This page explains how to buy train tickets from Faro, Albufeira & the Algarve to other European cities at the cheapest prices, buying online direct from the operators, usually with print-at-home tickets. Click here to buy tickets starting in another city.
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Take a moment to read these important tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a €35 point-to-point ticket online?". And most important, click here to understand how far ahead you can buy train tickets.
European
train travel FAQ
Faro & Algarve to Lisbon from €8
An Alfa Pendular train
Faro & Algarve to Porto from €19
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Two direct Alfa Pendular trains link Faro & Albufeira-Ferreiras with Porto Campanhã every day. At the time I write this, they leave Faro at 07:00 & 16:00. Faro to Porto takes 5h50 city centre to city centre.
Other departures are available at intervals through the day with one simple change of train at Lisbon Oriente.
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Advance-purchase fares start at around €19 in 2nd class or €39 in 1st class.
If you buy on the day of travel you'll pay higher prices.
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Buy tickets at the Portuguese Railways website www.cp.pt (in €) or Omio.com (in €, £ or $).
You'll need passport numbers for all travellers. You print your own ticket.
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Tip: You should book to Porto Campanhã as that is the station where the fast trains start, but your ticket is valid for a free transfer by CP suburban train from Porto Campanhã to the beautiful Porto São Bento station in the old town. Suburban trains link Campanhã & São Bento every 5-15 minutes taking 4 minutes.
An Alfa Pendular train at Porto Campanhã.
Faro & Algarve to Madrid from €17 + €28
By bus to Seville then AVE high-speed train - the recommended route...
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Step 1, if starting in Albufeira, take a train from Albufeira-Ferreiras to Faro. See www.cp.pt or Omio.com for times & prices.
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Step 2, take a bus from Faro to Seville. Buses run roughly every 2-3 hours, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, fare €17-€21.
There are various buses run by Alsa, Damas, EuroLines or Iberobus. I recommend the Alsa buses (Alsa-Rede Express), as they go direct to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The Alsa buses leave from Faro's Eva bus station, next to the excellent Eva Senses Hotel and 2 minutes walk from Faro railway station.
Buy tickets for these buses at Omio.com and print your own ticket.
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Step 3, take an AVE high-speed train from Seville Santa Justa to Madrid Atocha in around 2h30.
The AVE has standard & comfort class, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. If you pay the Premium fare, a meal with wine is served at your seat. More about Renfe's fares & classes.
I'd allow an hour or two between train and bus in Seville, just in case of delay.
Fares start at around €28. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this train at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket. Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Above, an Alsa-Rede Express bus to Seville at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
The bus crosses the Guadiana river, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal at this point.
The Alsa buses arrive right outside Seville Santa Justa station.
Faro & Algarve to Barcelona
By bus to Seville, then AVE high-speed train to Barcelona - the easiest, fastest & cheapest option.
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Step 1, if you're starting in Albufeira, take a train to Faro. www.cp.pt or Omio.com for times & prices.
In Faro, the Eva bus station is an easy 3 minutes walk from the station, next to the Eva Sense Hotel.
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Step 2, travel from Faro to Seville by bus, an Alsa-Rede Express bus leaves Faro Eva bus station at 10:00, arriving Seville Santa Justa 14:15.
Times vary so check at Omio.com, I'd allow at least 60 minutes between bus & train. Remember the 1h time difference between Spain & Portugal.
Several other bus companies run this route including Damas, EuroLines & Iberobus, all going to Seville Plaza de Armas bus station, Omio can book all of these. I recommend Alsa-Rede Express as their buses call at Plaza de Armas, then continue to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The bus arrives right outside the main station entrance opposite McDonalds, see the photo below.
The Alsa-Rede Express bus has power sockets, but no WiFi or toilet. There's a brief toilet stop at Tavira bus station.
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Step 3, travel from Seville to Barcelona by AVE S103 high-speed train, leaving Seville Santa Justa at 16:29 and arriving Barcelona Sants 22:35.
The AVE has standard & comfort class, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. If you pay the Premium fare, a meal with wine is served at your seat. More about Renfe's fares & classes.
Fares start at around €46 in standard class or €56 in comfort class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this train at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com and print your own ticket.
Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Above, an Alsa-Rede Express bus to Seville at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
The bus crosses the Guadiana river, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal at this point.
The Alsa buses arrive right outside Seville Santa Justa station.
You then take a luxurious AVE S103 from Seville to Barcelona, seen here arrived at Barcelona Sants. See virtual tour.
Scenery from the high-speed AVE between Seville & Barcelona. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.
Faro & Algarve to San Sebastian
Option 1, Faro to San Sebastian with overnight stop in Madrid.
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Day 1, travel from Faro to Seville by bus.
Buses run roughly every 2-3 hours, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, fare €17-€21.
There are various buses run by Alsa, Damas, EuroLines or Iberobus. I recommend the Alsa buses (Alsa-Rede Express), as they go direct to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The Alsa buses leave from Faro's Eva bus station, next to the excellent Eva Senses Hotel and 2 minutes walk from Faro railway station
Check times & buy tickets for all these buses at Omio.com, you print your own ticket.
