Click on the place name to go to the
timetable. For some locations with several routes, there is
extra information.
Local buses between the various towns in the Algarve do not have
route numbers.
There are several villages in the Algarve with
duplicate or very similar names ie different places with the same
name and sometimes very close to one another.
I have done my best here to mark the differences.
here for a plan of the bus routes in the
Algarve.
Click here for a list of local bus
timetables and here for a list of
those at each main town.
FOR LONG DISTANCE BUSES (COACHES TO BRITISH READERS) TO AND FROM
LISBON ETC PLEASE GO TO THIS
PAGE
Buses at Albufeira (Continente/Modelo Shopping) near Brisa Sol etcto and from Vilamoura, Quarteira,
Almancil and Faro Albufeira Old Town is served only by the local GIRO bus
service - details here
|
This stop is the nearest to many of the major hotels
and is also the nearest stop to the old town centre
for the EVA Interurban buses. It is close to the
'Watches' roundabout and several of the large hotels. NOTE 1 – there is NO bus service from Modelo down into
the old town. Either walk to the stop outside the Camara
(Town Hall) or walk the whole way (downhill) in six or
seven minutes. Map here. NOTE 2 – there are NO direct buses from Modelo towards
Armação de Pera, Lagoa, Portimão, Lagos. These all leave
from the main bus station in Albufeira, so you must
change buses or walk (uphill) to the terminal -
about 8 - 10 minutes. Click here
(external link) for the official map of the local GIRO
buses in Albufeira in PDF format. Also, the Albufeira tourist
train operates a frequent daily service all year
from outside Brisa Sol hotel to 'The Strip' area. |
Buses at Alcantarilha and PeraTowards Albufeira via Guia or Vale
de Parra |
The village of PERA is adjacent to Alcantarilha
and most of the same buses go there. Local buses between
Albufeira and Portimão via Guia stop on the main road
(N125) just outside Pera but do not go into the village.
Times eastbound 1 minute after Alcantarilha; westbound 1
minute before Alcantarilha. Buses running via Vale de
Parra stop in the centre of the village. |
Buses
at Algarve Shopping, Guia on N125
|
Please see the information on this page,
Algarve Shopping is about 4 miles (6km) from Albufeira
and about a mile (1.6km) from the village of Guia. Bus services are infrequent
and irregular especially at weekends. There is a free
bus on weekdays in summer from certain hotels in
Albufeira and Olhos D' Agua - click here for more. A taxi to / from Albufeira will cost 8 - 10 Euros.
There is a taxi rank at the mall for the return journey. I advise against walking from Guia village. Traffic on
the road is very fast, very busy and there is no
footpath for most of the way. |
Buses at Algarve Stadium
|
The nearest railway Station is Parque das Cidades,
about 12 – 15 minutes walk away. Scheduled train times here; there are no extra trains or
buses for matches. A taxi or driving are the only
practical means to get there and back. Tip – when
leaving DON’T queue for the motorway if you can avoid
it, find one of the back ways out of the car park. |
Algarve Zoo and Krazy Worldwebsite – open daily April to September, limited opening remainder of year. Closed mid - December to mid - January.
|
There are no buses to this location, which about 6
miles (10km) from Albufeira The park can arrange
transport. |
Buses at Algoz
|
The main bus stop in Algoz is near the Post Office on
the main road through the village. There is a shelter
only on one side of the road; stand outside the
pasteleria 'Tita' opposite if heading towards Albufeira.
There is no actual bus stop sign but they do stop there,
by the pedestrian crossing. Trains run about every 2 hours between Algoz and
Portimão, Lagos and Faro – for times click here. The station is a few minutes
walk north of the village centre on the road to
Messines. Algoz outdoor market is just to the north of the
village centre and next to the railway station. |
Buses at AlmancilTowards Faro |
The mainj bus stop at Almancil is in the village
centre. There are others. The railway halt at Almancil is just to the north of the town centre and offers direct services about every 2 hours to Silves, Portimão and Lagos also Faro and beyond. Almancil outdoor market is on the south edge of the town near the Estadio Municipal. |
Buses at Alvor
Buses to and from Lagos and Albufeira:
connections for Faro |
The main Alvor
bus stop is at the roundabout on the edge of the
village, as the roads in the village itself are too
narrow for buses. It is the same stop for all buses in
all directions. There is a taxi rank at the bus stop in
case you need a taxi for the last leg of your journey. The buses between Lagos and Albufeira (the Linha
Littoral) stop at the bottom of the hill leading to the
Delfim, despite what the official timetable says! They
also stop on request outside the Dom João II hotel. The Vai e Vem local buses also stop on the main road a
few minutes walk away from the Delfim. Vai e Vem routes
serve the Dom João II hotel and the waterfront area
close to where the picture left was taken. There is a local agent selling Vai e Vem bus passes called Papelaria d'el Rei nearby at Rua Marquês de Pombal, nº 3. Open every day. Picture to the left is the old village near the river front, about 5 minutes walk from the bus stops at the roundabout. The monthly open-air market stretches from the Dom João II hotel almost to the Alvor roundabout. |
Aqualandwebsite – open end May to mid-September |
The Aqualand theme park is about 2 miles / 3.2km west
of Alcantarilha on the N125. Although local buses do
pass by, they are very infrequent. You will find it much
more convenient to use the park’s own buses. There are
two runs out in the mornings from Albufeira and the main
hotel areas; one from Alvor and Portimão and one from
Vilamoura/Quarteira and also Armação de Pera.
