Transportation Marbella to Tavira

All the options look pretty ugly. This is what Rome2Rio says. As always, don't trust those travel times, frequencies or fares. Drill down to the rail and bus-company websites and go there for accurate information.

You have run into the really messy situation that exists regarding ground transportation between Spain and Portugal.

(You do mean Tavira, Portugal, rather than Tarifa, Spain, right? Tarifa would be simpler and faster.)

Thank you, and yes, I do mean Tavira....we were so excited as friends told us how wonderful the bus/train services are in both Spain and Portugal and then I started looking...messy for sure! I will take your suggestion and keep trying, but it looks like renting a car might work, although, I think I read somewhere that you are not allowed to take rentals across the border??

You should clear crossing the border with the rental-car company before finalizing your plans, but I think you'll be able to get the necessary OK. The problem is likely to be financial, unless you are looping back into Spain after traveling in Portugal. There is usually a very, very high international drop charge.

Ok, more research is needed, this is not sounding very good. We are heading to London after Tavira, flying out of Faro. Worst case scenario at this point is, take the long way, enjoy the sights and sit back .... relax!!! Thank you again...

"we were so excited as friends told us how wonderful the bus/train services are in both Spain and Portugal and then I started looking...messy for sure!"

Your friends gave you incomplete information. Within Spain or within Portugal, trains and buses work fine. Between the two countries is a different story.

While we in the US tend to think of Spain and Portugal as practically one country, the transit links between them are surprisingly skimpy, and they are surprisingly difficult to combine in a single trip. There are a very few trains (often at odd hours), there are buses (fewer than you would think and involving more connections than you would expect) and there are flights (more than you would expect, due to the lack of other options). A car rented in one country and returned in the other has a high surcharge (several hundred euros).

This issue comes up in this forum at least once a week - you're not alone!

As acraven says, Rome2Rio is a good website to start looking for how to get from place to place in Iberia. You should never take it as the last word for prices, schedules, etc. Go directly to the airline, bus company, etc to double check times and prices. But it will give you a head start, as well as showing the difficult connections you had thought would be simple (and, of course, vice versa).

Thank you Harold for your information. After much research, we have decided to hire a day tripper driver, who will get us from door to door and a tour along the way for less than taking the bus (3 people). Looking forward to a wonderful trip....