Southern Spain / Lisbon 2010

Your schedule is tight.

I would not recommend laying over in Huelva as it is a port city and not very picturesque.

Better to lay over somewhere like Tavira on the Algarve Coast. Its about 3hrs 15mins from Lisbon.

I would concur with the comment about car hire. Inter-Country one way drop-offs between Portugal and Spain cost a fortune.

The only outfit that does it reasonably, (in the off-season only) are these guys:

http://www.iberiacarhire.com/

However, vehicle pickup for spain is currently only available at Faro Airport in the Southern Algarve region of Portugal. However, I think they do packages with another company from Lisbon.

Seville to Loulé Buses

There are no direct buses between Seville and Loulé.

Once would need to get a bus from Seville to Faro and then a local bus from Faro to Loulé.

The following is the current schedules operated by EVA Transportes

Sevilha Faro 07:30* 10:10
Faro Loulé 11:30 12:10

Sevilha Faro 16:15* 18:55
Faro Loulé 19:15 19:55

* Spanish Time

Shopping in Andalucia, Spain from the Algarve

There are substantial shopping opportunities over the frontier.

In most Spanish towns of any size, you will find El Corte Ingles, a sort of John Lewis/Waitrose combined department stores on Steroids!They also operate Hipercor Brand hypermarkets.

There is one El Corte Ingles in Huelva (nearest to the Algarve) and three in Seville and environs.

There is an IKEA in Castilleja la Cuesta, a couple of kms this side of Seville.

In Huelva and in Seville, there are branches of MediaMarkt, a european Computer, Media and white goods hyperstore.

There are also Carrefour hypermarkets at Cartaya, Huelva and Seville. Carrefour Camas Aljarafe is a couple of kms past Ikea.

Be aware that shops, including shopping centers, do not generally open on Sundays. (except Public and selected holidays).

Smaller shops do not often open on Saturday afternoons at all.

2010 - UK Market Predictions for foreign vacations

Interesting Article here in the UK Daily Telegraph:

http://bit.ly/4QNETx

No doubt, based on this article, tourism operators in the Algarve will have to become more competitve and productive to maintain and regain a share of the UK market for holidays.

Natal em Newark....Christmas in New York

If you can't get over to Portugal this festive season, great article here for those of you on the Eastern Seaboard....


http://bit.ly/8N8zUk

Faro to Marrakech

There are no scheduled air services between Faro and Morocco.

To drive, would mean travelling via Seville, Spain to Algeciras a distance of about 500km. Ferry to Tanger and then a +- 600km drive to Marrakech.

The total distance by driving would be well in excess of 1000km each way.

The only possibility that might meet your needs would be to drive to Seville Airport. Ryanair.com have scheduled flights from there to Marrakech

Club Arcos - Praia da Rocha

I don't know the aparments in question, but Faro Airport to Praia da Rocha is between 50 minutes and one hour by car.

If not hiring a car, your best bet will be a direct airport transfer.

If diskwizz is floating around the forums, he can probably help with more local info.

Club Arcos actually seems to be located near Praia da Vau which is about 1km from Praia da Rocha proper.

See this link for google maps/satellite photo.
http://bit.ly/6bQEsF

Trains from Ayamonte/Vila Real Sto. Antonio to Lagos

The last through train from Vila Real Sta. Antonio to Lagos departs at 18:41 and arrive Lagos at 21:49. There is a 20 minute layover in Faro and you may have to change rains there.

Note that if you are coming on the ferry from Ayamonte that the station is about 800m from the ferry pier so allow plenty of time.

On Friday's only there is a later connection.

Note that if you miss this train detailed above it will probably be impossible for you to get to Lagos that night,

Also be aware that there is a daily EVA Transports/DAMAS bus that leaves Ayamonte as follows:

Dept: Ayamonte Bus Station 18:15 (Spanish Time)
Arr. Lagos 20:45 (Portuguese Time)

See: http://bit.ly/Aymonte_Lagos for timetable.

Also Have a look at the

Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links section in the right hand panel on my blog here:

http://bit.ly/barlaventostravelblog

and Cubsur's site here:

http://bit.ly/cubsur

4th Anniversary/4 º Aniversário - LowCostPortugal

Happy birthday to lowcostportugal.net, Portugal's premier blog for breaking news on low-cost airlines in Portugal and world-wide.

Congratulations to its editor, Sérgio Bastos, for creating a great real time resource for us bloggers on travel matters in Portugal

http://www.lowcostportugal.net/uncategorized/lowcostportugal-3-anos-de-historias/2009/12/

Parabéns lowcostportugal.net, primeiro blog de Portugal para as últimas notícias sobre companhias aéreas de baixo custo em Portugal e no mundo.

Parabéns ao seu editor, Sérgio Bastos, para criar um recurso de grande tempo real para nós blogueiros em matéria de viagens em Portugal

Lisbon to Madrid Day Time Rail Link

Cubsur has written an excellent article on the new daytime rail link between Madrid and Lisbon using regional trains.

Detail here:

http://bit.ly/Lisbon_Madrid_Daytime_Train

Lisbon Airport to Sete Rios Bus Station

To get from Lisbon Airport to Lisbon Long distance Coach Station take the following bus which leaves from outside the Arrivals hall:

(Aeroshuttle - Copy of note from current Lisbon Airport website.) Aeroshuttle (CARRIS Nº96) - Available everyday, every 30 minutes between 7am and 11pm, the aeroshuttle connects Gare Oriente - Airport - Entrecampos - Sete Rios Coach Station - Praça de Espanha.

Tickets (3,50€) can be purchased onboard and also in the Tourism Office at arrivals (public area).

Tel. +351 213 582 334)

Transit time about 20 minutes.

Summer 2010 - Easyjet - Faro - Geneva

Thanks to Sergio Bastos of lowcostportugal.net for this.

Easyjet have indicated that they will begin operating direct flights on Tursdays and Saturdays between Faro and Geneva in April 2010. The schedule will run through until October 2010.

Earthquake off Sagres - Felt in Lagos

We were woken up in Lagos overnight at about 01:30 by an earthquake of 6.1 magnitude on the Richter scale. The quake was located at a depth of 31 kilometres and about 100km South West of Sagres under the Atlantic.

National press this morning reports no substantial damage, injuries or loss of life anywhere in Portugal. This is probably because of the depth of the even in the earthscrust, The Tremor continued for about 2 minutes, with decreasing instensity and was probably the same in sensed intensity as the one I experience in Lisbon as a child in 1968/69.

Aftershocks have continued through the night in the same regions but with much less intensity ranging between 1.3 and 2.3 on the Richter Scale.

Links here:

http://www.meteo.pt/pt/sismologia/actividade/

http://economico.sapo.pt/noticias/sismo-atinge-portugal_76938.html

We were very lucky that the depth of the event substantially lessened the potential impact of the event. Thanks to the Management upstairs for sparing us!

Right back to work.

NB: 11:21 17/12/2009

Portuguese Met Office server http://www.meteo.pt appears to have crashed owing to overload.

NB: 11:47 17/12/2009

USGS (United States Geological Survey) Data and Report on Quake here:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009qhac.php#details

NB: 12:19 - Earthquake Strongest felt since that of 1969

http://sol.sapo.pt/PaginaInicial/Sociedade/Interior.aspx?content_id=157315

Faro - Now the Bad News... Flyglobespan has gone bust!

Just seen this.......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8417183.stm

Ryanair - New Base - Faro - 14 new routes

Ryanair have announced this morning that they will be basing 6 new aircraft at Faro Airport in the Algarve creating their 39th base.

See:

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/rte-en-161209-4

and

http://bit.ly/6hzi6L

New routes being introduced between March and April will include:

Faro – Billund (30 Março) – Dinamarca
Faro – Marselha (30 Março) – França
Faro – Birmingham (28 Março) – Inglaterra
Faro – Maastricht (27 Março) – Holanda
Faro – Derry (30 Março) – Irlanda do Norte
Faro – Munich (Memmingen) (27 Abril) – Alemanha
Faro – Milão (Bergamo) (25 Março) – Itália
Faro – Kerry (30 Março) – Irlanda
Faro – Oslo (Rygge) (30 Março) – Noruega
Faro – Knock (30 Março) – Irlanda
Faro – Paris (Beauvais) (27 Abril) – França
Faro – Madrid (27 Abril) – Espanha
Faro – Estocolmo (Skavsta) (30 Março) – Suécia

Faro - Shannon is being dropped.

Faro - Porto is being increased to a daily frequency.

Online Traffic and Traffic Works Information - Portugal

The National Roads Authority of Portugal, Estradas de Portugal, have today launched a new portal with real time news on roadworks and traffic congestion throughout Portugal including live camera feeds from various road side cameras throughout the countryside.

The site (in portuguese) can be found here:

http://www.estradas.pt/

Ryanair - Michael O’Leary - Press Conference - Faro on Wednesday

Late-breaking news!

According to press reports - Michael O'Leary and Daniel Carvalho of Ryanair will be holding a press conference at Faro Airport on Wednesday morning, 16 de Dezembro 2010.

See:

http://www.lowcostportugal.net/uncategorized/michael-oleary-em-faro-na-quarta-feira/2009/12/

Speculation is that there will be announcement of new routes to Faro and/or establishment of a Ryanair base at Faro.

What is the cheapest way to travel from Lisbon to Brussel?

At present there are only two airlines operating between Lisbon and Brussels.

TAP Air Portugal- http://www.flytap.com/Portugal/pt/Homepage

Brussels Airlines - http://www.brusselsairlines.com/com/

You may be lucky and be able to book a reasonably priced flight with either of the two given the time of year you wish to travel.

