Public transport in the Algarve

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🚌 The Algarve attracts many international visitors every year who come to discover its splendor during a holiday, wintering or digital nomad experience. Although most people choose car rental to explore the region, public transport offers an affordable and eco-friendly(er) alternative. From historic train routes to reliable bus services, public transport in the Algarve is not only efficient but also offers travellers an authentic experience of local life. Plus, you don’t have to drive yourself, so you have more time to enjoy the views!

🚅 Discover everything you need to know about public transport in the Algarve on this page , so you can make the most of your holiday without the hassle of driving yourself. Whether you want to get from Faro to Lagos, explore the interior or immerse yourself in a local festival in a mountain village, this will help you find your way around the Algarve.

💡 Prefer more freedom and flexibility? At Luzcar you can rent a small car including insurance from €23 per day in low season and €37 in high season!

public transport algarve — Even by public transport you can get all the way from the Spanish border to the west coast of the Algarve!

Public transport in the Algarve – General information

Public transport in the Algarve consists of 2 types of transport: Buses & trains. Both are very affordable options during your holiday in the Algarve, but you will probably use buses the most. There is only one regional train connection from east to west Algarve and it runs from Vila Real de Santa António in the east to Lagos in the west.

In addition, there is an intercity train that runs from Faro, via Albufeira to Lisbon.

Busses in the Algarve

🚍 In the Algarve, the vast majority of public transport is buses. They connect all the big & small towns from the Spanish border to the west coast. There are several bus companies, each with their own timetable, which can make it difficult to plan your route. Some of these are:

Rede Expressos – one of the largest bus companies in Portugal;
Eva Transportes – a regional bus network mainly present in the Algarve;
Renex – This bus company operates in the eastern Algarve;
Frota Azul – This bus company mainly operates in central and western Algarve.

In the days before mobile phones, it was a lot of research to find out which bus line you needed and when it would leave. Fortunately, there is now an online platform available, where you can easily plan your route via this website and even see the live status of where the buses are. Via Vamus.pt plan your route easily and see where all the bus stops are. Below I explain how you can use this site to plan your trip. This has also been integrated into Google Maps, which also allows you to use your trusted maps app to plan your route.

public transport algarve guide — On vamus.pt you can plan your Algarve trip with public transport.

Plan your bus trip in the Algarve via Google Maps

The best way to plan your route through the Algarve by public transport is via Google Maps. Thanks to the integration with local transport providers, you can now plan your route via the familiar app using the public transport button. Here’s how to use it:

Open Google Maps and search for your destination. For example Albufeira Old Town .
Click on the blue route button and choose your current location as the departure point. Then select the ‘train/bus’ button and choose your departure or arrival time. You will then see the different options that are available. If you absolutely want to take the bus (and not the train), go to the blue Options button and only tick Bus as your preference.

It’s that easy these days! However, if you want to double-check if and when a bus is going or which destinations the buses are going to in the Algarve, read below how to use Vamus.pt.

Plan your bus trip in the Algarve with Vamus.pt

The second best way to plan your route through the Algarve using public transport is via Vamus.pt. Although this site looks very intuitive, I have found that the route planner is not always cooperative. Therefore, I will discuss two methods of using Vamus.pt:

The route planner;
The bus line map in combination with the departure schedule.

This is how you use the route planner of public transport planner Vamus.pt:

Navigate to https://vamusalgarve.pt/#/pt/vamus%20algarve/planner
Click on Idioma and set the language to English
Enter your departure point in Origin Address and your destination in Destination Address , choose a departure or arrival time and press Find the best route
A number of options will appear under the latter button. Click on the time that is most convenient for you and the route will appear on the map.

Please note: Sometimes the planner indicates that there are no buses between your departure and arrival location. For example, I asked the planner to plot a route between Faro Airport and Lagos and it gave me no options. However, there is a bus! That is why it is wise to also or exclusively use the second method.

This is how to use the bus lines map + schedule from public transport planner Vamus.pt:

Look at the network map below and remember the numbers of the bus line(s) that connect the two places you want to travel between. Click on the image to enlarge it. For example, if we want to travel from Faro Airport to Lagos. According to the map, this is bus line 56.
Go to the ‘Lines‘ page and choose the bus line you selected on the map above, for example 56. On the map you will see the route this line takes. The flags are bus stops and the bus icon is where the bus is at the moment. By zooming in on one of the flags, you can see exactly where the bus stop is.
Then press ‘ Check Schedules – PDF Download ‘ to download the schedule with departure times.
Open the downloaded PDF containing the departure and arrival times of the selected bus line. The OUTBOUND table shows the departure times from the starting point to the end point of the line. The INBOUND table shows the departure times from the end point back to the starting point.

