Portugal - Airports and Operators

There are three main airports in Portugal with commercial services:

Porto - in the North - Francisco Sá Carneiro Aiport
Lisbon - in the centre and Capital City -
Faro - in the South and the airport for the Algarve region.

Low cost airlines operate from all three to various European destinations:

For the UK and Ireland see among others:

Easyjet.com
Ryanair.com
Monarchfly.com

For Germany:

Airberlin.com
Tuifly.com
Germanwings.com

For Spain:

Vueling.com

For a full list of operators from Faro Airport see:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en

For the other airports:

http://www.ana.pt

There are three daily flights between Lisbon and the Algarve by the national carrier - Air Portugal / TAP. I do not recommend it as it is costly, and flights are often delayed /cancelled.

There are excellent train and bus services between most centres in the Algarve and Lisbon.

Madrid to Lagos by Plane/Bus - Report

As I reported a couple of days ago went up to Madrid by Ryanair last Friday from Faro.

I left Lagos on the 08:19 and arrived Faro 15 minutes late as several of the bridges en route are being painted and there are currently spped restrictions in place.

Missed the 10:15 Airport bus from Faro bus station 150m from the rail station. Had breakfast and then caught the 11:15 which got me to the airport at 11.35.

Flight was 15 minutes late boarding and 20 late airborne. Beautiful take-off over Faro Island and banking round over the deep-blue Atlantic before heading inland over Eastern Algarve.

Crossed the border into Spain over the Guadiana at Alcoutim which was clearly visible from the air. Cloud cover then moved in and by the time we arrived at Madrid Barajas it was raining.

Flight arrived on schedule. Shows how much "flexibility" is built into timetables.

Note that taxis at Madrid Barajas airport are a pain. If you are booked into any hotels near the airport with no shuttle service it is practially impossible to get a cab as they all want to go into the center because they get better fares. We ended up having to walk to the IBIS - not far but a pain.

I returned Madrid - Lagos by bus as I had quite a bit to carry.

Caught the 22:00 Madrid - Ayamonte Socibus Service from Estacion del Sur (Metro: Mendes Alvaro - Line 6 Circular). Cost Euro 23:50.

Bus arrived Ayamonte 06:30. Caught the 09:45 from Ayamonte to Lagos. Arrived 12:00 Portuguese time. Ambushed as usual coming off the bus by the rent-a-room mafia who after all the years I've lived here still don't remember me! :)

Cost Euro 11:00

Trip was fine albeit tiring. It should be possible to leave Madrid an hour later and catch the Lagos bus in Seville but I did not want to chance the ticket office in Seville not be open at 05.00 a.m. at Plaza das Armas.

Lagos/Faro - Seville Buses

I confirmed today that the Alsa buses from Faro to Seville leave from Faro Bus Station. The ticket agent is Mundial Viagens (Not the main kisok) who have a small office to the left as you turn into the bus stations.

I also confirmed at the same time from EVA that the Damas/EVA bus service from Seville to Lagos and return will operate daily including weekends from 1st June 2007 until 30th September 2007

Lagos to Madrid - Train/Ryanair

Am in Madrid for the week-end.

Left Lagos on the 08:19 train.

En route the the train was delayed by line works and arrived Faro 10:20 - 15 minutes late. Cost € 6.40

Missed the 10:15 bus to the airport.

Got the 11:15 bus and arrived Faro Airport 11:40.

Inward Ryanair plane was 25 minutes late and we were 20 minutes late out. Nonetheless the schedule allows for this.

We arrived Madrid Barajas on time at 15:55.

Load Factor on a 198 seat Boeing 737-800 was +- 40%

Flights come into Madrid Barajas Terminal !/2/3.

Complete chaos at Airport. Taxis go where they want to go not where you want to go. I would suggest that the Metro is the best way into town. Be aware that even the staff at the airport Info desks not very helpful on local knowledge evn in Spanish.