However, the cheapest way may be to take an early morning trains from Lisbon to Porto, get the metro to the airport and take the Ryanair.com flight from Porto to Charleroi in Belgium. Ryanair call this airport Brussels Charleroi but it is 60km from Brussels. However, there are buses from Charleroi Airport to Brussels.

There is a flight as follows:

Wed, 10 Fev 10

Flight FR 1387

11:30 Departs Porto

14:50 Arrives Charleroi

At present, the price is shown as 14,99 EUR.

BUT!! remember with Ryanair you have to pay for your luggage, credit card use etc.

As regards a train there is an 06:09 train from Lisbon Gare Oriente arriving in Porto at 08:44. This should give you enough time to get the Metro to the Airport. The ticket price will be in the order of 30.00 EUR.

You need to check the total cost of this option against the price of a direct flight to Lisbon.

I should also add that while long distance bus or train are an option, they will take over 24 hours and are likely to be as expensive or more expensive than the ryanair option mentioned above.

Public transportation/private vans from huelva spain to faro in portugal

There are three times daily public bus services from Huelva Bus Station to Faro City Centre as follows:

Eva Transportes/DAMAS S.A. - http://bit.ly/8xskTh

Huelva Faro 08:45* 10:10
Huelva Faro 17:30* 18:55
* Spanish Time

Alsa.es

Huelva Faro 01:30* 02:15

* Spanish Time

Private Transfer operator Low-cost-transfers.com can also assist with transport on this route. This could be particularly useful if you are heading to Faro Airport as with the public buses you will still need to get by cab or local bus to Faro Airport if that is your final destination.

See their page here:

http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/faro-airport/index.php

Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the Departure drop down box to find Huelva.

Algarve - Easyjet New Route - Doncaster (Robin Hood) to Faro

Easyjet announced yesterday that they will commence flights from Doncaster Robin Hood Airport to Faro Airport April 19.

Report Here:

http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/free/BREAKING-NEWS-easyJet-touches-down.5900952.jp

Lagos or Faro?

If you want to party in the Algarve over the New Year you need to look at Vilamoura, Albufeira, Praia da Rocha (Portimão) and/or Lagos.

Faro is the regional capital of the Algarve. It is administrative centre and has a few sites of interesnt but I would not call it a holiday destination.

I must admit some bias as I live in Lagos, but I would strongly counsel against staying in Faro.

Most of the bars and restaurants in the centre of Lagos will be open and there should be quite a good atmosphere down town

If the weather is good, our beaches can be great for winter walks etc.

Ryanair - Porto Seasonal Routes - Summer 2010

Ryanair has today confirmed the following seasonal routes from Porto to the following UK airports - Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool.

Services will begin 28th/29th March 2010.

Thanks to Sérgio Bastos of LowCost Portugal for this info.

Report here: http://bit.ly/5dZprr

traveling from faro to caldas da rainha

Train is not an option! The last train to Lisbon leaves Faro at 17:00.

The last Renex Bus to Lisbon leaves Faro Bus Station at 20:00. He will need at least one hour to clear immigration, collect bags and get a taxi into Faro Bus/Train Station.

However, there is an overnight Rede Expressos Bus service leaving Faro Bus at 01:30 arriving Lisbon at 07:00 and connecting with a bus arriving in Caldas at 08:10.

For details goto to my blog:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the right till you see a panel entitled

»»Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

In there you will find links to the relevant timetables including one entitled

"Rede-Expressos - National Bus Timetable - Updated"

This will take you to the Rede Expressos website. (Only in Portuguese)

I would not recommend driving as if you come by the A2 motorway you will also have to pay tolls both ways and at that time of year the weather can be the pits. If you take the old IC1 road, you will be restricted to 90kph. It will take as long as the bus.

Portugal - Murcia

Vale!

Que se ha encontrado un problema importante que se enfrenta a muchos viajeros que deseen viajar por todo el Pensnisula Ibérica.

Sólo hay dos trenes expresos por día entre Portugal y España. Estos son los Lusitania Express noche a la mañana, entre Lisboa y Madrid, y el Sud-Express desde Lisboa a París, que pasa por el norte de España. Para llegar a Murcia con tren, habría que ir a Madrid y desde allí a Murcia a través de Alicante.

No hay vuelos baratos directos de Lisboa o Porto a cualquier aeropuerto, cerca de Murcia.

De autobuses de larga distancia a través de Madrid o Sevilla podría ser una posibilidad, pero sería un viaje muy largo para los niños.

La única otra posibilidad, sería tomar un vuelo de bajo coste desde Oporto (Ryanair) de Madrid Barajas y después otro vuelo de bajo coste (Ryanair) de Madrid Barajas a Alicante. A continuación, puede alquilar un coche allí.

Desde Lisboa, puede ser capaz de conseguir vuelos de bajo coste a Madrid Barajas utilizando vueling.com o easyjet.com.

No hay vuelos de bajo coste desde Madrid a Murcia.

De lo contrario, me temo que el coche es la única opción.

Lisbon Airport - Figueira da Foz

The cheapest and probably most direct way by public transport is to take a Rede - Expressos ( http://www.rede-expressos.pt/ ) bus from Lisbon Sete Rios Coach Station to Figueira da Foz. To get there from Lisbon Airport take the following bus which leaves from outside the Arrivals hall:

(Aeroshuttle - Copy of note from current Lisbon Airport website.) Aeroshuttle (CARRIS Nº96) - Available everyday, every 30 minutes between 7am and 11pm, the aeroshuttle connects Gare Oriente - Airport - Entrecampos - Sete Rios Coach Station - Praça de Espanha.

Tickets (3,50€) can be purchased onboard and also in the Tourism Office at arrivals (public area).

Tel. +351 213 582 334)

Transit time about 20 minutes.

Horários
LISBOA Sete Rios FIGUEIRA FOZ
Bus Station (203 Kms)
Depart Arrive Frequency
08:30 11:15 Daily
12:00 14:30 Saturdays or (Fridays if public holiday)
14:45 17:15 Saturdays or (Fridays if public holiday)
15:45 18:30 Daily
18:30 21:30 Daily
20:00 22:30 Saturdays or (Fridays if public holiday)

Price - one way - € 12.50

You need to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to buy a ticket.

Faro: from the bus station to the airport

See Cubsur's excellent site here for airport bus schedules:

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/003.htm

Price from Airport to Faro Centre depending on time of day/week and bags will be € 10.00 to € 11.00.

Petition for Porto to Scotland Air Route

Rui Costa has started a Petition to Ryanair to consider starting an air route between Porto in the North of Portugal and Scotland.

If you would like to read and/or sign the petition visit:

http://www.petitiononline.com/so_ryan/petition.html

Thanks to Sergio Bastos - http://www.lowcostportugal.net
for the link

Ryanair - Faro - Porto - Passenger Loadings.

In a press report today, Ryanair have reported that their new service between Faro and Porto has been operating with 80% passenger loadings during its first three weeks of operation.

Press report here in Portuguese:

http://www.lowcostportugal.net/aeroportos/porto-%E2%80%93-faro-com-80-%E2%80%9Cload-factor%E2%80%9D-nas-primeiras-semanas/2009/11/

Barcelona to Faro

At present, there are no direct flights, trains or buses from Barcelona to Faro.

Ryanair tried a flight a couple of years ago but there was not enough trafiic.

There are routes that are relatively easy but it does require switching between airports and bus/train stations in either Seville or Lisbon.

If you have some one in Faro, you would be better off having them travelling to Seville or Lisbon airports and meeting the boys there.

The following airlines fly from Barcelona to Seville:

# SPANAIR

# VUELING AIRLINES

# IBERIA

The following airlines fly from Barcelona/Girona to Seville:

# Ryanair

The following airlines fly from Barcelona to Seville:

# Vueling

# TAP

One other option that may be quite pricey given the time of year is by airberlin.com via their hub at Palma da Mallorca. The current winter timetables shows through booking from Barcelona to Faro daily. However, I do know that in summer that this schedule can be reduced as there are more direct flights to Faro from Germany. Their summer schedule does not yet appear to be online.

Madeira News

Two local sources have confirned that Transavia will begin direct scheduled services between Porto and Madeira from March 2010.

See:(In Portuguese)

http://ultimahora.jornaldamadeira.pt/index.php?/pt/noticias/200911205444/noticias/economia/transavia-com-nova-ligacao-porto-funchal-em-marco.html

and

http://www.lowcostportugal.net/aeroportos/porto-funchal-via-transavia-marco-2010/2009/11/

I have also be apprised recently of two new commercial services offering car hire and transport services in Madeira.

Madeira Transfers

and

Funchal Car Hire

Lagos, Algarve - Beach Reclamation Project

A dredger arrived in Lagos, yesterday and, for the next two months, will be taking sand from Meia Praia to increase the size of Praia Dona beach.

Photo here. I only had my mobile with me so the resolution is not that good but the dredger is right centre.



Article (in Portuguese) here:

http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1425633&seccao=Sul

Almancil - Algarve - Portugal - Man Stuck in Supermarket Wall

It's all over the web, thanks to an enterprising young Romanian who did not know his own waist size, and consequently ended up giving the Algarve and Almancil more publicity on the web than all the paid media advertising one could wish for!

For those who have not seen it...here is it again, courtesy of You Tube.

Ryanair Update - New Flight - Bristol to Faro, Algarve

Ryanair have just announced they will start two flights a week (Mondays/Wednesdays) from Bristol to Faro as from 31st March, 2010.

See: http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/rte-en-191109

They will also be increasing frequencies on the Liverpool to Faro Route.

Algarve Car Hire Luzcar

In the Algarve, I have over the years almost always used Luzcar, who are based in Lagos, and also have an airport depot.

