Portimão area bus services including Praia da Rocha, Praia do Vau, Alvor and Penina

The information has been obtained from printed timetables and other local sources (like taking the bus) and is given in good faith.
The stopping place for Rede Expressos, Mundial Turismo, RENEX, Flixbus and other long distance services is the Bus Station in Rua da Abicada. This is 1.5km from the town centre. All services to and from Lisbon, Seville etc stop there. This bus station is also used by the 'Aerobus' route 56 to and from Faro and Faro Airport via Lagoa and Albufeira.

  Map here. Other relevant information is here
All regional buses stop in Avenida Guanaré by the river. Most of the local Vai e Vem buses stop at Largo do Dique close by.

Links to timetables for buses and trains between Portimão and the rest of the Algarve

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PORTIMÃO CITY TRANSPORT - PLEASE READ!

Portimão is linked with the rest of the Algarve by the inter-urban and long distance bus routes listed above.
The railway station is just to the north of the city centre, with trains along the Algarve route and connections with Lisbon via Tunes.
Long-distance buses (coaches to UK readers) run to Lisbon and more distant parts including Seville. These use a different bus station to the regional buses. See below.

Alameda square in Portimão

THE VAI E VEM CITY BUS NETWORK OF PORTIMÃO

The city of Portimão and its suburbs are served by a network of mini-bus routes under the banner ‘Vai e Vem’. Service starts at 0700 and finishes between 1930 and 2000hrs. On December 24th service ends at around 1900hrs. In summer there are later buses between Portimão and Alvor, but not elsewhere. Most of the buses used are electric. The operator on behalf of Portimão Council is Sandbus, a subsidiary of the Grupo Barraqueiro, a nationwide operator of trains and buses.

At weekends and public holidays some routes have very limited service, several have none at all. The mini-buses used for some journeys are inadequate at busy periods (school start and finish times) so be prepared for overcrowding and even for a full-up bus sailing past your stop. They do have larger buses used at busy times on some routes.

These buses do not go across the river to Ferragudo etc!

The links below are to the official timetables. Timetables and maps are displayed at bus stops (although when I was last there not at the stop outside the railway station!) and are annotated in Portuguese and English.

SUMMARY OF ROUTES AND LINKS TO TIMETABLES AND MAPS

The various routes, their stops and detailed timetables are available from the bus operator website here.  For as complete network map, click or tap here. External link - view and save as required.

Most routes serve the Largo do Dique in the City Centre, by the river. The Alameda, served by routes 14 and 33, is the large square in the older part of the city about 5 minutes walk from Largo do Dique.

Inbound buses that stop at the Centro de Saúde (Health Centre) stop at the city market outbound. The Health Centre is a short walk from the market.

In Praia da Rocha, inbound Vai e Vem route 33 buses stop at the Hotel Jupiter, Hotel Oriental and the Fortaleza. They return via a parallel street without stopping. VAMUS buses stop outside Clube Praia da Rocha.

The 1P route between Portimão city centre and Alvor via Praia do Vau has late evening service in July, August and until the second weekend of September This is now the only route operating after about 2000hrs.

In Alvor all buses in all directions call at the bus stop at the large roundabout junction at the entrance to the village. Some Vai e Vem routes stop elsewhere. 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 in summer, closed on Sundays and Holidays during winter.

CRUISE LINER SHUTTLE - the port of Portimão operates shuttle buses as required between the cruise dock and the city centre at Largo do Dique. The distance is about 1 mile / 1.6km, is flat and easily walkable.

The main routes of interest to visitors will be these.

ON VAI E VEM BUSES SUMMER TIMES APPLY DURING JULY, AUGUST AND UNTIL 8th SEPTEMBER.
 Make sure you are looking at the correct times.

The diagram below shows the main routes likely to be used by visitors. The official timetables show the Main (long distance) Bus Station as Gare Rodoviária de Portimão. This is NOT THE SAME PLACE as used by regional buses. They are 1.5km apart, Look here for more.