Best option for help is the Comunidad de Madrid Tourism Desk in Terminal 1 and the Post Office. (Correos)

Guys, we need to supper this connection to Madrid so that we don't lose it. Its a useful link for inward tourism and gettting out of the Algarve on multi-point vacations.

Returning Monday/Tuesday by bus.

Will write report accordingly.

Villa and Apartment Rental Lagos 3 nights

I think that you will find it difficult to rent a villa for only three nights.

Most private renters and agents only rent for a minimum of 7 nights owing to the fact that:

1) Most customers want to rent for a minimum of 7 days and therefore schedules are tied to this.

2) Valeting and cleaning costs here only make it economic to rent for a minimum of 5 to 7 days.

As regards apartments one could have a look at the following sites:

www.docemaralgarve.com/graciosa.htm (note: car would be needed for this one)
www.holidayslagos.com
www.marinaclub.pt

Lagos to Seville & Jerez

Lagos t o Jerez is only do able in two ways.

1) Car Hire.

If you are going from Lagos to Jerez and back you could pick up a hire car from one of several agents in Lagos and drive.

The route runs:

Lagos
Ayamonte (Portugal/Spain Frontier)
Seville
Jerez

Distance is: 363km
Time. (4 hours.)

If doing this run between May and September I recommend you start now later than 06:00 a.m or after 17:00 to avoid the heat of the day or hire a car with air con.

Car Hire will only be economic if you are returning the car to Lagos as one drop-off charges will be high and will only be available from the big boys like Hertz, Avis or Europcar.

Whne I hire cars to go to Spain, I usually rent from Luzcar. I took one of their Meganes from Lagos to Granada last November. There prices are slightly higher than others but include insurance for Spain and second drivers.

See:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/carhirealgarve/index.php?option=en

2) Bus

There are twice daily buses on weekdays only year round (1st June 2007 to 30th September 2007 daily) from Lagos to Seville. From Seville you can then get another bus to Jerez.

See the following sites for info:

Cubsur's excellent site at:

www.algarvebus.info (Seville page)

The buses leave Lagos at:

06:30 Arrive Seville: 13:00
13:45 Arrive Seville: 20:15

According to this site there are at least
9 daily buses to Jerez from Seville at least two of which appeaer to connect. with the above.

http://www.seviquorum.com/transportes/autobuses/provinciales/index.htm

I suggest that you check the bus times out as the site in the Seville Forum does appear a bit old. However, I know from personal experience that there are plenty of departures from Seville to Jerez.

Porto to La Coruna (Spain)

There are three options:

1) Rail:

Two through train departures daily from Porto Campanha station to Vigo in Spain at

07:55 arriving 12:15

and

17:55 arriving 22:37

Connecting Through trains to A Coruna are:

12:45 arriving 15:50

05:50 arriving 08:50 (next day)

For sources see:

www.cp.pt
www.renfe.es

2) Hire a car but there will be a hefty drop of charge for one way.

3) Coach

There is a direct service operated by Internorte - see:

www.internorte.pt

On week days there is a service leaving Porto Sá Carneiro Airport at

08:15 arriving 12:45
14:45 arriving 19:45

On Saturday and Sunday there is only one service at

14:45 arriving 19:45

Lisbon to Obidos.

Rodoviária do Tejo operate an express service from Lisbon Campo Grande (Metro) that takes about 1 hr. 10 minutes.

Web site.

http://www.rodotejo.pt/

Weekday Buses leave at:

08:15:00 AM
09:30:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
01:15:00 PM
03:45:00 PM
05:15:00 PM
06:15:00 PM
08:15:00 PM
09:00:00 PM

They return at:

07:05:00 AM
08:40:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
04:10:00 PM
06:00:00 PM

At weekends and on holidays:

Leave Lisbon:

11:00:00 AM
04:45:00 PM
07:15:00 PM

Return:

07:55:00 AM
02:55:00 PM

There are also train services but from memory the station is a bit of a way out of town and you will have to get a taxi to the town itself if there is one there!