Their list prices are generally slightly higher than the rest, but, and this is a big but, prices are all inclusive, including second driver and insurance for Spain, as far as Seville. If you do want to go to Spain with the car make sure to tell them, as you need a second triangle, a second reflective jacket.

You can ask for further CDW insurance it you want. Also for Group C cars and above they may ask for a 50% credit card deposit on picking up the car.

For their latest prices see:

http://www.lagoscarhire.com/

Alternatively, you can contact them by email at email@luzcar.com. You can say you were referred by Sr. Chris.

I used one of there VW Polo last week to go to Seville and earlier this year, one of their VW Sharans which they provided as a sponsor for our annual Lagos-based Classical Dance Easter school event Dance Algarve 2009. http://www.dancaiberica.org/

They look after their clients and generally the vehicles are in good nick.

Parking near the metro in Lisbon

Best place to head for is the public parking underneath Gare Oriente Station just over the Vasco da Gama bridge. From the Algarve take the A2/A12 Motorway.

From there you can take:

1) Either the Linha vermelha to São Sebastião and then the Linha Azul to the Baixa

2) A local train to Stª. Apolonia

Just Back - Quick Car trip from the Algarve to Malaga and Seville

I left Lagos in the Algarve last Wednesday afternoon at circa 14:45 in a VW Polo. I ran with € 20.00 fuel in the tank till I crossed the border at Ayamonte and to the first off-ramp and ran along the slip road till the first fuel station.

At present, 1lite of 95oct. costs on average € 1.30 in Portugal but only € 1.04 in Spain.

Arrived in Seville - Paseo da Delicias at 18:30 local. (Total drive time was circa just under three hours.) There are currently ongoing road works on the Huelva - Seville motorway in both directions.

I left Seville at 18:50 (Rush hour.) Speed limits and traffic until getting clear of Alcalar was circa 80km / hr. Thereafter, 100/120km /hr. I ran to Antequera and headed South on the Malaga Rd.

Pulled over at 20:30 at the Hotel Restaurant La Vedra, about 40km North of Malaga on the South-bound carriageway. € 25.00 for a room with shower.(single occupancy) V. Clean. Set Dinner with three big courses was € 7.00.

Next morning, left at 08:25 and was parked up in Malaga Station by 9 a.m. The last 40km of the motorway to Malaga is currently undert major reconstruction with a maximum speed limit of 80km /hr for most of the distance. The Metro Construction in Malaga centre is causing mayhem. I recommend visitors park their car and use the local bus service which we did. We stayed at the IBIS Centro. Very good value for money but garage access a real pain.

Left Malaga for Seville the next morning at 09:30 and arrived environs of the latter circa 11:30. (with stops). Traffic on the ring road chaotic. I had to cut across town via San Sebastian to make a 12:00 meeting. Just made it.

We stayed at the following hotel for two nights just outside Seville in the suburb of Castilleja la Cuesta just behind IKEA on the SE30 Seville - Huelva Rd. It is very economical. At present just over € 44.00 per room for 2 people per night.

Hotel Leflet Castilleja
C/Real, 106
41950 Castilleja de la Cuesta (Sevilla)
Tel: 954169191-661792373 / Fax: 954169148
castilleja@leflethoteles.es
http://www.leflethoteles.es

This hotel has secure parking....The car park entrance is interesting! The rooms are very clean but the wifi is patchy. The Hotel cafe is not that inspiring, but there are at least 2 other cafes within 100m of the hotel which are fine for desayuno and tapas. There are not many restaurants in the are but the are buses every 15 to 30 minutes (longer at night), which run into Seville Plaza das Armas Bus Station. The buses only cost € 1.25 each way and only take about 15 minutes into town.

Left Castilleja this morning at 11.30 Spanish time this morning and was parked up in Lagos at 13:00 Portuguese Time. Transit time 2hrs30mins.

Ibiza to Lagos, Algarve

Regrettably, there is no easy nor cheap option to allow you to travel direct from Ibiza to Lagos or the Algarve.

Air Berlin (http://www.airberlin.com) do operate daily flights from Palma da Mallorca to Faro in the Algarve. There do appear to be ferries between Ibiza to Palma,(see for example, http://www.balearia.net)

There are no direct buses from Faro airport to Lagos. You would have to arrange a hire car (I recommend http://www.lagoscarhire.com/), an airport transfer, (e.g. http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/faro-airport/index.php) or take a taxi. There are trains from Faro town to Lagos, but you would have to take a taxi into Faro and then should make sure that you have a taxi waiting for you on arrival at Lagos station as there are often none there on arrival.

As regards the return trip by train, this will be tortuous. You will need to catch a local train from Lagos to Tunes Junction. There you connect to the Alfa-Pendular high speed train to Lisbon Gare Oriente Station. From Gare Oriente, you will need to connect with the daily 16:14 Overnight Sud Express Departure for Hendaye where it connects with a TGV to Paris Montparnasse. From there you will have to transit to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar.

Links (pdf format) to the train timetables can be found on my blog on the right hand side in the panel entitled:

>> Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

You will need to check three timetables:

> Algarve Regional Line Train Timetable
> Porto - Lisbon - Faro (Algarve) Train Timetable
> Paris to Lisbon Train Timetable - Sud Expresso

Train - Jerez to Lisbon

Sorry for the delay in replying.

There are no direct train services between the South Western part of Andalucia and Lisbon.

You best option will be by bus via Seville.

Alsa.es operate a service as follows

JEREZ LISBON Sete Rios 12:30 21:15 Thursday to Sunday
JEREZ LISBON Sete Rios 22:30 07:30 next day daily

Prices Single € 66,00 Return € 114,00

Lisbon - Day Trips and Seville

Firstly, be aware that there is no direct train service between Lisbon and Seville. One has to travel to Madrid and then to Seville.

Indeed the train service between Lisbon and Madrid is, at present, restricted to one overnight train per day.

Have a look at the following article on my blog about this!

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/trainbus-sevillespain-to-lisbonportugal.html

To be honest, if you want to do Seville from Lisbon, I do recommend the bus. The cost is only circa only € 35,00 one way.

Current Timetable:

LISBON Sete.Rios SEVILLE 09:00 17:45 61,00 Thursday to Sunday.
LISBON Sete Rios SEVILLE 20:45 05:15 61,00 Daily

You refer Evora. This is at a dogs leg from the other towns you have mentioned. It might be better left for a subsequent trip.

You are going to be hard pressed to do Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Obidos and Fatima in six days.

You need to allow at least 2 full days for Lisbon, a day from Sintra, Cascais and a day each for Obidos and Fatima.

To do all the latter two using buses is preferable as the stations are a ways from the town.

If you search my blogs under the town names, you should find more snippets and info which will help you.

Please email me about any specific queries that subsequently arise.

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com

Transport to Carrapateira

There is only once bus a day each way between Vila da Bispo and Aljezur via Carrapateira and this only runs on school days.

To visit Carrapateira one needs to rent a car, a scooter or arrange a day trip with one of the surfing tours that does trips up there from Lagos.

Bon anniversaire, Asterix et Obelix!

C'est pas toujours que ce rosbif poste un article sur ce blog en français!

Mais, Par Toutatis, aujourd'hui c'est le 50eme anniversaire des heros Gaulois, Asterix et Obelix.

Peut-être qu'ils n'ont jamais conquis Rome, mais ils ont conquis le monde littéraire, ces cinq dernières décennies et ils ont jamais laissée-nous oublier que

"Ces Romans, ils sont fous!"

Bon anniversaire, Asterix et Obelix!

http://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/2009/10/29/03014-20091029ARTFIG00361-asterix-et-obelix-fetent-leurs-cinquante-ans-.php


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/27/asterix-50th-birthday-france

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/6408243/The-50th-Anniversary-of-Asterix-and-Obelix.html


http://economico.sapo.pt/noticias/asterix-faz-50-anos_71529.html

http://www.asterix.com/

Buses between Santa Barbara de Nexe and Faro

For buses between Santa Barbara de Nexe and Faro please see this page on Cubsur's excellent site:

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/044.htm

Airport Transfer from Faro Airport to Albufeira

Right,,,here comes the first lot.....

Nº. 1

Try these guys who I used back in April:

http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/faro-airport/index.php

Nº 2....

http://www.polotur.com/

Nº 3.

http://www.sul-travel.com/


Nº. 4

See if Diskwizz is floating around the Tripadvisor Algarve forum..he usually has some ideas.

Lagos - places to visit outside of town

Try following:

1) Silves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silves_Municipality,_Portugal

2) Monchique

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monchique

3) West Coast

Drive west from Lagos towards Sagres and Cape St. Vincent, (the most south westerly point in Europe)

Sagres was the location of a famous navigation school set up by Infante Dom Henrique in the 15C and which led to the Portuguese opening up of the trade routes to India around the Cape of Good Hope. There is a fortress and museum there.

Run North from Vila de Bispo (8km before Sagres) towards Carrapateira and Bordeira towards Aljezur. Check out the beachs and beautiful cliff lined coast.

DIY Tool Hire - Algarve

Equipment Rental in Portugal is a fairly new business type that has only evolved over the past 8 years or so.

In the Lagos area I am not so sure that there are any real substantial businesses doing this, but I seem to remember that Mad Max in Portimão do some equipment rental.

Also see the following who are based between Albufeira and Faro.

http://www.brazmaq.com/brazmaq/aluguer.html - São Bras.

http://www.tools-tools.com/ - Loulé

http://www.vendaploc.pt/vendap_contactos.html - Ferreiras, nr. Albufeira

Home Electrical Fittings - Lisbon

Have a look in AKI

C. Com. Colombo, Lj. A003
Av. Lusíada
1500-392 Lisboa

Tel. +351 217 110 750


They also have shops in Alverca, Cascais, Telheiras, Expo amongst other.

