Aljezur sits on Portugal's southwest coast — roughly 1.5 hours from Faro airport, 3 hours from Lisbon. There's no train, no direct bus, and no shortcut around either. Almost everyone we deliver to flies in, picks up a rental car at the airport, and drives. That's what we recommend too. The beaches here are spread across 20+ km of Costa Vicentina coastline, and a car is what lets you match the beach to the day's swell and wind. This is a practical guide from people who make that drive most weeks.
Faro or Lisbon: which airport?
Both work. For most of our renters, Faro wins — shorter drive, cheaper car hire, lower tolls. Lisbon is the fallback when Faro fares are ugly or when you're arriving in winter.
| Faro (FAO) | Lisbon (LIS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive to Aljezur | 1.5 hours | 3 hours |
| Route | A22 west, then N120 north | A2 south, then N120 west |
| Car rental cost | Lower — more competition | Higher |
| Flight options | Seasonal peaks, mostly budget carriers | Year-round, wider selection |
| Tolls | ~€7 (A22 electronic) | ~€20 (A2 booths) |
| Best for | Summer trips, budget airlines | Winter trips, intercontinental connections |
Faro has the cheaper car rentals, the shorter drive, and near-negligible tolls. The trade-off is a thinner winter schedule. From April through October, Ryanair, easyJet, Transavia, and Wizz Air run Faro from most of Europe.
Lisbon flies year-round from everywhere, and it's where any long-haul connection lands. The drive is twice as long, the rental costs more, and the A2 tolls add up. Pick Lisbon when Faro doesn't work — or when you're combining the trip with a few nights in the capital.
Bottom line: Default to Faro. Take Lisbon when the price or the calendar make it obvious.
Coming from your city
From London
Direct Faro flights leave from Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, Heathrow, and Bristol — Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways, and Jet2. Flight time is about 2.5 hours, then 1.5 hours in the car from Faro. In peak summer, Faro fares climb hard, and Lisbon can quietly win on price even after the extra driving. One thing the budget carriers don't advertise: add hold bags to both legs when you compare — the headline fare assumes cabin-only.
From Amsterdam
Transavia and KLM fly Schiphol–Faro direct (~3 hours). KLM and TAP fly direct to Lisbon (~2.5 hours) year-round. Transavia is usually the cheapest Faro option in the shoulder season. If you're comparing prices, remember to factor in the Schiphol train — it's short and cheap, but it's real time.
From Berlin
There's no reliably direct Faro service from Berlin. Most routes connect via Lisbon or Madrid. Easier option: fly direct to Lisbon on TAP or easyJet, then either drive south (~3 hours) or connect onward to Faro. If you're already planning a couple of nights in Lisbon, the drive is by far the more scenic choice — Alentejo cork oaks, empty motorway, coast at the end.
From Paris
Direct Faro flights from Orly and Beauvais on Transavia and Ryanair (~2.5 hours). Direct Lisbon flights on Air France, easyJet, and TAP from CDG and Orly. Faro is usually the smoother route unless you want a Paris–Lisbon city stopover on the front end.
From Lisbon (already in Portugal)
Take the A2 motorway south, exit at Ourique for the N120, and follow it west into Aljezur. About 3 hours end-to-end. Renting at Lisbon airport works but is more expensive than Faro — if you're already in the city rather than at the airport, consider taking the train south to Tunes and picking up a car there instead. That combo often beats airport pickup on total cost.
From Faro (already in the Algarve)
A22 west to Lagos, then N120 north to Aljezur. About 1.5 hours. This is the easiest journey of any origin on this list — Faro rentals are cheapest, tolls are minimal, and the road is fast the whole way.
From Porto
A1 south to Lisbon, A2 south, N120 west. About 5.5 hours in one push. Nobody enjoys that in a day. Break it up with a night in the Alentejo — Évora or Beja both work — and the drive turns into part of the trip. If time matters more than road experience, TAP flies Porto–Faro direct.
