Portimão - Useful Information!
Travel Information: Faro to Portimão
- Distance from Faro: 63 km
- Travel from Faro by Train: 4.85€ (regional train)
- Travel from Faro by Bus: 5.15€.
- Transfer from Faro by Taxi: 67€ for a 4 seater Mon-Fri 6am-9pm (84€ outside this time and bank holidays); 86€ or 104€ for a 6 seater depending on time.
To get to Faro train or bus station (which are close to each other just before Faro marina) either get the bus from the airport (the stop is right outside the 'arrivals' doors) and will cost you around 1.75€, or get a taxi at a cost of around 10€. To check train timetables visit the C.P website www.cp.pt. (the site is available in English) and select 'Regional and Inter Regional services' to get the timetable for Lagos/Vila Real de Santo António/Lagos.
For bus timetables visit www.eva-bus.com. Again most of it is available in English except the 'frequency' on the tables. (Days of the week: Monday is the 2nd day of the week - '2as'-and Friday is the 6th day. 'Sábado' and 'Domingo' - Saturday and Sunday; 'Feriados' is holidays; 'Diariamente' is daily,). Bus times from the 'aeroporto' to Faro are also listed .
For additional bus timetables visit www.frotazul-algarve.pt which covers a limited area of the Algarve.
**We quote Comboios de Portugal (regional) and Eva Transports pricing and prices of the standard taxi firms that work at Faro Airport. Please note that prices may vary.
Portimão Buses
Portimão has a network of local buses that make it very easy to get around very cheaply..always a benefit! The network, currently consisting of 18 routes (linhas) is called 'Vai e Vem' and the cost per journey is between 1,30€ and 1,70€ depending on the route, alternatively you can buy a daily ticket for 4,50€ or 5,00€ All the buses on the Vai e Vem network have ramps and areas for people with reduced mobility. You can see the local Portimão bus routes and timetables in full on the Vai e Vem page of the local council website but we've summarised the main routes likely to be of interest to visitors here:
Linha 2 (Verde) - includes the Town centre (Largo do Dique), Praia do Vau, Clube Praia da Rocha and the Marina - every 20 minutes weekdays and 40 minutes at weekends.
Linha 4 (Turquesa) - Sec. Poeta Ant. Aleixo, Largo do Dique, Market, Pingo Doce, Retail Centre, Retail Park, Alfarrobeiras - every 25 minutes on weekdays and every 50 minutes at weekends and holidays.
Linha 6 (Rosa) - Town centre (Alameda) to Praia da Rocha (Hotels Jupiter and Oriental and the Fortaleza) - every 15 minutes daily (June to September) and every 30 minutes daily (September to May).
Linha 7 (Laranja) - Alameda (town centre), Market, Largo do Dique, Praia do Vau, Prainha, Hotel Dom Joao ll, Dunas de Alvor, Alvor Sports Complex and the Fisherman Roundabout in Alvor - every 25mins weekdays and every 40 minutes at weekends and holidays.
Linha 8 (Castanha) - Portimão hospital, Portimão retail park, Penina, Montes de Alvor, Alvor campsite, Alvor town, Praia de Alvor - every 30 minutes weekdays and every 60 minutes at weekends and holidays.
Linha 10 (Cinzenta) - Town centre (Largo do Dique), Trés Bicos, Bemposta, 4 Estradas, Hospital Particular, Alvor centre - every 30 minutes daily.
Linha 11 (Grená) - between Trés Castelos and Companheira. The stops include Hotel Luar, Jardins da Rocha, Hotel Rocha Vau, Hotel Oceano Atlantico, the railway station, Parque de Feiras - every 40 minutes on weekdays and every 80 minutes at weekends and holidays.
Linha 13 (Lima) - Largo do Dique, Retail Park, Penina Hotel, Figueira, Mexilhoeira, Vale do Ferro, Vale da Fonte, Autodrome , Montes de Cima, Alcalar, Largo do Dique - 4 buses daily
Linha 17 (Prata) - between the Autodrome and Largo do Dique with various stops in between - 3 buses daily
Linha Luar (nightime line from 1st June to 14th September) - Alvor roundabout with the fisherman statue, Sports Complex, Dunas de Alvor, Hotel D.Joao ll, Prainha, Praia do Vau, Hotel Presidente, Tres Castelos, Hotel Luar, Jardins da Rocha, Miradoura, Belo Horizonte, Club Praia da Rocha, Marina - every 20 minutes from 20.00 to 24.00 every day.
Weekend timings start at 2pm on Saturdays and also apply to public holidays. Most services run from 7am until 8pm with the following exceptions:
Linha 10 - October to May 07.00 to 22.00 and until midnight June to September
Linha 6 - October to April 07.00 to 22.00; May to September - 07.00 to 02.00
More information about timetables and tickets is available at Frota Azul in Largo do Dique, Portimão.