See: http://www.aki.pt

Also try Leroy Merlin

Estrada Nacional 249/4, Km 0.1
2710-088 SINTRA
PORTUGAL

Tel: (+351) 21 925 37 00

See: http://www.leroymerlin.pt/lmpt/bricolage/lojas/Sintra/sintra.html?page=5

Also along R. São José that runs parallel to Avda. da Liberdade, there are some electrical retailers who may have what you want or who may be able to point you further in the right direction.

Public Transport to Zambujeira do Mar

Unfortunately, there are are very poor bus services serving Zambujeira do Mar.

You will be able to get a bus from Seville to Lagos

See this article on my blog:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/seville-to-algarve-bus-services-winter.html

You will then need to get the twice daily Rede Expressos bus from Lagos to São Teotonio.

Dept: 08:30 Arr: 09:40
Dept: 15:20 Arr: 16:30

From São Teotonio you will have to get a taxi or walk to Zambujeira de Mar.

3 Monkeys Bar - Lagos, Algarve, Portugal

For all fans of Three Monkeys Bar, Lagos, Algarve, Portugal, Kendall has just finished a 48 hour mega-refit.

Three Monkeys Bar NO LONGER SMELLS of stale beer...for about 48 hours :)))

I was summoned there tonight at 18:00 by text......Got there at 20:00 and they were still finishing...with sweat pouring off them.

Well done the workers!

Photo proof below:

Seville to Algarve Bus Services - Winter 2009/2010

My thanks to Cubsur (http://www.algarvebus.info) for this latest important late breaking information.

The DAMAS/EVA bus service between Seville,Spain and Faro, Albufeira and Lagos in the Algarve Region of Portugal will not operate on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holiday's between 12th October 2009 and 31st May 2010, according to the EVA website here. (http://www.eva-bus.com)

The only daily bus service at weekends between the Algarve and Seville will be the alsa.es bus from Lisbon Sete Rios to Seville via Faro bus station:

Faro Dept: 01:45 (Portuguese Time)
Seville Arr: 05:45 (Spanish Time)

Seville Arr: 23:59 (Spanish Time)
Faro Dept: 01:45 (Portuguese Time)

Portimão (Algarve) - Marbella, Spain by bus via Seville

As I explained in my previous post there are no direct rail links between the Algarve and Andalucia so it is not possible to travel from Faro to Marbella by train.

Buses:

http://www.eva-bus.com

Portimão 07:00 (Portuguese Time)
Sevilla (Est. das Armas) 13:00 (Spanish Time)

Note: This service will not operate on Saturday's, Sunday's and Public Holiday's between 12th October 2009 and 31st May 2010.

You will need to get a local C4 bus between Estacion Plaza das Armas to El Prado Bus Station which runs from just after 6 in the morning till 23:30.

Bus company: http://www.losamarillos.es

Sevilla (Estación de A. Prado de San Sebastián) 18:45
MARBELLA EST 22:00

It is not possible to buy tickets in advance online outside Portugal and Spain

Faro to Cabanas - Tavira

No, it is not possible to take a train from Faro Airport to Cabanas Tavira.

Trains run from Faro Town Station to Tavira. You would need to take a taxi or the infrequent bus from Faro Airport to Faro Centre.

You will find a bus timetable for the service from Tavira to Cabanas here.

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/029.htm

For Cabanas, a hire car is recommended.

Driving in Portugal on US Driving License

See this section: TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS:

On the following US State Dept. Page.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1002.html

ACADEMIA DE MÚSICA DE LAGOS of Lagos

The ACADEMIA DE MÚSICA DE LAGOS of Lagos has a very good reputation.

Website here:

http://www.academiamusicalagos.net/

Address:

Rua Dr. José Cabrita – Rossio de S. João
Apartado 411 – 8601-905 Lagos
Tel : [ 282 082 786 ] Fax : [ 282 081 905]
Telemóvel : [ 919 804 662 ]

http://www.academiamusicalagos.net/index.php?lg=1&idmenu=25

They are near the bus station in Lagos in new recently custom-built installations..

Videos here:

http://www.academiamusicalagos.net/index.php?lg=1&idmenu=8#99

Driving from Faro Airport to Seville

I would estimate Faro to Seville by car, dependent on traffic on the roads out of Faro, and on the approaches to Seville at 2hrs to 2hrs:15mins.

I have done Lagos to Seville non-stop in 2hrs 35mins.

Be aware that the approaches and entry to Seville itself can be a bit of a nightmare for the uninitiated and that it is very difficult to drive in the centre of the city.

For the centre, much better to park the car at somewhere like Colon in the underground car park and walk/bus it from there.

For return car hire into Spain from Faro airport, try Luzcar - www.luzcar.com. They do not charge for taking cars over the border to Spain.

Alternatively, for one way Faro Airport to Seville try the following guys, who I now understand are again able to offer one ways from Faro Airport to Seville, after the summer's capers.

http://www.iberiacarhire.com/

lisbon to peniche

The following company does transfers from Lisbon Airport to Peniche but it is quite expensive:

http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/lisbon-airport/index.php?goloc=202&transfer=Peniche

The cheapest way by public transport is to take a Rede - Expressos bus from Lisbon Sete Rios Coach Station. To get there from Lisbon Airport take the following bus which leaves from outside the Arrivals hall:

(Aeroshuttle - Copy of note from current Lisbon Airport website.

- Aeroshuttle (CARRIS Nº96) - Available everyday, every 30 minutes between 7am and 11pm, the aeroshuttle connects Gare Oriente - Airport - Entrecampos - Sete Rios Coach Station - Praça de Espanha.

Tickets (3,50€) can be purchased onboard and also in the Tourism Office at arrivals (public area).

Tel. +351 213 582 334)

The following is the current timetable for Rede Expressos Buses from Lisbon Sete Rios to Peniche (Click on Image to enlarge):

Transportation between Lisbon Cruise Terminal and Lisbon Airport

There are no direct public transport links between the Lisbon Alcantara Cruise Terminal and Lisbon Airport. The distance from the quayside to the nearest station is at least 600m. You would then need to get a train from Alcantara Station to Cais de Sodre station and then get the Carris Aerobus no 91 that runs between that station and Lisbon Airport.

If you have luggage I do not recommend this option. You will be better to get a taxi from the quayside straight to Lisbon Airport.

If you are in a group arranging for a private minivan shuttle may be the answer.

The following company may be able to assist you.

http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/lisbon-airport

Lagos, Algarve, Portugal - Messe Militar/Military Mess

As has been mentioned above there is a full Portuguese Armed Forces Messe Militar/ Military Mess in Lagos, comprising:

- Officer's Mess - By the Slave Market.
- NCO's/Private's Mess - (By the Bombeiros/Fire Station)
- Camp Site (All ranks, I think! ) (By the Bombeiros/Fire Station)
(Web site here: http://www.manutmil.pt/modules.php?name=Lagos&Estabelecimento=5)

The General Directorate responsible for these units have been becoming stricter in who is allowed to use the facilities and have this year beefed up security.

As far as I know, the facilities are available to:

1) Portuguese Military and ex-Military.
2) Members of certain NATO armed forces. (I have seen a lot of Dutch registered vehicles there)

I know that, at the beginning of this year, the OC was Comandante Gomes. He does not speak much English.

Messe Militar de Lagos
Tel: (00351) 282 780 430
Fax:(00351) 282 780 439
email: mmlagos@netvisao.pt

If you are not getting much joy contacting them directly, I would contact your nation's military attaché at your nation's embassy in Lisbon and ask them what the form is.

Hyper/Supmarkets in the Costa da Luz/Huelva Region of Andalucia, Spain

There is a Carrefour at Cartaya about 40kms from VRSA.

Address as follows:

Hipermercado Carrefour Cartaya

Dirección:
Antigua Carretera Huelva-Ayamonte
Polígono Industrial La Estación
21450 Cartaya (Huelva)

Teléfono: 959 625 700

Horario Comercial:
L - S: de 10:00 a 22:00
Festivos: de 10:00 a 22:00

There is also a large Carrefour Hypermarket in Huelva itself:

Dirección:
Ronda Exterior Zona Sur s/n
21007 Huelva (ver mapa)

Teléfono: 959 211 000
Fax: 959 211 007

Horario Comercial:
L - S: de 10:00 a 22:00
Festivos: de 10:00 a 22:00

The nearest El Corte Ingles Dept. Store/Hipercor(Hypermarket) Complex is in Huelva:

Centro Comercial Costa Luz.
Alcalde Federico Molina, 1
Tel.: 959 282 000. Ext. 234.
Fax: 959 280 259
Restaurante: 959 282 000
Directorio de plantas

Faro Airport to Vilamoura by bus

There are no direct buses from Faro Airport to Vilamoura. One either has to take a taxi or a private airport transfer.

One can also take a bus from Faro Airport to Faro City Bus Station and from there get a bus to Vilamoura. However, frequencies are not that good.

Cubsur has the times for the above services on his excellent website here:
http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/003.htm

For Faro to Vilamoura services see his site here:
http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/002w.htm

Loulé Aerodrome Project

If one reads this page on the Loule Camara site (http://www.cm-loule.pt/index.php?option=com_noticias&id=369) and the reports in the Portugues press, this project in Loule refers to a new general aviation airfield handling light aircraft and exec jets, not a commercial airport.