Trips can also be reserved from more distant resorts.
Check their website and leaflets for details. |
Aquashow Family Park website
– open mid-May to end September |
Aquashow is north of Quarteira on the road to
Loulé. Local buses stop
outside. The website has pages in English and a location
map. They also run their own buses from all major
tourist resorts. |
Buses at Areias São João (the ‘Strip’ area of Albufeira)to and from Vilamoura, Quarteira,
Almancil and Faro |
There are NO direct buses from Areias São João towards
Armação de Pera, Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos. These all
leave from the main bus station in Albufeira, so you
must change buses there. Bus maps of the area
here The Albufeira tourist 'train' operates every 20/40
minutes every day all year between Areias São João (the
'strip') and the escalators above the old town centre.
Details here, official
tourist train website here.
|
Buses at Armação de Pera |
If intending to travel between Armação de Pera and Vilamoura, Quarteira or Loulé you must normally change buses in Albufeira Bus Station. Armação de Pera to/from Alcantarilha and Pera -
journeys are possible by any of the routes shown! Beware
stopping arrangements in
the town. Map
here. The ticket sales point for Rede Expressos long distance
buses is some distance from any bus stop! It's at Grande Odisseia Viagens e Turismo Lda, Avenida Beira
Mar, Edifício S.Gabriel, Loja 4 For all local journeys buy your ticket from the driver
when boarding the bus. |
Autodromo do Algarve - Algarve Motor Racing CircuitOfficial website |
The only public transport
is a very limited minibus service on weekdays only -
details here it's route 21. Groups
may be able to arrange mini-buses runs from one of the
local transfer companies, otherwise it's a taxi for about
7 miles/10km from Portimão. The city council have arranged
transport for past events, but this is not well
publicised. |
Buses at FerreirasBus times to and from Algoz, Silves and Messines click
here but please read the note to
the right. For buses to and from Albufeira click here. There are no buses to Guia,
Algarve Shopping, Portimão or Faro. There are different bus stops in Ferreiras - map here. |
|
Buses at Forum Algarve Shopping at Faro
NB this is NOT the Algarve Shopping Mall, which is the one near Guia/Albufeira! |
This shopping mall is about 1 mile / 1.6km west from the centre of Faro on the N125 towards the airport. It is served by the local Proximo buses, also the Albufeira – Faro routes including Transrápido and also the buses between Faro and Loulé. |
Buses at Guia
|
See this map for details of bus
stops at Guia and Algarve Shopping Mall. The Algarve
Shopping Mall and Albufeira Retail Park are about a
mile/1.6km from the village of Guia - uphill along a
very busy road with no footpath! Picture to the left is the roundabout in the centre of
the village with its chicken sculptures. Guia is the
'Chicken Capital' after all!. Picture below is the
Algarve Shopping mall.
|
Buses at Lagoa
|
Lagoa bus terminal is just off the main road on the
edge of the old part of the town.
|
Buses at Lagos
|
For longer distance journeys to Faro and beyond check
the train timetable as an
alternative. Lagos Bus Terminal is by the river a few
minutes walk from the old part of the town and also
about five minutes walk from the railway station. Many
buses also stop along the ‘Esplanade’ alongside the
river and closer to the historic town centre. Diagram of
the local bus routes etc here. The quickest route between bus station and train
station is to take the footbridge over the river then
walk through the fish docks (not as horrible as it
sounds) and the station is right in front of you. From
the train station to bus station, turn sharp left and go
into the docks past the long white building and the side
of the marina to the bridge. Click picture for larger
version. |
Buses at Loulé
|
Click here for
a map of Loulé centre showing the bus stops etc. Loulé Saturday OUTDOOR market is on the Boliqueime road, a few minutes walk from the town centre. The INDOOR market is in the city centre, in the nicely restored market hall. Loulé railway station is about 3 miles/ 4.8km from the
town, it is near Quatros Estradas. There is a bus stop
about 300 yards from the station on the main road.
The EVA buses to and from Albufeira and Quarteira stop
there. Local minibuses in Loulé - two routes are
operating around town, each with a bus every 20 minutes.