Click the diagram to see it full size. There is no direct Vai e Vem service between Alvor and the eastern end of Praia da Rocha.

Route 13 is the quickest route between Portimão and Alvor, but does not run at weekends nor on public holidays. At weekends and holidays it is Route 1P that you need - see below.

Route 13 - City (Largo do Dique) - Tres Bicos - Bemposta - Hospital Particular - Alvor Roundabout every 30 minutes WEEKDAYS ONLY. For weekend service on this route, see route 16 below.

Route 14 Alameda - Portimonense Stadium (outbound only) - Poeta António Meixo School - Vale França - Praia do Vau - Clube Prainha - Torralta (Dom Jõao II Hotel) - Alvor Praia (beach) - Alvor Centro. Runs via Alvor Praia in this direction only. To go from there to Praia do Vau etc take the inbound bus and go via Alvor Centro (Rotunda / Roundabout) runs every 30 minutes on WEEKDAYS ONLY. For weekend and holiday service see route 1P below.

Route 33 City Centre (Alameda) - Portimonense Stadium (outbound only) - Largo do Dique (for other local and regional buses) - Praia da Rocha (Fortaleza) - buses go via the marina only during summertime.

DAILY /DIAREMENTE/TOUS LES JOURS/TÄGLICH. Frequent service between Largo do Dique and Praia da Rocha every 15 - 30 minutes in summer, every 30 minutes in winter all year from Alameda, less frequent from there in summer. Timetable in full on the official website here, my summary timetable and route diagram here.

Route 35 Ladeira do Vau - Hospital - Cardosas - City (Largo do Dique) - Jardins da Rocha - Praia do Vau runs every 25 minutes at peak times, every 40 minutes otherwise. Runs on weekdays only

OTHER WEEKDAY ROUTES - these DO NOT RUN AT WEEKENDS OR ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.

The Cardosas stop is very near the Aqua Shopping centre.

Route 11 - Penina Church - Vale das Hortas - Sesmarias - Centro de Saúde - Poeta Ant. Meixo School - Praia da Rocha (Fortaleza) runs  about every 45 minutes, except only goes to Penina and Vale das Hortas eight times a day. On schooldays, many buses take diversions off the main route via various schools.
Route 12 - Main Bus Station (Rua Abicada) - Centro de Saúde - Bemposta - Montes do Alvor (near the aerodrome) every 30 minutes during peak hours, every 60 minutes otherwise.
Route 15 - Campanheira - Hospital - Penina - Montes de Alvor - Alvor Roundabout - Alvor Praia (beach) runs seven times a day at irregular intervals. Campanheira is served only twice a day with extra buses when schools are closed.
Route 21N - Largo do Dique - Chão das Donas - Penina - Figueira - Mexilhoeira Grande -  Monte Ribeiro - Alcalar - Moinho da Rocha - Vale das Eiras three buses each way plus extra buses on schooldays. Routes 21P and 21S run between other parts of Portimão and those areas, two or three times each weekday. VERY complicated timetables!
Route 31 - City (Largo do Dique) - Market - Railway Station -  Aqua Shopping - Main Bus Station
Route 32 - City (Largo do Dique) - Rua Infante d'Henrique - Railway Station - Main Bus Station - Hospital every 15 minutes at peak times, every 30 minutes 1000 - 1700.
Route 34 - SCHOOLDAYS ONLY - Campanheira - Hospital - Cardosas - Centro do Saúde - various schools - Bemposta eight journeys at irregular intervals.
Route 36 - Poeta Ant.Meixo School - Centro do Saúde (City Health Centre) - Portimão Retail Center - Chão das Donas - Alfarrobeiras. Every 45 minutes, except that Alfarrobeiras is served only eight times a day, one bus about every 90 minutes.