One of the reasons for siting it next to Cimpor is that is will be close to Vilamoura so that the Hoi-polloi can park their exec jets. I understand that will be like the one at Tires, Cascais outside Lisbon. (http://www.aerodromo-cascais.pt/)

This certainly would free up landing slots at Faro for commercial flights. I think, from memory, that Faro can handle up to 22 flight movements per hour.

Getting the smaller aircraft out of there would certainly allow for more commercial traffic at Faro, particularly, in peak summer periods.

Lagos vs Faro - Hostels and How to get here

I would recommend Lagos any day over Faro,

Faro, although the capital of the Algarve, is really an administrative centre and not a travel destination. The old centre around the Sé (Cathedral) is small.

Lagos, however retains the feel of a historic Portuguese town while having great beaches as well as restaurants and night life. The west coast, if you have a car, is well worth exploring.

I must declare an interest here....I live in Lagos.

As regards hostel accommodation, the Pensão MarAzul is great but be aware that a dirty great big car park is being built right behind it at present.

If you are hostelling and on a budget have a look at the following.

http://3monkeys.me.uk/monkeyhouse/
(Good food at night in their cafe next door )

http://www.risingcockhostel.com/
(In-crowd destination - But you are always well looked after by Mama)

http://juventude.gov.pt/Portal/Lazer/pt/PLagos.htm
State-Run Youth Hostel

http://www.goldcoasthostel.com/
Gold Coast Hostel

For information on getting to Lagos, have a look at the articles on the following page on my blog:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Lisbon+to+Lagos

Cascais vs Algarve

You have not stated when you are travelling. I live in Lagos and would always recommend a visit here.

However, you are in Lisbon for only a week. Cascais is only 25km from Lisbon and although the sea front is perhaps not as natural as Lagos, it is very pleasant.

To be direct, I think that if you are visiting Lisbon in the run up to winter, there are other places better worth visiting than Lagos at this time of year given the travel time.

You will need at least 3 days in and around the Lisbon/Sintra area. I would recommend you consider alternative days trips (by train) to Porto and/or Coimbra and by Bus to Evora. There are historic towns such as Obidos, Alcobaça and Batalha which can be easily visited in a day from Lisbon on organised tours.

Lagos to Morocco

The only logical and direct way to get from Lagos to Morocco via Algeciras on a budget is by bus via Seville.

1) Lagos to Seville (Price one way € 20:00)

Take the twice daily coach service from Lagos to Seville Plaza das Armas bus staion.

Lagos Sevilha 06:30 13:00
Lagos Sevilha 13:45 20:15

2) Seville (Prado ) to Algeciras (Fares unavailable but will not be expensive.)

There are at least two companies operating this route:

TG Comes

Timetable here: http://www.tgcomes.es/horarios_33.htm

Linesur also operates this route but no online timetables.


You will need to get a local C4 bus between Estacion Plaza das Armas to El Prado Bus Station which runs from just after 6 in the morning till 23:30.

Faro to Malaga

There are no direct flights between Faro and Malaga or between Faro and airports in mainland Spain. To fly you would have to route via Lisbon and Madrid as the TAP/Air Portugal direct flights are expensive.

The only public transport route between Faro and Malaga is by bus.

Alsa.es have a daily departure as follows:

FARO dept: 01:45
MALAGA arr: 08:45
Current Price: €40.00

It is also possible to take the twice daily DAMAS/EVA buses from Faro to Seville and then get another bus to Malaga.

For more information see Cubsur's very useful website here:

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/001.htm

Horse riding on the Algarve

Not sure one is allowed to ride on many beaches any more in Portugal.

I have not seen many Lusitanos down here around Lagos. They tend to hang out more up in the Alentejo.

However, try contacting the Harmann's at QPA.

Website here:

http://www.qpahorseriding.com/

They should be able to help.

New Route from Summer 2010 - Manchester - Madeira

Finally, a announcement not from Planet Ryanair!! :))

Jet2.com have announced they will be operating Manchester to Madeira from Summer 2010.

See:

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090910/FREE/909109995/1175

and (in Portuguese)

http://www.presstur.com/site/news.asp?news=21895

Lagos - restaurant suggestions

Depends where you are staying and if you have a car.

One of my favorite local Portuguese restaurants is Prato Cheio. See this article on my blog which has a link to it.

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/restaurante-o-prato-cheio-lagos.html

If you like fish, try a bacalhau (cod) dish, if its on the menu. The Portuguese have at least 365 ways of preparing them. My favorite is Bacalhau à Bras.

Many Portuguese restaurants have "Pratos do dia" - (Daily Plates) or Menu of the Day. Usually freshly cooked and very good. I would recommend avoid dishes with "Grão" or meat dishes called "Rojões" until you acclimatise.

Another good local restaurant is "Os Asinhas".

Map ref here:

http://mapas.sapo.pt/?M=37.096817,-8.673522,16,Z;37.096817,-8.673522,As+Asinhas,1

Estrada da Ponta da Piedade,

lote 24, loja A

Lagos

The two restaurants above are outside the city wall and away from the tourist centre...which is why I like them! :)))))))

Lisbon airport to Lourinha - Porto Dinheiro

As regards the Lisbon to Lourinha segment, you will have to get to Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station as no long-distance buses leave from Lisbon Airport.

To get from the Airport to the Bus Station you will need to catch the Aeroshuttle Bus (CARRIS Bus Nº96) in the direction of Sete Rios Bus Station and Praça de Espanha. This operates daily, every 30 minutes between 7am and 11pm.

You will then need to catch a Rede Expressos Bus as follows:

Lisbon Lourinha
Sete
Rios
Bus
Station
Dept: Arr:

13:30 14:40 Daily Service
15:45 16:55 Daily Service

There is a local bus going towards Torres Vedras operated by Barraqueiro that leaves Lourinha at 16:45 and arrives in Ribamar at 16:55. Ribamar appears to be the closest point with a bus stop to Porto Dinheiro.

There does not appear to be any suitable early morning return bus the following Saturday.

Return:

Lourinha Lisbon Sete Rios
Dept: Arr:

07:25 08:35 Daily Service

Lisbon to the Algarve, good places to stop en route?

It depends where you are heading to in the Algarve.

If you heading to the Lagos end you could come of the A2 Motorway at Marateca, head down the old Lisbon Algarve road (IC1), turn right just after Messejana onto the N283 and follow the road through Odemira, (Country town) S. Teotonio, Aljezur (Small Castle) to Lagos. This is a normal 2-lane road with 90km/h speed limit and windy in parts but you will see a lot of the Alentejo.

If you are heading down to the Central Algarve, you could come of the A2 Motorway at Marateca, head down the old Lisbon Algarve road (IC1) and follow it all the way down to Albufeira. There are a couple of good restaurant/cafes to stop in Mimosa. My favorite is the first on the right running south. (Always forget the name). You could also come of at Ourique, (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ourique)

Best way of getting to Lagos from Malaga

alsa.es bus from Malaga to Seville Prado Bus Station. Local town bus to connect with Damas/EVA from Seville Plaza das Armas Bus Station. Allow minimum one hour for changing bus stations.

Depart: Arrive:

MALAGA SEVILLA(P) 11:00 13:45

Sevilha Lagos 16:15 20:45

Nicest resort in Algarve close to Faro

Be aware that there is a spinal motorway (A22 - Via de Infante), that runs the best part of the length of the Algarve.

Consequently, all towns and resorts from Vila Real de Stª. Antonio to Lagos lie within 60 to 65 minutes by car from Faro Airport which is near the centre of the region.

I am sure that the gang here will be up with all sorts of suggestions in this area. I live in Lagos so I am biased but its one of the towns in the Algarve that retains its traditional character.

I know a lot of irish folk have recently been staying here at the Marina Club. (http://www.marinaclub.pt/).

Also have a look at the new Vila Galé Lagos Meia Praia.

www.vilagale.pt/pages/hoteis/index.php?lang=2

They have had promotions on recently.

Another town to try is Tavira, which again has a more traditional character.

Getting to Luz de Tavira by bus

Have a look at the bus timetables on Cubsur's Site here:

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/015.htm

killing in alvor

I saw reference to that, this morning in the Irish press, but they just said it was a town in the Algarve and that a man had died!

Link here in the Irish Times!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0907/breaking62.htm

This is terrible!

Article here in Portuguese saying that persons speaking Brazilian portuguese were reported in the area.

http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1354704&seccao=Sul

It also reports that the first report to the authorities was when an ambulance was called at 03:41 in the morning.

Also (in Portuguese):

http://www.correiomanha.pt/Noticia.aspx?channelid=00000010-0000-0000-0000-000000000010&contentid=4A3CE87D-DA75-4A30-AC11-F411E7857A27

Folks, be very careful in any town in any holiday
destination when out and about at 04:00 a.m., particularly if you are alone.

East Midlands to Faro

Bmibaby www.bmibaby.com operate this route a couple of times a week. However, be careful as Lufthansa are taking over BMI and may sell-off Bmibaby.

Then as you mentioned there is Ruinair.

It is possible that jet2.com may step in. They operate from EMA to Greek and Turkish Destinations. At present, they only operate from Leeds Bradford and Manchester to Faro.

Thomsonfly operate Doncaster - Faro weekly except between November and March. See: http://flights.thomson.co.uk/thomson/en-GB/timetable/findbyroute?departure=DSA&destination=FAO

See this article here:

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Airline-easyJet-axe-jobs-East-Midlands-Airport/article-1311325-detail/article.html

Travel from Lisbon to Portimao

This depends on which route you wish to take.

By the A2 Motorway toll road/A22 freeway just less than three hours with one stop.

By the coastal route via Marateca, Grandola, Mimosa, Odemira, Odeceixe, Aljezur, Lagos about 4 to 4,5 hours.

