Algarve - Lagos

Faro is 80kms from Lagos.

The Algarve is a region 180km wide by 40km deep. You will not be able to explore everything in 2 days.

I suggest that if Lagos interests you, you should here here. You can change from the Lisbon to Faro train at Tunes junction and take a local train to Lagos.

There are twice daily buses from Lagos to Seville.

See Cubsur's page on this here:

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

There are two or three moped rental agencies here:

There are a couple of places.

Luis of Sidecar 32 in Torraltinha,Lagos is one.

He can be contacted via the following address.

Side Car 32 - Motociclos de Aluguer, Lda.
R. St Casa Misericórdia
8600-621 LAGOS
email: filipe_bolota@hotmail.com

Tel: 282798383

He can deliver a bike to you in town at the Reposl Garage on the Avenida.
and

MotoRent

Rua Victor Costa Silva
Ed. Vasco da Gama
Loja 8/B
8600-764 Lagos

Tel: (+351)282769716

As regards good restaurants, the town is full of them. Depends where you staying. Canthinho Algarvio on Rua Alfonso Almeida just up from the yellow Camara Building is a good place to start.

Dance Algarve 2008

Anyone wanting to know what I have been up to the past few months and why postings have been sparse can now know. I have been helping in the organisation of the following event to take place in Lagos between 19th and 23rd March 2008.

Of general interest to the public, will be the performances by the Cape Junior Ballet, from Cape Town, South Africa in the on Thursday 21st March, and Friday 22nd March at 20.30 which on the Thursday will include a Mime workshop given by John Mowat and Leonor Keil.

Anyone visiting or in the Lagos area on those days can attend. Tickets will be €5:00.

More info see below and or
click here!

PRESS RELEASE.

DANCE ALGARVE 2008

Hosted by Associação da Dança Iberíca, with the support of the Cultural Division of the Town Council of Lagos, Dance Algarve 2008 is under the direction of Gwen Franco, Caroline Costa and Gillian Anthony,Dance Algarve 2008 is a four day course, to be held between Wednesday, 19th March 2008 and Saturday, 22nd March 2008 over Easter 2008.

The course is conceived especially for students of classical ballet, and will include classes in ballet, repertoire, jazz/musical and mime. Over 100 students from throughout Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and South Africa have registered to participate giving the event an exciting international dimension that will bring a new aspect to the long cultural history of Lagos. It will also give many students of ballet, their first opportunity to interact with and learn from professional dancers in the field.

Dance Algarve 2008 is honoured that Sr. Armando Jorge and D. Margarida Sá Fialho, both prominent personalities in the classical dance world in Portugal, have graciously agreed to be patrons of the event.

The course will be led by an international faculty that includes:

>> Francesca Filpi, First Artist, The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom
>> Kenn Burke, Director of Dance, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Scotland
>> Dianne Cheesman, Director, Cape Junior Ballet, Cape Town, South Africa
>> Silke Nuhn, Kieler Institut für Tanz, Kiel, Germany
>> John Mowat, Mime & Theatre Director, London and Lisbon.
>> Bernadete Bishop, Director of theatre and Master in Creative Techniques, Portugal

The event will take place at the Centro Cultural de Lagos, a purpose built arts complex in the centre of Lagos, housing studios, exhibition venues and a Theatre.

In the evenings, on Thursday 21st March, and Friday 22nd March at 20.30 there will be special events, including a workshop given by John Mowat and Leonor Keil, and performances by Cape Junior Ballet Company, Cape Town, South Africa.

On Saturday, 22nd March, 2008 at 18:00, there will be a final presentation, “On Stage!” in which students participating will present examples of their work to guests and parents in the Theatre of the Centro Cultural de Lagos.

Anyone wishing to attend any of the events can contact the association through the contact details listed below.

