Mossel Bay shines in Europe

Interesting article on the promotion of Mossel Bay, South Africa at the last ITB in Berlin!

Mossel Bay shines in Europe

Many people do not know about the +500 year-old links between Mossel Bay and Portugal!

Mossel Bay was one of the main layover points on the Southern Tip of Africa for the Portuguese Voyages of Discovery. The Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex is one of the best historical displays about the Portuguese Voyages of Discovery I know, even better than many here in Portugal!

I had a chance to visit this Museum in 2007 and still do not understand why a similiar museum has not been built in Lisbon. Sines or Lagos, Algarve, Portugal to celebrate these incredible feats of navigation!
See:

http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/museums-and-culture/the-post-office-tree

and

http://www.diasmuseum.co.za/ 

Monchique, Algarve, Portugal - New Tourism Promo Video

Monchique, situated in the hills of the Western Algarve inland from the famous Algarve coast, is a little known tourist destination only 20/30km from Portimão and Lagos.

A new video has been produced and was recently launched at the BTL 2013 Tourism Fair in Lisbon:

Enjoy:

Driving from Lagos,Portugal to Lisbon by back roads

The easiest non-electronic toll way to get to Lisbon from Praia da Luz or Lagos avoiding electronic tolls is as follows:

1) Praia da Luz to Lagos on the N125.

2)On approaching Lagos turn left before the Total Garage, at the first roundabout, onto the A22 motorway feeder road. Follow the signs for Bensafrim, Aljezur, Sines.

3) After 8km on a non-toll motorway, one comes to a roundabout.

4)Turn left and continue on the N120 to Aljezur

5) Go through Aljezur and turn left onto the N120 towards Rogil, Maria, Vinagre, Odeceixe.

At Odeceixe one crosses a bridge into the Alentejo.

Continue on passing São Teotonio until one comes to Odemira.

6) At Odemira, drop down the hill, cross the bridge and turn left.

7) Continue onto the next roundabout and cross straight over following signs on the N120 to S. Luis and Cercal. (The next 10km of road are a bit curvy and bumpy.)

8) Pass through S. Luis and continue to Cercal.

9) At Cercal, one will come to a roundabout - turn right on the N262 towards Alvalade.

10) When you reach Alvalade, continue straight on until you hit the old Algarve - Lisbon road. (IC1)

11) Turn left onto the IC1. Pass through the village of Mimosa,

12) Continue along this road about 30 kms until you reach an off-ramp leading off to the right heading for the A2 - Lisboa Motorway.

13) Take this road. When one comes to the toll plaza, take a ticket.

14) Then follow the A2 passing Grandola, Alcacer do Sal and always following the signs for A2 Lisbon.

15) Near Marateca, the motorway from Madrid merges from left. Keep following A2 Lisboa.

16) After about 30 kms one comes to an intersection indicating A12, Ponte Vasco da Gama, Montijo, Lisboa. Follow this off to the right.

17) After about 30km one will come to a toll booth where one can pay cash to a human or a machine.

18) Shortly afterwards you will go through another Toll Booth where one can pay cash to cross the Vasco da Gama bridge into Lisbon.

19) Continue onto the bridge, cross the Tejo.

20) At the 2nd off-ramp after the bridge follow the signs for 2ª Circular, Aeroporto onto the 2º Circular (Ring Road).

21) After about +-4kms one will see the off-ramp marked Aeroporto to one's right.

22) Take this off-ramp, bearing off right into the Airport approach and voila.

Transit Time PDL - Lisbon on this route (+-4:30 hours driving) (I have done it at 04:30 on a Sunday morning in 3:45 minutes non-stop)

Lisbon as an alternative Transit Point for Lagos, Algarve, Portugal

if you take into account the stress involved these days in hiring a car at Faro Airport, the problems with the motorway tolls, the fact that one only knows the day before if a certain train is going to run between Faro and Lagos on a certain day, limited bus frequencies and no public transport links after +- 17:45 as well as other "known unknowns" and "unknown knowns", travelling to Lagos via Lisbon by coach is a doddle and often cheaper!!!!!!

Between Renex, EVA-Mundial and Rede-Expressos we have over 16 daily services between Lagos and Lisbon... more than the 15 we have (on weekdays) between Faro and Lagos by bus and by train.

The EVA Transrapido bus to Faro takes 2hrs 10 minutes and then one still has to get to the Airport.