Search the table under OUTBOUND for your departure point, for example Aeroporto Faro. The combination of letters in the header of the table indicate on which days the bus leaves at that time. For example, ‘A U’ means that this bus will leave at this time on weekdays (Mon-Fri). ‘EA U’ stands for ‘weekdays in high season’, which refers to the period from 1 May to 31 October. Outside of these times it will not leave at this time.

In our example, the first bus leaves Faro Airport for Lagos at 08:30 and will arrive at 10:25. If you want to go back, you could take the last bus from Lagos at 17:45, which will then arrive at Faro Airport at 19:55!

Bus ticket prices in the Algarve

The cost of your bus ticket depends on the number of kilometers you travel. The cheapest ticket is €1.15 for a distance of up to 2 kilometers, while the most expensive is €8.15 for a distance of up to 120 kilometers.

For the special bus line 56, which departs from the airport to Albufeira, Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos, different rates apply. You can find these in the small table at the bottom of the image below. The most you will pay here is €15.00 if you travel from Faro airport to Lagos.

The price of a ticket in the Algarve depends on the distance you travel. Image & prices are from 2023.

Trains in the Algarve

🚆 Train services in the Algarve are limited to a select number of major towns, mainly along the coastline. The regional train network runs from Vila Real de Santo António on the eastern border to Lagos in the west . In terms of journey time, it is not much different from buses, but the train is more comfortable and offers more space than a bus. The train is an excellent option if you are prone to car sickness or want to stretch your legs occasionally.

In the image below you can see all the train stations in the Algarve:

By train to or from Faro airport?

While it would be a great transit, there is no train station directly at Faro Airport . The nearest train leaves from Faro city centre, which is a short twenty minute bus ride, or a ten minute taxi ride. According to Uber/Bolt, it will cost around €6.60.

Plan your train journey in the Algarve using Google Maps

Once again Google Maps to the rescue . Using the route planner you can easily see when the trains leave and how long they take. You can use the Google Maps route planner as follows:

Open Google Maps and search for your destination. For example Lagos.
Click on the blue route button and choose your current location as the departure point. Then select the ‘train/bus’ button and choose your departure or arrival time. You will then see the different options that are available. If you absolutely want to take the train (and not the bus), go to the blue Options button and only check Train as your preference.

This way you can see when the trains leave and how long they take.

Please note: I noticed that not all trains that operate are listed on Google Maps. I recommend comparing the results of Google Maps with the schedule of cp.pt, the official website of the Portuguese railway that operates in the Algarve. Also, cp.pt shows you the prices of your journey, something that Google Maps does not show.

Plan a train ride in the Algarve via Comboios de Portugal (cp.pt)

cp.pt is the official website of the railways in Portugal. Through the easy to use route planner you can see all the trains that run between your departure point and destination, including prices.

How to use the cp.pt train route planner:

Navigate to https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times and select your departure and arrival point. For example Faro to Lagos. Choose the date you want to travel and optionally a departure time. Then click Submit.
If desired, you can buy tickets here directly by selecting one of the dots in the last column and clicking ‘buy’. Of course, you can also buy a ticket at the stations themselves.

By train from the Algarve to Lisbon and vice versa

From the Algarve you can take the train directly to Lisbon and beyond. It leaves from Faro and turns north past Albufeira towards the capital of Portugal. Trains on this line leave several times a day and take between 3 and 3.5 hours. If you come from Lagos or Portimão, you will have to change in Tunes.

Use just as explained above the route planner of Comboios de Portugal to see the current times and costs. For reference:

A second class ticket from Faro to Lisbon costs approximately €23.00.
A first class ticket from Faro to Lisbon costs approximately €30.00.

Please note: Lisbon has several train stations. The central and largest train station is called Estação do Oriente.

Planes between Faro and Lisbon

Perhaps not the most environmentally friendly option, it is also possible to travel between Faro and Lisbon by plane . This flight only takes 45 minutes, so by the time the staff has explained how to fasten your seat belt, you will already be starting the descent.

Although this may sound like the fastest option, if you include travelling to the airport, checking in, dropping off luggage, getting in, taxiing twice and picking up luggage again, it will take you almost as long as by train, car or bus.

The prices for flights are low though. Of course it varies per month, but below you can see as an indication what the prices are in August for September, one way without luggage:

More great tips for your Algarve holiday

Hopefully this page has helped you find your way around the Algarve via public transport. In addition to this useful information, my website is full of other great tips for your adventure to the Algarve. For example, you will find a complete overview of all the activities you can undertake, discover special overnight locations and find the best car rental company in the Algarve. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message and I will be happy to help you!