Welcome to Truly® algarve. We have produced this page on flying to the Algarve as a guide for customers. You can use the information below to help with organising your flights after booking your holiday villas or apartment. Please note: flights to the Algarve, Car Hire, and Airport Transfers are not included in the cost of your holiday accommodation.

Flying to the Algarve from the UK

The Algarve is located in the very south of Portugal, and is served principally by Faro International Airport. It is also possible to reach the Algarve from Lisbon (the capital city of Portugal) which is served by ‘Portela Airport', and many of our customers also use Seville Airport in southern Spain. Lisbon is approximately 3 hours drive time from the Algarve coastline whereas all of our properties in the region can be reached within 1 hour drive time from Faro.

Most of the low cost airlines now fly regularly to Faro and flights are now readily available from the following airports in the UK and Ireland (approximate flight times are shown in parenthesis):

• London Gatwick (2 hours 40 minutes)

• London Heathrow (2 hours 30 minutes)

• London Stansted (2 hours 50 minutes)

• London Luton (3 hours 30 minutes)

• Birmingham (2 hours 45 minutes)

• Coventry (2 hours 25 minutes)

• Cork (2 hours 15 minutes)

• East Midlands (2 hours 55 minutes)

• Bristol (2 hours)

• Bournemouth (1 hour 15 minutes)

• Doncaster (3 hours 10 minutes)

• Dublin (2 hours 30 minutes)

• Manchester (3 hours)

• Norwich (3 hours)

• Newcastle (3 hours 5 minutes)

Airports in the Algarve

Once you have flown to Faro Airport the journey across the Algarve coast is straightforward. Faro lies on the eastern side of the region (approximately 40 minutes drive east to Spain) and the main A22 motorway is accessed within 5 minutes of departing the terminal buildings. The A22 is a very modern motorway and was only fully opened 3 years ago. Previous to this the EN125 served the coastline, and this older road extended travelling times by as much as 1 hour to those now achievable (see below).

This motorway travels east to west along the coast and almost all of the villages and towns in which we have properties are served by a junction from the motorway. If you are staying with us in the following principal destinations then you can expect the journey to take the drive time shown below:

• Vale do Lobo/Quinta do Lago – 15 minutes

• Vilamoura – 15-20 minutes

• Albufeira – 20-25 minutes

• Carvoeiro – 45 minutes

• Lagos/Praia da Luz – 55 minutes

Faro Airport is a modern international terminal, and is fully equipped with restaurants, duty free outlets, and extensive parking facilities. Currency Exchange facilities are also available, along with a modern ‘Lost & Found' office and excellent ‘Passenger Assistance' provisions are in place for travellers needing help or assistance due to age or disability. The local currency in Portugal is the Euro, but it is possible to exchange all currencies at the Airport, and the Duty Free shops accept all major credit cards and currencies (please note that daily exchange rates apply). ‘Truly algarve' also works in partnership with ‘Autojardim' to offer car hire to our customers, and vehicles hired by us are available for collection on the airport campus itself.

Faro Airport has 3 car parks (P1, P2 and P3), for passengers arriving by car. P1 and P3 are intended for short term parking, while P2 is recommended for long term parking - weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annually and yearly fees are available and you should contact the Airport authorities directly to discuss any parking enquiries you may have.

How to book a low cost flight

Most of the low cost airlines now travel regularly to Faro Airport, and flights can be quickly sourced and booked online through the airlines websites. Alternatively your local Travel Agent should be able to reserve seats for you although you will find that it is much cheaper to book these direct with the airlines themselves. Please remember that although airlines such as ‘Easyjet' and ‘Ryanair' hold the necessary ATOL licence they are not bonded by ABTA. Most of the airlines operate a ‘Free Seating' policy. This means that you can choose where you sit on the aircraft. EasyJet, for example, operates a strict priority boarding system and this means you will be boarded by the sequence you checked-in at.

The aircraft are generally boarded in groups, starting with passengers travelling with young children and passengers requiring assistance, followed by passengers with group ‘A' boarding cards, then B, C and finally group D.

The airlines do of course appreciate that there are some passengers who require assistance and wherever possible they will do our best to assist.

You should also be aware that most of the low cost airlines operate a ‘non-refundable' ticket policy. We strongly advise you to familiarise yourself with the airlines 'Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage', but you should be particularly aware of the following:

You may normally cancel your booking within 24 hours of making the original booking, but do note that a cancellation can only be processed up to two (2) hours prior to the flight's scheduled departure time. You will normally receive a refund from the airline (including taxes and charges but excluding any credit card fee) but a cancellation fee per passenger per journey will usually be charged. Most of the airlines are unable to offer refunds in the event of passengers being unable to fly owing to any change in personal circumstances, including but not limited to medical grounds, with the exception of the application of the 24 hour cancellation policy.

Perhaps most significantly you should be aware that if your flight is cancelled as a result of extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided (for example Air Traffic Control disputes, inclement weather conditions, terrorist alerts and security alerts, strike action, civil unrest or unexpected flight safety shortcomings) most of the airlines will not compensate you further other than providing you with one of the following options (“Re-routing and Reimbursement Options”):

You will be entitled to:

1. Re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity; or

2. Re-routing to your final destination at later date at your convenience and subject to availability; or

3. A refund of the fare paid for the journey not made and for the journey already made where the flight no longer serves the purpose of the original travel plan. where relevant, we will offer a return flight to the first point of departure at the earliest available time.

Please note that ‘Truly algarve' does not offer flight reservation services, although we can assist clients in looking for flight information and booking procedures if they wish.