By the old IC1 national road/ A22 freeway via Marateca, Grandola, Mimosa, Ourique, Vale Praiaso, Portimão about 4 hours.

Algarve Weather

There are only two repeat two weather stations in the Algarve.....Faro Airport and Sagres!

For example "Auntie" has a weather report for Lagos but is actually based on readings for Sagres. Sagres and environs, sticking out into the Atlantic has a micro-climate all of its own.....and often bears no relationship to prevailing conditions in Lagos 35 kms away.

Even the Portuguese Met service at www.meteo.pt bases its forecasting on these stations. Given the size of the Algarve there is therefore every chance that forecasts will not be accurate.

Anna AERO article on Ryanair Porto Base

See here:

http://www.anna.aero/2009/09/04/ryanairs-new-portuguese-base-in-porto-serves-22-destinations-five-routes-served-at-least-daily/

My comments:

Of particular note, is the Porto to Faro route.

This is only the second time that an non-Portuguese Airline has been given traffic rights to operate domestic flights within Portugal. The first was a year ago when Easyjet began operating Lisbon to Funchal, Madeira after years of complaints from residents of Maderia about TAP/Air Portugal’s high prices and monopoly on that route.

Although much demanded, no airline has previously operated Porto to Faro. This has meant that it has been faster to get to UK and German airports from Faro than to the north of Portugal. By air, one has had to transit Lisbon on TAP/Air Portugal or take a 7/8 hour train or bus ride between the two regions.

Apart from tourists and families, I suspect that the biggest demand may be from University Students travelling North and South as there is a fairly large University in Faro.

I hope the route succeeds, but reserve my judgement. Two years ago, Ryanair launched services from Spain. The Madrid to Faro route should have been successful but was pulled after 8 months owing to only 48% average loadings.

My opinion, for what it is worth, was that the route was not publicised enough in the local and expat media in the Algarve and the far south-west of Spain around Huelva, showing Madrid as destination for week-end breaks. Many people were not aware of the service till it was too late.

Nor was Madrid Barajas promoted as an airline hub access point with onward access to many more destinations than Lisbon. Finally, the route was initiated as a daily service and then frequencies were reduced. It should have been the other way around.

I hope that the same mistakes will not be made with the Porto route. It needs to be publicised in the local Algarve Portuguese and Expat media. As regards the Algarve portuguese media, this needs to include billboard adverts near Faro Airport, and advertising on local tv/radio as many more locals listen to radio and watch national TV than read papers.

By the way, the Algarve (Faro FAO), still needs the Faro - Madrid route back!

Hotels - Halfway between Bordeaux and the Algarve

Depends on your budget!

There is a Formule 1 on the South Side of Valladolid on the old Madrid Road.

In Salamanca, there is an Ibis near the city centre.

Both are in the town and require one to come of the motorway.

The Valladolid one has outside parking while the IBIS in Salamanca has paid underground parking.

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3693-formule-1-valladolid/index.shtml

and

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3672-ibis-salamanca/index.shtml

I did the run Lagos (Algarve), Seville, Salamanca, Valladolid, Bilbao, Bordeaux, Rennes, Carhaix (Britanny), in May this year. My first overnight stop was at the Formule 1 in Valladolid. Its very basic but functional.

Stayed at the Salamanca IBIS a couple of years ago and it was v. respectable. BTW, Salamaca merits a couple of hours wander if you are at all interested in History. Some lovely architecture.

BTW, forgot to mention that it will be cheaper from the point of view of tolls and fuel to run Salamanca, Caceres, Merida, Seville, Huelva, Albufeira. It is motorway all the, apart from about 20km south of Salamanca which is currently being upgraded.

Ryanair - Change to Baggage Policy

Ryanair have announced today that they are increasing their minimum checked hold baggage allowance for passengers to 2 bags each weighing 15kg.

However, as always with Ryanair this comes at a cost.......

See:

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=sep&story=gen-en-040909

Tickets for Autrodromo do Algarve

You are quite right!

Many local web sites here are glossy but in terms of user interaction and useful information presentation they are the pits.

http://autodromoalgarve.com.pt is no exception.

I don't know of any agents who do tickets. There seem to be some indications on the web to the fact that FNAC (Portugal only?), Media Markt and El Corte Ingles may sell tickets for events but its not clear.

I suggest that you email or call this person whose details are shown on the contacts page:

Members & Tickets’ Information

Name: Catarina Azevedo

Email: catarinaazevedo@parkalgar.com

Phone: (+351) 925446084

I would write/call in English. Most folk down here in that type of position speak at least some english.

Granada to Albuferia

The fastest and most direct way from Granada to Albufeira is by bus. There are no direct train services nor flights. Flights would mean Granada to Madrid to Lisbon to Faro and then bus/cab/transfer to Albufeira.

Unfortunately, the most direct daily service operated by alsa.es gets into Vale Paraiso/Ferreiras Bus Station at 02:30 in the night. It is unlikely there would be local buses or taxis to take you the 8kms to Albufeira at that time of night.

Consquently, you best option would be as follows:

1) Alsa.es - Granada to Seville (El Prado)

Dept: Arr:
Granada Seville
03:00 06:40
12:00 14:45

From El Prado Bus Station to Estacion Plaza das Armas I would recommend the C4 Bus in which runs from just after 6 in the morning till 23:30.

2) DAMAS/EVA Bus from Seville Plaza das Armas bus station to Albufeira Bus Station. (Daily)

Dept Arr
Seville Albufeira
07:30 10:00
16:15 19:40

You will have to buy two separate tickets for each sector as they are operated by different companies. Tickets for the Seville to Albufeira service cannot be bought online and can only be purchased in Seville so allow time to buy your ticket.

Ryanair - New Porto Base

Ryanair's new Porto base opened officially in the presence of the Portuguese Prime Minister, Eng. José Socrates and Michael O'Leary, Chieftain-in-chief of Ryanair!

Parlamentoglobal.pt has a video report here:

http://www.parlamentoglobal.pt/parlamentoglobal/multimedia/video/2009/9/3/030909+socrates+ryanair.htm

Interestingly, O'Leary specifically mentioned in the above interview the possibility of future bases in Faro and possibly Lisbon.

Here is the videonews link from RTP 1, the State Portuguese Channel (Interview with O'Leary in English):



Let's see?

Google StreetView 's famous red Opel Corsa - Life in Portugal!

Enjoy!



Thanks to Sergio Bastos

Easyjet - Reduction in Luton and East Midlands Service

Easyjet have today announced a 20% reduction in the number of flights from Luton and the closure of its East Midlands base.

This may affect flights to Faro from both airports.

See this link for more:

http://www.heartdunstable.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1483396

Update: BBC Report here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8235556.stm

hotel in faro near airport

This post probably would have been better posted on the Algarve Forum.

As regards a good restaurant in Faro, try the Adega Nova.

Details here:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Adega+Nova

Also have a look at this hotel, also only three short blocks from the Station.

http://www.residencialalgarve.com/

You asked for a hotel near the airport. To be honest there aren't any at present. The nearest is in Montenegro 2 km away. The Faro Ibis is between the Airport and Faro. One can walk from there to town but it is a bit of a hike.

If you are taking the train to Funcheira, you would be better off getting a hotel in town from where you can explore Faro and easily get to the Station as the local buses in Faro are nothing to get excited about.

Lagos - Seville Bus Service - Winter 2009/2010

Just checked this evening with the ticket office at Lagos Bus Station:

The Damas/Eva Lagos to Seville bus service winter 2009/2010 timetable starts 6 Sept. From that date there will be only two departures from Lagos at 06:30 and 13:45.

Bussing from Lagos to Sevilla Spain

The schedules for the Lisbon to Seville route may be shortly due to revert to two services per day winter service. If it happens,(end of Sept.) this is likely to be the longer service.

You cannot buy tickets online.

You should purchase tickets on arrival in Lagos, the day before or get to the bus station at least 30 mins before departure.

Usually, however, there is no problem in getting seats the same day.

Late Night Eating - Lagos

Try the Adega da Marina on the Avenida. Their kitchen stays open till around 01:00 a.m. This where we go when we get back to Lagos late if we've been to Seville or Lisbon.

Address:

Avenida dos Descobrimentos, nº 35
8600 Lagos – Algarve

Half way along the Avenida.

Google Maps link here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=105031136029483985880.0004727e5603e39684dbe&ll=37.106272,-8.674237&spn=0.002019,0.004823&t=h&z=18

Coimbra to Lisbon airport

The fastest and most direct way from Coimbra to Lisbon Airport is by train. There are no direct buses from Coimbra to Lisbon Airport.

By Train:

1) Take a train from Coimbra-B to Lisboa Gare Oriente station.
2) Descend to the ground floor and head towards the bus station.
3) Find the bus stop for the Aeroshuttle (Line 96). (See: http://www.carris.pt/pt/autocarro/96/descendente)
(It was by the taxi rank last time I was there.)
4) This will get you direct to the Airport.

If you prefer a bus you would then have to get a Rede Expressos bus (http://www.rede-expressos.pt/) from Coimbra to Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station and then the Aeroshuttle in the other direction back to the airport.

Hotels in Algarve and Weather

Some observations:

Aqua Pedras dos bicos Hotel

Situated in Urb. Quinta Pedra dos Bicos, Lote 24,Albufeira, Algarve

Have a look at these comments here:

http://www.travelrepublic.co.uk/Pedra%20dos%20Bicos%20Hotel_All_Reviews.html#sectionHotDeta

Hotel da Rocha

Situated in Praia da Rocha, near Portimão.
Very urbanised. An Algarve version of Brighton.
Beach is nice. Plenty of Bars, Tourist and Kiss me Quick type shops.
No golf course nearby. Nearest at Alvor 10km distant.

