Travel options between the Algarve and Spain by bus or train
Travel by plane,
coach (bus) or train between the Algarve and Spain
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 11th September 2022
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 IN PORTUGAL, BUT THEY ARE IN SPAIN.
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!.
Travel by plane,
coach (bus) or train between the Algarve and Spain
THERE ARE NO
TRAINS,THERE NEVER HAVE BEEN!
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.
PLANE
In winter there are no direct
flights between Faro and anywhere in mainland Spain.
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.
TRAIN
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.
A daytime train journey between Lisbon and
Madrid is just about possible. However this 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.
Several different coach / bus companies
operate cross border services between the Algarve and Seville,
also between Lisbon and Seville via Albufeira and Faro.
These are : ALSA, Iberocoach and Flixbus.
Follow links to see their details.
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.
GETTING ON OR OFF AT ALBUFEIRA?
Albufeira's bus station is 1.6km
from the town centre. All local and regional buses use the bus
station. A few also go closer to the town. More information here.
Flixbus use a roadside stop about 5 minutes walk from the 'old
town' area of Albufeira.
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.
ALSA / REDE-EXPRESSOS SERVICE SEVILLE
<> ALGARVE <> LISBON
To UK readers these are COACHES, like National
Express. Tickets MUST
be bought in advance. Drivers do not sell tickets
Tickets may (normally) be purchased up to two months in
advance at either www.rede-expressos.pt or www.alsa.es
(both are available in English) or at bus station ticket
offices. However the booking window is often reduced.
Other operators vehicles are sometimes used. Your vehicle may
not have ALSA or Rede Expressos written on it, so do pay
attention!
There are NO on board services and not all vehicles have on
board toilets. There are rest stops about every 2 hours.
There are three or four local buses every hour between Seville
(Plaza de Armas) and Seville airport. Click here for details.
Also, Spanish Railways (RENFE) sell combined rail / bus
tickets between their stations in Spain and those places in the
timetable below.
Go to www.renfe.com
for further information and purchases.
LAGOS <>
SEVILLE - service jointly operated by ALSA and Rede Expressos
FOR
INTERNATIONAL JOURNEYS ONLY
One way tickets Lagos <> Seville from €16 no refund, no
exchange. Normal price €20.
Lisbon <> Seville from €26 no refund, no exchange. Normal
price €36 daytime, €52 night.
SPANISH
TIME IS 1 HOUR AHEAD OF PORTUGUESE TIME
THESE
JOURNEYS ARE OPERATING UNTIL 30th SEPTEMBER.
JOURNEYS IN BLUE
WILL NOT OPERATE AFTER THAT DATE. THE TWO JOURNEYS
IN GREEN
WILL OPERATE FROM 1st OCTOBER.
Check the official
websites for times of the other possible Lisbon
<> Seville journeys.
All journeys are DAILY. They do sell out in summer, so
book early!
Lagos Bus
Station
From
0615
0800
From
1030
1200
1530
1700
From
Seville
Santa Justa Railway Station
(see note below)
0130 and 0215 -
So far as is known these stop OUTSIDE the bus station at Faro.
Any information gratefully received. Email
me
CHECK THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES
FOR FULL DETAILS.
Portimão stops - these journeys use a bus station 1.5km /
1 mile from the town centre. Information here.
Faro Airport stops - ^ goes to Faro Bus Station before
the airport The bus stop is next to the passenger drop off area
outside departures, just next to the P1 car park, under the
concrete canopy. There is a bus stop sign.
There is NO TICKET OFFICE at Faro Airport. You must therefore
buy a ticket from websites or apps.
SEVILLE SANTA JUSTA - the pickup point is to the right of
the station exit, outside McDonald's. There is no sign.
You CANNOT buy tickets at Santa Justa. You must get your ticket
in advance.
FLIXBUS LAGOS <> SEVILLE VIA ALBUFEIRA, FARO AIRPORT,
FARO AND HUELVA
Flixbus
is operating between Lagos and Seville twice a day until the end
of September but not on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. From 1st
October this will be further reduced to four journeys a week.
CHECK THEIR WEBSITE OR APP!!!
FLIXBUS ARE OPERATING THREE DAILY JOURNEYS
DIRECT LISBON <> SEVILLE VIA ALBUFEIRA AND FARO
THERE IS ONE JOURNEY OVERNIGHT UNTIL END SEPTEMBER
PLEASE CHECK THEIR WEBSITE FOR TIMES FOR
THE EXACT DAY YOU WISH TO TRAVEL
There are other daytime journeys options between Lisbon and
Seville via Badajoz, Check the website.
The overnight journeys stop in Faro but not Albufeira.
Arrival is very early in the morning in both Lisbon and Seville,
when nothing will be open.
I don't know if this service operates every night. Please check
at Flixbus.
CHECK AT THE FLIXBUS
WEBSITE OR VIA THE APP BEFORE MAKING A FIRM TRAVEL
PLAN
FLIXBUS DO NOT STOP AT
ALBUFEIRA'S MAIN BUS STATION.