Associação da Dança Ibérica
Apartado 126
8601-902
Lagos, Algarve
Portugal
T: 00 351 91 111 31 86
F: 00 351 282 792 591

email: dancaiberica@gmail.com
web:http://www.dancaiberica.org/index.php?content=news&option=1

Train/Bus from Evora to Salema

Since the demise of the local unprofitable local line between Beja and Funcheira, a couple of years ago, the only way by rail to get from Evora to Lagos is via Pinhal Novo. Basically, one takes the Lisbon train back up to Pinhal Novo and then connects with the Lisbon to Algarve trains.

The www.cp.pt site shows three departures as follows:

Evora 07h02 Lagos 12h06

Evora 09h02 Lagos 14h22

Evora 16h55 Lagos 21h15

One changes trains at Pinhal Novo and Tunes.

There is no direct bus service between Evora and Lagos. One would have to route via Faro and then catch a connecting bus or train to Lagos and then a further bus to Salema.

For Evora to Faro bus services see: www.rede-expressos.pt

For Lagos to Salema bus services see: www.eva-bus.com

Photo by Jimmy Kreislauf (Obra do próprio)

Bordeira - near Faro to Lisbon

Google Map Location here:

http://bit.ly/BordeiraFaroAlgarve

If you are lucky and your villa is facing the right way and is in a good location you may have a great view over the coastal plain towards the sea.

As regards Faro centre, it is fairly compact. I would recommend you park somewhere like the car park at the bus station and walk.

You are well located for access to the A22 Via de Infante Spinal Motorway. The whole coastal Algarve is therefore within 90 minutes driving. You could easily visit Silves (old walled town) ( http://bit.ly/silves_algarve_wiki ), Monchique and Lagos (historic old town) (http://bit.ly/lagos_algarve_wiki) as well.

Visiting Lisbon depends on you.

By toll motoway, one can get up to either of the two bridges crossing the Tejo in about 3 hours allowing for stops. Distance is +- 280 kms.

However, there are good rail and bus services from Faro to Lisbon.

For rail, have a look at Cubsur's excellent site here:

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/006.htm

For bus, go to my blog here:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com

Scroll down on the right hand side and you will find a panel
entitled:

Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

In this panel you will find links for:

# Eva Bus Service - Faro to Lisbon Sete Rios
# RENEX Bus Service - Lisbon to Algarve (including Lagos) timetable

My recommendation to allow enough time in Lisbon would be to take the early morning Alfa-Pendular train to Lisbon and then perhaps come back to Faro by bus. The bus station and train station are close to each other. Bear in mind that by July, summer timetables will have come into operation.

Is there enough to do in Lagos?

In August, there will be plenty to do here! It is our busiest time. Lots of nightlife, bars, restaurants with great beaches and a historic town which retains its Portuguese character, unlike several towns along the Algarve.

In the daytime, you can explore the West Coast towards Sagres with its rugged coastline, hidden beaches.

To explore anywhere in the Algarve outside of the towns, a rental car is advisable. (If you are from across the pond, remember to specify an automatic shift as most hire cars here are manual shift.)

If you only have a week, spend three days in Lisbon en route, a day travelling to and from Lagos, and three days in Lagos or a combination thereof.

For travel info on how to get to and from Lagos from Lisbon, have a look at the articles on my blog under this link:

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

Also have a look at this article on wikipedia:

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

I was recently chatting to some OZ and US backpackers staying at one of the hostels here and they reckoned that 3 to 4 days is an ideal time to spend in Lagos.

Rail - Portugal - Algarve to Porto and Obidos

The Train from Lagos to Lisbon - Change at Tunes as you indicated.

Years ago, the train used to run to Barreiro on the South Side of the Tejo and then you got a ferry across.

However, for the past 4 years there has been a rail link over the Tejo under the 25 de Abril bridge which give one a spectacular view of Lisbon and the River.

Most trains now stop at two stations in Lisbon:

Entrecampos - Best for Central Lisbon. Metro Station
Gare Oriente - Main interchange with line running North for Porto Campanha.

Certain interregional services stop at Lisbon Sete Rios as well.

