Faro airport to Portimão, Carvoeiro, Ferragudo and Alvorbus, train, taxi and car

Aerobus and its regional-bus connections checked on 12 October 2026: the official Vamus PDFs were compared with the TRENMO feed for every day in 12–18 October, 26 October–1 November and 2–8 November, in both directions [21][22][23][24][25]. The seasonal rules below are those currently published; recheck later travel dates. CP and Próximo were also checked for 12–18 October; town-bus information retains its earlier source dates. Check current fares before you go.

Train and airport-bus check, 12 October 2026: the CP figures below cover 12–18 October, with each direction and train category counted separately. CP’s PDF gives intermediate-station departure minutes; a train can arrive earlier. Journey durations below use departure-to-arrival times unless explicitly labelled as PDF station times. Giro, Vai e Vem and other local routes are outside this check; the Estômbar line 107 connection is checked separately below [26][27][28].

Short answer: the Aerobus (Vamus line 56) goes from the terminal to Lagoa and Portimão bus stations in 70 to 90 minutes, seven times a day until 31 October and only at 11:15 and 18:15 from November to April [2]. Otherwise take Próximo bus 16 into Faro and the train to Portimão (about 61 to 90 minutes; €6.80 full-price Regional single, €7.50 InterRegional [26][29]). For Carvoeiro and Ferragudo you change to a local bus in Lagoa or Portimão; for Praia da Rocha and Alvor, in Portimão [2][9]. The last direct bus leaves the terminal at 20:15 on its operating days, or 18:15 on winter weekends and holidays; the regional buses beyond Portimão and Lagoa finish earlier [21][23][24][25], so with a late flight, small children or a villa outside town, a taxi, transfer or hire car is the simpler choice.

The options at a glance

To	From the terminal	Via Faro city	Road (model, no traffic)
Portimão	Aerobus 56 to the bus station, 85–90 min; Transrápido 57 at 20:15 (Nov–Apr Mon–Fri, not holidays) [2]	Bus 16, then train to Portimão, about 61–90 min (Regional €6.80, InterRegional €7.50) [26][28][29]	71 km, 54 min [11]
Praia da Rocha	Aerobus 56 to Portimão, then a town bus [2][9]	Train to Portimão, then a town bus or taxi [6][9]	73 km, 56 min [12]
Carvoeiro	Aerobus 56 to Lagoa, then line 107, 10 min [2]	Train to Estômbar-Lagoa, then line 107 from the station (about 18 min, no timed connection) or 9 km by taxi [2][6][16]	66 km, 56 min [13]
Ferragudo	Aerobus 56 to Lagoa or Portimão, then line 110 [2]	Train to the Ferragudo halt in Parchal, 1.5 km in a straight line from the village [2][6]	67 km, 54 min [14]
Alvor	Aerobus 56 to Portimão, then line 51 or a town bus [2][9]	Train to Portimão, then line 51 or a town bus [6][9]	76 km, 59 min [15]

Bus and train times in the table are for that leg only, without the wait for a connection. Road times use the shared airport access-road point by the terminal (37.019667° N, 7.970673° W), recalculated on 11 October 2026. They are routing-model estimates without traffic, waiting or car collection time, not measured journeys [11][12][13][14][15]. The A22 motorway along the Algarve has been toll-free since 1 January 2025 [17].

Portimão: the Aerobus from the terminal

The airport’s own transport page lists the Aerobus “Get On” (Vamus) to Albufeira, Portimão and Lagos [1], and the transport regulator lists it as a regular public line [20]. The published seasonal timetable has departures from the airport every day at 08:30, 09:30, 11:15, 12:30, 14:30, 16:00 and 18:15 from 1 May to 31 October, and only at 11:15 and 18:15 from 1 November to 30 April, weekends and holidays included [21][22]. It calls at Albufeira and Lagoa bus stations and reaches Portimão bus station 85 to 90 minutes after leaving the airport, then goes on to Lagos [21][22].

Returning to the airport: line 56 leaves Portimão bus station at 06:30, 08:00, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00, 17:15 and 18:15 in the published high season, taking 85 minutes. From November the annual services are 06:30 and 15:00. From Lagoa the same buses leave 15 minutes later and take 70 minutes to the airport. On the October dates checked, the longest return gap is four hours; on the November dates it is eight and a half hours. From the airport the longest gaps are 2 h 15 and seven hours respectively [21][22]. Leave a separate margin for check-in and security.

