The information has been obtained from printed timetables and other local sources (like taking the bus) and is given in good faith.
Summer times on EVA and FROTA AZUL buses apply 1st July to the
second weekend of September, then winter times until 30th June
every year.
Buses DO RUN on all public
holidays to Sunday times, but many routes have very little
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
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
services 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 the coastal resorts consist of several
different, overlapping, routes. The buses do not carry route
numbers!
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?
Most buses on the coastal 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
Many buses along the coastal routes are routinely 10 - 15
minutes late. The schedules are rather optimistic and delays
occur even at weekends. I have experienced many delays eg: from
Faro to Albufeira (15 minutes late arrival), Albufeira to
Portimão (35 minutes late arrival) and Lagos to Albufeira (10 -
15 minutes late arrival almost every journey).
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 TRANSRÁPIDO bus leaves
from inside the terminal building. Most of the other buses
towards Loulé, Quarteira, Vilamoura and Albufeira leave from the
stop immediately outside the bus station entrance on the same
side of the road, but check on the departures board to be sure.
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 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.
B – Faro 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 NORMAL and DIRECTA buses between Albufeira and Faro also stop here at the Forum Algarve
C – Olhos d'Agua. If you are visiting the beach, 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'Agua 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.
D - Areias São João - this stop is
where ' The Strip' crosses the main road at the traffic lights,
near Jinkies bar.
E - Albufeira Shopping also known as
Continente shopping centre (the stop is officially called
Avenida dos Descobrimentos) - 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 EVA buses do not go there. 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 buses that run via Vale de Parra) you will need to take
the local GIRO bus for the last leg of the journey, take taxi or
walk. Separate ticket needed. More information here. Buses from
Quarteira, Vilamoura and Olhos D'Agua stop a few minutes walk
from the old town at the Albuferia Shopping centre.
This is NOT the same place as Algarve Shopping, below.
Buses to or from Faro that run 'through' Albufeira bus station
arrive there 3 - 5 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.
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. There is a free bus in summer from various
hotels in Albufeira and Olhos D'Agua - click here
for details.
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 Rede Expressos and Renex 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, stop on the N125 just outside the village. The
Linha Littoral buses those and also to / from Albufeira VIA GUIA
do not stop in the village centre.
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 and Linha Littoral
buses stop only in Avenida Guanaré by the river.
Local 'urban' buses stop a short distance away in and near the
Largo do Dique.
Long distance buses (coaches to UK readers) eg to Lisbon and
Seville use a different bus station 1 mile / 1.6km out of the
city centre. Information here.
For more information including local connections etc please click here.
L – Praia da Rocha bus stop for
EVA 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. Buses cannot enter the
village as the roads are too narrow. At the time of my
last visit there were no current timetables on display.
N - In Vilamoura all buses 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 a couple of 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. There has been extra service in summer before the
'crisis', which may operate in 2022. This includes late night
and weekend service in some areas.
Z - to and from the Lagoa direction, these
stops are the nearest to the old town area of Albufeira which is
about 5 minutes walk. The fast buses do NOT stop here. The
Avenida do Ténis stop for buses towards Galé, Armação de Pêra,
Lagoa and Portimão is outside the school 100 metres from the
roundabout. The Rua 1 Dezembro stop, for journeys into
Albufeira, is close to Merlin's Bar on the corner at the statue
of Saint Vincent. The bus comes up the hill from the marina,
then goes past the Rocamar Hotel and along a narrow little road
just before that stop.
INT – Interurban Bus. Also, note 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. They may nit have route numbers on
display as in most of Europe.
LL– Albufeira - Lagos
DIRECTA fast service (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.
TR – Transrápido – this express
service stops only at the places shown plus some other
locations in the city of Faro. Buses carry 'TRANSRÁPIDO' sign
on the front. Official 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
www.algarvebus.info