Going by car from Lisbon to Costa del Sol

Lisbon to Marbella is 700km. ViaMichelin show a transit time of 7 hours on the shortest motorway route via Faro, Huelva, Seville, Jerez, Cadiz and Malaga . Consequently one has to accept that one will effectively lose one day en route and one day on return.

Also be aware that if travelling through the Alentejo and Andalucia between late May and early October it will be very hot with temperatures up to +-40ºC. One should therefore hire a car with aircon or else plan to leave early circa 04:00. and try to finish driving for the day by 11:00.

Note also that many car hire firms in Portugal charge extra for taking a rental vehicle into Spain. This should be verified when booking.

From personal experience I believe that this itinerary is very tight for one week of travel. More time will be spent in the car than elsewhere.

Seville itself really needs a minimum of 2 days to properly visit the Alcazar, the Cathedral and enjoy its ambiance. Lisbon probably needs at least 3 full days if one is going to do the basics of Castelo São Jorge, Belem, Jeronimos, Linha da Cascais (Estoril/Cascais) & Sintra.

For a week's trip I would counsel

a) Lisbon and Seville only

or

b) Seville or Granada and Marbella only.

Lagos to Seville at weekends

I understand that in summer the service may operate at weekends.

The best way from Lagos to Seville at weekends is either to take the train to Faro and get the alsa.es service from there to Seville

or

Train from Lagos to Vila Real Sta. Antonio
Ferry over to Ayamonte
Walk through Ayamonte to the bus station and then Bus from Ayamonte to Seville.

For more info see:
Cubsur's

www.algarvebus.info

See his latest comment
"TRAVEL BETWEEN THE ALGARVE AND SPAIN"

My recent blog on this:
http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/traveling-from-faro-to-seville-by-bus.html

General Travel info:
http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en

Getting from Algarve/Albufeira Portugal to Marbella, Spain

1) Ferry - No.

There are no regular ferry or passenger maritime services running from the Algarve along the Spanish Med Coast.

2) Rail - Possible

There is no direct rail link from the Algarve into Spain. One would have first go to Lisbon, then Madrid and then Malaga, then Fuengirola and then take a bus or taxi from there to Marbella.

3) Coach

There are twice daily direct coach services from Albufeira to Seville. See the following sites for more information:

www.algarvebus.info
www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en

From Seville you can get buses to Marbella direct.

See the following posting by CadizLover on the Tripadvisor forums last year:

"There is a bus service from Marbella via Ronda that proceeds to Seville. Leaves daily at 9am (Portillo bus) and 4pm (Los Amarillos bus) . At least by taking the bus you can stay on one form of public transport and also see the more hilly parts of Andalucia ! Of course some of the roads especially the one leading up to Ronda, are winding. The bus takes about 1 hour and a half to get to Ronda, then about 2 hours to get from Ronda to Seville. Cost is €15 one way.

The two companies that advertise the route are PORTILLO bus company and LOS AMARILLOS bus company.
You can see the details at:

http://www.ctsa-portillo.com/ima/pdf/marbella.pdf

and

http://www.losamarillos.es/

Taking the bus to Malaga bus station then another bus or train from Malaga to Seville is certainly an option if you want to avoid "them thar hills". "

4) Air

From Albufeira taxi or shuttle to Faro Airport.

You could then take the daily low-cost Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flight from Faro to Madrid. Then a low-cost flight to Malaga and then local train to Fuengirola and then take a bus or taxi from there to Marbella.

This last would probably be the most efficient although you probably would get in quite late.

The Ryanair flight leaves Faro at:13:35 arriving Madrid Barajas at 15:55.

Spanair (www.spanair.com or www.spanair.es) then has (at present) a flight at 17:40 from Madrid arriving Malaga at 18:45

There are trains then to Feungirola every thirty minutes at 44 and 14 past the hour until 22:44. Transit time 35 minutes. From there a taxi.

