Albufeira Transportation

Parking is a nightmare in Albufeira. The best solution is to use a small and dusty area east of the beach, and use the escalators nearby.

The problem is that, after the construction of the mechanic escalators, the park seems to be shrinking!

if you need a car, Book it directly on www.algarvecaronline.com! They are delivering cars to every point in Algarve. it's the cheapest way to see all that algarve has to offer you. Avoid the big car rental companies they are to expensive. Algarvecaronline Car Hire - has a friendly and competent staff that are truly committed to make our stay in Algarve the most memorable and enjoyable, they can give you nice tips for places to visit, restaurants, beaches and more... hope you enjoy as much as i did!!

There are indeed regular buses along that route. I have the timetables on my personal website at www.algarvebus.info/002e.htm for buses Albufeira - Olhos D'Agua - Vilamoura - Quarteira - Faro and .../002w.htm for buses in the reverse direction. They are somewhat irregular (ie not at so many minutes past each hour) but they run at least twice an hour for most of the day during the week but are rather sparse (especially in the afternoons) on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Last buses are around 730pm; there are no later evening buses.

The GIRO routes (Albufeira town bus services) do not go out to Olhos D'Agua.

The long-distance buses do not stop in Olhos D'Agua. Albufeira bus terminal is about 3 miles/5km away.

There are frequent buses from Albufeira to Lisbon and the journey takes about 3 hours. For example there is a bus at 0800 arriving at 1100. There is a bus back at 1830 arriving in Albufeira at 2120.

The Lisbon bus terminal at Sete Rios is about 4km from the city centre and you will need the metro to complete your journey.

The www.rede-expressos.pt website has all the times as has been mentioned. This website is in Portuguese only; there is no information in English available.

Tickets should be bought in advance if possible. One-way fare about €18.00

Olhos D'Agua is about 15 minutes by bus from the Albufeira terminal. I have the bus times for local buses at www.algarvebus.info/002w.htm

The evening buses from Lisbon to Albufeira arrive after local bus service has ended, so you will need a taxi back to Olhos D'Agua.

The Albufeira Railway Station is 4 miles/6km from the town; 7miles/10km from Olhos D'Agua and would only be practicable by taxi as the morning train to Lisbon leaves at 718am.

Obviously dependent on were abouts you are staying ... taxis are probably the best bet. They are so cheap ... as we used the same cab firm we had the same driver pick us up and they gave us discount - so its well woth it.

The ex's dad rented a car but found he just couldnt get the hang on driving on the left side of the road !!

We hired a car when we were there. We hadnt intended to hire a car, but our holiday was one where we didnt know where we were staying until we arrived. It wasnt very central and quite a lot walk into Albufeira. Also you can get about more easily and find some wonderful virtually deserted beaches.
Unlike Spain where a lot of the holiday areas are built next to the coast, the Algarve is a lot more spread out.

Before we hired a car we had tried getting a bus and waited for such a long time and when none came decided to walk. On speaking to some other people who were on holiday we were told buses were not very reliable, but taxi's were quite reasonable.

Taxi's cannot pick up anywhere along the road, you either have to order them or go to a designated taxi rank.

Always agree on a price with the taxi driver before your journey.

You will find loads of Car Hire companies in and around Albufeira, and most seem to offer similar rates or deals. typically, you would pay 80 Euros for three day car hire, but some companies offier hire for, say, 5 days, and pay for 3! Don't forget that in addition to the hire cost there are 'extras' for additional drivers, full insurance, and if you intend travelling to Spain, there is a surcharge of around 30 Euros!

We booked our Fiat Punto using our hotel rep, and it cost us 54 Euros for one day (we didn't want a car for a longer period). Just make sure you top the tank up before returning the car! (We did!).

Oh, and driving in Portugal is far easier than in Spain (we thought), but do remember if you are coming from England, they drive on the wrong side of the road, LOL!