The information has been obtained from printed
timetables and other local sources (like taking the bus) and is
given in good faith.
Buses DO RUN on all public holidays to Sunday times, but many
routes have very little or no weekend or holiday service.
BUSES BETWEEN THE MAIN RESORT AREAS ALONG THE ALGARVE COAST
Please also read
the the general
guidance notes as bus operations here in the Algarve may
be a little different from where you live.
Click here for a
diagram of Algarve bus routes. Click here
for the official map of inter-urban buses. External link.
Lagos <> Portimão <> Lagoa <> Albufeira <> Vilamoura <> Faro
For a quick summary of the buses at the main towns only, click here.
Click here
to view the complete timetable Faro – Almancil – Quarteira –
Vilamoura – Albufeira – Lagoa – Portimão – Lagos, including fast
buses Faro to Lagos and Albufeira to Lagos.
Click here for the
complete timetable in the opposite direction Lagos – Portimão –
Lagoa – Albufeira – Vilamoura - Quarteira - Almancil –
Faro.
The services between Faro, the central and
western coastal resorts consist of several different,
overlapping, routes.
I have done my best to indicate what connections there may be. However it is my experience that connections are NOT usually held for late running buses.
Faro - Olhão - Tavira - Conceição - Monte Gordo - Vila Real de Santo António - Click here for the times of buses between these towns, along the eastern coast of the Algarve.
Do the buses run every day?
Many buses on the VAMUS routes do not run at WEEKENDS or on PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.
Those buses that RUN DAILY (including public holidays) are
highlighted with a blue heading DAILY
Buses that do not run
every day are described as follows :
MFO – Mondays to Fridays (weekdays) only; does
not run on Saturdays, Sundays or on Public Holidays
SHX – does not run on Sundays or
public holidays; SAT – runs on Saturdays only
except holidays
SSH –
runs on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only; SUN – runs
on Sundays and Public holidays only
SCH –
runs on SCHOOLDAYS only ie will not be running in July and
August, not on public holidays nor during Christmas and Easter
breaks.
XXX –
used where bus runs only on certain days that do not fit into
these headings – look for a special note.
Delays
I would not trust any connection of less than 15 minutes. If
you have a vital connection eg for a flight at the airport -
take heed! These delays are almost entirely due to traffic
congestion in Portimão and Faro. Buses are not normally held for
late running connections.
Local buses generally run on time but, the longer the journey,
the more likely you are to be delayed. Buses between Faro and
Albufeira via Vilamoura usually keep fairly well to time.
During high summer (August) there is often severe traffic
congestion in Albufeira, which delays buses including local
routes.
Notes to Timetables
A – At Faro Bus Terminal the AEROBUS (Route 56) and
TRANSRÁPIDO (Route
57) buses leave from inside the terminal building. Most
of the other buses towards Loulé, Quarteira, Vilamoura and
Albufeira leave from the stop outside the bus station entrance
ACROSS the road, but check on the departures board to be sure.
Check the information display inside the bus station. If your
bus is marked as leaving from 'Rua' it's from the outside stop.
If you do not have a pre paid pass or are using the app
account, you must buy your ticket from the ticket office inside
the terminal building before boarding your bus. If you have time
to wait for your bus, avoid the disagreeable café/bar area
inside. There are two or three much better establishments across
the road, with a McDonald’s and other fast-food shops about
three minutes walk away. There is a small SPAR supermarket type
shop across the road.
B – Officially called Fórum Algarve/Teatro Figuras - this stop is outside the FORUM ALGARVE shopping centre on the outskirts of town. The bus to and from the airport stops across the road - towards FARO you cross the road to get to the AIRPORT. From the AIRPORT you can get off at the Forum Algarve and cross the road to get to ALBUFEIRA etc. Getting on or off here can save a lot of time, as the Transrápido does a loop round the town of Faro on its way to or from the Bus Station. Bus times to and from the AIRPORT here. The other buses between Albufeira and Faro also stop here at the Forum Algarve. ALSO, local buses run between this stop and the Gambelas University campus. Click here for times - external link.
