Car Hire:
One of the best ways to discover the Algarve is to rent a car, drive
around and find your favourite places. As with most things in the
Algarve, car hire is a very competitive market. There are many car
rental companies and they all seem to offer more or less the same. If
you book in advance to the company or through your tour operator you
can be sure that you'll get what you want. Internet offers tend to be
the best priced. We highly recommend Strawberry Autos
To rent a car you will need a valid driving license (of course!),
passport, and you have to be at least 21 years old. Make sure that the
price you pay includes mileage and insurance.
Bear in mind that there are some things you should be aware of when
driving in the Algarve (see our 'Driving in the Algarve' section).
Two wheel rides:
Several companies offer bicycle hire (mountain bike hire), moped hire,
scooter hire and motorcycle hire. Prices vary depending on the number
of days you hire the bike, but they usually start at around 25 euros
per day for scooter hire and 10 euros per day for bicycle hire. The
more days you hire a bike for the lower the price will get. You have to
wear a crash helmet that you can get at the same time as you hire your
bike. For hiring bikes you have to be at least 18 years.
Taxi:
Taxis are usually recognizable by their black and green colours or just
by their beige colour. Taxis also have the word TAXI on top and usually
work on a taximeter basis.
You can get a taxi almost anywhere. Just
stop one in the middle of the street or go to the nearest taxi rank.
Usually, you will have to take the first taxi in the queue but, if for
any reason you find that it doesn't suit your needs, you can choose
another one. Imagine the taxi driver doesn't speak your language. Why
shouldn't you be able to have one that best suits your requirements?
Each taxi usually takes a maximum of four persons and if you take extra
luggage with more than 30kg the driver may levy an extra charge, but
never exceeding 50% of the fare (except for wheel chairs or another
disabled device that are free).
Bus Travel:
If you plan to get around by bus you can pick up a timetable from a bus
station, shops, or perhaps from your hotel. Coach travel in Portugal is
made easy by an extensive network of privately run companies who
operate with efficiency and competitive prices.
EVA Transportes,
Rede Nacional de Expressos and Renex are the main companies in charge
of the public transport to, from and inside the Algarve.
EVA Transportes, meaning Empresa (Company) de Viação (of Transport) do
Algarve (of the Algarve), began operating in 1933. It connects the
Algarve to Lisbon, Porto and Évora and to other international
destinations like Paris, Geneva, Zurich and Hamburg, apart from the
buses that make the connection between regions from the Algarve.
The Rede Nacional de Expressos counts on more than 100 buses providing connections to 300 Portuguese localities.
Train Travel:
trains are clean, comfortable, cheap and always on time. CP (trains
company) has several lines that take you around almost all the country.
The Algarve is served by Lisbon's Barreiro station on the south side of
the River Tagus, and you can reach it by ferry.
The tickets can be
purchased at the ticket office of the respective boarding stations and
at the automatic selling machines. It is important that you do not
travel without a ticket otherwise you will have to pay a high fine.
Consider paying a little extra for what the company calls “Comfort
class” and enjoy the air conditioning and soft reclining seats.
One of the best things on train journeys is the beauty of the
landscapes that you get to see on the way to your final destination!
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