One more bus leaves the terminal in the evening: the Transrápido (line 57) at 20:15, which reaches Lagoa at 21:35, Portimão bus station at 21:45 and the riverside stop at Avenida Guanaré at 22:00. It runs daily until 31 October; from November to April only on weekdays, and not on public holidays [2].

Know where the Aerobus stops. In Portimão it uses the bus station on Rua da Abicada, which the enthusiast site algarvebus.info puts about 1.5 km from the centre; the other regional buses, including the ones to Ferragudo, Carvoeiro and Alvor, stop on Avenida Guanaré by the river [9], about 1.3 km south in a straight line [2]. The bus station is close to the railway station, about 300 m apart in a straight line [2][6].

AMT’s 2023 report describes a 24-hour Vamus ticket machine outside departures [20]; we have not confirmed its current availability. Check the fare and current ticket-purchase options with Vamus before travel.

Portimão by train via Faro

From the airport, Próximo bus 16 takes 15–19 minutes to Faro bus station, departing 05:20–00:10 on each checked day [28]. Walk to the railway station and allow a separate boarding margin. Check the current airport fare: the published €2.85 line-ticket price alone does not establish which ticket applies to this journey [4].

The public timetable lists Faro departures at 06:34, 08:36, 10:36, 12:36, 14:36, 16:36, 17:47, 18:36, 19:36 and 20:40. For 12–18 October, there are 10 R/IR trains on each weekday, 9 Saturday (no 18:36) and 8 Sunday (no 06:34 or 18:36). The 06:34 also excludes public holidays; the 18:36 runs Monday–Friday except public holidays. The daily 10:36 is InterRegional. Regional departure-to-arrival journeys take 71–89 min 30 sec, the InterRegional 60 min 30 sec, so allow about 61–90 minutes overall [26][27].

The apparent one-minute difference from the PDF is a station stop: the InterRegional leaves Faro at 10:36:30, arrives in Portimão at 11:37:00 and departs at 11:38:00. The final train leaves Faro at 20:40:00, arrives at 22:09:30 and departs at 22:10:30. The PDF displays 11:38 and 22:10 as departure minutes, not arrival times [26][27].

CP lists full-price one-way fares of €6.80 Regional and €7.50 InterRegional, valid from 19 July 2026; check before travel [29]. Returning Portimão → Faro, the checked counts are also 10 / 9 / 8, with public departures 06:38–20:40. Regional journeys take 67 min 30 sec to 76 min 30 sec, InterRegional 65 min 30 sec; the largest gap including IR is 2 h 50, with 57 minutes before the last departure. The last train reaches Faro at 21:52, before the 22:05 bus but with only 13 minutes to change; with our assumed ten-minute walk and five-minute reserve, use the 23:00 bus → airport 23:17 instead. This is a planning example, not a flight connection guarantee [26][28].

Portimão station is just north of the town centre [9]. It is about 2.5 km in a straight line from Praia da Rocha [2][6], so with luggage you will want a taxi or a town bus for the last stretch.

Próximo 16 in both directions, 12–18 October: [28]

Direction	Mon–Fri	Sat / Sun	First–last departure	Ride	Largest gap Mon–Fri / weekend
Airport → Faro bus terminal	26	22 / 22	05:20–00:10 next day	15–19 min	75 / 80 min
Faro bus terminal → airport	26	22 / 22	05:00–23:45	17–20 min	70 / 85 min

The last departures arrive at 00:26 in Faro and 00:02 at the airport respectively. The gap before the final bus is 50 minutes towards Faro, 45 towards the airport. V8 columns apply only 1 July–13 September, so are excluded here. These are scheduled times, with no allowance for traffic, walking or airport formalities.

Praia da Rocha and the town buses (Vai e Vem)

Portimão’s town buses run under the name Vai e Vem. The council’s page says the network was reorganised in August 2022 and sends you to the Vamus platform for routes and times [10]; we could not read those times outside the app, so the details here come from algarvebus.info, an enthusiast site, and need checking [9]:

• To Praia da Rocha: route 33 runs daily between Largo do Dique, by the river, and Praia da Rocha, every 30 minutes in winter [9]. Vamus line 51 also stops at Praia da Rocha, 6 minutes from Guanaré, six times on weekdays, three times on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in the published high season, and twice on those days from November [24].
• From the station: route 30 links Largo do Dique, the railway station and the Abicada bus station every 30 minutes [9].
• Hours: the town buses run from about 07:00 to between 19:30 and 20:00, with less service, or none on some routes, at weekends and on holidays [9].

