Sines Portugal - how to get there by train or bus and how to get around

INFORMATION CHECKED 1st NOVEMBER 2024
PLEASE CHECK AT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES FOR THE TIMES ON THE EXACT DATE YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL
LONG DISTANCE BUS (COACH) TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY 30 DAYS IN ADVANCE.
HOWEVER, CURRENT TIMETABLES WILL BE A FAIR INDICATION AS TO FREQUENCY

I have no easy means to check or update so please confirm through sources given below.

Sines (pop.14,300, urban area 20,000) is a coastal town in the Alentejo region of Portugal. It is not in the Algarve - I was visiting! The city is about 166km / 105 miles by road south from Lisbon and a similar distance from Albufeira in the Algarve. Sines is probably not a holiday destination. Although it has a small and popular beach, a pleasant old quarter and a nice little castle on the hill, it is flanked by two large modern port installations. Sines is one of Portugal's biggest commercial ports. It might be a useful base for exploring the nearby areas. Read more about it in this wikipedia article. Sines is the birthplace of the legendary explorer Vasco da Gama. There are many monuments to him.

From Lisbon Airport and City to Sines by train

IMPOSSIBLE. Sines has no passenger rail service and with the nearest railway stations over an hour's bus ride and the services being very infrequent, travelling to Sines even part of the way by train is simply not an option.

Lisbon Sete Rios - Sines by long distance bus (coach) - Operated by Rede Expressos

You can now pay for Lisbon metro journeys using contactless payment. Each journey including transfer to another line if needed will cost €1,80.

You will need to make your way from the airport to the SETE RIOS bus terminal. This is about 3 miles/5km from the airport and is linked to it by the underground metro line. Take any train to the end of the line at São Sebastião then change to the Blue Line for a two stop ride to Jardim Zoológico station, which is adjacent to Sete Rios. Trains run every few minutes from 0630 daily. The journey will take around 25 minutes and cost €2,30 (cash) including 50 cents for the rechargeable ticket card, or €1,80 using contactless card payment.

For your bus options from elsewhere in the city check the city bus website at http://carris.pt/

Consult the long distance bus website www.rede-expressos.pt for Lisbon - Sines times, remember it's LISBOA on the timetable search. One-way fare is currently €15. Most journeys take around 2hrs 40 minutes. There is a service of nine journeys each way, with extra journeys from Lisbon on Fridays and from Sines on Sundays, some of which are faster than the others.

For travel to or from other parts of Portugal you will almost always need to go via Lisbon. South of Sines, Rede-Expressos also stops in Cercal, Odemira, São Teotónio and Odeceixe. There is also a bus across country between Sines and Beja - see below.

Lisbon Oriente - Sines by long distance bus (coach) - Operated by Flixbus

As of October 2024 they run three journeys on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, one on Mondays and Thursdays but nothing on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. They use the Oriente bus station in Lisbon, which is near the airport but 9km (6 miles) from the city centre. Find their website or app for times and tickets.

Algarve to Sines by train

IMPOSSIBLE as above

Algarve to Sines by coach (bus)

Rede Expressos operates one daily direct service from Portimão via Lagos and Aljezur. This leaves at 1500hrs arriving in Sines at 1750hrs. The return trip leaves Sines at 1005hrs, arriving in Portimão at 1300hrs. Information at www.rede-expressos.pt as above. Connections are available from and to other parts of the Algarve by local bus or train.

Arriving in Sines

There is no bus station as such. Coaches and buses start and end their journeys in the Rua Júlio Gomes da Silva, opposite the health centre (Centro do Saúde) and near the Fire Station (Bombeiros). This is about five minutes walk from the town centre. There is a green kiosk acting as ticket office, waiting room and information desk. There are no cafés or bars in the immediate area in which to while away the time, just a few benches.

Getting around in Sines

Sines is a small town and walkable. The old part of town sits high on a cliff above the sea, so getting down to the beach and port areas requires a very steep hill to deal with coming back up. A lift (elevator) links the Praia Vasco da Gama (beach) and town area on top of the cliff. Excellent picture of it here, courtesy of http://kanimambo-carlos.blogspot.pt/ . Below the town, the former main road alongside the beach to the northern port area has been closed to traffic and rehabilitated to become a pedestrian and cycle route.

There is a local minibus route around town that runs once each hour, but on weekdays only, between about 0715 and 2000. Information on the official website here. Stop number 5 is by the main stops for the other bus and coach services connecting Sines with Lisbon and different towns. It also serves the shopping centre out of town. There are no buses on this route at weekends or on public holidays.

