Getting to Albufeira

Albufeira, situated on the south coast of Portugal, is reasonably well connected by road, rail and air via Faro, 25 miles away. Most people travel here by air and the journey from Faro takes about 40 minutes. There is a good train service and Faro, Lisbon and Oporto are easily reached with trains running daily. There is a small local tourist bus, which is useful for getting around the main tourist areas, and plenty of taxis.

By car

Albufeira is connected to Faro via the EN125, or the A22 freeway. The EN125 is the major road in the Algarve, running parallel to the coast, and it is well-maintained.

From Lisbon, there is an excellent toll road running the 150 miles to the Algarve. From Lisbon, take the E01 towards Almada, which will then connect for the toll way to the Algarve.

From southern Spain, the IP1 motorway runs from Lisbon to Seville in Spain, a distance of 140 miles. If coming from Seville, take A-49/E-1, which becomes the IP1 when you enter Portugal.

By rail

There are four trains a day from Lisbon to Albufeira and the journey takes around 3 hours. Trains run at 08:29, 13:29, 17:29 and 19:29. The 17:29 is a fast service and takes about 2 hours, 30 minutes.

From Faro, there are 15 trains a day between 07:18 and 23:30, leaving roughly every hour, with the journey taking between 20 and 35 minutes, depending on the type of service. There are also three trains a day from Oporto at 09:10, 12:10 and 15:10, and the journey to Albufeira takes about 7 hours.

By bus

To get to Albufeira from Lisbon, Eva Bus is the most efficient of the bus services and the journey takes just under 3 hours. Buses from Lisbon leave six times a day at: 08:15, 10:30, 12:30, 15:15, 18:30 and 20:30, from Arco Cego Station and in the other direction from the Eva office in Albufeira at 09:45, 12:00, 14:30, 16:45, 19:45 and 22:30.

There are buses from Faro to Albufeira, but there tend to be many stops and the journey usually takes over an hour, and is only worth taking if you are travelling on a tight budget. The journey is short enough and reasonably priced if you choose to travel by taxi.

There is a local bus service in Albufeira, but it is not the most reliable, and often it can be better to walk or take a taxi. The blue tourist train is much more efficient, doing a 40-minute loop from the strip to the Old Town and back, with trains running about every 20 minutes. It is possible to buy return tickets, which are better value.

By air

There is no airport at Albufeira itself, so flights here come via Faro Airport, 25 miles away. Faro connects with many European destinations, with flights to the UK, Holland, Italy and Germany. There are over 14 flights a day from the UK to Faro in the high season, so there is plenty of choice. Faro is a popular destination with budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair operating services here. The UK is by far the most popular place for flights to Faro and as a result, it is possible to fly here from around 20 different airports across the country.

If you have already booked your hotel accommodation, either independently or on a package tour, then almost all the hotels in Albufeira and certainly all the tour companies will organise transport for you from the airport.

Otherwise, there are plenty of taxis to take you to the town. There is also a bus service, but the bus is slow and infrequent, so taking a taxi is recommended.

By ferry

Boat cruises are a popular and fun way to explore the coastline here and its possible to go on a fishing cruise too. The cruises provide food and drinks, and it can be a very relaxing and peaceful way to enjoy the wonderful scenery.

Taxis

There are plenty of taxis around Albufeira, but you cannot hail them in the road, so either you have to go to a designated taxi rank or pre-book one. There are a number of taxi ranks in central points around the city and if you want to book one, your hotel will be able to assist. There are no meters and although there is a set price system, it is always best to establish the cost before getting into the taxi.