Alternatively there is a direct coach service from Málaga airport to Marbella bus station, every 45 minutes.

The first bus start at 06.15 and the last one at 23.00

See the following Malaga Airport page for more info.

http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?cid=1048858947329&pagename=Estandar%2FPage%2FAeropuerto&SMO=1&SiteName=AGP&p=1048858947201&c=Page&MO=1

The folowing site may be also of interest:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Lisbon to Lagos by Road

You are really not leaving much time to spend in Lisbon which is a lovely city.

While you are there you must see at a minimum the Castelo São Jorge from where you will get a great view of the City, the Praça do Comercio, Jeronimos Monastery and Belem. Also the town and Castles at Sintra.

I think you will find the IBIS Saldanha not great for parking and a lot of traffic. When I drive up from Lagos to Lisbon we usually head to the IBIS Malhoa at Avda. Jose Malhoa. This has easier access to the ring road with routes to the Algarve over either one of Lisbon's Bridges.

Parking is easier there as well. You can go round the back of the hotel where there is free parking. The Metro Stations at Jardim Zoologico and Praça de Espanha are 5-6 minutes walk away and give great access to the rest of the city. You should walk or take public transport as you will see nothing by driving.

As regards travelling to the Algarve by car be warned we are now entering the hot season. The inland route to the Algarve through the Alentejo will be hot. I always try to leave at this time of year (going either way) early morning circa 07:30 to miss the worse of the traffic in Lisbon and teh heat in the Alentejo. The Coastal route can also be hot.

Note the Motorway is a toll road from Lisbon until you get to the Algarve A22 motorway.

If you want to take the scenic route I recommend leaving Lisbon on the Motorway and coming of just past suitable a Marateca. Once on the old National Road IP1 follow the signs for Alcacer do Sal and Grandola.

Option 1

At Grandola you can go right to Sines and then follow the coast road through Vila Nova Milfontes to Odeceixe, Aljezur and Lagos.

Option 2

Continue on through Grandola until you pass Mimosa. (Stop for a coffee and a break at the first cafe on the left.) Just after Mimosa you will find a road signed to the right indicating Lagos. Take this and you will eventually wend you way to coast road mentioned above.

Option 3

Another 25 km further there is another road to the right marked Odemira. Take this and pass through Odemira following the signs for Odeceixe, Aljezur and Lagos

Option 4

Continue down the IP1 towards Albufeira. You will intersect with the A22 coastal Motorway. Bear right and continue 60km till you get to Lagos.

On the return you could follow the coastal route to Sines and from there follow the road to Troia and take the ferry over to Setubal. From there you are only 40 km from Lisbon.

There is a great IBIS at Setubal as well with garden and pool. A nice place to relax after a days drive.

Lisbon Airport to Lagoa

Lagoa is 60km from Faro.

There is no Metro or Rail Link from Lisbon Airport at present although one is under construction.

One is restricted to buses or taxis(which are pretty cheap.)

There are various options to get from Lisbon Airport to Lagoa:

Rail

Take a taxi or 41 bus from Lisbon Airport to Gare de Oriente train/bus station. (About 5-10 minutes from the Airport)

There is no train station at Lagoa.

Nearest Station is Estombar but unless you arrange a taxi or car to meet you, you will be stuck as it is now just a halt with no ticket office nor facilities.

I suggest therefore Train from Gare de Oriente to Tunes and there change for the Algarve Line to Portimão.

In Portimão take a taxi to your destination.

Make sure that you have the full physical address of the location of the timeshare written down as otherwise the cab driver may not know where to go.

Warning late in the evening there may be no taxis at Portimao station.

Bus

RENEX operates regular bus services from Lisbon Gare de Oriente to Lagoa via Val Paraiso. There are usually a couple of cabs hanging around Lagoa bus station but not always especially at night.