The train is takes less time but still takes +- 1hr 40mins and but again one still has to get to the Airport.

In the end, now that the metro is open to Gare Oriente and the Aerobus Nº. 2 Service to Sete Rios has been improved, Lisbon as a point of entry for Lagos is a good option.

Faro Airport Transfers - Need for a bus service

Transfers to Lagos are currently priced at around €70/75.00 with most operators! This is fine if there are four people travelling!

That's why I am recommending single travelers and couples to consider coming into the Western Algarve via Lisbon.

Metro/Bus to Bus/Train Station: up to € 4.00 per pax.

Bus from Lisbon to Lagos/Portimão/PDR is +-€20.00. per pax

Even the twice daily bus from Seville to Lagos is cheaper!

Only € 21:00 per person!

We really do need a decent bus service, several times through the day and night, linking the major centres in the Algarve with Faro Airport.

It is crazy when people book early a low-cost flight into Faro for say €49.99 and then have to pay double the amount to get to their destination.

Trains in Portugal - strikes/work to rule

At present, trains on regional and urban routes are being cancelled a few hours notice AND INFORMATION IS NOT BEING COMMUNICATED TO TICKET OFFICES.

We got caught in November! (Remember we both speak and read portuguese well!) We were in Lisbon! Went to Entrecampos to get train back to Lagos changing at Tunes.

Ticket Office sold us a ticket...No Problem!

Ticket Collector checked the ticket on the train, and as per usual, said change in Tunes.

We get to Tunes. No local train. No Station Staff. Half inebriated local elderly gent yells from over the tracks that the train as been cancelled. Next one along in three hours! We ended up with two other locals grabbing a cab to Lagos. An extra € 12:00 each.

The Alfa-Pendular and Inter-City trains are not striking but if you depend on a local connection it can be costly.

At present, strikes/work to rule scheduled to run till end January 2013.

Based on past performance they will be renewed!

Moral of the Story! Apart from any station on an Alfa/IC route, use the bus/coach!

Lagos from Faro

I no longer recommend Faro as a principal entry point to the Lagos, Algarve region for the reasons that Cubsur outlined.

Even for a family, where the cost if hiring a car for one's stay might prove economical, the stress of the electronics tolls payment system and the ongoing apparent increasing abuse of clients by many car hire companies, makes Faro very unattractive.

It is only worth coming via Faro if you are family group of 4 upwards and then take a private shuttle. Then, if you need a car for running around, hire one here from on off our reputable local firms.

For solo travellers, couples and pensioners, it is much easier and in, some cases, cheaper to take long distances coaches (and rail when not on strike) from Lisbon. It takes an hour or so longer but one gets to see much more of Portugal.(at least in the day time) There are also up to 18 buses per day between Lagos and Lisbon, much more than there are to Faro.

I know that you are coming from the Manchester area which has no direct flights to Lisbon but Easyjet.com will be operating Liverpool to Lisbon as from the end of March 2013.

Flights to Faro

At present, there are currently no direct flights scheduled from Faro to Milano in either the winter or summer 2013.

Ryanair have tried to animate routes to both Milano/Bergamo & Orio al Serio in previous seasons, as well as to Madrid and Barcelona.

Indeed, I even understand that for Summer 2013 there will be no route to Madrid.

Unfortunately, it appears that low usage resulted in these being dropped. Efforts have been made to promote the Algarve as a tourist destination into the Italian and Spanish market but with little success. So existing scheduled routes target the destinations in the Algarve's main target markets...viz. UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Scandanavia, Switzerland, Canada, Luxembourg and certain charter markets such as Poland, Finland and Russia.

Decreases in visitor numbers to the Algarve is severely affecting Faro's attractiveness as a flight destination and I am afraid it is only going to get worse.

I recently had to travel from Lagos, Algarve to Pompeii in Italy via Napoli. The only options were either via Sevilla or Lisboa. In the end, because I like Seville and had to spend the night there, I took the twice daily bus from the Algarve to Seville and then flew Vueling.com from there.

I am increasingly recommending folk want to travel to and from the Algarve to consider usingLisbon as their gateway. There are frequent buses between Albufeira and other Algarve towns to Lisbon, taking three to four hours and from Lisbon there is a much greater choice to flights to a variety of European and destinations including Italy.