Have a look at these comments here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g652081-d657293-Reviews-Santa_Catarina-Praia_da_Rocha_Algarve.html

Hotel Globo

Situated in the centre of Portimão. Nearest Beach is at Praia da Rocha 3km away.
The location would put me off as a holiday destination as downtown Portimão does not exactly thrill me.

Have a look at these comments here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g189120-d253614-Reviews-Hotel_Globo-Portimao_Algarve.html

Mareta Beach Boutique

This is situated in Sagres, located 3km from Cape St. Vincent at the most south westerly point of the Algarve.

Some great beaches nearby. However, by September, Sagres is beginning to get windy. The nearest Golf Course is at Parque de Floresta, 20km distant. You would need to have hire car. A great place to explore the wild west coast of the Algarve. There are some wind protected beaches in the area. Finally, not a great selction of restaurants in Sagres.

http://www.maretabeachhotel.com/hotel-directions.html

Vila Galé Meia Praia

Another hotel that might be more suitable for you requirements is the new Vila Galé Meia Praia in Lagos. It is close to where I live in front of the 5km long sandy Meia Praia Beach. The Palmares Golf Course is 3km away along Meia Praia. Boa Vista Golf Course is 5km away. Lagos is a great place for restaurants and wandering around. It is also somewhat shielded from the wind in September until 16:00.

See:

http://www.vilagale.pt/pages/hoteis/index.php?lang=2

and

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g189117-d1389862-Reviews-Vila_Gale_Lagos-Lagos_Algarve.html

Seville via Madrid Barajas

I would strongly recommend booking all the way through from Dulles to Sevilla via Barajas.

The Metro system in Madrid is quite Byzantine and I think from memory that you would have to change at least once en route to the AVE Station.

One caution though! Barajas Airport is enormous! Three hours should be enough to switch gates etc but be warned.

I have checked the Seville Airport Site and can confirm that Iberia is currently the only operator on the Madrid - Seville route following the demise of a couple of low-costs. Hence the price!

I used the Seville-Barajas route a couple of years ago en route to Johannesburg. All went sweetly both ways.

If you are flying Aer Lingus, you will probably be stopping en route in Dublin. I would suggest that, after a flight to Madrid including a stopover, the last thing you want to do is to have to fight with the Madrid Metro.

For the little extra, fly straight to Seville from Madrid Barajas.

Lisbon Metro - Opening of Extension to the Linha Vermelha

It has been announced today that as from tomorrow, Saturday, 28th August 2009, the extension of the Linha Vermelha Metro line will be open for public use.

This will extend this line from its current terminus at Alameda, to Saldanha and São Sebastião (El Corte Ingles.) This will facilitate particularly those want to get quickly from Gare Oriente to for example the long-distance bus station at Sete Rios.

Article in portuguese here:

http://www.correiomanha.pt/noticia.aspx?contentid=2A9B6420-9C06-4FE1-B145-5CDEF7EBF353&channelid=00000021-0000-0000-0000-000000000021

Variante de Aljezur - Aljezur Bypass - EN 120

There is an article in today's Correio da Manha reporting that yesterday in the Diario da Republica, (Portuguese Government Gazette) Estradas de Portugal, the agency responsible for national roads, published a call for initial tenders for the design and construction of certain aspects of the long awaited Aljezur by-pass (The access roads and fitting). It looks like the project is beginning to move.

http://dre.pt/sug/2s/cp/gettxt.asp?s=diacp&iddip=402233083

Lisbon to Lagos- Train or Bus?

The main differences are as follows:

1) The train route is, in my opinion, more photogenic.

There is a great, if brief, crossing of the 25 de Abril Bridge which allows a wonderful view, in the day time down along the Tejo from Lisbon to Cascais.

There is then a lovely run through the Alentejo, which gives one a real taste of rural southern Portugal.

Be aware that you have to change trains at Tunes junction to a local rattler that wanders its way through the Western Algarve to Lagos. Again you get to see more than you would in the bus.

2) The trains from Lisbon to Tunes and onward to Faro have buffet cars onboard so that you can get up, wander around, have a coffee or a glass of wine, and thus is less restricting than a bus.

3) The two main bus routes follow the A2 tool main motorway from Lisbon the Algarve and then the A22 Via de Infante Algarve Arterial Motorway to Lagos.

4) The EVA buses from Lisbon Sete Rios only take 3hrs45 mins but are non-stop to Lagoa and then stop only in Portimão, Praia da Rocha, and then Lagos. They have pokey onboard toilets.

5) Renex buses from Lisbon Gare Oriente follow the same route to then end of the A2 motorway but then have more stops along the Western Algarve. They do stop for 15 minutes en route for Coffee etc. They can take up to +4 hours.

6) There are also a couple of daily Rede Expressos buses from Lisbon Sete Rios that follow rural routes through via Messines or via Odemira and Aljezur to Lagos. Again these take +4 hours.

For trains, you can by tickets/make reservations at most self-respecting CP(Portuguese Railways) stations in Lisbon. I would recommend Entrecampos,Gare Oriente,Stª.Apolonia, and I think from memory, Restauradores Station (Sintra Line).

For the buses:

1) EVA/Rede Expressos - Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station Ticket Office (Metro/CP Station Sete Rios)
2) RENEX - Lisbon Gare Oriente Bus Station Ticket Office (Metro/CP Station Sete Rios)

As regards purchasing tickets at the tourist office at Lisbon Airport or Restauradores/Liberdade not sure, Maybe someone can advise?

Sorry there's too much information. It's the first time we've had that complaint as far as I know.

Lisbon - Porto - Vigo - La Coruna - Internorte Timetable

The following is an extract of the current timetable for the long distance coach services operated by http://www.internorte.pt/ between Lisbon - Porto - Vigo - La Coruna - Santiago da Compostela. Internorte do not have an online interactive timetable. This is an extract from the downloadable pdf.

(Click on the image to enlarge:)



Important Addendum:

Many thanks to Cubsur of www.algarvebus.info for pointing out that the Spanish bus company www.autna.es also operate four daily services (Monday to Saturday) between Porto,Porto Airport and Vigo and v/v. On their website main page, click on Servicios then Lineas Regulares for the timetable.

Porto - Bragança by Bus!

The nearest Rede Expressos coach station is in the centre of Porto.

The Renex Depot in Porto is situated at:

Campo Mártires Pátria 37,
Porto.

You would have to get a Metro from the Airport to Porto São Bento and then walk/cab the 400 or so metres to the above address.

For more information, see the section on buses/coaches on this page on tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g189180-s301/Porto:Portugal:Arriving.And.Departing.html

Note should arrive at the Bus Station at least 30 minutes before departure to buy your ticket. Tickets cannot be bought online.

The current Rede Expressos schedule for Porto to Bragança is as follows:

PORTO BRAGANCA (227 Kms)
Depart Arrive Frequency
09:15 12:40 Daily except Sundays
12:45 16:15 Daily
14:30 18:00 Daily
16:00 19:25 Daily
17:45 20:30 Sundays
17:45 21:15 Daily
19:30 22:55 Daily
20:30 23:55 Thursday, Friday and Sunday
23:00 02:25 Fridays

Winter Day Trips from Praia da Luz/Lagos

To be totally honest, December is mid-winter here in the Algarve and many activities of interest to teenagers will not be operating.

However, some ideas (Most of these will require a car):

1) History:

The extreme south-west of the Algarve region of Portugal/Iberian Peninsula was critical to the Portuguese Voyages of discovery that opened up the route around the Cape for Europeans. You should visit the Fort at Sagres built by Prince Henry the Navigator as well as the lighthouse at nearby Cape St. Vincent, the most South Westerly point in Europe.

In Praia da Luz, itself, there are still some small ruins visible of a villa dating back to Roman Times.

8km from Praia da Luz is the town of Lagos where I live. In my opinion it is one of the few towns in the Algarve that retains its Portuguese ambiance and has not yet been taken over totally by tourism, It is a historic city. Recent archaeological findings suggest the the town was settled by the Phoenicians.

See the following entry in wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos,_Portugal

Another historic place to visit is Silves, which was a key center during the period of Moorsih rule.

See the following entry in wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silves

2) Geographic

1) Explore the beaches up the West Coast of the Algarve between Vila de Bispo/Sagres and Aljezur. A spectacular coastline with hidden beaches and many that are world-renowned surfing beaches.

2) Visit Monchique mountain, the town of Monchique and Caldas de Monchique. This dominates the region geographically and there are great views.

3) Entertainment

For something different and if they are open...(their site is not very clear.) Zoomarine about 40kms from Luz maybe worth a visit, They offer interactive sessions with Dolphins.

See: http://www.zoomarine.pt

If you want to go further afield, Tavira, Castro Marim and Alcoutim in the East Algarve, about 75-120 minutes drive from Luz may be worth visiting from a historic point of view.

Seville to Granada and return by bus.

I really wouldn't do Seville to Granada return in a day by bus.

The buses are generally fine, but the heat (except late Oct to March) and 3 hrs each way would do it for me. Also there are other things to see in Granada such as the Cathedral with the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella and the Manuel Lorca Museum.

From memory, Granada bus station is a ways from the Alhambra, which in itself is a 400m stiff climb up from the old centre.

Furthermore, if you go at a busy time of year, you should book tickets in advance and you are allotted a time when you can go in.

You should check this out more on the Granada forum.

You can see the relevant page on the Granada City official tourism website here.

http://www.granadatur.com/en/city-guide/monuments/alhambra/how-to-get-tickets/

Weather in September in Lagos & Marina Park

The Marina Park, Lagos website has a page here with distances and a map:

http://www.marinapark.net/eng/localization.htm

Be aware the times quoted are based on having a car.

