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Albufeira Month of March

Happy New Year all will be in Albufeira for the month of March and we are looking for items of interest to see while we are there. 2 weeks will be without a car and the last 2 weeks will be with a car. What is the public transportation like? Is it feasible to travel to Sintra from Albufeira on a day trip?

Thanks in advance for your advice

Posted by
1576 posts

Happy New Year Wayne,

It is feasible to visit Sintra on a day trip from Albufeira by bus. However, you will have to leave in the early mornings as the trip is around 3 hrs and 53 min to get there. You might want to leave Sintra for last 2 weeks when you have a rental car.

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Sintra/Albufeira#r/Bus-via-Amoreiras

As far as activities to do and day trips near Albufeira for first two weeks, you can use this bus line on link below to plan your trips.

http://eva-bus.com/

You can then visit these following towns via Bus:

Silve, Lagos, Faro, Vilamoura & Quarteira, and Loule

With Rental Car:

•The pretty resort of Carvoeiro combined with the traditional town of Ferragudo

•The western tip of the Algarve; Sagres and Cabo de Sao Vicente towering cliffs

•The fishing town of Olhao

•Mountain views of Monchique

•Portimao, Praia da Rocha and Alvor

Posted by
16 posts

Thanks RJ that is great information

Posted by
6113 posts

Sintra isn’t a sensible day trip from Albufeira with or without a car, as it’s probably 4 hours each way, allowing for getting stuck in traffic around Lisbon and that’s if you take the toll roads. It will take more than 6 hours if you avoid the tolls.

The rail station near Albufeira is 5 miles north of the town. There are some local bus services, but your trip would be significantly enhanced if you extended your car hire for the entire trip - it is very cheap in March.

Places worth visiting - Lagos, Silves, Loule, Aljezur, Sagres (dress warmly as it’s always cold and windy there), Monchique and Ferragudo.

Posted by
1654 posts

I definitely agree that Sintra is not a viable day trip from the Algarve. The sites in Sintra could easily fill two days. If you want to visit Sintra or any other areas around Lisbon, I would suggest spending a portion of your trip in that area. I, frankly, can’t imagine spending an entire month in the Algarve without venturing north.

And, I also can’t imagine spending any length of time in the Algarve without a car. I would suggest checking into the cost of having the car the entire time in that area.