INFORMATION CORRECT AS OF 1st DECEMBER 2022
  All buses except the local GIRO routes are now running to reduced timetables compared to what they used to be, especially at weekends. Covid innit?
MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED

Albufeira Bus Station is a mile/1.6km outside the centre of the town in the Caliços area. Please read on.

Depending on where you may be staying, you may not have to go to the Bus Station if travelling to/from Guia, Galé, Loulé, Olhos D'Agua, Vilamoura or Quarteira. Most buses to Armação de Pêra, Lagoa and Portimão plus all buses to Praia da Rocha, Alvor and Lagos only stop at the main bus station

The information has been obtained from printed timetables and other local sources (like taking the bus) and is given in good faith.

The Albufeira Bus Station is 1 mile/1.6km from the old town! Almost all buses* to and from ALBUFEIRA end or start here.
Many do not go anywhere near the old town centre and beaches.
Map of Albufeira showing bus station and various town districts.  Map here to show you 'how far' from old town and strip.

Large map of old town showing different bus stops and other transport information here. For detailed interactive street maps of Albufeira, visit www.albufeira.com

Distances from the Bus Station (by road) which is why you might need a a local bus or taxi to get to your final destination.

There are usually taxis at the Bus Station. If you need one phone 289 583 230. Official Albufeira taxi website with fares etc here but is far from comprehensive.
Uber and Bolt work in Albufeira.You can use them if you prefer. The 'tuk-tuks' you may have heard of or seen are NOT licensed as taxis. They charge by the hour.

Albufeira Bus Station has a covered waiting area and café/bar. There are nineteen different bus stops, clearly labelled with the routes and destinations. There are however no maps to show where the buses go nor any timetables, except those on the noticeboard inside.

The official GIRO bus map for Albufeira's town buses is here .  There are other maps here.

PLAN OF ALBUFEIRA BUS STATION - awaiting revision!

Albufeira local GIRO bus services

ALBUFEIRA LOCAL BUS SERVICE OPERATES UNDER THE NAME GIRO

There are now 11 routes connecting the town and suburbs. Click the Giro logo to the left for the route map.
Buses oeprate between about 0700 and 2000 daily in winter. One some routes the summer service runs until about 2300hrs.
Most routes have buses every 30 minutes weekdays, every 60 minutes weekends and holidays but there are considerable variations, especially on those routes serving outlying areas. All timetable and route maps can be viewed and downloaded here.
Detailed interactive maps showing all stops can be found at the new website https://vamusalgarve.pt/#/pt/albufeira/routes

The council has some fairly new 32 seat buses. New Bus exterior - click to see full size. These buses have a ramp at the centre doors for wheelchairs and buggies.

Bus interior click to see full size.

Another type of vehicle in use. These also  have a ramp at the centre doors and a wheelchair space

Fifteen seat minibuses are used on some journeys on weekdays and many journeys at weekends. These have a wheelchair and buggy space at the back with a ramp. Click for large size. Below - GIRO buses of various types and colours at the bus station  One of the new electric buses now on trial on the Albufeira Giro routes. These will replace the existing diesel bus fleet over the next few months.

GIRO BUSES FROM THE BUS STATION

Map of the new system. For a larger version please click or tap here.

Fares

Official notice of new increased fares here. There is now a two zone fare system as shown on the map above. Travel across two zones will cost €2,40 cash, €1,45 with a pre paid pass. One Zone costs €1,90 cash, €1.45 with the pass. At this time contactless card payment is NOT possible.

NEW MOTNHLY AND SENIORS PASSES! If you have been here before and have kept your pre paid bus pass it will no longer work. You must exchange it at the bus station for the new one and you will be charged €3 for the privilege. The Monthly and Seniors (65yrs +) passes are also changed. For that you must fill in a form (photo no longer required) and pay €5 for the rechargeable card. The monthly cost of the Seniors pass remains at €11 for one zone, two zone travel will cost €12,50 a month. The full adult pass costs €18 for one zone, €21,50 for two zones Although it not explicitly stated, it may be that these passes are now available only to residents as they are subsidised by the town council. A Portuguese tax number is requested on the form.

Pay on boarding if you do not have a pass or one day ticket. Single tickets are valid for one hour after first issue. You can use it to change to another GIRO bus to complete your trip. If you are asked to change buses at the bus station, show your ticket to the second driver. You do not pay again.

Please take a look at my timetables, which have been compiled after many journeys of exploration by myself and others! These do not list all the stops for reasons of brevity, but I have links to the official diagrams showing all stops.

Bus Station <> Old town options

SUMMARY OF GIRO NETWORK BUS TIMES AT OLD TOWN STOPS

Old town stops map here.  Links to all timetables here.

