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Travel from Algarve to Porto in June

Hello! My husband and I are taking our 3 teenagers to Portugal later this month. To save money on airfare from the States, we are flying round trip Porto. We are staying in Porto first, then taking the train to Lisbon for a couple of nights, then finally the train to Faro (train will be all Alfa Pendular). We will then rent a car for our time in the Algarve. What I am having a really hard time deciding is whether we should 1) take the 6 hour train ride back to Porto the day before we fly out (which would get us into Porto at 9pm local time because the only other AP train leaves at 7am and we prefer the morning in the Algarve), or 2) drive the rental car to Porto. The car option is more affordable, but not enough to make the decision for us. My concerns with the train are getting in late to Porto on the train after a long day of travel only to wake up and have an even longer day of travel home. My concerns with the car are having one large enough to fit 5 of us plus our luggage for such a long trip. I know European cars are much smaller than we are accustomed to in the US.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

Posted by
404 posts

Because the ride it's about 6 hrs, we fly between Porto and Faro - it's about 1 hour plus check in and security ( it's more expensive).

They have larger vehicles - minivans or SUV - that will fit your family and luggage but they are more expensive.

Another option is to go to Faro first and stop in Lisbon on your back to Porto ( Lisbon to Porto is about 3hrs on the AP).

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you so much for your reply! Would you mind sharing what airline you fly? TAP wasn't showing direct flights. The only direct I found was with Ryanair and read nightmare stories about them canceling flights and not letting people know etc. So I was nervous to book it.

We thought about rearranging the order of the trip but the only AP train we could make gets to Faro at 10pm. We could fly but again Ryanair. I just do not know anything about them other than what I read online.
Thanks again!

Posted by
404 posts

We use Skyscanner to search for flights in Europe.
Because we usually travel for months ( instead of weeks) we do a month search, you'll have to enter the exact dates, one way and check the currency used on the site ( it can be changed).

Usually Ryanair is the cheapest, for 1 hour flight were ok with it.
If you decide to fly with Ryanair a few tips to remember:
- check for cancellations or time/date changes.
- check in online AND print or download the boarding pass - extra fees if you don't
- fee for luggage, prepay at booking
- fee for seat selection, prepay at booking
- they are very strict with any carry on/ personal items
- download their app
- check their site for the latest rules

When we travel we try to make the process as simple and easy as possible even if we have to pay more.
It's worth it to us to enjoy our travel instead of having to worry about the logistics of the trip.

Posted by
2997 posts

My son and his wife just flew from Porto to Faro and it worked well. They had a car rental for the time they were in the Algarve. It is cheaper to return a car to same location as rented it.

For Ryan air you can pay extra to carry in a regular sized carry on. They did this and I have previously and it is the simplest if you otherwise are having carry on luggage.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you! My concern with Ryan was a flight cancelation or delays because I have read some horror stories. I am happy to hear they had a good experience.