Buses run from 0740 to 1920 on weekdays and from
0740 to 1400 on Saturdays. There is no service Saturday
afternoons, Sundays or holidays. Timetables at most
stops. There is also a very limited service between the
town and railway station. The details are here in Portuguese only. |
Buses at São Bartolomeu Messines
|
Messines has three daily train
services to and from Lisbon. These start from Faro and
also provide local service at regional prices to and
from Faro. The new
bus station has opened in Rua Primeiro do Maio, slightly to
the west of the town centre. It looks a very extravagant
facility for a place that has 30 buses a day at best. The stop for the long distance Rede-Expressos services
to and from Lisbon etc is also there. |
Buses at Montechoro
|
Buses to Vilamoura,
Quarteira and Faro leave from the stop at Areias
São João (the ‘Strip’ area of Albufeira) about 10
minutes walk. The bus to Loulé stops in Vale das Pedras at
Montechoro Cross, about 10 minutes walk. For all other destinations you must first go to the bus terminal. Picture is the Hotel Jupiter, formerly the Montechoro Hotel.
|
Buses at Olhão Main route to and from Faro, Tavira, Monte Gordo and Vila Real de S. Antonio |
Olhão has good train services to and from Faro, Fuzeta,
Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António. You can also,
usually with a change of train in Faro, travel to
Portimão and Lagos. Train times are here. Olhão is also the point from which scheduled passenger
ferries leave for the outlying islands of Armona,
Culatra and Ilha Farol. The ferries are about a ten
minute walk from the bus and train terminals, going
through the old part of town. Picture is the old dockside waterfront seen from the
ferry pier. |
Buses at ParchalTo and from Portimao and Lagoa |
Buses from Portimão stop in Parchal about 5
minutes after leaving; towards Portimão about 5
minutes before the arrival time shown for Portimão. Also
the buses to and from Ferragudo
stop at Parchal (X), which is on the main road near
LIDL. The railway station called
Ferragudo is actually in Parchal. The 'Bela Vista'
football stadium is about ten minutes walk from Parchal,
at the top of the hill towards Ferragudo along Rua
da Escola - School Street.. |
Buses at Portimão - click here |
The link to the left opens a detailed page about the buses in Portimão including local city buses between Portimão, Praia da Rocha, Alvor, Praia do Vau etc. |
Buses at Praia da Rocha
Local bus
services to/from Portimão |
Local buses stop at various locations in Praia da Rocha
including Hotel Jupiter, the Marina and Clube Praia da
Rocha. The buses to Lagos and Albufeira only stop
on the main avenue at the Clube Praia da Rocha stops. |
Buses at QuarteiraTowards Almancil and Faro
|
If you are intending to travel from Quarteira to
anywhere WEST of Albufeira (eg Portimão or Lagos) you
must change buses in Albufeira Bus Station. There are no
through services. The Wednesday morning outdoor tourist market in
Quarteira is now about a mile out of town on the road to
Almancil, past the camping site. The nearest bus stop is
about 100 metres from the entrance at Fonte Santa,
outside LIDL. Details here. The Parque Campismo de Quarteira (camping site) is on
the road to Almancil about 3 minutes before/after the
bus terminal in Quarteira. Buses stop outside. Timetables and maps here. Normal fare €1, day ticket €2 and two day ticket €3. Pre paid ten ticket pass €3,20 plus the €3 for the rechargeable card. Available at Quarteira bus station. The bus station at Quarteira is about three minutes walk from the beach. |
Buses at São Bras de Alportel
|
The bus terminal in São Bras de Alportel is a couple of minutes walk from the town centre. Click the picture to view full size. The ticket office
is often closed. The clerk appears a few minutes before
each bus leaves and then writes out your ticket by hand!
There is a waiting room if it's raining, also toilets. |
Buses at (Estrada) Sta Eulália, Albufeira– map here This is the Estrada da Sta Eulália near the Oura Praia Hotel. Local GIRO bus service towards
Montechoro, Modelo and Bus Station |
There are NO direct buses from Sta Eulália towards Armaçao de Pera, Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos. These all leave from the main bus station in Albufeira, so you must change buses there. Times at Santa Eulália are only a minute or two different from those at Areais São João. Buses (not GIRO) also stop outside the Santa Eulália resort hotel on the road towards Balaia. |
Buses at Silves
to and from Albufeira |
NOTE – Silves Railway station is just over a mile from
the town but the train does give
the best direct options to get to Faro, Tavira etc. The
bus stop is in the town centre, near the football ground
and by the river by the tourist office. There is no
enquiry/ticket office at the bus stop itself, but there
is an office at the town's indoor market building about
100 metres away. Some outbound buses first
stop across the road from where you are sitting,
go up to a roundabout, turn round and then come back, so
do not panic. Map. |
| |
|
Slide’n’Splash |
This popular theme park is on the N125 between Lagoa
and Estombar. There is a bus stop about 200 yards/metres
from the entrance. This is served by all LOCAL buses between Lagoa and
Portimão (NB but not the Transrápido or Albufeira -
Lagos routes). Slide’n’Splash run their own buses from
all the major resort areas, which can be booked through
your hotel or local agents. These are the recommended
means of getting there and back if you don't have a car.