EVA Transportes operates regular bus services from Lisbon Sete Rios direct to Lagoa. Again caution applies on Taxis.

Driving

There is 4 lane highways all the way from Lisbon Airport to Lagoa.
Be advised that section from the Vasco da Gama bridge to Paderne in the Algarve (250 km) is tollway.

As with all of continental Euope we drive on the right with steering on the left. Note that most rental cars are manual shift/drive. Automatics if available attract a premium.

From Lisbon Airport you follow the signs for the Vasco da Gama Bridge. From there you cross the Tejo and follow the signs for the Algarve. Once through the toll plaza at Paderne you will meet the A22 motorway that runs the length of the Algarve. Bear right towards Portimao and Lagos. After 40km and just after passing a GALP service area you will see the off ramp marked Lagoa. At the top of the ramp bear left and follow the local signs for Lagoa.

Transit time with stop and clear traffic: 2:45 min.

Air

A final option would be to fly from Lisbon to Faro International Airport (the airport for the Algarve) and then get a taxi or private transfer to Lagoa. TAP Air Portugal operate the route 4 times daily.

Taxis from Faro Int'l Airport to Lagoa cost in the area of € 53.00 to €63.00.

Have a look at the following sites for more info:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en
http://www.algarvebus.info
http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/portugal-lisbonporto-algarve-train.html
http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/
http://www.polotur.com/

Hotels in Sagres

The Baleira is currently closed for renovation.

There is the Albergaria dos Mareantes.

See: http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=casas_en&town=003

and the Pensão Dom Henrique.

The only 4 star one I can think about is the Pousada!

You can find details here:

http://www.pousadas.pt/historicalhotels/PT/pousadas/Portugal/Algarve/Infante/home/

Lisbon to Seville Bus Services

The following bus companies operate Lisbon to Seville:

Daily Alsa.es

1) www.alsa.es (At least twice daily )
2) www.damas-sa.es (three times a week.)

See Also this site.

http://www.seviquorum.com/transportes/autobuses/provinciales/index.htm

Alsa.es appear to offer the best frequency and service.

In Lisbon you get the bus from the Gare de Oriente Bus Station twice a day at:

Dept: Lisbon 11:30 Arrive Seville 19:45
Dept :Lisbon 20:45 Arrive Seville 05:45 next morning)

Price quoted is € 40.00

Please note that this information is based on currently available information on the web and may change at any time. I recommend that you check at Gare de Oriente Bus Station well before travelling for changes.

10 days in Portugal!

It really depends what you want to do and at what time of year you want to come! Portugal is a lovely and diverse coutry with lot to see.

Faro is situated in the Algarve region in the extreme south of the country. It is a today primarily one of Europe's main holiday destinations. If sea and sun and sand is what you want then start here and then take a long distance coach or train up to Lisbon and perhaps further North.

Places in the Algarve to consider visiting which retain their Portuguese character include Tavira, Lagos, Silves (inland), Salema and Sagres.

Lagos, (where I live :) ) is an historic town from where +500 years ago some fo the Portuguese voyages of discovery set sail to open the route to the Far East via the Cape of Good Hope. It still retains its old city walls and charm as well as offering great beaches, restaurants and bars.

You could spend ten days in and around Lisbon itself. An ancient city dating back to Roman times, it is spectacularly located on the Tejo Estuary.

Places to visit in the immediate vicinity include:

Castelo São Jorge
Belem
Monesterio São Jeronimo
Queluz Palace
Sintra & its Palaces
Take the Linha da Cascais train line along the Tejo and visit the coastal suburbs of Estoril and Cascais and their beaches.

North of Lisbon you have so many options:

Coimbra - University City and one of the oldest Universities in Europe.
Porto - Portugal's second city with its beautiful river location on the Douro River and its port wine trade.
Braga
Guimares
Bragança in the Far North.

