Albufeira FAQ's

I would highly recommend you have a look at our useful links area, there you will see many links to very useful web site like www.albufeira.com There is also a map of Albufeira with the apartment and local amenities pointed out for you.

Albufeira has an excellent public transport system. City buses (Giro) run on three routes around Albufeira. There is also the "Tourist Train" (pictured right) which has 3 stops around Albufeira and looks like it's from Disneyland. An all day ticket is 4 Euro and there is a stop on the Strip. It's worth just getting on for an easy look around the town. For buses further afield in the region there are the EVA buses (the site is available in English, see the flag at the top right). There is an excellent train service if you want to go a little farther afield. Train timetables are on the C.P website www.cp.pt (the site is available in English, see the flag at the top).

Prices for short journeys are 3-4 Euros. There is a 20% surcharge for journeys after 10pm.

Check with your bank and credit card companies before you leave the UK. One call can save you a great deal of money. Where Switch/Maestro is accepted in shops and restaurants there are no fees for using your card abroad. However with your credit card the fees can be very high, typically 2.75% on purchases with an additional 1.5% for cash withdrawals. Be aware you may be asked for your passport to use a debit card in Portugal so it's worth carrying it in case.

In a word, superb. Much has been written on this subject and we won't try and do it justice here. Eating out in the Algarve is just a fantastic experience. In Portuguese restaurants seafood of every kind is plentiful, with pork and chicken also very popular. We've tried most of the alternative options and the only area we were disappointed in was the Chinese food. The local Italian restaurants are excellent.

There are many restaurants within a short walk of the apartment offering lovely food. We suggest you explore and ask for recommendation from fellow holidaymaker's and the local people.

For a truly special evening out try going to the hillside village of Estoi, about 25 minutes drive from the apartments, and the fabulous hotel/restaurant complex of Monte do Casal. Its degustation menu is amazing, see the web site for the menus. There's a different selection for each day of the week. Not cheap but a real treat.

About 3 to 5 minutes walk. Out of the complex, straight over the globe roundabout towards the beaches and it's on your right. See a local map here.

We drink the tap water in Portugal and have never had a problem but some operators suggest you use bottled water.  Please use your own discretion on this as we can't give you a recommendation. If in doubt don't take the risk, use bottled water, it's plentiful in supermarkets and fairly cheap.

Yes. We use local phones with a phone card you can purchase from local supermarkets.  Prices start at €5. Unlike the UK public phones they work and are well maintained.

If you are taking a mobile and intend to use it we would strongly suggest you check the costs of calls, text messages and data roaming with your provider before you leave as they can be very expensive. We use O2 (UK). A outgoing text to a non UK mobile is £0.14 (texts to UK mobiles are debited at 4 text calls off your allowance), an outgoing call is £0.35 per minute, an incoming call is £0.18 per minute and data transfer is £3 per MB (2010 prices with O2 on a monthly contract).

Portugal is on the same time as the UK (GMT) and they change their clocks change in March and October with ours.

There is everything from seafront kiosks full of fun-in-the-sun odds and ends to a full on shopping mall experience. The Albufeira's main shopping plaza is the Modelo Centre in Rua de Municipio (see the location in Google Maps here), north of downtown and just an easy 10 minute walk from Parque da Corcovada.

Not far away is the lively Algarve Shopping Complex in Guia (on the N125 heading west about 15 minutes from the apartment by car or taxi), where brand name shoes and clothes are on offer in a high street mall type complex, along with restaurants, an English-language cinema, a bowling alley and an enormous Continente supermarket. On the other side on the N125 opposite this shopping centre is Leroy Merlin (contact details here), a Portuguese B&Q and excellent for all sorts of interesting things, as well as a Makro which if you have a UK card you can use.

Forum Algarve advertises itself as the largest open air shopping centre in Europe and is on the way into Faro on the N125 past the airport, about 30 minutes by car from the apartment. See the location on Google Maps here.

Those seeking genuine local souvenirs should look out for mats made from rush or corn husks in the villages of Almeijoafras and Monte Novo, woven baskets, wood carvings and some glazed terracotta ceramics. These are to be found in numerous independent shops in Albufeira as well as local markets.

A little under 3km or 30 minutes walk. Go to the bottom of the strip and turn right, this will take you into the Old Town. You can get a taxi for about 4 Euros or use the excellent bus services.