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Day 1, travel from Seville Santa Justa to Madrid Atocha by high-speed AVE train in around 2h35.
The AVE has standard & comfort class, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. If you pay the Premium fare, a meal with wine is served at your seat. More about Renfe's fares & classes.
Fares start at around €30.
Book this train at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket. Booking normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies. I'd book a train that leaves Seville at least 2 hours after your bus is due to arrive.
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Stay overnight in Madrid. The classic Hotel Mediodia is across the road from Atocha with good reviews, or try the NH Hotel Madrid Atocha or Only YOU Hotel Atocha, also across the road from the station.
Next morning, transfer from Madrid Atocha to Madrid Chamartin.
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Day 2, travel from Madrid to San Sebastian by comfortable high-speed Alvia train.
There's a morning departure from Madrid Chamartin at around 08:00 or (if you wanted a day in Madrid) a late afternoon one at around 16:00, taking around 5h25. Fares start from around €23.
Book this train at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket. Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Option 2, Faro to San Sebastian with overnight stop in Seville
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Day 1, travel from Faro to Seville by bus.
Buses run roughly every 2-3 hours, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, fare €17-€21.
There are various buses run by Alsa, Damas, EuroLines or Iberobus. I recommend the Alsa buses (Alsa-Rede Express), as they go direct to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The Alsa buses leave from Faro's Eva bus station, next to the excellent Eva Senses Hotel and 2 minutes walk from Faro railway station
Check times & buy tickets for all these buses at Omio.com, you print your own ticket.
Stay overnight in Seville, see suggested hotels near the station.
Day 2, travel from Seville Santa Justa to Madrid Atocha by high-speed AVE train in around 2h35. Fares start at around €30.
The AVE has standard & comfort class, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. If you pay the Premium fare, a meal with wine is served at your seat. More about Renfe's fares & classes.
You can normally leave Seville at around 10:40, just make sure you book a train that gives you at least 2 hours between arriving at Madrid Atocha and leaving from Madrid Chamartin.
Check times and buy a ticket at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket.
Booking normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Transfer from Madrid Atocha to Madrid Chamartin. I'd allow at least 2 hours between trains in Madrid.
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Day 2, travel from Madrid to San Sebastian by comfortable high-speed Alvia train using the afternoon departure leaving Madrid Chamartin around 15:00, taking around 5h25. Fares start from around €23.
Check times and buy a ticket at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket. Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Above, an Alsa-Rede Express bus to Seville at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
Faro & Algarve to Vigo, Santiago de Compostela
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Step 1, travel from Faro or Albufeira to Porto Campanhã as shown above. I'd allow at least 45 minutes between trains in Porto in case of delay, perhaps a bit more given there's only two trains a day onwards to Vigo.
Book this at www.cp.pt or Omio.com and print your own ticket.
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Step 2, two Celta regional express trains link Porto Campanhã with Vigo Guixar every day. At the time I wrote this departures are at 08:13 & 19:10, journey time around 2h22, fare €15.90.
Book this at Omio.com and print your own ticket.
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Step 3, take a train from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela.
Book from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela as a separate ticket from around €9 upwards at Omio.com. You print your own ticket. I'd allow at least 40 minutes between trains in Vigo. Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
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Faro-Vigo can be done in a day, but Faro to Santiago de Compostela requires an overnight stop. You either need an evening train from Faro to Porto, an overnight hotel in Porto, then the morning train to Vigo and connection to Santiago. Or morning train from Faro to Porto, evening train to Vigo, overnight stop in Vigo, morning train on to Santiago.
The Celta regional express train between Porto & Vigo.
Faro & Algarve to Seville, Cordoba, Malaga & Costa del Sol
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Step 1, take a bus from Faro to Seville. Buses run roughly every 2-3 hours, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, fare €17-€21.
There are various buses run by Alsa, Damas, EuroLines or Iberobus. I recommend the Alsa buses (Alsa-Rede Express), as they go direct to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The Alsa buses leave from Faro's Eva bus station, next to the excellent Eva Senses Hotel and 2 minutes walk from Faro railway station.
Buy tickets for all these buses at Omio.com, you print your own ticket.
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Step 3, take a train from Seville Santa Justa to Cordoba, Malaga or elsewhere in Andalusia.
I'd allow an hour or two between train and bus in Faro, just in case of delay.
Check times and buy tickets at Omio.com or www.raileurope.com though for short hops you can buy at the station if you like. Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Above, an Alsa-Rede Express bus to Seville at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
Faro & Algarve to Alicante & Valencia
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Day 1, travel from Faro to Seville by bus. Buses run roughly every 2-3 hours, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, fare €17-€21.