As regards France, ryanair.com fly several times a week to Paris Beauvais.

Have a specific look at vueling.com. They are the only real low-cost airline that I know that offers through booking. When I flew from Seville to Napoli in November 2012, I got a ticket for €55.00. The route, however, was by one aircraft from Seville to Barcelona, a two hour stop-over and then another Barcelona to Napoli.

Vueling.com fly from Lisbon as well.

On final option to consider, could be flying Ryanair from Faro to Porto. There are many more flights from Porto into destinations in France, Spain and Italy than there are from Faro.

Lagos, Algarve - Midnight bar curfew from February?

Regrettably, this has been in the air for years.

Despite the economic crisis and the travails it has brought, Lagos Council seems hell bent on continuing to destroy what little remains of its night-life attraction. While I can sympathise with the issue of noise in the old town, it is a regrettable side effect of about the only economic raison d'etre for the town, at present.

Fishing is practically dead, the cost of parking is chasing people away from down-town shops, and this latest move will contribute to the slow death for the solo traveler business.

Lagos, for many years, has been on the European backpacker route for US and Antipodean travelers. One of the attractions has been the late night activity. This has generate substantial income for Lagos in terms of backpacker hostels, etc. It has also spread the word about the desirability of Lagos as a holiday destination.

Lagos is already suffering from a number of almost terminal hits.

I have never seen Lagos so quiet as over the past few days. Even the Vila Galé Hotel only had 20 to 30 cars in the car park over Christmas.

Meia Praia is empty. Usually there is the usual small crowd of folk from Lisbon, Seville etc. This year none!!!!

Lagos in the Algarve is dying. The local youth are moving away and it is not just because of the economic crisis.

I suspect, that in the absence of having money to spend, and to try to distract the populace from the fact that vast amounts of money do not appear to have been spent wisely in Lagos in recent years, the Council, with elections coming up in late 2013, are trying to push through a measure that will be popular with residents of the old town, irrespective of the economic consequences.

Given the increased cost and difficulty of getting to Lagos, what with ongoing train strikes, motorway tolls, reduce frequencies of flights to Faro, the prognosis for this town is not good.

I have always made an effort to promote and encourage folk to visit Lagos, but these latest measures are making me actively desist from promoting it.

I no longer can recommend Lagos as an ideal cost-effective destination for holidays.

I now prefer to encourage travelers to visit Lisbon, where there is still a night life, a greater range of things to do and tourist offers, and some great beaches at Oeiras, Carcavelos and Estoril. From there, it is also much easier to visit other parts of Portugal, than it is from Lagos.

In the Algarve, albeit the eastern end, it appears that Olhão and Monte Gordo are making a real effort to promote themselves as "visitor friendly destinations"!!

Flights from Faro Airport to Central Europe

At present, there are currently no direct flights scheduled from Faro to Milano in either the winter or summer 2013.

Ryanair have tried to animate routes to both Milano/Bergamo & Orio al Serio in previous seasons, as well as to Madrid and Barcelona.

Indeed, I even understand that for Summer 2013 there will be no route to Madrid.

Unfortunately, it appears that low usage resulted in these being dropped. Efforts have been made to promote the Algarve as a tourist destination into the Italian and Spanish market but with little success. So existing scheduled routes target the destinations in the Algarve's main target markets...viz. UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Scandanavia, Switzerland, Canada, Luxembourg and certain charter markets such as Poland, Finland and Russia.

Decreases in visitors is severely affecting Faro's attractiveness as a flight destination and I am afraid it is only going to get worse.

I recently had to travel from Lagos, Algarve to Pompeii in Italy via Napoli. The only options were either via Sevilla or Lisboa. In the end, because I like Seville and had to spend the night there, I took the twice daily bus from the Algarve to Seville and then flew Vueling.com from there.

I am increasingly recommending folk want to travel to and from the Algarve to consider using Lisbon as their gateway. There are frequent buses between Albufeira and other Algarve towns to Lisbon, taking three to four hours and from Lisbon there is a much greater choice to flights to a variety of European and destinations including Italy.

As regards France, ryanair.com fly several times a week to Paris Beauvais.

Have a specific look at vueling.com. They are the only real low-cost airline that I know that offers through booking. When I flew from Seville to Napoli in November 2012, I got a ticket for €55.00. The route, however, was by one aircraft from Seville to Barcelona, a two hour stop-over and then another Barcelona to Napoli.