THESE ROUTES RUN ONLY ON SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS

Route 1P - City Centre (Largo do Dique) -  Portimonense Stadium - Jardins da Rocha - Praia do Vau - Clube Prainha - Torralta Hotel Dom João II - Alvor Praia - Alvor Centro (Roundabout). (via Alvor Praia in this direction only. To go to Praia do Vau etc from Alvor Praia, take the inbound bus and go via Alvor Centro.) Every 30 minutes in summer, every 60 minutes in winter. Late night service until 2330 from Portimão, midnight from Alvor during July, August and for the first two weeks of September. Complete timetable on the official website here.
Route 16 - same as route 13 above but extended to also serve Montes de Alvor near the aerodrome. Five buses each way. Last bus from Portimão 1700, from Montes do Alvor at 1730.
Route 37 - Ladeira do Vau - Hospital - Cardosas - Aqua Shopping - Main Bus Station - Railway Station - Centro do Saúde - Portimonense - Praça Manuel T. Gomes (close to Largo do Dique) Runs every 60 minutes between the Hospital and Praça Manuel T. Gomes, less often at Ladeira do Vau.
Route 38 - City (Largo do Dique) - Centro do Saúde (Health Centre) - Sesmarias - Chão das Donas - Alfarrobeiras. Six buses each way.

Fares on Vai e Vem buses

Vai e Vem tickets are NOT valid on VAMUS buses, nor vice-versa.

The current official fares leaflet can be downloaded here - clcik 'Tarifario...Fares below apply until further notice. Contactless payments are NOT accepted.

Cash fare is €1,65 for any single journey. A pre paid card (costing €3) can be loaded with cash which reduces the fare to €0,90. Card is available at VAMUS points of sale and maybe someday at the website or VAMUS app. There is no discount for seniors or children except for residents. Children under 3 travel free.

Visitor tickets

PORTIMÃO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Portimão's old 'bus station' used by VAMUS regional buses is an open air facility along Avenida Guanaré, near the Largo de Dique, which is not far from the old bridge over the river and the main city centre shopping area. The VAI E VEM city buses stop in Largo do Dique itself.

The bus stops at Avenida Guanaré are numbered 1 to 5, with 5 being the one nearest the Repsol filling station. I have used these references. To confuse matters, the old bus stop signs were still in place at the time of my most recent visit. There are two stops at Largo do Dique, about 50 metres apart.

Check which stop your bus leaves from. The bus stops are fairly clearly labelled as to the destinations served. There is no waiting room etc. There is small shop and café attached to the Repsol Garage (filling station). Inbound local buses from Lagoa and Ferragudo don't turn immediately towards the Largo do Dique. They go along the Rua Infante de Henrique as shown, before embarking on a tour around the city. If it's the city centre shops you want, get off at the first stop after crossing the bridge.

ALL LONG DISTANCE BUS / COACH SERVICES AND THE AEROBUS TO AND FROM FARO AIRPORT CALL ONLY AT THE 'MAIN' BUS STATION which is 1.5km (nearly a mile) from the town centre. CLICK FOR MAP. More information here. Local bus routes 12, 31, 32 (weekdays) also 37 (weekends and holidays) stop inside the main bus station, stop number 12. Regional buses eg to / from from Albufeira, Faro and Lagos do not go there, except for Aerobus, route 56.

PORTIMÃO'S SHOPPING CENTRES BUS CONNECTIONS

Portimão has several retail parks and shopping centres around the edges of the city. Most of the buses mentioned below DO NOT run at weekends.

Portimão Retail Centre and the nearby Vila Marché shopping centre are served by routes 31,32, 34, 36 and 37, also VAMUS bus route 80 from Lagos via Mexilhoeira Grande.

The Continente Portimão Cabeço do Mocho hypermarket in Rua das Papoilas is passed by route 21 and 36, also VAMUS route 80 bus to and from Lagos.

The Center Comercial Continente on Rua São Lourenço de Barrosa is served only by route 36.

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
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www.algarvebus.info