From Central Lisbon trains depart Sta Apolonia Station, near the baixa. (Metro now open). They run through Gare Oriente running north.

Trains South leave from Porto Campanha. To get to Obidos you will have to change at Coimbra-b, Bifurcacao De Lares, and Caldas Da Rainha stations. Transit time is about 5 hours. Note that the station in Obidos is outside the town.

There is no direct train from Obidos to Lagos. Travel time will be between 7,5 and 8 hours and you will have to change train in Monte Abraao, Sete Rios- Lisbon and Tunes.

You may find this link on my blog and the links to timetables shown in the right hand panel of the blog of use:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/caldas-da-rainha-to-faro-by-train.html

Traveling from Hotel PESTANA DELFIM (Alvor) to Lisbon..

The Renex buses from Lagos to Lisbon Gare Oriente go through Alvor.

To make the 11.25 at Lisbon airport you would need to get the 00:45 service arriving Lisbon Oriente at 05:00 as the early morning service does not go through Alvor. Cost will be +- Euros 15:00

You could get the early morning train but you would need to get a taxi to Portimão-

For Renex & rail timetables go to my blog at:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the right till you come to the panel entitled:

Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

Click on

RENEX Bus Service - Lisbon to Algarve timetable

to download the RENEX Timetable

and

↓ Portuguese Railways - Summer 2007 - Lisbon - Algarve Faro/Lagos Timetable

to download the Railway Timetable.

From Gare Oriente take a taxi to Lisbon Airport - 5 minutes.

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

Seven day winter trip - Lisbon and the South of Portugal

A week is not a lot of time.

You will need at least 2 days if not three in Lisbon as you want to cover the following:

Lisbon Centre (The Baixa)
The Alfama & Castelo São Jorge.
Belem (Tram or train) - Tower of Belem, Jeronimos Monastery
Evening - Bairro Alto

Sintra - Train from Rossio Station (Full morning if not more.)

To the South of Lisbon the following places are worth considering:

Alentejo

Evora (UN world Heritage site)
Serpa
Setubal

Algarve

Lagos - where I live! Great town with a great mix of culture, restaurants, beaches, view and coastline exploring out to Sagres at the most South Westerly part of the Algarve.

To do all the above would require a car and a lot of driving. (Bear in mind to specify automatic shift when renting a car - most hire cars here are manual shift.)

In summary, I would suggest:

Day 1 - 3 - Lisbon
Day 4 - Evora
Day 5 & 6 - Lagos & south west coast
Day 7 back to Lisbon.

No disrespect to Cubsur who has extensive knowledge of the Algarve and Portugal, but I will always prefer Lagos over Albufeira! :::))))

Lisbon to the Algarve by train

The Algarve is a region an area 160km long East to West by 40km North South. It is Portugal's Med.

There are various towns in the Algarve, Faro the capital, Portimão Vilamoura, Albufeira.

Lagos, is an old historic sea-port dating back to Phoenicians times. It still retains its old City walls. It was one of the main points of departure for the Portuguese Voyages of Discovery that opened up the route around Africa for Europe 500 years ago.

Although we have tourists here, Lagos stills retains its Portuguese ambiance.

Express trains from Lisbon to the Algarve run to Faro.

For Lagos, however, you change to a local train at Tunes Station 20minutes before Faro.

Tavira is an old Roman settlement that also retains much of its Portuguese charm. To get there you continue to Faro and take a local connecting train.

Either of these destinations would allow you, provided you travelled by day, to see a lot of the Alentejo region, South of Lisbon and the Algarve. The departure from Lisbon itself is spectacular as it crosses the Tejo estuary under the 25 Abril Bridge offering panoramic views of the estuary and Lisbon.

I suggest you travel down one afternoon, (seat on left hand side of the train to avoid the sun), have a day there, and go back the next day, (seat on right hand side of the train.)