There are various buses run by Alsa, Damas, EuroLines or Iberobus. I recommend the Alsa buses (Alsa-Rede Express), as they go direct to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The Alsa buses leave from Faro's Eva bus station, next to the excellent Eva Senses Hotel and 2 minutes walk from Faro railway station.
Buy tickets for all these buses at Omio.com, you print your own ticket.
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Stay overnight in Seville, see suggested hotels near the station.
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Day 2, travel from Seville Santa Justa to Alicante or Valencia with a change of train in Madrid.
Find train times and buy a ticket at Omio.com or www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket.
Booking normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
Above, an Alsa-Rede Express bus to Seville at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
Faro & Algarve to Paris
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Day 1, travel from Faro to Seville by bus, an Alsa-Rede Express bus leaves Faro Eva bus station at 10:00, arriving Seville Santa Justa 14:15.
Times vary so check at Omio.com, I'd allow at least 60 minutes between bus & train. Remember the 1h time difference between Spain & Portugal.
Several other bus companies run this route including Damas, EuroLines & Iberobus, all going to Seville Plaza de Armas bus station, Omio can book all of these. I recommend Alsa-Rede Express as their buses call at Plaza de Armas, then continue to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The bus arrives right outside the main station entrance opposite McDonalds, see the photo below.
The Alsa-Rede Express bus has power sockets, but no WiFi or toilet. There's a brief toilet stop at Tavira bus station.
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Day 1, travel from Seville to Barcelona by AVE S103 high-speed train, leaving Seville Santa Justa at 16:29 and arriving Barcelona Sants 22:35.
The AVE has standard & comfort class, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. If you pay the Premium fare, a meal with wine is served at your seat. More about Renfe's fares & classes.
Fares start at around €46 in standard class or €56 in comfort class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this train at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com and print your own ticket.
Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.
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Stay overnight in Barcelona. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is top choice here, it's located above Barcelona Sants station itself and gets great reviews, with nice rooms, a great breakfast buffet and a delightfully kitsch space theme. Alternatively, the Nobu Hotel and AC Sants Hotel by Marriot are both just across the road from the station. Other suggested hotels near the station.
Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Paris by TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:28 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 16:12.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class, café-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rolls past Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees, colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the Rhone Valley towards Paris. In Barcelona, there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms.
Fares start at €39 in 2nd class & €59 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Buy tickets at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com.
Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.
Above, an Alsa-Rede Express bus to Seville at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
The bus crosses the Guadiana river, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal at this point.
The Alsa buses arrive right outside Seville Santa Justa station.
You then take a luxurious AVE S103 from Seville to Barcelona, seen here arrived at Barcelona Sants. See virtual tour.
Scenery from the high-speed AVE between Seville & Barcelona. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.
Faro & Algarve to Bordeaux
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Day 1, travel from Faro to Seville by bus. Buses run roughly every 2-3 hours, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, fare €17-€21.
There are various buses run by Alsa, Damas, EuroLines or Iberobus. I recommend the Alsa buses (Alsa-Rede Express), as they go direct to Seville Santa Justa station for easy bus-train connections. The Alsa buses leave from Faro's Eva bus station, next to the excellent Eva Senses Hotel and 2 minutes walk from Faro railway station.
Buy tickets for all these buses at Omio.com, you print your own ticket.
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Day 1, travel from Seville Santa Justa to Madrid Atocha by high-speed AVE train in around 2h35. Fares start at around €30.
Book this train at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and print your own ticket. Booking normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies. I'd book a train that leaves Seville at least 2 hours after your bus is due to arrive.
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Stay overnight in Madrid. The classic Hotel Mediodia is across the road from Atocha with good reviews, or try the NH Hotel Madrid Atocha or Only YOU Hotel Atocha, also across the road from the station.
Next morning, transfer from Madrid Atocha to Madrid Chamartin as shown here.
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Day 2, travel from Madrid to San Sebastian by Alvia train, there's a morning departure at around 08:00, taking 5h25 to San Sebastian Renfe station.
Fares start at around €23. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this train at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.
Booking normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies. You print your own ticket.
In San Sebastian it's an easy 10-minute walk from the Renfe station to Amara station, see walking route.
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Day 2, travel from San Sebastian Amara to Hendaye by Euskotren. This runs every 30 minutes, journey times 37 minutes, fare €2.75, buy a ticket at the station and hop on the next train.
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Day 2, take a train from Hendaye to Bordeaux, there are regular departures. Check times and buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.
Faro & Algarve to all other destinations
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For London & UK, see the London to Portugal page which covers this in both directions. You travel from Faro to Paris as shown above then from Paris to London by Eurostar.
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For Brussels, Amsterdam, Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, Russia: Travel to Paris as shown above, then see the Trains from Paris page.
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For the South of France, Andorra, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia: Travel to Barcelona as shown above, then see the Trains from Barcelona page.
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For Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine you can consider travel via Paris or via Barcelona. Travel to Paris as shown above, then see the Trains from Paris page. Or travel to Barcelona as shown above, then see the Trains from Barcelona page.