So if you can give us some more specific ideas about what you like we can be more specific.

The best way of travelling by public transport is by train followed by long distance coach. Not that local bus services in rural areas can be sparse and may only run a few hours a day.

See the following links that may be useful:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en
http://algarvebus.info/
http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/rail-and-river-tours-on-douro-river.html

You might also like to browse the following where there are previous posts on Portugal.

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com

Lisbon to Olhos d'Agua

Olhos d'Agua is a coastal resort situated approximately 8 km east of the well known central Algarve Town of Albufeira. It is located +- 265km south of Lisbon.

The Algarve is the southern most region of Portugal. In high summer (August) it is very hot and very full of tourists from all over Europe.

While a taxi would be do-able, it would cost in the order of +- Euro 300.

The main airport for the Algarve is Faro International Airport situated 40 km west of Olhos d'Agua.

You should note that there are 3 or 4 scheduled flights per day between Lisbon and Faro operated by the national airline TAP-Air Portugal. However, there is a long established complication of people missing connections to these flights to faro if their inbound to Lisbon is delayed. I generally therefore recommend people to fly direct to Faro if possible when visiting the Algarve or if they have to fly into Lisbon, use land transport.

Unfortunately, the Hotel and Olhos d'Agua is not well situated in terms of access to long-range transport hub. This will mean either having to get the hotel to pick you up from a transport hub.

Your transport options for Lisbon Airport to Olhos d'Agua are:

1) Hire a Rental Car.

There is a tollway practically all the way from Lisbon Airport to Albufeira. Then local roads for the last 10 kms or so.

Transit time would be about 3 hours. In summer allow 30 minutes more as it is very hot traversing the Alentejo region and traffic can be extreme.

2) Train

Take a taxi from Lisbon Airport to Gare Oriente Station (6 minutes) and then one of the 5 daily trains from there to Albufeira Station. You would then arrange for the hotel to have a car waiting for you there to take you the last 20kms.
This is a good way if you want to see South Rural Portugal

3) Long Distance Coach

This is also a good way to see the countryside but I do not recommend it during the day time in summer. Although the buses have good air conditioning the sun beating down through the glass can be uncomfortable.

Take a taxi from Lisbon Airport to Gare Oriente Bus Station (6 minutes) and then one regular RENEX line buses from there to Vale Paraiaso Bus terminus near Albufeira. You would then arrange for the hotel to have a car waiting for you there to take you the last 20kms.

Please note that Olhos d'Agua is situated on the extreme South Coast of Portugal. There is a lot of Portugal to see and if you want to do culture you should also be looking to visit the regions north of Lisbon including Obidos, Batalha, Coimbra, Serra da Estrela, Porto, Douro etc.

In the Algarve, places to visit include Lagos, Silves, Tavira and the Old town of Faro.

A good site with travel info:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en

Hope this helps.

F

Lagos in October

One should be aware that while the weather in the Algarve in the 2nd week of October has been quite good in recent years there is no guarantee that it will be!

I would suggest that somewhere like Lagos or Tavira would suit you needs.

Lagos still retains its Portuguese charm with its old city walls, the old, town, its great cliffed-line coastline as well as great beaches.

If one wants to avoid hiring a car one should seek something near the centre of Lagos or on the route to Praia Dona Ana which is easily walkable from town.

the following sites may be of interest:


http://www.solpraiaferias.com/
http://www.holidayslagos.com/houses_apartments.html

Spain Portugal Time Zones

Many people are not aware that Spain and Portugal, although sharing a common border, are situated in different time zones.

Portugal is on the same time as the UK and in winter is on GMT and in summer on GMT +1.00

Spain follows CET (Central European Time) and clocks are year round one hour ahead of those in Portugal.

Consequently, air, rail and train timetables for routes between the two countries reflect this.

This should be taken into account when planning trips between the two countries.