C – Olhos d'Agua, Balaia, Santa Eulalia.
If you are visiting the beach at Olhos D'Água, get off the bus
at CANAS. All buses from Albufeira stop there two minutes after
Olhos D'Agua, towards Albufeira two minutes before Olhos D'Água
This stop is a lot nearer the beach and the big hotels. About 50
metres from the stop you will see a road going off down a hill
at a roundabout. The beach is about 400 metres down this road.
There is NO PARKING down there, unless you are willing to pay
€1.15 per hour. It is a nice beach though.
Albufeira Giro bus number
6 also stops at Olhos d'Água, Balaia and Santa Eulalia and
is the most frequent service to and from Albufeira, although it
is slower.
D - Arcadas São João - this stop is
where 'The Strip' crosses the main road at the traffic lights,
near Jinkies bar.
E - Albufeira Terrace Shopping also known
as Continente (the stop is officially called Rotunda dos
Relógios) - for buses to and from the Vilamoura direction
this is the nearest stop to the old town area of Albufeira. From
here it is about 6 or 7 minutes downhill walk into the old town
- the VAMUS buses do not go to the old town. See this page for more
information and a map. DO NOT STAY ON THE BUS ALL THE WAY TO
THE BUS STATION, which is a mile/1.6km from the old town.
F - The Albufeira Bus Terminal is on
the north edge of town and a mile/1.6km from the beaches etc. If
you are coming from the Portimão/Lagoa direction (except
on the Route 13 buses that run via Vale de Parra) you will need
to take a local GIRO bus for the last leg of the journey
(separate ticket needed), take a taxi or walk. More information
here. Buses from
Quarteira, Vilamoura and Olhos D'Agua stop a few minutes walk
from the old town on the main road at the Albufeira Terrace
Shopping centre. This is NOT the same place as Algarve Shopping,
below.
Buses on routes 56 and 57 to or from Faro that run 'through'
Albufeira bus station arrive there 5 - 8 minutes before the time
shown, which is the time the bus leaves to continue its journey.
G – Algarve Shopping (Vale Verde) This
stop is outside the ‘Algarve Shopping’ mall and close to the
Albufeira Retail Park. It is 4 miles / 6.5 km from Albufeira.
There is the Albufeira Giro bus (Route 7) once every hour every
day from Albufeira bus station. Times here. This bus also serves
Guia village. The bus to return to Albufeira is Giro Route 8 -
times here.
Giro tickets and passes are NOT VALID on VAMUS buses, nor
vice-versa.
Warning - if travelling from Albufeira or towards Guia you will
have to cross a VERY busy main road. There is no crossing as
such, but there is a 'no steps' footpath over a bridge. It's
rather a long way round, but much safer than trying to cross the
road. The
website of the Algarve Shopping Mall is here – some parts
are in English.
H – Armação de Pera bus stops are
a bit complicated. There is a small bus 'terminal' on the Via
Dorsal (the main road through town) but it's just a couple of
bus shelters, no office or anything. I have a map here.
All the buses towards Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos stop
there, after having gone past it on the other side of the road
and nearly 400 metres in the wrong direction! ALL buses to and
from Silves and Alcantarilha Estação stop only at the
‘terminal’.
There is also a stop outside the campsite on the road to
Alcantarilha. Local buses stop there. Sorry about all
that - map.
Long distance services operated by Flixbus and Rede Expressos stop at the 'terminal' on Via Dorsal. Some of those long distance trips also stop at the Holiday Inn Hotel on the seafront. Check when booking.
J - In Porches, all buses, including
Linha Littoral route 51, stop on the N125 main road just outside
the village near the BP petrol station. Route 13 Albufeira -
Portimão via Armação de Pêra also stops in the village centre,
by the church and school.
K – Portimão has an outdoor bus
station. All 'regional' buses start and their journeys at stops
along the Avenida Guanaré, by the river near Largo do Dique.
Plan here. The local buses also stop elsewhere
in town, according to route. In Portimão centre, Transrápido (57) and Linha Littoral
(51) buses stop only in Avenida Guanaré by the river.
