Getting from Porto to Portimão by Train, Plane, Bus, and Car

 

As I indicated by the title of my last post, I decided to get out of Porto after two weeks.  It was chilly and rainy half the time and I just didn’t want to be there anymore. 

Though I do appreciate that even this ancient city offers a chance for the residents to touch grass.  This park area is located atop the Trinidade Metro station.  I love that a space that is usually unused has been turned into a simple way to access a park for anyone who needs it.

A travel day had again arrived.  I knew from the start that it would be bad.  I had no idea …

The first part was relatively easy.  That Metro station pictured above?  It’s literally 5 minutes away from the apartment. It was a quick downhill walk to the station where I boarded a train that took me directly to the airport.  So far so good.

I had arrived quite early for check-in so some waiting was involved.  I was anxious about it only because RyanAir, a new airline for me, required you to check in online for your boarding pass.  When I tried to do this from the apartment, the website wanted even more money from me (more on that later).  I couldn’t confirm my credit card because my phone is on a sim card that can’t receive text messages.  This has been an on-going problem on my travels and a never-ending pain in the butt.

When check-in finally opened, the lady asked to see my phone after I’d told her my issue.   She was able to quickly bring up my boarding pass and could take my payment at the counter.  Now, the website had warned that checking in at the desk within doing it online first would result in a 55 euro fee.  I was prepared to pay it since I was already frustrated and just wanted to get this over with.  Turns out though that since my big bag was 5 kg overweight, I was charged 73 euros for the overage.

That sucked.  But at least I got through check-in without being charged the extra 55 so not as bad as it could be, right?

Nope.

I ended up paying for my luggage not once, not twice, but three times!  First, when I bought the ticket (on Expedia’s website), second at the counter (most airlines allow 22-25 kg while RyanAir only allows 20 kg), and third when my little bag didn’t fit their size requirements.  That bag has NEVER been an issue anywhere else.  But since RyanAir wants all your money, suddenly the bag is too big.

The baggage fees ended up costing more than the ticket! 

Then, after paying that last surprise fee of ANOTHER 75 euros, boarding took forever.  This left me standing around to stew in the rage of being robbed as if I hadn’t waited around enough already.  We had to cross the tarmac to get to the plane and Porto decided to give me a last parting gift. The already foggy day turned into a light drizzle.

Do I need to explain how heated I was?  It’s a one-hour, in-country flight and it caused more stress than an international flight!  And almost cost as much!  What sense does that make?

Needless to say, I will never use that airline again.  The only reason I chose it this time is because the flight would get me to Faro before 5 p.m.  This meant that I could catch a shuttle or a bus as opposed to a cab ride.  My first time to the city, I took a cab not realizing that it would cost 100 euros.  The second time, I got in too late to get anything but a cab.  I knew from bitter, expensive experience that I didn’t want to do that again so I chose the first flight that would save me that cost.

Of course, I just ended up paying anyway thanks to the airline.

Sigh.

But I was grateful to land safely back in the Algarve.  I figure if I’m going to spend an exorbitant amount of money to remain in Portugal, I’d rather do it in Portimão than Porto. 

Still not there yet though.  I wasn’t sure whether to take any of the shuttle services offered at the airport or take the bus.  There are numerous stands and signs for either option, so I wasn’t sure how to proceed.  I eventually found a couple of machines that sell tickets.  I found the bus that would take me to the city and paid by card.

I’d much rather pay 14 euro for a 2-hour ride than 100 euros for a 1-hour direct trip by taxi.  Granted, the bus did require yet another wait.

At least I could feel the sun on my face during the wait.  There’s nothing like the sun in the south of Portugal.

The bus finally arrived and we were off.  It wasn’t the most comfortable trip as the seats were not designed for my long legs, but it went by fast enough.  Then I had to figure out how to get to my new home for the week once I was dumped at the bus station.

As there were no cabs around (strange), Uber became my only option.  The distance from the station to the apartment was a short one but still wasn’t feasible to walk.  It was getting dark, I was tired, didn’t know where I was going and couldn’t fathom dragging all my crap across uneven Portuguese sidewalks.

Turns out I did know the building as it was close to the other apartments I stayed in.  I just didn’t recognize the back streets we took to get there.  That made getting my bearings the next day so much easier.   

I do not like studios.  I don’t like corner showers.  I don’t like the fact that I managed to get into the building and up to the 8^th floor only to realize that I was in the wrong building.  Sigh.  I hauled all my crap back downstairs and around to Building B before finally entering the apartment.

Not my preferences for accommodation, but still clean and decent enough for the week.  And again, I was back in Portimão.  If I can’t get to the outrageously expensive Funchal, this place will more than fit the bill.

The morning after my arrival, I went to the Hollywood themed restaurant on the boardwalk that I’ve frequented before.  The Ukrainian manager (still haven’t caught that guy’s name – I’ll have to fix that) instantly recognized me.  He high-fived me, welcomed me back, and preceded to spoil me during the entire meal. 

I love that!

Moral of the story: Portimão is still awesome and RyanAir can kick rocks.