There are also long distance coach services between Lisbon and these centres:

Travel time by train or bus between 3,5 hours to 4,5 hours

For more info, including links to timetables, have a look at:

1) Copies of earlier postings on my blog:

barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com

2) Cubsur's:

www.algarvebus.info

and

3) This very useful page.

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

Hope this helps

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

Lisbon - Carvoeiro

Hi!

There are no public transport systems that link Lisbon directly with Carvoeiro in the Algarve.

Essentially, you have two options:

1) Rail

Train from Lisbon Gare Oriente or Entrecampos stations to Portimão (change at Tunes Junction) and then taxi.

2) Long Distance Coach

Both EVA Transportes and Renex operate long distance coach services from Lisbon to Lagoa.

From Lagoa one can get a taxi to Carvoeiro.

For timetables, go to my blog at:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the right until you come to the panel entitled:

Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

In this panel you can find links to download in pdf format the train timetable from:

# Portuguese Railways - Winter 2007/2008 - Lisbon - Algarve Faro/Lagos Timetable

# RENEX Bus Service - Lisbon Gare Oriente to Algarve timetable

EVA Transportes service from Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station to Lagoa: (Click on Image to enlarge)



There are buses from both Portimão and Lagoa to Carvoeiro. However, in Portimão the bus terminus is a long way from the station and major bridge works are delaying traffic substantially at present. That is why I recommend taxi.

You can see a full bus timetable on Cubsur's site at:

http://thomasallen.home.sapo.pt/travel/031.htm

Transportation from Lagos to Lisboa on Sunday?

You may find the EVA Bus service from Lagos Bus Station to Lisbon Sete Rios Coach Station a bit quicker than the train at 3:45min.

There are Sunday departures as follows:

Dep. arr.

LAGOS LISBOA 07:45 11:30
LAGOS LISBOA 10:15 14:00
LAGOS LISBOA 12:45 16:30
LAGOS LISBOA 15:30 19:15
LAGOS LISBOA 18:15 22:00

See:

http://www.eva-bus.com

Must see/ do around Lagos ??

Well you only have a week and you haven't really stipulated your likes and dislikes but here goes:

- Lagos has been a port for over 2000 years. the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors et al have been here.

The town, together with Lisbon, Sines and Sagres, was also the point of departure for the Portuguese Voyages of Discovery in the 15th Century, which opened up the European Sea Routes round the Cape of Good Hope to India which subsequently led to the Portuguese, Dutch, & British Empires.

Just imagine a bunch of guys in a wooden vessel not much bigger than a small trawler wandering off around Africa with no compass...no GPS ...nothing.

Lagos still retains its Portuguese character:

So in Lagos, culture:

- Have a walk round the old City walls
- Check out the rebuild of the type ship (caravel) than was used by the Portugues explorers.
- The Slave Market (One of the first in Europe)
- The Santa Maria Church
- The Museum
- The Fortaleza (small fort) at the end of the Avenida. Forts of these kind were built by the Portuguese all over the place. Even seen one in Mombasa,.Kenya.

Further afield, culture:

- Tavira - 75 minutes away by car. Old traditional Portuguese fishing port in the Eastern Algarve.

- Sagres - See the Fort built by Prince Henry the Navigator to supervise the voyage of exploration. 5km away visit Cape St. Vincent the most South Westerly point of Europe. While visiting this area check out the spectacular cliff lined coast.

Other -

Monchique - Dirty Great Big Mountain that dominates the skyline behind Lagos and the surrounding area. It is hot, take run up to Monchique village with is traditional. Also run further up to Foia at the top for views of the area. 5 kms out of Monchique on the Portimão Road you will find Caldas da Monchique where there is a Mineral Spa and restaurant.

Water Parks et al:

- Slide and Splash at Lagoa

http://www.slidesplash.com/

- Zoomarine at Guia

http://www.zoomarine.com/

The West Coast:

West of Lagos explore the beaches at Salema, Praia da Ingrina and run up the West Coast from Vila de Bispo to Praia de Amado, Carrapateira, Bordeira and Aljezur.

