Faro Airport transfers and Algarve transport

Getting around the Algarve without a car is, sadly, not as simple as in Porto or Lisbon, where buses, the metro and even trams take you to every corner worth seeing.

Some towns have their own local bus services, but most have only a handful of stops where the services running from town to town pull in to pick up passengers.

Regional trains cover long routes with plenty of stops, and the stations aren't always right in the centre of town.

Below we'll go through each of the options you have for getting from one place to another in the Algarve without losing time or patience.

Buses in the Algarve

EVA buses (all over the Algarve)

EVA Transportes is the name of the bus company that covers the Algarve region. You'll need to check the routes and timetables one by one, as each has its own quirks. For example:

• Albufeira – Faro route As you can see, the times and the stops change depending on the day.
• Alagoa – Castro Marim route As you can see, it only runs three times a day.

And so it goes with every route.

EVA runs a service known as Transrápido, a fast connection between Faro and Lagos.

Prices

One thing you could call an advantage is the price. Fares vary by route, but tickets cost between €3 and €10. A half-hour journey works out at around €3.50.

They also have an option for tourists travelling around the whole region: the “Passe Turístico”  costs €29 for three days and €36.25 for 7 days. With a single card you can move around the entire region using the intercity network, run both by Transporte EVA and by its partner company Frota Azul Algarve, another service we'll come to later on. (You have to buy it at an Eva sales point.)

You can take a look at the Eva Transportes website to find out more about the routes and timetables and the ticket sales points across the Algarve.

PRÓXIMO buses (Faro)

PRÓXIMO is the name of the urban transport network that runs within the city of Faro.

In this map of Faro's bus network you can see that it covers the most important areas, including the centre, the beaches and Faro Airport.

Prices

• Ticket to zone 1: €1.05
• Ticket to zone 2: €1.69
• All lines: €2.22 (this is the one you need to get from the airport into Faro)

The bus from the airport takes you to Faro's bus terminal, where you can pick up other services. You'll find more details in how to get from Faro Airport to your hotel in the Algarve.

More about these buses on the official website.

GIRO buses (Albufeira)

The GIRO buses are an urban network running within the town of Albufeira. There are five lines connecting the centre, the marina, the campsite, Ferreiras, Montechoro and Santa Eulália.

Buses run every half hour, and in summer services carry on until midnight.

Prices

• Single one-way ticket: €1.40
• Unlimited one-day tourist ticket: €4
• You can also buy a rechargeable card for €3 and top it up with 5 journeys for €4 or 10 journeys for €8.

You'll find more information about this service on the council's website.

VAI e VEM buses (Portimão)

Local bus service for the town of Portimão.

On the network map you can see every area covered and which line to take to reach the spot you're interested in.

These buses can get you to some of the loveliest beaches in the Algarve: Praia da Rocha, Praia da Marina,  Praia do Barranco das Canas and others. You can see the beaches and other points of interest served by these bus lines here.

Prices

• Single ticket: €1.50
• Day ticket: €3.50
• For longer stays, you can buy a card (€3) and add 10 journeys for €8 (only at ticket sales points).

Trains in the Algarve

The biggest drawback of travelling by train around the Algarve, as we mentioned above, is that many stations are a few kilometres from the tourist sights. So once you step off the train, you'll need to wait for a bus or hop in a taxi to finish your journey.

In this PDF timetable you can see the times and stops for the regional trains that connect the main cities in the Algarve.

Prices

• Since the summer of 2015, the CP, Comboios de Portugal, has sold a tourist ticket that lets you travel by train between Lagos and Vila Real de Santo António as often as you like over two or three consecutive days. Prices range from €20.90 to €31.90.
• To give you an idea of fares between towns, a ticket from Faro to Taviracosts around €6.30. For fares on other individual journeys between towns, run the simulation here. It takes about 40 minutes, roughly 15 minutes longer than by car.

You have several options for buying tickets: online, at the stations, through travel agencies, and even international sales. Have a look at here the options.

There are always discounts and special offers on Portuguese trains, so before you buy we'd recommend checking the discounts page.

Car hire in the Algarve (recommended)

Our recommendation for getting around the Algarve and avoiding confusion, wasted time and waiting about under the summer sun is, without a doubt, to hire a car.

With a car you can hop easily from town to town or take in several beaches in a day. What's more, the vast majority of places to stay in the Algarve have free parking.

Click the link below to hire a car in the Algarve.

More on transport in the Algarve

• Faro Airport, the Algarve
• Getting to the Algarve by train
• From Lisbon to the Algarve
• Tolls in Portugal