Faro Airport to Alvor

Alvor sits beyond Portimão

Alvor is a former fishing village on the Alvor estuary, a few kilometres west of Portimão, with a long beach and boardwalk on the ocean side and low whitewashed streets around the harbour. From Faro Airport it is roughly 75 km west on the A22 motorway, close to an hour by car. Every public transport option goes to Portimão first; Alvor is a separate local hop of about 7 km. Keep that in mind when you compare prices, because the bus fare you see quoted for "Portimão" does not take you to your door.

Aerobus season and what happens after October

The most direct public option is the Vamus Aerobus, line 56, which leaves from the stop to the left of the terminal's main exit and runs through Albufeira and Lagoa to Portimão's bus station. The fare to Portimão is €14, with tickets from the machine at the airport, from the driver in cash, or through the Vamus app. Guides give the journey as about 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Seats cannot be reserved, so a full bus can leave passengers behind.

The catch is the season. Aerobus runs its full timetable from May to October, with about seven departures a day and a late 20:15 run numbered 57. In winter the service is cut back to about two departures a day. If you are arriving in the last days of October or later, check the Vamus timetable before you land.

At Portimão, the local Vamus bus to Alvor costs about €1.50 a ride, according to an Algarve guide that names lines 13 (weekdays) and 16 (weekends) from Largo do Dique, a walk of under 2 km from the intercity bus station. We could not confirm those line numbers on Vamus's own site, so check at the station. A taxi from Portimão to Alvor is a short, cheap ride if the bus timing is poor.

Rail plus bus, the year-round fallback

There is no station at the airport. Take Próximo bus 16 from outside the terminal to central Faro (about €2.50–2.80; guides differ), walk to the railway station, and catch a CP regional train to Portimão for about €6.65–6.80 and roughly 1 hour 24 minutes. One guide gives the last train from Faro as 20:50. Portimão station is on the north side of town, so you still need the local bus or a taxi to Alvor. It is cheap and runs all year, but it is a three-vehicle trip that suits light bags and daytime arrivals.

Taxis and the new tariff

Faro's airport taxis are metered. One 2026 calculator estimates about €78–94 for the 72 km run to Portimão before tolls, depending on whether day or night rates apply, plus €1.60 for luggage in the boot; Alvor is a little further. An Algarve guide puts the trip at €90–110. Note that a new national taxi tariff, with a flag fall plus distance and time charges, comes into effect on 23 October 2026 and taxis have about 90 days to reprogram their meters, so either system may be in use this winter. Seven-seat taxis cost about 20% more; ask for a standard car if you do not need the space.

Booked transfers and shared vans

This is a route where booking ahead tends to beat the meter. Algarve operators quote private transfers to Alvor from about €62–64, up to about €70 in high season, and shared transfers sold at desks in the arrivals hall run at about €20–22 per person. Once there are two of you, the private car usually comes in under the taxi, and it gets you to the hotel without a change in Portimão. Booking directly with a local firm rather than through a reseller can save 10–15%, according to the same guide.

Arriving at night

After the 20:15 Aerobus and the last evening train, there is no public transport to Alvor. A night taxi costs more (surcharges apply from 21:00 to 06:00 on the current tariff), so for late arrivals a pre-booked transfer with a fixed price is the safer bet. Ride-hailing apps work at Faro too; a guide quotes roughly €42–48 for Alvor, but prices rise with demand at busy times.