Eastern Algarve Guided Bus Tour

Eastern Algarve tour

Our trip to the Eastern Algarve was a wonderful and interesting tour. Our driver, Johnie was amazing at explaining everything and pointing out different things to see on our tour.

via Viator

Enjoyable!

Great guide..Johnny! We had a perfect weather day. Each place we went to you are outside for the most part unless you go into the shops. Tavira was our favourite. Olhao was a close second! Lots to see. Great to see different places as we will go back to Tavira to spend more time. Seeing 4 places in one day only gives you about an hour each stop. Highly recommend it though as each place has its own charm.

via Viator

Do your homework before you book or waste your time.

The bus driver took us to the closest spot near the square of each stop and told us what time to be back. No direction to historical spots. We were on our own. He gave us a bit of info as he drove by other areas but once you get off the but no direction at all. We missed so much. Basically a shopping trip. Nothing more.

via Tripadvisor

Don't Visit Albufeira In January

In my opinion, if you are in Albufeira in rainy January, don't use this company. I know that demand is low in the off-season but we had 4 days in a row ruined by excursions & events being cancelled the evening before the trip. Day 1 - Excursion to Historic West Algarve: cancelled, lack of customers, notified previous evening. Day 2 - Gypsy Market, got to the site, no market due to rain. Spent 2 hours in virtually empty local shopping centre (cost 38 euros) Day 3 - Excursion to Eastern Algarve: cancelled, lack of customers. Day 4 - Excursion to Historic West Algarve: cancelled again, lack of customers, notified previous evening. I appreciate that it's difficult for the company but they could offset the small loss on trips without enough customers against the profits they make during the rest of the year. We could not arrange alternative activities & a large percentage of shops & bars in Albufeira are closed until March.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry that your January stay in Albufeira was affected by weather conditions and the very quiet off-season period. We would like to clarify that we make a significant extra effort to remain operational all year round. As you correctly mention, many local businesses close during winter, and we are among the few tour operators that continue to stay open and offer activities despite very low demand. This is precisely so visitors still have things to do during the off-season. Unfortunately, it is not reasonable or sustainable for us to operate full-day excursions with only two participants. This is especially true considering that we already offer the lowest prices on the market and absorb higher fixed costs during winter months. Running such tours would result in substantial losses that cannot realistically be offset, even when considering peak-season activity. That said, we are glad that at least one of your booked tours was able to go ahead, and we believe this is something to appreciate. Had we also been closed for the season, as many others are, that would have meant one less activity available to you altogether. We genuinely understand the frustration of limited options in Albufeira during rainy January days, and we regret that this impacted your experience. Your comments are valuable, and we thank you for sharing them. We wish you all the best in your future travels and hope you’ll consider visiting the Algarve again during a livelier season.

via Tripadvisor

A boring trip

A day spent on a bus with a guide who ‘forgot’ to comment on what we saw and visited. He just drove us around, dropped us off, told us what time we were leaving, and advised us to go ‘shoppy-shoppy’. We would have liked to have had some ‘cultural’ information about the places we passed through and visited. Long bus journeys to find ourselves in front of a closed cathedral, an hour to wander around a small market (done in 10 minutes), passing by a remarkable castle without stopping but taking an hour-long break in a town of little interest... It's better to book other excursions or make sure you have a competent guide. We wasted a day.

Response from the operator: We respectfully disagree with your assessment of this excursion. This tour is clearly described as a panoramic bus-based experience with scheduled stops and free time at specific locations, not a continuously guided walking tour. The guide’s role is primarily logistical and organizational, which includes transportation, timing, and orientation at each stop — all of which were delivered as planned. Free time is intentionally included so guests can explore according to their own interests. While this may not suit every traveler’s preferences, it is a deliberate part of the itinerary and not an oversight. Likewise, passing certain landmarks without stopping is standard for panoramic routes and is clearly reflected in the tour structure. Unexpected circumstances such as site closures are unfortunately beyond the guide’s control and are a common reality when visiting historical locations. In these cases, the tour continues according to the planned route to ensure the day runs on schedule for all participants. We encourage future travelers to carefully review tour descriptions to ensure the experience matches their expectations. This excursion has been enjoyed by many guests who appreciate its format and pacing.

via Tripadvisor