Travelling By Air

The Algarve can easily be reached by air to Faro, 55km from the conference venue, and situated in the Algarve itself, or to Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. From Lisbon, frequent connecting flights fly direct to Faro, or the conference venue may be reached by train, bus or hire car. From outside of Europe, TAP the national airline of Portugal, flys to Lisbon from most major international destinations.

Many European airlines currently operate regular flights direct to Faro from a number of major airports From the UK, airlines including British Airways, Easyjet, Jet2, Thomson Fly, Monarch, Flybe, First Choice and Thomas Cook fly frequently from all major and many regional British airports. Ryannair flys direct to Faro from Dublin, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and several UK airports. Transavia operates regular flights from Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rottedam to Faro, and Lufthansa operates services from Frankfurt and Lisbon to the Algarve. From many other European locations, including many Spanish, German and Austrian airports, Air Berlin operates frequent services via Palma de Mallorca in Spain.

(Please note that these services are correct as of October 2009 and may be subject to change. Please check direct with the airline)

 From International Airports to the Conference Venue

Faro Airport (FAO) is 4km west of Faro. From this airport the Hotel Tivoli Carvoeiro is a 55km drive away. A bus service is runs regularly to the city centre and taxis are readily available. On leaving the Airport by road, exit towards the main road E.N.125, in the direction of Loule/Lisboa and follow the blue signs up onto the motorway IP 1 - to Albufeira/Portimão/Lisboa – then continue as from Portimão.

Lisbon Airport (LIS) is 7km north of Lisbon. A bus service from the airport runs every 15 minutes from 5.30am to 1.00am to Lisbon city centre and the main railway station. An ‘Airbus’ transfer service to the city centre also departs every 20 minutes. Taxi services to the city are available and car hire companies Avis, Eurodollar, Hertz and Inter-Rent operate at the airport.

The Hotel Tivoli Carvoeiro is approximately 275km from Lisbon airport. There are three connecting flights from Lisbon airport to Faro airport each day, but it is also possible to travel to Carvoeiro by train, bus and by hire car.

 From Portimão

Follow the motorway from the outskirts of Portimão (signposted IP1 and then A22), continue along the A22 passing both the Lisboa and Albufeira exits. Take the exit signposted Lagos/Silves on your right. You will then approach two roundabouts at which you should follow the signs to Lagoa Sul/ Carvoeiro. This road joins with the main road EN125 which is signposted to Lagoa/Faro. On this road you should pass straight across the first set of traffic lights which are located on a roundabout. This will take you to another set of traffic lights (again located on a roundabout) and at this set of traffic lights you should turn right to Carvoeiro.

After 300 metres you will see a large signpost for the Tivoli Almansor Hotel. Follow this road for approximately 5km (on your right hand side you should find the Intermarché Supermarket and Cepsa petrol station) until you reach the main square of Carvoeiro. From here you should turn left which takes you up hill, where the Tivoli Carvoeiro Hotel is on your right-hand side, 1km ahead.

 Travel by Land

Rail to Lisbon

Portugal is well serviced by a series of rail networks from all over Europe. A convenient service to Portugal is offered from France - the Sud Express runs from Paris to Lisbon.

Rail to the Algarve

Train services in the Algarve are quite frequent, with stations receiving 14-16 trains in each direction on weekdays, although services are reduced on weekends.

From Lisbon, the Barreiro station, on the south bank of the River Tagus, serves the south of Portugal with trains to the Algarve. From Lisbon stations to Barreiro there are two IC Rapido trains (three in summer) which travel daily. From Barreiro station you should catch the Barreiro-Faro train which also makes stops at the towns of Tunes and Albufeira. Local trains (which stop at all stations) run between Faro and Lagoa, where the conference venue is only a short bus journey away.

Bus services from Lisbon and Faro

You can get almost everywhere in Portugal easily and efficiently by public transport, especially by bus. These are clean, reasonably comfortable and cheap. There is the option of avoiding long journeys within the Algarve by booking express regional services. There is a good choice of Algarve-Lisbon bus companies and departure times and the Rede Nacional de Expressos runs a comprehensive national service. From Faro to the conference location, delegates are advised to travel by bus to Lagoa and then take a local bus to the hotel.

Taxis

In Portugal, Taxis are usually beige in colour and charges are made according to distance, and taxis are all metered. Within city boundaries taxi drivers typically charge a standard meter fare; however if traveling to destinations outside the city limits they may charge per kilometre and are entitled to charge for the return fare to cover their expenses. A taxi transfer from Faro Airport to the Hotel Tivoli Carvoeiro costs approximately 60 Euros.