Faro Transportation

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The airport bus(16/18) is the cheapest way to get from the airport to Faro Town Centre. The fare is 1.95 Euros. The buses are more regular in the busy summer months, in the winter I think they coincide with airlines landing. I only had to wait 10 minutes for a bus. It took about 20 minutes to arrive outside the Eva hotel.

The bus stop at the airport is just across the car park and it is signposted paragem.

I caught the bus back to the airport from the stop opposite the Eva hotel but the bus also stops at the train station.

I hired a car for my time in the Algarve as I wanted the freedom of exploring all the way along the coast from Cabo de Sao Vicente in the west to Vila Real de Santo Antonio on the Spanish border in the east and so didn't use the local bus. However, there is a very useful English website dedicated to bus routes and timetables etc which you can find below. If you don't have a car then this is the next best way of getting around the Algarve as well as the train, details of which are also provided on the same website.

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The train station is well located in the city centre, close to the bus station, just to the north of the Marina. There are two Alpha Pendular services - a high-speed train, to and from Lisbon that takes about 2,5 hours, €20 one way, €25 on first class. There are also 3 slower survives (about 3.5hrs) to Lisbon. As well as this there are services along the coast - east to Tavira and Vila Real de Santo Antonio; and west to Lagos. For timetables just click on Regional on the left of the website below.

This is a tip for people taking a flight out of Faro, who are looking for a hotel near the airport.

The nearest hotel is Hospedaria Frangaria (http://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/hospedaria-frangaria.en.html). It’s actually within walking distance of the airport, about 1.5 km. I presume the bus that goes to the airport also stops somewhere close to the hotel.

Faro airport is located between the city centre and the beach, so another hotel that’s not too far from the airport and with easy transport is the one right on the beach: the Aeromar (http://www.aeromar.net/en). It’s also well-connected to the airport by bus.

Here’s the bus timetable between the beach (Praia de Faro or P.Faro), the Airport and the city centre (the stop in the centre is “Avenida”: just opposite the bus station, and also close to the train station). The main bus is the nº 16 (first link below) and the nº 14 (2nd link) also goes there.

http://www.eva-bus.com/novo/horarios_tabelas_u16.php
http://www.eva-bus.com/novo/horarios_tabelas_u14.php

Other good hotels quite close to the airport are the Hotel Mónaco and the Hotel Ibis, but Frangaria’s the closest. All 4 can be booked through booking.com.

Faro's city centre isn't too big, therefore all sights are always within reach of a 20 minute walk.

Especially the Old Town with its narrow alleyways is best explored on foot. Just make sure that you wear proper shoes for cobbled streets.

When walking around Faro keep your eyes open for the details; you often see nice azulejos (colourful tiles) at the buildings. Please read my "Local custom" tip for more information about azulejos.

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I left Faro by bus to Sevilla in Spain. The trip was 13 Euro (2006) and took about 3:40 h.

Keep in mind that there is a 1 hour time difference between Portugal and Spain.

The main bus company which serves Faro is "Eva buses".

They run buses along the Algarve coast, to most major Portuguese cities and to the bordering Spainish cities.

Faro's bus station is located just between the train station and the Marina.

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I arrived in Faro by train from Lisbon. There are about 4 daily direct trains serving the Lisbon to Faro route. Trains leave from both Oriente and Entrecampos station in Lisbon.

The trip takes about 3:30 h and my ticket was 17,50 Euro (2006).

The price varies depending on the type of train.

Faro's train station is centrally located, just next to the sea and northwest of the Marina.

I find it quite convenient travelling by bus from Faro to various villages or town in the Algarve. There are direct buses from Faro bus stations to the main places in that region such as Albufeira, Tavira, Loulè and Lagos.

The bus station in Faro is located near the harbour.