The is a fairly steep hill up from the Marina Roundabout to the Marina Park.

Most Restaurants and bars should be still open in tehh first week of September.

Weather Underground showing a long range forecast for cooler weather for Lagos next week:

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Lagos,%20Portugal&wuSelect=WEATHER

Average Mean max. daytime temp. for Lagos for 1st week of September is 24 °C. (Source: Weather Underground.)

Lisbon Oriente - Evora - Train

The following is the current timetable for trains from Lisbon Gare Oriente Station to Evora.(Click to enlarge!)



Portuguese Railways web site: http://www.cp.pt

Lagos - Pharmacies / Chemists

The following is a list of pharmacies/chemists in the town of Lagos, Algarve, Portugal (August 2009):

Farmácia Silva
Rua 25 de Abril, 9
8600-763 Lagos (São Sebastião)
Tel. 282762859

Farmácia Neves
Rua da Porta Pequena, 3
8600-727 Lagos (São Sebastião)
Tel. 282769966

Farmácia A Lacobrigense
Rua Prof. Joaquim Alberto Taquim, 8
8600-760 Lagos (São Sebastião)
Tel. 282762901

Farmácia Telo
Rua Henrique Correia da Silva, 1 - 3
8600-597 Lagos (Santa Maria)
Tel. 282760556

Farmácia Ribeiro Lopes
Rua Garrett, 22
8600-740 Lagos (São Sebastião)
Tel. 282762830

The following is a link to the list of duty pharmacies on the website of the Camara Municipal de Lagos:

http://www.cm-lagos.pt/portal_autarquico/lagos/v_pt-PT/farmacias_servico/

Porto - Cabo Verde - Ryanair

An interesting article about development of low-cost airlines serving Portugal here:

http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2009/08/24/low-cost-carrier-revolution-transforms-portugal/page1


Off particular interest is the following quote:

"One interesting development is that Ryanair is known to have sounded out the potential for operating from Porto to Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), the West African island nation that was a Portuguese dependency until the mid-1970s and which has become very popular with European tourists during the last five years."

Given Ryanair's increase in operations to the Canaries Islands this would make sense as Cape Verde is only a further 60 minutes flight and has much more potential for growth than the Canaries.

My thanks as always to Sergio Bastos at http://www.lowcostportugal.net for this information.

Boarding Point for Portimão to Canaries

The Navera Armas vessel docks at the Porto Comercial de Portimão. There is no street address.

Google Maps reference here (Marker J):

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Porto,&sll=37.130829,-8.536377&sspn=0.030588,0.077162&ie=UTF8&radius=2.13&rq=1&ev=p&ll=37.135756,-8.536291&spn=0.030586,0.077162&t=h&z=14&iwloc=J

You may have to zoom in to see the exact spot (Marker J).

Airport transfer from Lisbon to Evora.

Lisbon to Evora is 132km.

Transfer companies have to send a driver to Evora with the pax and usually run back empty.(2hr40mins not 1hr10mins)

To do the run in the time stated they have to use Toll Motorways which add to the cost.

The price of fuel is climbing again. 95 is now approaching €1.35 here in Portugal.

Unfortunately, prices are what they are!

There are no direct buses to Evora from Lisbon Airport.

Your best bet would be to:

1) Take the Aeroshuttle a/k/a Route No. 96 Carris Bus from the Lisbon Airport Arrivals Concourse to the Sete Rios bus station. (Every 20 minutes or so.)

2) Then take a Rede Expressos bus from there to Evora. There are in the order of 15+ buses a day to Evora with a transit time of +. 1hr 45min.

Timetable here: http://www.rede-expressos.pt

Earthquakes in Portugal - Comments

Usually, quakes have to be over 5 on the Richter scale to really be noticeable. I was in Estoril in 1969 when the last big earthquake hit Portugal and that was very noticeable at 7,9 on the Richter scale. Our poor new little Portuguese Podengo puppy, (fox terrier size), got the blame from my father, who woke up thinking the puppy was shaking the bed.

Luckily, the epicenter was deep down in the earth's mantle, so although there was a lot of superficial damage and unfortunately, a few deaths, it was nothing like the 1755 quake.

The following page from the Portuguese Met. Institute shows how frequent small tremors are, particularly in the Southern half of Portugal. However, most are of low impact so we don't feel them.

http://www.meteo.pt/pt/sismologia/actividade/

Seismic activity is high in this region because the southern part of Portugal lies just to the North of the boundary between the Eurasian Tectonic Plate and the African Tectonic Plate.

As regards according blame for last week's cliff face collapses near Albufeira, I don't think anyone can be blamed except people who ignore warnings. Apparently, according to press reports, Albufeira Camara had sealed the area with red "Police Type" tape and warning signs making it clear the area was dangerous. Unfortunately, if that was the case, and people ignored the warnings, you can't blame anyone except themselves.

The coastline worldwide is a dynamic feature and needs to be treated with respect. Cliffs collapse with or without earthquakes, tides rise quickly in areas such as the Bristol Channel and off Newfoundland and people get cut off.

Scooter Rentals - Lagos

There are at least two:

Luis

Sidecar 32

Side Car 32 - Motociclos de Aluguer, Lda.

R. St Casa Misericórdia

8600-621 LAGOS

email: filipe_bolota@hotmail.com

Tel: 282798383

He usually has scooters available at Luzcar just behind the Repsol Service Station on the Avenida.

Motorent

Lagos

Rua Victor Costa Silva

Ed. Vasco da Gama

Loja 8/B

8600-764 Lagos

Just behind Adega da Marina

(+351)282769716

Cliff Tragedy - Albufeira

It is with great regret that I have to report that as a result of a cliff fall. at least 5 people have been killed today at the popular beach at Praia Maria Luísa in Albufeira.

According to local TV news and papers there were signs up warning people to keep clear of the area.

The President of Portugal, S.E. Dr. Anibal Cavaco Silva and the Portuguese Prime Minister, Eng. José Socrates both visit the area during the day.

Further new reports can be found here:

Correio da Manha (in Portuguese)

BBC News

France 24 (en Français)

Welt Online (ab deutsch)

El Pais (en Español)

If you are holidaying with us here please pay attention to warning signs and have a safe vacation.

Portimão to Lisbon by road (No Tolls)

I would recommend that your brother take the following itinerary which runs via the old IC1 national road to Lisbon and has no tolls except in crossing the Tagus at Lisbon. (Provided by google maps:)
Note there is a 90km speed limit on much of this route.

Link to map here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Acesso+ao+Porto+Comercial+de+Portim%C3%A3o&daddr=A22+to:Lisboa,+Portugal&geocode=FaJ_NgIdVNR9_w%3BFVCzNgIdfCSB_w%3B&hl=en&mra=ls&via=1&dirflg=t&doflg=ptk&sll=37.926868,-9.030762&sspn=2.045127,4.938354&ie=UTF8&ll=37.918201,-8.695679&spn=2.045367,4.938354&z=8

Driving directions to Lisbon, Portugal - 300 km – about 4 hours 34 mins Via A22 -

1. Head southeast on Acesso ao Porto Comercial de Portimão 0.3 km
2. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit 0.4 km
3. Turn left at Av. Rio Arade 0.2 km
4. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Av. das Comunidades Lusíadas 0.3 km
5. Slight right at Av. Eng. Francisco Bívar 0.1 km
6. Turn right to stay on Av. Eng. Francisco Bívar 0.4 km
7. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit 0.3 km
8. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto R. Jaime Pahinha 0.4 km
9. Take the ramp onto Av. V6 Go through 1 roundabout 1.5 km
10. Slight right to merge onto Av. Paul Harris 0.2 km
11. Slight left to stay on Av. Paul Harris 25 m
12. Slight right to stay on Av. Paul Harris 0.6 km
13. Slight right to stay on Av. Paul Harris 0.1 km
14. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Estr. EN124 0.8 km
15. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on Estr. EN124 0.5 km
16. Continue on Estr. Nacional 124/N124 Continue to follow N124 Go through 2 roundabouts 2.1 km
17. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A22 Acessos 0.3 km
18. Merge onto A22 via the ramp to Faro/A2/Lisboa 26.4 km
19. Take exit 9 toward Lisboa/Ourique 0.2 km
20. Merge onto IC1 Go through 1 roundabout 197 km
21. Continue on N10/N5 Continue to follow N10 18.4 km
22. Slight right at Av. Antero de Quental/N10 (signs for Setùbal) 1.0 km
23. Turn left at Estr. de Palmela/N10/N252 0.3 km
24. Slight right at Variante da Várzea Go through 1 roundabout 1.5 km
25. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Estr. São Luís da Serra/N10 Continue to follow N10 22.9 km
26. Take the ramp onto N10 2.9 km
27. Continue on Av. Primeiro de Dezembro de 1640 0.4 km
28. Take the ramp on the left to Lisboa/Sesimbra/Almada/Setúbal 0.5 km
29. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Sesimbra/N378 0.3 km
30. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Lisboa/A2/Almada and merge onto A2 9.1 km
31. Continue on IP7 Toll road 4.6 km
32. Take the exit toward Praça Comércio/Belém/Alcântara 1.0 km
33. Slight right at Praça Gen. Domingos de Oliveira 0.2 km
34. Turn right at R. João de Oliveira Miguéns 0.2 km
35. Turn left at Av. 24 de Julho 0.3 km
36. Turn left at Av. 24 de Julho/N6 Continue to follow Av. 24 de Julho 2.4 km
37. Slight left at Cais do Sodré 0.2 km
38. Continue on Av. da Ribeira das Naus 0.6 km
39. Turn left at Praça do Comércio 12 m



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