Lagos to Lisbon by bus

The Lagos - Lisbon EVA Bus operates Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa, Lisbon Sete Rios.

From Sete Rios/Jardim Zoologico Metro Station you take the Linha Azul Metro to Baixa Chiado and change there to the linha verde for Cais de Sodre. depending on time of day allow 30 to 45 minutes for this transit.

Probably best to buy the tickets at Lagos Bus Station a day in advance as in summer the bus can get full.

Lagos - Activities for kids

Some suggestions:

Meia Para Beach - Long, sandy golden.
ZooLagos - near Bensafrim http://www.zoolagos.com/entrada.html
Zoomarine - http://www.zoomarine.com/
Tiffanys Stables - http://www.valegrifo.com/tiffanysriding/

Seville to Portimao/Praia da Rocha

Have a look at this site which may assist:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en

Essentially it will be very difficult to get from Sevilla to Portimão on the afternoon ot 25th May.

There are two daily bus services from Sevilla Plaza das Armas bus station to the Western Algarve - Monday to Friday (only )operated by the Spanish company DAMAS.

Website: www.damas-sa.es

They leave Sevilla Plaza das Armas bus station
at 07:30 and 16:30 and take about four and a half hours to get to Portimão (for Praia da Rocha)

The problem is that Seville Airport is 15km from town and by the time you have collected your bags and got a taxi to Plaza das Armas it is unlikely you will make the bus. (Especially if the flight is late.)

Regretably there is no service on Saturday/Sunday.

The other options open to you are to hire a car its only 2 hours 15 minute drive motorway all the way.

Or take local buses to Ayamonte as previously suggested, ferry over the river and then train Vila Real Sta. Antonio to Portimao (see links on table above).

Finally the Spanish Bus Company Alsa.es operate a Service Sevilla - Lisbon via Faro. Unfortunately the services leave Seville at 15:00 and Midnight daily. If you caught the 15:00 on Saturday it gets to Faro at 16:30 local and you could then connect with a train from Faro at 17:31 to Portimão Station at 18:51. Taxi then to Praia Da Rocha.

The above links and info should enable to you to work out a return trip.

Hope this helps.

Portugal - Lisbon/Porto - Algarve - Train Times Summer 2007

Train Schedule – Porto – Lisbon – Algarve – Summer 2007
Alfa-Pendular – Hi-Speed
Dept. Porto:	05:47	15:47
Dept. Lisbon Oriente:	08:40	18:40
Arr. Tunes:	11:24	21:25
Arr. Faro:	11:56	21:58
Arr. Lagos:	12:39	22:29
Dept. Lagos:	06:11	14:11
Dept. Faro:	06:55	14:55
Dept. Tunes:	07:23	15:23
Arr. Lisbon:	10:04	18:04
Arr. Porto:	12:44	20:44
Inter-City
Dept. Lisbon Oriente:	10:20	13:20	17:20	19:20
Arr. Tunes:	13:44	16:46	20:44	22:48
Arr. Faro:	14:20	17:22	21:26	23:20
Arr. Lagos:	15:04	17:25	21:51	23:54
Dept. Lagos:	08:19	12:19	16:24	18:19
Dept. Faro:	09:05	13:08	17:00	19:03
Dept. Tunes:	09:35	13:45	17:31	19:33
Arr. Lisbon:	13:06	17:05	21:06	23:06

Rail and River Tours on the Douro River - Portugal

The railway line in question is the Linha da Douro which runs from Porto São Bento to Pocinho. The timetable is available in pdf format from Portuguese Railways at www.cp.pt.

Select from the left hand menu ->viajar em portugal->regional->horarios e preços

then select from the centre panel:

Regionais and InterRegionais

You will then be presented with a list of services

select:

Porto/ Régua / Pocinho

You will then be offered the option to download the timetable for the service which is easily readable.

If you are unable to download send me you email address and I will email it to you. Transit of the whole line from Porto to Pocinho takes 3,5 hours.