Vueling.com fly from Lisbon as well.

On final option to consider, could be flying Ryanair from Faro to Porto. There are many more flights from Porto into destinations in France, Spain and Italy than there are from Faro.

Madrid - Jerez - Salema - Lisbon

I would therefore recommend one of the two following options:
1) Hire a car in Madrid, Drive it to Jerez, then to Salema, then Lisbon. Put it in the Long Term Car Park at Lisbon Airport while you are in Madeira, then drive back to Madrid. Bear in mind that this routing will incur substantial tolls on the Portuguese Motorways. (Incl. electronic ones on the Algarve spinal Via de Infante A22.) Also bear in mind when renting a car to specify automatic if you are not conversant with manual shift.
2) If you want to do the trip by public transport, then take the AVE from Madrid via Seville to Jerez. Return to Seville by bus or train. Overnight in Seville. Take daily morning DAMAS/EVA buses from Seville to Faro/Lagos, in the Algarve. Either hire a car in Faro/Lagos or take the regular EVA bus to Salema.
2 days later, take the bus back to Lagos and then train/bus to Lisbon or drive from Salema to Lisbon.
Bear in mind a one-way hire will incur a drop-off fee. For this type of rental, I suggest Auto-Jardim or Europcar as both have offices in Lagos and Faro. In Faro bear in mind to specify pick-up at the TOWN office. Otherwise you will have to trail out to the airport to pick up a car.

10 days in Portugal in January

The Algarve is not exactly clement in January! I live here. The far western Algarve does have spectacular coastal scenery, (you would need a car) and we do do rental apartments here. I would suggest if your mind was really set on it, head for Lagos rather than Tavira. Alternatively, I would plan on a trip that took in Lisbon and environs, Coimbra, Porto, (possibly including day trips to Braga, Guimarães or up the Douro River on a wine tasting tour. ). Given the cost and hassle of fuel, tolls and the likely weather in January, I would suggest to plan to travel by long distance coach. The train service between the above centres is good BUT given the current and anticipated penchance of the local rail workers unions to announce stoppages at short notice, plan on using coach travel. Further, if you do end up hiring a car, be aware that most rental vehicles this side of the pond are manual shift. If you require a automatic shift remember to specify this when reserving and be prepared to pay a premium. As regards apartments, also bear in mind that there are excellent reasnably priced Pensão/small Hotels throughout the land. In Coimbra, I would recommend Residencial Victoria andin Lisbon, the Portuense and Florescente near Rossio, If you do visit the Algarve and come to Lagos, have a look at the Vila Galé Hotel, the Marina Club ApartHotel and the Hotel Marina Rio, all of which will probably have excellent offers on in January via bookings.com

CP - Portuguese Railways - Labour Disputes - Warning

Although there is a general tomorrow in Portugal, there are also ongoing periodic rail strikes and "works to rule" continuing on the railways. Although I live here, speak Portuguese, and was full aware of the problem , we got nobbled this morning when taking a train from Lisbon to Lagos. We picked up a ticket to get the 10:29 Intercidades from Lisbon to Tunes, whence we would have changed train to Lagos. We were not advised at the ticket office in Lisbon, that the connecting train from Tunes to Lagos was cancelled due to strikes! Furthermore, the ticket collector on-board the train smiled sweetly at us when we presented our tickets, said "mude em Tunes" (change in Tunes - as usual) and then carried on with no mentioned of the strikes or "work to rule". On disembarking at Tunes, (at 13:20) along with many locals, there was a garbled message which no one could hear because of the departing train. Following discussions with some interested locals over the lines, and using the help line, I established that the 13h25 to Lagos was cancelled owing to "strike action" and that the next train was at 16:57. In the end, we clubbed together with some locals and took a taxi at a considerable extra expense back to Lagos. The real issue is that information on late cancellations is not being passed on to the ticket offices, etc. As regards travelling to the Algarve, I therefore have to strongly recommend that anyone seeking to head from Lisbon to the Western Algarve, (i.e. Silves, Portimão and Lagos), DO NOT, for the present, use rail travel. There is no indication yet as to whether the current work to rule is going to continue after the national rail strike on 1st November, and as alternative public transport from Tunes to the above centres is non-existent, you may end up paying € 12:50 each for a cab with four people to get to Lagos. I STRONGLY recommend that anyone seeking to travel from Lisbon to the Western Algarve USE one of the three bus services, Renex, Rede Expessos or EVA (Search this forum for information this!:) I also strongly recommend travellers to continue to use this option until the rail labour disputes end! If these labour disputes do not end soon, I can see Portuguese Railways local rail services going out of business and, in reality, pehaps that would be the best giving the problems being faced by tourist visiting the Algarve!