THEY STOP IN THE OLD TOWN CENTRE AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE - THE
'SMALL' BUS STATION
Flixbus do not have a ticket agent at their stops in
Albufeira or Faro. You buy tickets from their website or using
their app.
Or you can find their local agent in Albufeira or Faro towns via
their website. But they do not show times of opening.
SEVILLE - CONNECTIONS AT PLAZA DE ARMAS BUS STATION
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.
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. 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 (coaches) from Seville to elsewhere in Spain
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!
Seville Airport bus
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
Gibraltar
TG Comes is running three journeys each day from Seville (Prado San
Sebastian) to La Linea, for Gibraltar. The journey takes 4
hours, details and tickets at theirwebsite. There is no public
transport across the Spain/Gibraltar border. You have to walk the
very short distance across the border from La Linea, then take a
local bus or taxi 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. 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.
Ferry
between
Vila Real de Santo António and Ayamonte (Spain)
There is no service before 0930 weekdays and Saturdays, 1030
Sundays and Holidays, depending on which version of the timetable
you believe!,
This information comes from the ferry company website and is
different to the information published on the Vila Real council
website here!
The Spanish site shows times in Spanish time, so deduct 1 hour for
the correct time from Portugal.
The crossing takes about 10 minutes. Fare for foot passengers is
€2,10; children under 4 go free, ages 4 to 10yrs €1,30.The ticket
office at Vila Real is within the restored former customs control
building. The ferry dock is next to Vila Real's bus station, but
about 10 minutes walk from the railway station.Location
Map
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.)
A further complication
is that the service is a joint operation between a Spanish and a
Portuguese company. Timetables early and late in the day vary
slightly according to which boat is running BUT THEY SOMETIMES DO
NOT TELL YOU WHICH BOAT RUNS ON WHICH DAY. Do check when you
travel to avoid being stranded.
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!
Ayamonte
to/from
Seville
and Madrid 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.
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.
Trains Huelva - Seville
Do check the official website
carefully www.renfe.com
is the place to go. As of 11th September there are four daily trains
Huelva to Seville at 0655, 1500, 1750 and 1900. From Seville Santa
Justa to Huelva at 0845 weekends and holidays, 1000 weekdays,
1240, 1700 and 2050 daily. The RENFE site is available in various
languages. Ticket prices from €12,70.
Huelva <>
Madrid direct by train
There is one direct fast ALVIA train between Huelva and Madrid
Atocha. It does NOT call at Seville. The Huelva - Madrid train
leaves at 0800 on weekdays arriving at 1141, Saturdays at 1025,
arriving 1415 and Sundays and Holidays 1630 arriving at 2027.
The 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.
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.
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
LONG
DISTANCE BUSES (COACHES) BETWEEN OTHER PARTS OF PORTUGAL AND SPAIN
The
information below is a guide to what I can find that is
currently running. CHECK ON OFFICIAL WEBSITES before
making travel plans.
Some cross-border routes are no longer operating. 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
BARCELONA
<> LISBON (CHANGE REQUIRED IN MADRID)
Journey time 16 to 19 hours. Daytime and night-time journeys each
day, at night with a long wait in Madrid. In Barcelona these stop at
the Sants railway station in the city centre, also the Barcelona
Nord bus station. Ticket price from €54 to €80.
BARCELONA
<> PORTO (CHANGE REQUIRED IN MADRID)
Two journeys every day, journey time about 18 hours. Most tickets
are €53. Check times on the official websites. Stops at Porto
airport, also Barcelona Sants railway station in the city centre.
Ends at Barcelona Nord bus station.
MADRID - PORTO via Salamanca and Guarda
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
with REDE EXPRESSOS / ALSA
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.
MADRID ESTACION SUR <> LISBON ORIENTE via BADAJOZ AND
SETUBAL - Operated by Avanzabus
One daytime journey
each way, 7hrs 30 minutes, times vary and they do not run every
day
LISBON - SALAMANCA - MADRID - BILBAO AND SAN
SEBASTIAN
Try www.rede-expressos.pt
for possible journey options. The journey from Lisbon to San
Sebastian is 15 hours!
LISBON (Oriente bus station) - BADAJOZ - MADRID
(Sul Bus Station) WITH FLIXBUS
One daytime journey (9 hours 15
minutes) and one night-time journey (8hrs 15 minutes) every day.
Tickets €20 - €25. Times in detail and tickets at www.flixbus.pt
PORTO - ANDORRA VIA (Zaragoza, Burgos) NORTH WEST
SPAIN also serves Bragança, Braga, Guimarães etc in Portugal
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!
The same times and same tickets are also at www.rede-expressos.pt
and www.alsa.es so I assume the operators have combined their
resources.
Service is currently four journeys each way on weekdays, two on
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. The current timetable can be viewed
here. They are also
offering an 'on demand' service at Porto airport via this link (In
English) - https://www.autna.com/en/special-service-on-demand-at-porto-airport/
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 €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 Campo 24 de Agosto Bus Station.
PORTO TO VIGO, SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA AND LA CORUNÃ via Porto
Airport and Braga
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.
The bus station in Ayamonte is about
1.5km from the ferry to / from Vila Real de Santo António in
Portugal.
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
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 