The 18:15 Aerobus reaches Portimão bus station at 19:45, after the last line 51 departure from Guanaré at 19:11. Plan a taxi for that onward journey; do not assume a town bus will still be available [21][24].

Carvoeiro

Carvoeiro has no railway station [6]. The bus route is the Aerobus to Lagoa bus station (70 to 75 minutes from the airport) and then Vamus line 107, which takes 10 minutes from Lagoa to Carvoeiro [2]:

• Weekdays: line 107 leaves Lagoa at 07:05, 07:50, 08:50, 09:35, 10:40, 12:30, 13:50, 14:25, 16:35, 17:20 and 18:40 [2].
• Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: only 07:50, 09:35, 13:50 and 17:20 [2].
• From Portimão: the same line starts at Guanaré and takes 30 minutes to Carvoeiro, six times on weekdays and four times at weekends [2].

The connections are not timed. In summer, the 08:30 Aerobus reaches Lagoa at 09:40 and the 107 leaves at 10:40 on weekdays [2]. On the November dates checked, the 11:15 Aerobus reaches Lagoa at 12:30, the same minute a weekday 107 leaves. Allow for the 13:50, which runs every day; this is an 80-minute scheduled wait, not a guaranteed connection [21][22][23]. The 18:15 Aerobus arrives at 19:30, after the last 107 [21][23]. Returning from Carvoeiro on those November dates, the first 107 reaches Lagoa after the 06:45 airport bus. The 15:15 airport bus is the remaining option: for example, the 14:25 from Carvoeiro reaches Lagoa at 14:35, leaving 40 minutes. The weekday 15:00 reaches Lagoa at 15:10, a five-minute margin we would not rely on for a flight [21][22][23].

By train, use Estômbar-Lagoa, about 9 km by road from Carvoeiro [16]. Faro → Estômbar takes 63 min 30 sec to 82 minutes Regional, 54 minutes InterRegional. The checked 107 stop towards Carvoeiro is Estômbar (Estação CP), arriving at Carvoeiro (Centro). TRENMO estimates departures at about 07:42, 09:27, 10:32, 13:42, 17:12 and 18:32 on weekdays; at weekends only 07:42, 09:27, 13:42 and 17:12. The feed models the ride as 17 min 20 sec, except the final weekday run at 18 min 20 sec. These are estimated intermediate-stop times, not exact timing points; the operator PDF confirms the service at Guanaré, Lagoa and Carvoeiro but does not list Estômbar [22][23][26].

Do not plan the same-minute transfer: the 06:34 and 12:36 trains from Faro arrive at 07:42:30 and 13:42:30, only ten seconds before the estimated bus times in the feed. That gives no usable time to leave the train and reach the stop. With an assumed ten minutes for station exit/walk and five minutes of reserve, the last candidates are Faro 16:36 → Estômbar 17:46:30 → bus about 18:32 on weekdays, and Faro 14:36 → Estômbar 15:42:30 → bus about 17:12 at weekends. These walking allowances are planning assumptions, not measured routes or guaranteed connections. With luggage, compare a taxi from Estômbar or Portimão. For places to stay and walks, see Carvoeiro, Alvor or Ferragudo and Benagil Cave.

Ferragudo

Ferragudo sits across the river from Portimão, and the Portimão town buses do not cross to it [9]. Vamus line 110 does, from either side [2]:

• From Portimão (Guanaré): 13 to 14 minutes, 8 buses on weekdays (07:15 to 18:45) and 4 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (08:00, 12:30, 15:30, 17:30) [2].
• From Lagoa bus station: 24 minutes, 8 buses on weekdays (07:05 to 18:45) and 4 at weekends and on holidays (08:40, 14:00, 17:30, 18:45) [2].

The railway halt called Ferragudo is in Parchal, 1.5 km in a straight line from the village centre [2][6]; only Regional trains stop there, 67 min 30 sec to 86 minutes from Faro; CP lists €6.65 for a full-price Regional single, check before travel [26][29]. With bags, a taxi from Portimão station is simpler.