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

Palaces in the Algarve and the South of Portugal

Just got back from a business trip to Coimbra! (Cubsur...Rede Expressos up - 6hrs 45 mins / Rede Expressos back to Sete Rios, Lisbon and then EVA to Lagos - 6hrs 45. Round trip cost - +- € 60.00)

If you want three days of history in Portugal, Coimbra and environs are a good place to start.

Viz Lagos and history:

While there may not be castles on the scale of Pena, Obidos, Alcobaça and Batalha in the Western Algarve there is plenty of history.

Recent archaelogical research suggests that the region of Portimão and Lagos was inhabited by he Phoenicians +- 2600 years ago.

There are Roman ruins in Lagos and Praia da Luz.

Lagos evolved as a town during Moorish and early Portuguese history and it was from Lagos, Sagres, Sines and Lisbon that the first Portuguese voyages that opened up the route to India around the Cape of Good Hope and to Brazil.

Much of the town was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake, at which time, the Capital of the Algarve was transferred to Faro. Although the city walls remain, as do certain key churches and other buildings, much of the old town was destroyed at that time.

None less, together with Tavira, Lagos is still one of the two towns in the Algarve that retains their "Portuguese Feel" and atmosphere.

The nearest castles are at Silves(Moorish) and Loulé. There are no palaces in the Algarve. Prior to the arrival of rail, the Algarve was still considered not part of Portugal and, in fact, treated more like a colony.

Until the end of the monarchy in 1910, the monarch was known officially as the "king/Queen" of Portugal and the Algarve. Despite this, the monarch's rarely if ever visited the Algarve, hence, no Palaces in the regal sense.

Indeed, from memory there are few "Palaces" per se South of a line running from Setubal to Evora.

Plenty of large and small castles but Palaces no!

List of Palaces in Portugal from Wikipedia (in Portuguese) here:

http://goo.gl/EZW7O

Also, see:

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

A final thought, if you have a car and are coming in October, (and, if cost is an issue, depending on whether tolls will have then been implemented on the A22), you could take your friend to Sevilla for the day (Albeit a long one!). 3hrs each way on good motorway. Park at either Estacion das Armas or Colon Underground car park and visit the Alcazar Palace.

See: http://goo.gl/tWHE2

Also pop into the Cathedral next door and see Christopher Columbus' tomb!

Tolls on the A22 - Via de Infante - Algarve - Further Commentary

I've been away, but I am convinced that the chaos that is likely to result from a lack of foresight and planning by the Portuguese authorities on the planning of implementation of tolls on the A22/Via de Infante is going to result in a massive decrease in day and week-end tourists from Spain, with a substantial resultant negative multiplier effect on the local economy.

As diskwizz said above, this is going to hit the area west of Albufeira particularly.

I am, therefore, predicting a substantial decrease in tourism revenues for operators in this area for Summer 2010.

I do no believe the EN125 will be an option in Summer. It will be bumper to bumper. I have driven it from Lagos to Faro Airport several times recently and even off-season it takes 1hr. 25 minutes early on a Sunday morning.

My own advice to those planning to visit the Algarve after 15th April is as follows:

1) Come on a package tour including hotel and transfers to destinations.
2) Do not hire a car from Faro Airport, unless you are prepared for a "grind" along the EN125 getting to your destination.
3) Do not get an airport transfer, unless the company in question can confim the price of the transfer when booking.

4) If travelling to the Algarve by air, do not consider the Algarve as your only destination!!!!

Consider flying to either Lisbon or Seville. Spend a couple of days in either centre and then take a bus or train to your final destination in the Algarve. That way you can see a bit more of Portugal/Andalusia as well.

If you need a hire car, rent on locally on arrival in your destination.

However, at all costs avoid the A22 - (Via de Infante)!!!

A final observation. Even with electronic tolls, there is a simple solution, which no one appears to have thought off. Parking Garage type ticket machines where one can by "one-off" magnetic cards for a single trip.