Further afield from Sines - local and regional buses

PLEASE CHECK AT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR THE TIMES ON THE EXACT DATE YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL.
Local bus service does not operate at weekends or public holidays unless stated

These local buses are very infrequent. The bus operator is Rodo Alentejo, whose website www.rodalentejo.pt contains neither a map nor list of routes. Timetables can only be displayed if you use the 'Origem' and 'Destino' search. If there is no direct bus, no results will be displayed so it is difficult to search for connections.

This is a summary of the local bus routes between Sines and nearby towns and villages. PLEASE check bus times locally. They may be changed with little or no warning.

Timetables are on display at the main place where the buses stop, but not elsewhere. Buy your ticket from the bus driver. Change is given! Buses do not show a route number, just the destination.

BEJA via Santiago do Cacém, Abela, Ermidas : weekdays only : to Beja at 0815 (arriving at 1050) and to Ermidas at 1735 on all weekdays. Return trip from Beja to Sines leaves at 1620, arriving at 1855 on weekdays. Timetable in full here.

Other buses run to and from Santiago do Cacém - see below.

PORTO COVO - There are buses from Sines every weekday at 0745 and 1835, also from Sines on Mondays and Thursdays at 1330, from Porto Covo during school holidays at 0713 and on all weekdays at 1802, also on Mondays and Thursdays at 1238. Timetable

Other buses from Sines to Porto Covo on schooldays are at 0730, 1330, 1630 and 1835 with return journeys at 0653, 0717,and 1237.

VILA NOVA MILFONTES - two buses each weekday, from Sines at 0725 on schooldays, 0745 during school holidays and at 1835 all weekdays. From Vila Nova Milfontes at 0625 on schooldays, 0645 during school holidays and 1730 all weekdays. Timetable

You can also travel between Sines and Porto Covo or Vila Nova de Milfontes with Rede Expressos coaches (long distance buses) at least three times daily and more frequently in summer. These will cost more than local buses. Go to www.rede-expressos.pt for times in detail and tickets.

SETUBAL via Santiago do Cacém, Grandôla and Alcacer do Sal. From Setubal at 1045, 1415 and 1715 on weekdays only. Two hours and 25 minutes journey. To Setubal at 0720 on schooldays, 0730 during school holidays, 0905, 1225 and 1630 also on weekdays only. A bus also runs from Alcacer do Sal to Sines at 0650 arriving at 0840, return journey is at 1815 arriving 1946. There is no weekend or holiday service between Sines and Alcacer do Sal. Timetable in full here.

The Rede-Expressos long distance services to and from Lisbon run via Setubal, thus providing an alternative with several journeys every day.

LAGOA SANTO ANDRÉ via Industrial Zone, Galiza and Brescos : weekdays only, two buses each way.

CERCAL via Monte Novo, Porto Novo Crossroads (nb 5 km from the village) , Sonega and Tanganheira : weekdays three buses each way, four on schooldays. One bus each way on Mondays and Thursdays during school holidays goes via Porto Covo. On schooldays there are two buses each day via Porto Covo. Two buses per day have connections at Cercal with Odemira and one per day with São Teotónio and Odeciexe. Timetable.

TRÓIA (for ferry to Setubal) - via Galiza, Brescos, Vale Figueira, Melides and Casa Branca : two buses each way every day - timetable.

SANTIAGO DO CACÉM via Casa Madeira and the refineries : runs weekdays only, seven buses from Santiago Cacém to Sines, four in the other direction with extra buses on schooldays, 25 minutes journey. Timetable here.

On weekdays there are six buses each way on a different and much slower route via SANTO ANDRÉ. On Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays between Sines and Santiago do Cacèm are four buses each way via Santo André - timetable for that route here. On weekdays there are other buses each way on different routes for example those going to and from Beja and Setubal.

Football Stadium in Sines

The stadium of Vasco da Gama Sines (the Complexo Desportivo de Sines) is on the edge of the main part of town. The team plays in the first Division of the Setubal District League, the fifth tier of Portuguese football. The nearest big clubs are in Lisbon.

Comments and updates

If you have any comments or updates for this page, I will be pleased to receive them by email. For more about Sines as a town, please see this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sines

I take no responsibility for any inconvenience caused as a result of later changes to times etc. This page is for general guidance only and you must check details before making commitments and decisions!

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