Alvor

Alvor is west of Portimão, about 76 km from the airport by road [15], with no railway station [6]. From Guanaré in Portimão, Vamus line 51 takes 22 minutes: on weekdays at 08:56, 10:11, 12:56, 15:11, 17:11 and 19:11; on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 10:11, 12:56 and 19:11 in the published high season, and only 10:11 and 19:11 from November [24]. The enthusiast site also lists Vai e Vem town routes to Alvor: route 13 on weekdays only, and route 1P on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (hourly in winter), which in July, August and the first two weeks of September also runs late in the evening [9].

From the airport that means the Aerobus to Portimão bus station, then a separate transfer to Guanaré, 1.3 km away in a straight line, for line 51, or a taxi all the way from Portimão. More on Alvor’s beach and boardwalk in things to do in Portimão.

Taxi, Bolt, Uber and transfers

• Taxi: the airport says taxis charge a distance-based fare, add any tolls on the route and charge a supplement for bags larger than 55 x 35 x 20 cm; its only reference price is about €10 from the airport to Faro city [1]. We found no published price to Portimão, Carvoeiro or Alvor, so ask for an estimate before you set off and keep the receipt. (That airport page still mentions tolls on the Via do Infante; the A22 has been toll-free since 2025 [17].)
• Bolt, Uber, transfers: Bolt works in the Algarve and has a child-seat category [18]; Uber lets you book a Faro Airport pickup ahead with Uber Reserve [19]. A pre-booked transfer matters most for Carvoeiro, Ferragudo and Alvor, where the buses stop early. We did not check fares or compare operators.

Hire car

Portimão is about 71 km and Carvoeiro 66 km from the airport by road [11][13], and the A22 motorway has been toll-free since 1 January 2025 [17]. A car makes most sense for Carvoeiro, Ferragudo and Alvor, for villas outside the towns and for Benagil and the cliff walks. Desks, deposits, child seats and what to check at pick-up are in Algarve car hire.

Landing late

For trains and Próximo, these examples cover 12–18 October 2026; the separate Vamus seasonal rules are noted below:

• Direct bus: the last one from the terminal is the 20:15 Transrápido, reaching Portimão at 21:45 [2]. It runs daily until 31 October, then Monday to Friday only, not on holidays; on winter weekends and holidays the last is the 18:15 Aerobus [2].
• Train: 20:05 airport bus → Faro terminal 20:24 → train 20:40 → Portimão arrival 22:09:30. The 16-minute change leaves only one minute beyond our assumed ten-minute walk and five-minute boarding reserve. It is not guaranteed. The earlier 19:05 bus → 19:24 terminal → 19:36 train → Portimão 20:58 leaves only 12 minutes and fails that allowance; take an earlier bus [26][28].
• Carvoeiro, Ferragudo, Alvor: the last local buses leave Lagoa for Carvoeiro at 18:40 on weekdays and 17:20 at weekends; Guanaré for Ferragudo at 18:45 on weekdays and 17:30 at weekends; Guanaré for Alvor (line 51) at 19:11 every day [2]. The 18:15 Aerobus arrives too late for these regional buses, and the 20:15 Transrápido is later still. Do not rely on a town-bus connection without checking that separate timetable [21][22][23][24][25].
• Into Faro: the last bus 16 leaves the airport at 00:10 [3]; if you are out of arrivals in time, you can at least reach Faro and a hotel there.

Our rule of thumb: if you land after about 19:30, plan on a taxi, Bolt, Uber or a transfer booked in advance.

In winter

From 1 November to 30 April the bus options shrink [2]:

• The Aerobus runs only at 11:15 and 18:15, every day.
• The 20:15 Transrápido runs Monday to Friday only, not at weekends or on holidays.
• Line 51 to Alvor drops to two buses on Saturdays and Sundays (10:11, 19:11); lines 107 and 110 keep the same four weekend runs.

The train counts above were checked for 12–18 October, not every winter date. CP’s feed has a calendar horizon of 12 December 2026; this is a limit of the data, not an end of service. Check your date in CP’s planner, especially for travel after 12 December. Bus 16 plus a train and an onward taxi is one option for winter arrivals [26].

Related

• Faro airport to Albufeira and Vilamoura: the same airport, for the central resorts
• Faro airport to Lagos and Sagres: the same airport, further west
• Things to do in Portimão
• Portimão with kids
• Carvoeiro, Alvor or Ferragudo: where to stay
• Getting around the Algarve without a car