A treasury of life

Due to its peripheral location, the Algarve enjoys good transport connections, both internally with other Portuguese cities and externally with the rest of the world. The city of Faro has a privileged location, enhanced by the proximity to Faro Airport, where various national and international airline regular flights connect Algarve to several main European cities. Faro Airport is 4 km from Faro city center.                    

The Algarve can easily be reached from anywhere in continental Europe. A superb network of motorways and dual carriageways allow one to reach Faro across attractive regions of southern Portugal. Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is about 2 hours and 30 minutes away by motorway (A2), and Andalusia, in Spain, less than an hour, via the A22.

Travelling by train is also an option, since Portugal is part of the European rail network and can easily be reached from most European capitals.

Alternatively, you may reach Faro by bus. A train or a bus from Lisbon to Faro takes between 3 to 4 hours.

Last, but not least, you can reach the Algarve through the many ports and marinas spread all along the south Portugal coast.

More information at www.visitalgarve.pt

Cost of Living

People have different needs and lifestyles, and therefore expenses vary from person to person. Some people might find cheaper accommodation; others might look for something more expensive. If you cook at home you will spend less money than if you go to restaurants. If you purchase a monthly bus card it will be cheaper than buying tickets on a daily bases.

The table below gives you an idea of how much things cost in Faro.

Accommodation (sharing / per month)

125-300€

Meal

6.50€-8.50€

Public transport (monthly bus card)

32.70€

Single urban bus ticket

2.35€

Daily newspaper

1€

Petrol(1L)

1.67€

1 Beer

0.85€

1 Coke

1€

Milk (1L)

0.80€

Cinema

7.00€

Sustainability

Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism. Embedded in most definitions of sustainability we also find concerns for social equity and economic development. The projects developed at Algarve are a perfect example of this:

UAlg EcoBike - The UAlg Eco Bike project allows the UAlg's community to take and use bikes for free and temporarily. The main goal of this project is promoting the practice of physical and sports activity, associated to the new ways of light mobility more sustainable, through the adoption of the alternative transportation. The system has currently 100 bicycles.

“UAlg + Healthy - Plastic”  - “UAlg + Healthy - Plastic” contributing to a future “Plastic free” ocean and especially for a more sustainable environment for all of us and for future generations.

Stay Connected

To better integrate in the daily, regional and local life, one needs to learn the national language. Therefore, the University of Algarve offers a number of Portuguese language courses at various levels, and international citizens are strongly advised to enroll in them. More information about the Portuguese as Foreign Language Course.