SUMMER times on the GIRO network apply from 1st June to 30th September. All routes operate seven days a week, all holidays included.

ARRIVING IN ALBUFEIRA FROM OTHER TOWNS? LEAVING ALBUFEIRA FOR A VISIT SOMEWHERE?

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT COACHES (LONG DISTANCE BUSES) TO LISBON ETC CLICK HERE. MOST OF THESE NOW USE ONLY THE MAIN BUS STATION. FLIXBUS  have a stop on the roadside just outside the old town area. FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SERVICE TO SEVILLE AND INTO SPAIN, CLICK HERE.

BUS TRAVEL FROM OR TO THE AIRPORT

From 1st May to 31st October there are five buses every day direct and non stop between Albufeira Bus Station and the Airport. Timetable here.  Otherwise, it's a local bus or taxi between the airport and Faro city centre and possibly a long journey on a slow bus between Faro and Albufeira.

Fast buses on Faro (city) to and from Albufeira six each weekday, only two at weekends - times here. Slower buses here. Train not recommended as the railway station at Albufeira is 4 miles / 6km from the town. Train times here.

BUS TRAVEL BETWEEN ALBUFEIRA AND OTHER TOWNS.

Of the local bus routes, only the Albufeira town's GIRO buses go down into the ‘Old Town’ area – Centro Antigo. For many destinations you must go to the main bus station. Except, depending on where you may be staying, you may not have to go to the Bus Station if travelling to/from Guia, Galé, Loulé, Olhos D'Agua, Vilamoura or Quarteira. Most buses to Armação de Pêra, Lagoa and Portimão plus all buses to Praia da Rocha, Alvor and Lagos only stop at the main bus station.

I have a summary of the main places you can get to from Albufeira here with links to detailed timetables.

Timetables are posted on the noticeboard, copies can be obtained from the ticket/enquiry office. There is no simple map of routes either on the official websites, at the bus station nor is one printed. For my map of Algarve bus routes, please click here.

The electronic destination boards do not show all departures, only those to ‘important’ places! There are separate enquiry and ticket offices for local and long-distance bus services. When boarding at the Bus Station, except for GIRO buses, you are supposed to buy your ticket at the ticket office. Some drivers are very strict about this!

The fast TRANSRÁPIDO buses to and from Faro and all fast buses to and from Lagos, Alvor, Praia da Rocha, Portimão, Lagoa, Armação de Pera, Guia and Faro STOP ONLY AT THE MAIN BUS STATION - nowhere else!

The old town is basically a pedestrian zone, with limited access for residents and those important beer deliveries. There are car parks on the edge of the area, but the closer you get the earlier they fill up. During high summer season, most of the town centre car parks, including the two multi-storey, are full by 9am so you may end up parking a fair way out and having to take a bus into town and back up the hill afterwards. The surface car park at the top of the Avenida Liberdade (marked on the map below) is paying parking area. There are spaces during the day in high season, as locals baulk at paying the €5 fee, but it is full on summer evenings. The multi-story car park opposite is open only in summertime.

If you are coming into or leaving Albufeira on the Aerobus route 56, Transrápido Route 57 or the Linha Litoral Route 51 Lagos - Albufeira fast buses, the Bus Station is the only place they stop. You might need another bus or taxi as an alternative to a long walk to your final destination. Buses from Vilamoura, Olhos D'Agua and Balaia stop opposite the Continente Modelo supermarket  (a.k.a. Albufeira Shopping) which is a few minutes walk into town - see above and the map below.

If you are coming into town on an ‘ordinary’ bus from the north (eg Ferreiras, Guia or Silves) these buses stop at the Centro de Saúde (health centre) before the Bus Station.  That is much closer to the old town than the Bus Station, about 7 or 8 minutes walk along the flat footpath into town. This goes under the main road in a tunnel, so is quite safe. Map.

GOING TO / COMING FROM VILAMOURA, QUARTEIRA, FARO? ALSO GALÉ, GUIA, SILVES OR LOULÉ? YOU MAY NOT HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO THE BUS STATION.

You don’t have to go to the Bus Station if travelling to/from Guia, Galé, Loulé, Olhos D'Agua, Vilamoura or Quarteira. Click on the map to see it double the size - close the window to return to this page

Faro (except Transrápido buses), Quarteira, Vilamoura, Olhos De Água, Balaia

For the Old Town of Albufeira , the nearest stop for VAMUS number 9 and 66 buses to/from Qiuarteira, Vilamoura, Olhos d'Agua, Balaia etc  is at the Albufeira shopping centre (Continente supermarket) There is NO BUS from there into the old town. Walk down to the traffic lights by the fire station, cross the main road, turn right, keep the Câmara (Town Hall) to your left and go down the hill that's just about in front of you (the Rua do MFA) to the bottom, then turn right again and you will be in the square. It’s about 5 - 7 minutes walk in all. MAP TO THE LEFT - walking route marked in red - CLICK TO SEE DOUBLE SIZE.

