Algarve Travel

By plane

Faro International Airport is only a 3 hour flight  from many destinations in Europe. It is the third largest airport in Portugal, where almost 6 million passengers arrive each year.

During the winter months,  many airlines reduce their direct flights to Faro. You may consider a stop-over at the following nearby airports:

Lisbon: The toll motorway A2 will bring you to the Algarve in about two and a half hours. A fast intercity bus run by EVA connects the centre of Lisbon with the most important cities in the Algarve (3:15 to Faro). In addition there is a low cost railway link to Faro (about 3 hours).

Seville: From the airport in Seville it is around a 2 hour drive to the Algarve. The Spanish motorway A4/A49 is toll free, whereas you need to pay tolls on the A22 in Portugal. A fast intercity bus run by EVA connects the centre of Seville with the major cities in the Algarve (2:45 to Faro).

By public transport

There is a direct railway link from Lisbon to Faro.

From Lisbon and Seville long distance coaches go to the major cities in the Algarve.

By car

The toll motorway A2 leads to the Algarve from the north. You will need to allow approximately 2 hours for the 240 km drive from Lisbon to the A22 north of Albufeira.

From Spain the toll free A49 joins the A22 near Castro Marim in the Algarve after 145 km and about one and a half hours driving.

In the Algarve the toll motorway A22 do Infante de Sagres goes from Lagos in the west to Castro Marim in the east at the Spanish border. Toll tariffs on the A22 depend on the distance and are recorded electronically only.

Since the toll was introduced at the end of 2011 the parallel route of the national road EN125 is quite busy during rush hours, because many locals shy away from using the A22 for cost reasons.

Electronic toll collection

Cars with a foreign number plate have several options to pay the toll collected by an electronic system on the A22 motorway:

• Toll Card: this card, valid for one year, can be charged with an amount between 5 and 40 € and needs to be activated by SMS, entering the license number.
• Toll Service: you can have unlimited use of the A22 for 3 days after activation, for a one off fee of 20 €.
• Easy Toll: Payment by credit card (Visa or Master Card), with the toll directly deducted from your bank account
• Via Verde Visitors: renting a so called on board unit (OBU),  a device that can be used both on roads with electronic or manual toll collection.

Driving Directions to the Algarve (Faro)

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