Only problem is "someone" has to pay for slightly more expensive readers, software and other equipment to mount on the pylons capable of reading them.

I am not against tolls per say, but this complete lack of planning for a workable toll system, is, I am convinced going to result in serious and possible fatal damage to the Algarve as a tourist destination.

Even within Portugal, the Algarve is under increasing competition from Lisbon, Porto and other destinations.

I cannot believe that the IMF, if they were called in to assist on Portugal's problems, would advise on killing the golden goose of Algarve tourism. I am sure they would have advised on the need to build toll booths or provide an alternative systems for car-borne visitors to the Algarve.

Lisbon Airport to Portimão

Lets summarise this:

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

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

Departures (Winter 2011 timetable) at
8h42
10h20
13h20
17h20
18h42

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

Train Change at Tunes Junction.

Take the Nº.96 Aeroshuttle bus from Lisbon Airport to Lisbon Gare Oriente Station. Leaves every 30 minutes and takes about 10 minutes. Costs €3.00

Train Prices up to € 27.50 on way depending on train.

2) Bus - EVA/Rede Expressos - http://www.rede-expressos.pt - Depart: Lisboa

Sete Rios Bus Station

To get from Lisbon Airport to Lisbon Sete Rios Long distance Coach Station again take the Nº.96 Aeroshuttle bus (this time in the other direction) which leaves from outside the Arrivals hall:

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

Extract of Rede Expressos/EVA Bus Timetable - Current time of departures from Lisboa Sete Rios Bus Station to Portimão.(includes eva and rede expressos) here:

01:00
07:30
08:15
09:00
10:30
12:30
14:00
15:15
16:00
18:00
18:30
20:30

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

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

Take the Nº.96 Aeroshuttle bus from Lisbon Airport to Lisbon Gare Oriente Station. Leaves every 30 minutes and takes about 10 minutes. Costs €3.00

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.

Note: The above information also applies to travelling from Lisbon Airport to Lagos. Arrival times in Lagos approx. 30 minutes later.

Portugal - Alma - Mariza - Amalia

Thanks for the thanks. Portugal is a great place for independent travellers!

Next time, can I recommend, in addition to Ginja Obidos "oppidum", you try Beirão, Brandymel and if you can find it, Algarve/Alentejo produced Portuguese Air Force jet fuel, a/k/a Medronho!!!

As you have learned to appreciate fado, here are some links to renditions of some of my favorite Portuguese traditional songs for you:

Mariza - Barca Negra - http://goo.gl/ZSUcf
I saw Mariza sing this in the auditorium here in Lagos last August!

Amalia Rodrigues - "Casa Portuguesa" - http://goo.gl/i5dfX
An extract from an old rendition by Amalia from the '60/70's on France 3.
This is how it should be sung!

Amalia Rodrigues - "Lisboa Antiga" - http://goo.gl/P919E
Amalia singing to a b/w video of Lisbon made by the EPCI, a multimedia school in Lisbon. Brings back many memories from Lisbon years ago when I first new it as the capital city of an empire.

Amalia Rodrigues - "Coimbra" - http://goo.gl/OfGB1

This song is about the famous university town, Coimbra.
For me all of these describe the term "alma", which is really unexplainable to non-Portuguese but which is absolutely central to the character of the Portuguese, be they from the Trás-os-Montes or the Algarve.

Enjoy.

tolls on the A22 - Further Comments

Further post of mine from Tripadvisor.com forums.

It is madness and likely to result in a decrease of 50%+ in the number of Spanish Tourists that drive over for the week-end in my estimation.

It is now over 3 months since tolls were mooted and despite articles in both the Portuguese and English press and blogosphere nothing has changed. I was speaking to the director of a well-established local car hire firm recently and he confirmed that no movement has happened yet on the toll issues from the perspective of the car hire firms. They are waiting on the Portuguese Govt.

My advice to folk wanting to visit the Western Algarve, from April 2011 onwards, is to now fly to Lisbon if they can, have a couple of days in Lisbon and take a train or bus down to Lagos and hire a car here. Alternatively, fly to Seville, have a couple of days there, take one of the two daily buses to Lagos and hire a car here. These options, which are direct, at least, mean that one doesn't have to get at least two types of public transport to get from Faro Airport, to say Lagos, if one really doesn't want to go to the expense of hiring a car and figuring out how to pay electronic tolls.