Also see this site:

http://www.douronet.pt/default.asp?id=63&mnu=63

There is a lot of info here but the english translation is done automatically by google and is a hoot! But worth pursuing.

Also see this site:

http://www.portotours.com

and specifically this link which i think may be what you are looking for:

http://www.portotours.com/indexen.php?op=catalog&method=detail&idCategory=2&idProduct=9

Alvor/Faro to Malaga

Essentially there are no cheap easy routes!

1)Bus/train Alvor/Portimão to Faro.

2) Bus - Faro to Seville

3) Bus - Seville to Malaga

Anoth possibility is:

1)Bus/train Alvor/Portimão to Faro.

2) Bus - Faro - Faro Airport

3) Air by Ryanair - Faro - Madrid

4) Air by one of the lowcost operators - Madrid - Malaga.

AIR EUROPA
SPANAIR
VUELING AIRLINES

For the Portuguese segment see this site:

http://www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en

For flights Madrid - Malaga see:

http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?cid=1049727006261&pagename=Estandar%2FPage%2FAeropuerto&SMO=7&SiteName=MAD&c=Page&MO=1

Public Transport from Faro to Lagos in the Algarve

Hi!

Yes there is public transport between Faro Airport to Lagos or Alvor.

Getting to Lagos/Alvor from Faro Airport can be done by:

Bus - Faro Airport - Faro Bus Station
Bus - Faro Bus Station - Albufeira
Bus - Albufeira - Alvor/Lagos

Or

Bus - Faro Airport - Faro Bus Station
Train - Faro Train Station - Lagos

There is no train to Alvor. Descend at Portimão and take a taxi.

Again allow a transit time of up to 5 hours as these are local buses and train .
Note these services do not run hourly and forget buses/trains if you are arriving any time after 16:00 as public transport shuts done circa 19:00.

The cost will be in the order of Euros 15 per person I would think.

For general algarve public transport travel info see the following sites:

www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en
www.algarvebus.info
www.cp.pt

Taxis exist but can be pricey.

The 2007 Faro Airport Timetable gives a guide price of:

Faro Airport - Lagos (4 seater taxi) of
Euro 76.00 (Monday to Friday)
Euro 91.00 (All other times including week-ends)

There are several companies offering minibus shuttle services from faro Airport to Lagos and Alvor.

Have a look at these websites for starters:

www.low-cost-transfers.com
www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=transfers&lang_opt=en
www.polotur.com

Trains from Lagos to Lisbon

For info on trains between Lagos and Lisbon see the following sites:

www.solpraiaferias.com/index.php?content=cheg_en
Cubsur's www.algarvebus.info
www.cp.pt

Be aware that the train timetables wil change in September to a Winter schedule with a reduce frequency probably offering no more than 4 Lisbon services per day.

You take a local train from Lagos to Tunes - Change there to the expresses running from Faro to Lisbon Gare Oriente. For central Lisbon you probably want to detrain at Entrecampos Station.

When we visit Lisbon we either look for last minute deals on somewhere like lastminute.com or accomline or we stay at one of the IBIS Chain Hotels.

The IBIS Malhoa in Avenida Jose Malhoa is not bad as it is close to the Praça da Espanha Metro Station although you would have to take a cab to the Hotel from Entrecampos. They currently appear to have offers on that might fit you budget. Also have a look at the IBIS Barata Salgueira and IBIS Saldanha.

The centre is 10 minutes by metro/taxi from these hotels and they offer a combination of standard quality and economy.

Hope this helps

Ubuntu Linux

Not a travel post today!

Just a very happy puppy as Dell have announced that they are going to offer punters Ubuntu Linux to clients as an alternative to Windows!

Being an Ubuntu Linux user for 18 months and happy to be free of MS Redmond controlling my equipment am very pleased!

See my post on the Ubuntu Forum!

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2573295&posted=1#post2573295