There are very few buses offering any time at the Saturday market or at IKEA / Mar Shopping. Loulé is about 45 minutes, Mar Shopping about one hour by bus from Albufeira. Details here.

The buses to Loulé stop outside the Continente supermarket (the stop marked F on the map), at the Worms roundabout then on the Estrada Vale das Pedras, which runs to the north of Montechoro. There is a stop called Montechoro (X) or Crossroads up near the roundabout where the road leads off towards Fontainhas, same stop as the local GIRO buses. Using those stop will save you a long walk if you are staying in the area and wish to go to Loulé. See map.

Bus 17 to Silves via Algoz

Six buses on weekdays, only three at weekends and holidays. Buses to and from Silves also stop at the Health Centre (Centro de Saúde) 6 minutes walk from the old town centre.and outside Albufeira Camping and Clube Albufeira..

Bus 28 from Areias São João via main Bus Station to São Bartolomeu de Messines via Guia and Algoz

Now limited to three journeys each way daily with one extra evening bus on weekdays. The bus also stops at the Albufeira Shopping Continente supermarket and Areias São João, close to 'the Strip', also near the old town on the main road and in Páteo.Timetable here.

Buses 13, 51 and 57 to Armação de Pêra, Lagoa and Portimão.

Bus 13 via Guia stops at the Health Centre (Centro de Saúde) and outside Albufeira Camping, but there are now only three each way on weekdays and one each way at weekends. The fast buses (Route 57 Transrápido and Route 51 Linha Littoral) do not stop anywhere in town except at the main bus station.  These are also now extremely rare at at weekends. Bus times here.

GUIA AND ALGARVE SHOPPING are now served once every hour every day by Giro Route 7 to and from the Bus Station. Timetable here.

GALÉ, SALGADOS AND VALE DE PARRA are now served by Giro route 8 once every hour on weekdays, once every two hours weekends and holidays. Timetable here. Stops near the old town are shown on the map above.

Click here for a map showing all the VAMUS regional service bus stops in and around Albufeira.

ALBUFEIRA TOURIST 'TRAINS'

The eastern or Sunrise route is a circular route running all year and every day between the Old town, Brisa Sol/Modelo and Areias São João for 'the Strip' and the Oura area. The route runs in one direction only and also stops Tres Palmeiras roundabout (near the Forte do Vale hotel) and there is a stop at the top of the escalators down to the old town beach. The two central stops are marked T on the map above. This currently runs every 45 minutes.

It stops only at these places but does provide a useful, if rather expensive, direct link between the old town area and São João.

Western or Sunset route described below still running December 2022

The western or Sunset route starts at the Marina, then runs up the hill into town stopping at the São Sebastião church, the Praça da República near the museum then back to the marina, with only one other stop, outside the Belver Boa Vista hotel at the GIRO bus stop. Currently runs every 40 minutes.

If you are thinking of using these as a means of getting from A to B, local buses are much cheaper and for three people together a taxi is cheaper still for many journeys.

ALBUFEIRA SIGHTSEEING TOURS - RED AND BLUE DOUBLE DECKER OPEN TOP BUSES

This is not a public transport option as such. It costs €19 for one day's travel, €38 for 4 days. Children 12 and under travel half price. However, if you are in somewhere like Salgados, São Rafael or Galé, where normal bus service is very limited, you might find this option more economical than using taxis every day. Visit their website for maps and more information. There is no proper timetable published anywhere, but buses on their 'red' route around the centre and west of the area run every every 30 minutes in summer, every 60 minutes in winter. Service in summer (July to October) is from 0930 - 1900hrs, in winter last journeys are at around 1600hrs. Their 'blue' route, the the east of town and into Vilamoura, is less frequent.  (the buses used on Blue Line are the same red ones) That runs once every hour in summer, once every two hours in winter. In previous years these tours have not operated between 1st December and mid January.

Outdoor markets, Algarve Shopping Mall and Marina

Albufeira outdoor market has closed down. The site is to be redeveloped, no doubt more luxury tourist apartments to be  built.

Ferreiras outdoor market (a smaller version of the former Albufeira one) is held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. This is on the N395 road, just to the south of the village centre, opposite the concrete works and next to the bus garage - delightful location!. All buses serving Ferreiras stop about 150 metres away. Map.