From Vila de Bispo also take the little road behind the Market down to the beach at Castelejo. Car will be required.

Right if that doesn't tire you out for starters - a good meal at one of our excellent sea food restaurants here in Lagos will! :))

Portugal, Spain, Morocco

Some observations:

1) Seville & Cordoba in August will be hot hot hot! (Possibly +40ºC between 11:00 and 17.00) You will be hard pushed to do much therefore in two days. If time is a constraint I would recommend scratching Cordoba and spend two days in Seville.

2) Day 12 Tarifa - Lagos is going to be a very long day, you will have to route via Seville as previously explained:

Timetable for coaches between Tarifa and Seville can be found here:

http://www.tgcomes.es/horarios_33_english.htm

The bus at 08:00 arriving Seville at 11:00.

There is a DAMAS/EVA bus to Lagos at 13:30 arriving 16:40.

See Cubsur's excellent site here

Note that this routing by coach is really the only feasible way of travelling by public transport from Gib/Tarifa/Cadiz to the Algarve/Lagos.

There is no train connection between Seville and Portugal/Algarve and the only flights between Mainland Spain and Portugal is the Ryanair Faro to Madrid Flight 4 days a week.

There are no direct flights between Faro International Airport (Airport for the Algarve - situated 70kms from Lagos) and Faro. TAP/Air Portugal offer a service but it routes via Lisbon and is a pain owing to frequent delays and cancellations.

A much better way to visit Porto would be to catch the early train from Lagos which connects with the Alfa-Pendular Express from Faro and arrives Porto at 12:44.

If you go to my blog at:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com

scroll down on the right till you get to the panel entitled:

>>Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

You will find a link entitled:

Porto - Lisbon - Porto Train Timetable.

Click and you will download a timetable for the Alfa Pendular Service including the service from Faro.

You can also find in the same panel a link to the Algarve line train timetable.

A final thought now I have come to think about it!

Spanish airline ClickAir operates Barcelona - Tangier although costs of flights in August are expensive. Early August - + Euro 300. Mid August onwards circa Euro 170.00 & taxes. However, if you are already flying to Seville.....

So you could fly Barcelona - Tangier direct spend your few days in souks seeing the carpet salesmen and then take the ferry to Tarifa.

Then take the bus to Seville.

Spend a couple of days in Seville and maybe Cordoba and then go Lagos.

A further option is the above flights are to expensive is to fly Barcelona to the airport at Jerez la Frontera near Cadiz and then get a bus teh last 130km from there to Tarifa. Spanish low costs SPANAIR, CLICKAIR, S.A. and VUELING AIRLINES appear to operate this route according to AENA the Spanish airports authority.

Then ferry over to Morocco and then do Seville on your way back.

Restaurant Portal do Infante, Marina, Lagos, Algarve

We had a long-planned party for friends and family in Lagos on a Saturday in mid-September 2012.

We required a location with a pleasant view, Portuguese cuisine and capacity up to 80 persons. Planning started in March 2012. We trawled the main restaurants and hotels in Lagos. Either they did not have enough capacity, were ridiculously expensive and/or turned us away saying mid-September was still "tourist" season.

The Portal do Infante was among one of the first restaurants visited and the manager, Sr. Paulo was about the only manager to whom we spoke who understood what we wanted, was able to offer a good price per person and was interested in what we as customers required. The Restaurant is situated in the area around the corner from the main Marina complex. It is a more tranquil location and offers a direct view over the moorings.

The party passed off perfectly. It was a beautiful sunny Lagos Saturday evening. Drinks were served to all guests on arrival and then we sat down to a lovely dinner. We had arranged a pianist and a traditional Fado group, comprising two guitarists and an excellent female Fado vocalist. (Even guests from Lisbon and Coimbra complimented her talent.)

All this time, the staff of the Portal were extremely attentive and continued to be so until we finished at 1 a.m.