From Spain (Seville)
About 2.5 hours. Cross the border at Huelva, take the A22 across the eastern Algarve, exit for Aljezur. This is a good option if you're combining Portugal with Andalucía — Seville and the Costa Vicentina slot together nicely on a two-week loop.
Renting a car
After your flights, this is the single most important booking. The surf beaches — Arrifana, Monte Clérigo, Amoreira, Vale Figueiras, Bordeira — are scattered across the coast with no public transport threading through them. Without a car, you're limited to whichever break happens to be walkable from your accommodation.
A few things we've learned from watching renters do this every week:
- Book from Faro if you can. The cluster of rental desks at Faro keeps prices honest. Expect €25–40/day for a compact or mid-size car in shoulder season.
- Book early for summer. July and August availability tightens weeks ahead, and same-week prices roughly double.
- Always full-to-full on fuel. Never take the pre-paid tank — you almost always overpay.
- Sort out A22 tolls in advance. The A22 is electronic-only — no toll booths, just cameras reading your plate. Either rent a Via Verde transponder from the rental desk (€1–2/day) or register your plate on the Via Verde Visitors portal before you drive.
- Check your credit card insurance. Many cards cover collision damage waiver in Europe. Confirm before you buy the rental company's premium excess cover.
- Ask about roof racks. Our Premium package includes soft roof-rack pads so you can carry boards on top of a rental. Most compact rentals won't fit a longboard inside.
Driving routes in detail
From Faro airport (1.5 hours)
Head west on the A22 (Via do Infante) towards Lagos. Take junction 4 for Aljezur and follow the N120 north. The A22 is a fast, empty motorway with electronic tolls. The last stretch on the N120 winds through cork oak forest and eucalyptus — you'll know you're close when the land opens up.
From Lisbon (3 hours)
South on the A2 towards the Algarve. At the junction near Ourique, exit west onto the N120 for Aljezur. The alternative is to stay on the A2 all the way south, cut west on the A22 to Lagos, then N120 north — slightly longer but pure motorway the whole way. The A2 has old-fashioned toll booths, so no Via Verde setup is needed for this route.
Bus options
There's no direct bus to Aljezur from either Lisbon or Faro. Every route involves a change in Lagos.
- From Lisbon: Rede Expressos from Sete Rios to Lagos (~3.5 hours, €20–25), then a local bus onwards to Aljezur (~1 hour, only a few departures a day). Total: 4–5 hours if the timings line up.
- From Faro: Bus to Lagos (~2 hours), then the local bus to Aljezur. Less frequent than the Lisbon route.
FlixBus also serves Lagos from various Portuguese and Spanish cities if you want to shop around.
The bus works if you're on a tight budget and you plan to base yourself in one spot — Arrifana or Monte Clérigo, where you can walk to the water. But it takes the best part of the Aljezur experience off the table: chasing the day's conditions from beach to beach.
There's no train
Aljezur's station closed decades ago. The nearest active railway line ends in Lagos, 30 minutes south by car. Even then, you'd still need a bus or a taxi from Lagos to finish the journey. It's not a train destination — treat it that way and plan the car around it.
Do you need a car?
Practically, yes. The best beach on any given day depends on swell direction, wind, and tide, and without a car you can't chase those. Mobile signal drops off on some beach access roads too, so ride-sharing apps aren't a reliable fallback.
The single exception: if you're staying in Arrifana village and you're genuinely happy to surf Arrifana every day, you can skip the car. Arrifana works across a wide range of conditions, and it's not a bad plan — but you'll miss Vale Figueiras when it's firing, Amoreira on the mellow days, and Bordeira when the swell wraps in from the north.
Bottom line: Rent a car. It doesn't need to be fancy — it needs to exist.
Parking
Free at most Aljezur beaches, year-round. In July and August, Arrifana and Monte Clérigo introduce paid parking (€2–5/day). Arriving before 9am usually solves the space problem, and dawn patrol gives you the cleanest conditions anyway — a win either way. Vale Figueiras and Amoreira have small dirt car parks that stay free all year.