Albufeira Marina

The marina is on the western edge of town about a mile/1.6km from the old town centre and about two miles/3.2km from Areias São João. There is NO LONGER any direct bus from the old town centre to the marina!! They do run in the opposite direction. Giro route 3 runs about every 30 minutes from 0726 to 1956 every day, going to Avenida da Liberdade. The only way at present to get from the old town to the marina without a bit of a walk is to take the number 9 one stop to Parque Lùdico and then wait ages there for a number 3. We can only hope that the Council and Bus Company soon see the error of their ways!

The marina bus stop locations are shown on this map.  One of the tourist 'trains' also goes there - details above.

Algarve Shopping Mall (website) and Albufeira Retail Park

Algarve Shopping website has some pages in English. The Albufeira Retail Park (with Iceland's store) is adjacent,but there is now a fence around the site and the only walking route is a very long way and right around the back of Algarve Shopping. The huge Leroy Merlin DIY store and that of Sportdirect.com are across the road. The cinema at Algarve Shopping has programmes daily from around 1400hrs,  details here - all films made in English are shown in English except some children's cartoons etc. VP in the programme list indicates where a film is in Portuguese, VO in the original. If there's nothing, it will be in English or the original language (French, Chinese etc) if not.

These locations are about four miles (6km) out of town on the N125, about a mile (1.6km) east of the village of Guia. Giro bus 7 runs once every hour every day from the main bus station. Times here. Connections are available at the bus station to and from all other Giro routes.

Other buses from the Bus Station stop there, going to Lagos (Route 57 Transrápido and Route 51 Linha Littoral) and those on route 14 to Portimão via Guia. There is a taxi rank at the Mall for the ride back if needed. Taxi fare is about 8 or 9 Euros, depending on where in Albufeira you are coming from/going to. There is also a free bus on weekdays from some parts of Albufeira - see below.

Local buses also run between Alcantarilha, Armação de Pera, Porches, Lagoa and Algarve Shopping - times here. There is no bus from Ferreiras but the trip can be done by using route 5 to Vale Paraiso then crossing the road to take route 7, but check thet imes!

Bus times from Albufeira Bus Station to Algarve Shopping and back

There are NO BUSES between Albufeira Old Town area or the 'strip' area and Algarve Shopping. All buses leave from the main bus station. Journey time 14 minutes.

This is Giro route 7 and leaves the bus station at 0800 then once every hour every day until 1900. The timetable also shows a late night bus at 2300. These buses continue into Guia village.

Return times from Algarve Shopping 0835 and at 35 minutes past every hour until 1935. The late bus leaves at 2335. Departure from Guia is 0830 - 1930 and 2330.

Complete official timetable and route map here.  Free bus Olhos D'Agua <> Albufeira <> Algarve Shopping - no longer operating

TAXIS, UBER, BOLT ETC

Licensed taxis in Albufeira are painted either beige or green and black. There is just one number to call if you need a taxi at your hotel or other lodgings - 289 583 230. You can't reserve in advance, just call a few minutes before you need to leave or use the 'app' you can download from the official website here. Base fare is €3,25 for the first three kilometres, then it's 90 cents per kilometer afterwards. Fares (including base fare) are 20% higher after 10pm, at weekends and on public holidays. Baggage is €1,60 extra. If you phone for a taxi, that's 80 cents extra.

You can try to hail a taxi in the street, but 99% of the time they are already on a call so will not stop. If you are in the old town centre or other tourist hotspots, you must go to a taxi rank. Be warned that in high summer queues can be VERY long; half hour waits are not unknown. You may find the GIRO bus, tourist train or walking a better choice! Outside the peak season the drivers will bite off your hand for a fare.

For some sample fares between the centre of Albufeira and various locations near and far, take a look at the official notice copied here. This will open in a new window.

There is also the official Taxis Albufeira website you may wish to consult here.

Uber and Bolt vehicles are available all year around. In summer many drivers are 'imported' from other parts of the country. They don't know where anywhere is, so be sure you do! I have experienced at first hand drivers 'getting lost' on what should be short and simple journeys. They rely on GPS and not local knowledge or common sense.

And this might sound stupid, but do make a note of the address at which you are staying and have it on a bit of paper to show the driver if need be. I have heard tales of people forgetting where they are supposed to be going back to, especially after a good night out! It's 'a big white hotel' will not help much.

PARK AND RIDE?

There is nothing official, but there is free parking next to the main (out of town) bus station. Visitors parking there have easy access to all local buses on the GIRO network. Location map here. Parking in most parts of town has to be paid for, unless you can find a place in a street or on waste ground.

For a list of all the timetables on the site, click here
For an alphabetical list of places in the Algarve, click here
For some important general notes about buses in the Algarve, click here
Back to the main page here

www.algarvebus.info