The food was of the highest quality and included for the first course arroz de peixe com Gambas/Fish Rice with shrimps or Bacalhau no forno à Infante/Baked bacalhau (cod) á Infante. The second course offered Borrego assado no forno/ Roast Lamb or Medalhões de Vitela Madeira/ Veal Medallions in Madeira.

The wine selection was also excellent.

We cannot more highly recommend this restaurant which also has a cafe section which offers snacks and light refreshments at good prices.

This is an excellent location just for a dinner for two or for an anniversary/wedding party.

Website: http://www.gelanel.pt/portal/portal.html

Lote 31 - Cais de Honra - Marina de Lagos 8600-780 LAGOS Tel: 282 792 197 e-mail: portalinfante@sapo.pt

Lagos, Algarve to Lisbon - Public Transport

There are three ways to get from Lisbon to Lisbon by Public Transport:

1) Train - http://www.cp.pt

Extract of Full Timetable here: http://scr.bi/cF7njC

Transit Time to Lisbon between 3,5 and 4,5 hours.

Train Change at Tunes Junction.

Descend at Lisboa Entrecampos for Downtown Lisbon and Lisboa Oriente for Lisbon Airport.

Prices up to € 22.50 depending on train.

2) Bus - EVA/Rede Expressos - http://www.rede-expressos.pt - Arrive: Lisboa Sete Rios Bus Station

Extract of Bus Timetable (includes eva and rede expressos) here:

http://scr.bi/aZMews

Prices between € 18:00 and € 19:00 one way per adult.

3) Bus - Renex - Arrive: Lisboa Gare Oriente Bus Station

Timetables here in pdf format: http://www.renex.pt/Files/Horarios_SUL.pdf

Prices usually less than Rede Expressos but transit time about 4,5 hours.

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

Vilamoura to Lisbon

The nearest train station to Vilamoura is Loulé Station. Trains from Faro to Lisbon stop there. However, it is about 15 mins by car/taxi from Vilamoura. There is no direct bus service. One would have to go to Quarteira Bus Station and then get one of the hourly buses to Loulé 4 Estradas.

Alternatively you could get a bus from Vilamoura to Faro.. first service is at 08:00. This takes 40 mins.

Personally, I would recommend that you avoid all this hassle and take a bus. There are three companies operating the route

1) Eva Transportes - operates to Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station

I have uploaded the timetable in pdf format here:

http://www.scribd.com/full/13177566?access_key=key-ystujvfqd2mnffil04u

2) RENEX - Operates to Lisbon Gare Oriente Bus Station

If you go to my blog at:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the right hand panel until you come to the section entitled:

»» Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

You will find a link to the Renex Bus Timetable entitled:

»» RENEX Bus Service - Lisbon to Algarve (including Lagos) timetable

Click on it and you will be able to download the timetable in pdf format.

3) http://www.rede-expressos.pt/ - operates to Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station

National Bus Company. Operates some services in co-operation with EVA.

Returning to Faro you could also consider the train.

See http://www.cp.pt (Click on uk flag for english version)

Lisbon - Tavira

You can hire a car at Lisbon Airport and drop off in Tavira.

Suggest you look at Auto Jardim - see

http://www.carhireyes.com/autojardim/

If you are from across the Pond, I suggest that you specify if you require automatic shift as most cars in Europe are manual shift.

There is public transport available from Lisbon to Tavira.

You would have to take a taxi from the Airport to Gare Oriente Rail/Bus Station from where you could get bus or train.

For timetables, go to my blog at

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the right hand side panel till you come to:

»» Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

»» Continue scrolling down in this section till you come

Portuguese Railways - 2008 - Lisbon - Algarve Faro/Lagos Timetable

or

RENEX Bus Service - Lisbon to Algarve timetable

An alternative bus service also exists from Lisbon Sete Rios Bus Station operated by Rede-Expressos.

There is a link on my blog as well but be warned the site is only on Portuguese.