Local 'urban' buses stop a short distance away in and near the
Largo do Dique.
The Aerobus (route 56) to and from the airport also long distance buses (coaches to UK readers) eg to Lisbon and Seville use a different bus station in Rua Abicada 1 mile / 1.6km north of the city centre. Information here. For more information including local connections around the Portimão area etc please click here.
L – Praia da Rocha bus stop for
VAMUS services is near CLUBE PRAIA DA ROCHA in the AVENIDA DAS
COMUNIDADES LUSIADAS. This is about 300 yards from the Hotel
Jupiter, down on the main road by the roundabout. The stop is at
the same location as the city ‘VAI e VEM’ bus stops called Clube
Praia da Rocha.
M - at Alvor this bus stop is at the
roundabout/traffic circle (rotunda) just outside the centre of
Alvor. All buses use the same stop, the one with the shelter,
except those on route 51 towards Lagos which stop across the
road outside the Alvor Residence apartments.
N - In Vilamoura all buses on
routes 9 and 66, in both directions, stop at the same
stop at the Praia da Marina, near the Casino and Marina. Buses
also stop at the Aldeia do Mar in Rua do Sol about two minutes
after Praia da Marina. Map of Vilamoura showing the stops
etc here.
A map of the wider area of Vilamoura and Quarteira showing
routes and stops is here.
There is also a FREE local minibus service between Vilamoura
and Quarteira via a rather roundabout route. Details here. It runs about once every hour
on weekdays from around 0700 to 1900, also on Saturdays but only
until 1400hrs. No Saturday afternoon or Sunday / Holiday service
except on the summer time 'Linha Branca' which runs around
Vilamoura until just after midnight, every night, until the
second Sunday of September.
P - for other daily buses between Quarteira and Almancil,
please go to this page.
Those buses also go to Mar Shopping /IKEA mall. There are also
buses between Quarteira and Almancil via Aquashow and Quatro
Estradas on weekdays when the University is open - times here.
Q - Giro route 3 has daily service between Albufeira marina and the Bus
Station every 30 minutes via the old town (Avenida da Liberdade)
. Times here.
R - Patã de Baixo - Giro bus 9 runs once every hour every day between here and Albufeira Bus Station via Arcadas São João (the 'strip'), Albufeira Terrace Shopping and the Câmara (Town Hall) - times here.
S - Giro bus 7 runs once every hour every day
between Albufeira Bus Station and Guia. Times here.
T - Giro Bus 8 runs once hour every hour every
day between Guia and Albufeira Bus Station. Times here.
Z - Going into Albufeira, the Parque Lúdico stop is the
nearest to the old town area of Albufeira, which is about 5
minutes walk. The Avenida
do Ténis stop for buses towards Galé, Armação de Pêra,
Lagoa and Portimão is outside the school 100 metres from the
roundabout. Map here. ONLY the buses on route
13 stop here.
Route 13 also stops at the Albufeira marina, about 2 minutes
after the Avenida do Ténis coming from Albufeira. Complete bus
service times between Albufeira and Vale de Parra are here. Albufeira Giro
buses 7
and 8
also stop in Vale de Parra. Click the numbers for times.
NOR = ‘Normal’ DIR = ‘Directa’ – these are the two sets
of local buses between Albufeira and Faro. They take slightly
different routes – for more information click here.
LL– Route 51 Albufeira -
Lagos fast bus (Linha Littoral) – this fast bus service stops
only at the places shown, also outside the Hospital in
Portimão. Download, view and print the official timetable
leaflet here.
Aerobus - Route 56 Faro - Faro Airport - Albufeira - Lagoa -
Portimão - Lagos stops only at the bus stations in those towns.
Some journeys also serve Faro University at Gambelas when open.
Timetable here.
TR – Route 57 Transrápido – this fast
bus service stops only at the places shown plus some other
locations in the city of Faro, plus Algarve Shopping and
Portimão Hospital. Buses may carry 'TRANSRÁPIDO' sign on the
front. Complete timetable here.
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, click here