is about 90 minutes, one way
'Turista' fare is €12.25 but discounted fares are available for
advance purchase. There is NO CONNECTION by bus Ayamonte to Huelva
for the 0700 train or the 0800 to Madrid below. Trains leave
Seville Santa Justa for Huelva at on weekdays at 1000, 1700 and 2050 with an extra train at 1902 on Fridays which comes from Madrid. On Saturdays and Sundays trains from Seville to Huelva leave at 0845, 1700 and 2050. Reservation is not needed between Huelva and Seville but is essential for journeys to Madrid.
Huelva
<>
Madrid direct by train
There is also a direct fast train between Huelva
and Madrid Atocha NOT STOPPING in Seville. The Huelva - Madrid
train leaves at 0800 arriving at 1140 Return train leaves
Madrid at 1805 arriving in Huelva at 2145. These trains stop in
Cordoba. Details and fares at www.renfe.es - normal tourist class fare
one-way is €71,50. Reservation is compulsory.
There is an extra weekend trip between Huelva and
Madrid at certain times. Train leaves Madrid Puerta de Atocha station on Fridays at
1620 arriving in Huelva at 2023, returning to Madrid on Sundays at
1750 arrival 2158. Subject to alteration around major public
holidays eg Easter. Reservation compulsory.
VAN/TAXI/MINIBUS?
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
OTHER
BUSES BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND SPAIN
Thanks to Barlavento Expert for much of this
information about various other bus services between Portugal and
Spain. 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.
I have checked as much of the information as I
can through the company websites. Advance reservation is required
on almost all the buses (coaches to UK readers) so you must check all times etc before
committing yourself.
Many of the buses between Portugal and Spain are
operated by the ALSA company. This company is owned by
National Express, a UK train and bus operator. Most of their website and
on-line booking system is in English. 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 does not usually operate on New Year's Day
(1st January) and may be reduced on December 24th, 25th, 31st and
subject to change around major holidays eg Easter. Also, according
to my leaflet, you are supposed to 'present yourself' 45 minutes
prior to departure. 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.
BARCELONA -
LISBON (CHANGE OF BUS REQUIRED IN MADRID)
Operated by ALSA. - Please
check details on their website
Leaving Barcelona North Bus Station at 1230 (a)
and 2300 (b) arriving Lisbon Sete Rios at 0700 and 1700
respectively. The 1230 departure also stops at : Barcelona
(Sants), Lerida and Zaragoza. Change buses in Madrid (Est. Sur de
autobuses) then it calls at Elvas, Estremoz, Evora, Montemor,
Setubal and Lisbon Gare Oriente. The 2300 departure stops at the
same places as far as Madrid then Evora and Lisbon only.
(a) the 1230 from Barcelona operates Mondays,
Thursdays and Sundays all year plus Saturdays in summer. (b) the
2300 from Barcelona operates Tuesdays and Fridays all year, also
Wednesdays in summer.
From Lisbon towards Barcelona buses leave at 1130
and 2100. The 1130 runs on SUNDAYS only, all year round and is the
fast service arriving in Madrid at 2130, change buses for
Barcelona arrival at 0700. The 2100 stops in all the towns and
arrival in Barcelona is 1645 the next day. The 2100 runs every day
except Sundays in summer; in winter it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays only.
BARCELONA - PORTO
(CHANGE OF BUS REQUIRED IN MADRID)
Operated by ALSA - please check details on
their website.
There are one or two buses each
day taking about 18 hours for the trip. Times vary according to
season, so please check details on the website above and note that
their English language section refers to Porto as 'Oporto'. There
is a two hour wait in Madrid. Some journeys operate via Madrid
Airport.
The Internorte bus company also operates Porto - Madrid -
Barcelona three times a week; times and reservations at http://www.internorte.pt/
MADRID AND
LISBON/PORTO
Madrid <> Lisbon via Badajoz and Évora
operated by ALSA.
One-way fare €44,00, return (round-trip) €73.00 some small taxes
and charges will be added to the total.
Two buses daily all year one daytime and one
overnight bus, journey time is about 12 hours daytime, 10 hours overnight.
Buses leave/arrive at Madrid's Est Sur de Autobuses and to/from
Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Terminal but calling at Lisbon Gare Oriente
15 minutes later/earlier.
Madrid <> Lisbon via Badajoz, Elvas,
Montemor and Setubal - Operated byAvanzabus
Three buses each way on weekdays, two each way at
weekends and on holidays. One journey each day is overnight.
Journey time about 8 hours. Full timetable on the Avanzabus
website; in Spanish only. Downloadable timetables are
available for all their routes across Spain under the 'horarios'
tab. One-way adult fare Lisbon > Madrid is €42,10. Vehicles are
configured with 33 seats only, including single seats. Some
journeys now also call at Lisbon Airport.
Madrid <> Porto via Salamanca with
connection to Coimbra etc Operated by ALSA.
One daytime journey each way every day, journey
time 9hrs 30 minutes. Check the ALSA website for times. One way
fare €50.00
There is a connection at Madrid from and to
Valencia daily in summer, four days a week in winter.
Porto
- Vigo via Porto airport checked and updated 5th January 2015
Five journeys each way on weekdays, two journeys each way
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Some journeys also run to and
from Santiago de Compostela or you can go from Vigo to Santiago de
Compostela by train or local bus. International service is perated by AUTNA www.autna.com website is in Spanish only. Tickets can be bought on line. Downloadable timetable can be seen here.
Socibus service
Madrid - Seville - Ayamonte checked and updated 5th January 2015
Madrid Airport stop is at Terminal
One
Please check all times when buying tickets as there are no longer
any downloadable timetables on the website
Tickets
for
these buses can be bought on line at www.socibus.es
* 15 minutes walk to the ferry to/from Portugal which, at
best, runs 0900 - 2000 only!
§ There is an infrequent local bus service betwen Ayamonte
and Isla Cristina
C via Cordoba at 1800 or 0100 D via Cordoba at 1555
or 2055
One-way fare Madrid (City or Airport) <> Ayamonte
€29,30
Socibus operate other buses between Madrid, Seville and
Huelva.
Eurolines
The Eurolines company operates a number of routes
connecting Portugal with the outside world. Their Portugal
timetable can be found here - external link.
A number of these times are the same as routes operated by the
ALSA bus company, they are a 'code share' type operation.
Several of the routes involve a change of bus but through tickets
are available.
Routes:
Madrid-Mérida-Badajoz>>>>Elvas-Estremoz-Évora-Montemor
- Setubal - Lisbon
Madrid-Ávila-Salamanca-Ciudad
Rodrigo>>>>Guarda-Viseu-Porto-Fatima-Lisbon - Vila
Real St. António
Algeciras-Huelva-Jerez-MálagaSevilla-Granada>>>>Faro-Setubal-Lisbon-Fatima-Porto
Barcelona-Lleida-Zaragoza>>>>Vilar
Formoso-Guarda-Celorico-Mangualde-Viseu-Albergaria-Porto
Valencia>>>>Elvas-Estremoz-Evora-Setubal-Lisbon - V.
Formoso-Guarda-Viseu-Porto
Socintarbus - Northern Portugal to Andorra
Service ceased operation? Their website is gone and a Facebook page refers visitors to a phone number of another company who have no information I can find!
PUBLIC
HOLIDAYS IN PORTUGAL AND SPAIN 2015
Click here for a list of
Portuguese public and religious holidays until end 2015.
All Spanish holidays are listed here - external link in a new window.
Note that, 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.
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
Spanish time is 1 hour AHEAD of
Portuguese time