Sample budget: from London, per person
Not a quote — just a planning anchor. Accommodation swings widest, so we've kept it separate.
| Item | Shoulder season | Peak summer |
|---|---|---|
| Return flights | £80–200 | £180–400+ |
| Car hire (7 days) | £150–280 | £280–500+ |
| Airport parking / train to airport | £40–100+ | Same |
| Our rental (Full package, 7 days) | €150 | €150 |
Accommodation prices vary widely between neighbourhoods — our where to stay in Aljezur post has a current pick per area and what you'll pay for each.
Post-Brexit note for UK travellers
Rules keep evolving, so check current UK government travel guidance before you book. Carry your driving licence and insurance proof, and pack an International Driving Permit — for some UK licence categories it's recommended, and it costs almost nothing at the Post Office.
Airport practicalities
- Budget carriers to Faro exclude hold bags. If you're bringing surf boots, a spare wetsuit, and beach towels, price hold luggage on both legs before you assume you've found a deal. If you're not bringing a board, renting board and wetsuit here almost always beats airline sports fees — and it removes the risk of a snapped stick on the carousel.
- Pre-book London airport parking. Drive-up rates are punishing.
- Half-term and Easter fill Aljezur guesthouses fast. Book flights, car, accommodation, and our gear in one pass so you're not messaging us from a fully-booked town on a Sunday night.
Frequently asked questions
Is Faro or Lisbon airport better for Aljezur?
Faro, for almost everyone. It's a 1.5-hour drive versus 3 hours from Lisbon, car rental is cheaper, and tolls are lower. Lisbon only wins when Faro fares are unusually high, when you're arriving in winter, or when you want to spend a couple of nights in the capital first.
How much are the tolls from Faro to Aljezur?
Around €7 one way on the A22 — but there are no toll booths, only electronic gantries reading your number plate. Sort out a Via Verde transponder at the rental desk (€1–2/day) or register on the Via Verde Visitors portal before you drive. Ignore this step and you'll get a fine posted to the rental company weeks later, with a handling fee on top.
Can I get to Aljezur without a car?
Yes, but it's limiting. The bus works if you stay in Arrifana or Monte Clérigo and only surf those beaches. If you want to explore Vale Figueiras, Bordeira, and Amoreira — which is where a lot of the good days happen — you need a car.
Which side of the road does Portugal drive on?
The right. UK drivers cross to right-hand driving, so if it's your first time, take the first hour on the A22 slowly. It's a quiet, well-signposted motorway — a much gentler introduction than trying to figure it out in central Lisbon traffic.
Where do I get fuel?
Regular petrol stations sit along the A22 and in Lagos, Aljezur, and Vila do Bispo. Prices vary — supermarket stations (Intermarché, Continente) are typically the cheapest. Fill up near the coast rather than on the motorway approach where prices are higher.
Which London airport is cheapest for Faro?
Stansted (Ryanair) and Luton (easyJet) are usually the cheapest headline fares, but by the time you add bags and airport transfer, Gatwick can catch up. Compare full totals — flight + bags + transport to and from the airport — not just the sticker price.
Can I combine Aljezur with Lisbon or Seville in one trip?
Yes, and both work well. Lisbon plus Aljezur is a natural pairing — fly in, spend two or three nights in the city, drive down. Seville plus Aljezur works for a two-week Iberia loop, especially if you want to add Andalucía to a surf trip. Sagres also slots in as a day trip from Aljezur — see our Aljezur vs Sagres comparison for the coastline between the two.
Do I need a Via Verde transponder?
Only if you're driving the A22 (Faro–Aljezur or Faro–Sagres). It's not required, but it's the simplest way to handle the electronic tolls — the alternative is registering your plate on the Via Verde Visitors portal, which works but takes a bit of admin. For the A2 (Lisbon route), no transponder needed — those tolls have physical booths.
Once you've landed, picked up the car, and made the drive, the rest should be simple. That's the part we can help with — boards and wetsuits waiting at your accommodation, matched to your dates and your level, so you don't have to build the trip around a shop visit. Tell us when you're arriving and we'll take it from there. If you're still working out when to come, our month-by-month surf guide and one-week itinerary are the two most useful reads on the site.