They can though be very slow because of the many stops. |
Buses at Tavira
|
See also the trains page for options to Vila Real de Santo António, Olhão, Faro etc. Trains are irregular but run every day. The train station is about half a mile from the town centre. Tavira also has a local mini-bus service around town. Two routes operate on weekdays at irregular intervals between 0730 and 2000, but there are only five journeys on Saturdays and none at all on Sundays and Holidays. Timetables were posted at the bus stops I passed except the stop at the railway station. Maps and timetables on line here. Click the route name to see a map of the stops, Horários for the timetables. There is also a tourist 'train' which is useful to
get to the ferry at Quatros Aguas, although perhaps
not to come back as the afternoon and evening journeys
do not run from the town 'without customers' and
therefore presumably don't come back. Details here. Details of ferries and water taxis to the island and
the beaches can be found here. |
Buses at Torralta Hotel Pestana
Delfim and Dom João II
|
EVA buses in Torralta stop on the main road near Hotel Delfim and also the Dom João II. There are no local buses serving Torralta except that
Routes 14 and 1P of the Vai e Vem
local network, which stop on the main road at the bottom
of the hill from Hotel Delfim. Route 10 stops about 100
metres further away and elsewhere in the area. The local open-air market stretches from the Dom João II hotel almost to the Alvor roundabout. |
Buses at Tunes (Gare) (Railway Station)All bus times here but please read note to the right. Bus service is very irregular. |
If you are staying in or near Tunes, trains give you the best options to get to and from Faro, Tavira, Vila Real de Santo António, Portimão and Lagos. For train times click here |
Buses at Vale de ParraTowards Albufeira direct |
Buses to and from Guia and via Galé stop on the road
towards Galé; direct buses to and from Albufeira etc on
the main road near the roundabout. On the direct route,
there is only one bus each way on Saturday afternoons
and one bus each way all day Sundays and Holidays.
The buses via Galé do not run in the evenings and not
all on Sundays and Holidays except in summer. |
Buses at Vila Real de Santo AntónioMain coastal bus route to and from
Monte Gordo, Tavira, Olhão and Faro |
Vila Real has a good train service along the coast to
Tavira, Olhão and Faro with connections there to
Portimão, Lagos also to Lisbon. Train times here. There are no trains across the border into Spain. There
is no railway station across the river in Ayamonte. The
railway station there was closed and converted into the
bus station. |
Buses at VilamouraTowards Quarteira, Almancil and Faro Aerial photo of Vilamoura
Marina area
|
There are two bus stops near the tourist part of
Vilamoura around the marina. See the map. Because of
the one way street system ALL BUSES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
stop at the same stops, so you get back on exactly
where you got off, not on the other side of the road
etc. Long distance coaches (buses) to Lisbon etc (both
Rede-Expressos and Renex) stop outside Jafer's
supermarket (top of the map) which is also the ticket
sales point. Normal fare €1, day ticket €2 and two day ticket €3. Pre paid ten ticket pass €3,20 plus the €3 for the rechargeable card. Available at Aparthotel Aldeia do Mar agency office in Avenida Tivoli. There is also a road 'train' that does a circuit of the
town from March to end November every day about once an
hour. Details here. Select Vilamoura to view
timetable. Route Map here, both links will open a new
tab or window. |
ZoomarineOfficial
website - the park is open (2019) March 1st to
30th November. Limited opening until Easter and from 1st
October, check website Transrápido Faro - Albufeira
- Lagos buses call here on request. Local buses from Albufeira via Guia |
Zoomarine theme park runs its own visitor buses, which
pick up at all major tourist locations. These include
Tavira, Lagos, Portimão, Alvor, Armacão de Pêra and many
parts of the Albufeira area. These buses can be booked at your hotel or through one
of the 'ticket shops'. Zoomarine transport leaflet with
all pickups and times plus my notes is here. Transport from many places
must be pre-booked. Please do double check times
and pick up places to avoid being left
behind. You can book on line at http://ecommerce.zoomarine.pt/en/ The local public bus stop nearest the park is about 150 metres from the main entrance, along a busy road with no footpath. |
For a list of all the
timetables on the site, click here
For some important general notes about buses in the Algarve, click
here
Back to the main page here
Part of the tiled mural at Quarteira bus
station.
