Casino Praia Da Rocha Opening Hours

Praia da Rocha, Algarve

Step out onto sandy Praia da Rocha. Located right on the beach with views over the Atlantic Ocean, the elegant and contemporary Algarve Casino Hotel offers a range of leisure facilities that are ideal for a. Been a few years since we have been to Praia da Rocha done a google maps and noticed the algar bar was now closed has this re opened as something else now plus wondered if it has re opened are there any of the old staff still there spent many hours.

Praia da Rocha is the beach resort about 2 km south of Portimão and across the River Arade from Ferragudo.

Praia da Rocha was one of the Algarve's first resorts which has been welcoming tourists since the later years of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century.

Book your room at the Hotel Algarve Casino hotel today with alpharooms.com and enjoy a fantastic holiday in Praia Da Rocha. TTA bonded, instant hotel confirmation and incredible prices. Now $69 (Was $̶1̶1̶1̶) on Tripadvisor: Hotel Algarve Casino, Praia da Rocha. See 1,166 traveler reviews, 1,100 candid photos, and great deals for Hotel Algarve Casino, ranked #11 of 20 hotels in Praia da Rocha and rated 4 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

Praia da Rocha is one of the Algarve's most beautiful beaches backed by red cliffs with the small, 16th century, now ruined, Fortaleza da Santa Catarina on top.

The beach has rock formations in the water and though the sea here is colder than the beaches further to the east on the Algarve, it is safe for swimming and patrolled by life-guards.

The main drag is Avenida Tomás Cabreira with concrete steps descending to the beach below. Interestingly the sand on the beach was brought from Portimão when the harbour was dredged.

Praia da Rocha has been heavily developed and is packed with hotels, restaurants, clubs, cafes and a casino in the five-star Hotel Algarve on the Avenida Tomás Cabreira. The long-standing Katedral disco is on Rua Antonio Feu.

The first hotel built in Praia da Rocha, the elegant and vaguely oriental Bela Vista, converted from an early 20th century mansion, still stands among the modern towers and is definitely recommended for a luxurious stay with wonderful sea views and a noted restaurant.

At the eastern end of the vast beach is the Fortaleza de Santa Catarina which along with the Castelo de São João de Arade in Ferragudo was built to prevent pirate attacks on Portimão upstream. Here is also the ritzy marina where expensive yachts bob lazily on the waves and a water taxi takes people across the river for lunch at the fish restaurants in Ferragudo.

August and the school holidays is particularly crowded at Praia da Rocha, while September through until the end of October attracts an older crowd for relaxing walks and al fresco dining on Avenida Tomás Cabreira.

The Tourist Office (Turismo) in Praia da Rocha is onAvenida Tomás Cabreira, 8500-802 Portimão. Tel: 282 419 132

Getting to Praia da Rocha

There are regular Vai e Vem number #33 shuttle buses that make the 15-20 minute journey from Alameda/Praça da República to Praia da Rocha or the evening #3N bus (1st July - 31st August) from Largo do Dique to Praia da Rocha. Both buses stop at the Museu de Portimão, Hotel Jupiter, Hotel Oriental and the Fortaleza. The number #11 also runs from Fortaleza through Portimão and north to Penina.

The tourist toy train (comboio turístico) runs in season from 10am to 11.30pm every half an hour along the sea front on Avenida Tomás Cabreira, via the Fortaleza, Portimão Marina and Praia do Vau.

Accommodation in Praia da Rocha

Accommodation in Praia da Rocha is plentiful and consists of luxury historic hotels, some in converted mansions going back to the late 19th century, more modern budget hotels as well as apartments, villas and guest houses.

Some recommended places to stay include the Bela Vista, a former mansion renovated in a modern Portuguese style, the excellent four-star Tivoli Marina Portimão with modern facilities including two seawater pools, the Hotel Oriental, also four-star, has a pool and rooms with superb sea views. The five-star Hotel Algarve Casino has lovely gardens and two outdoor pools.

Slightly more budget options include the Hotel da Rocha, the Jupiter Algarve and the three-star Avenida Praia.

Getting to Portimão

Air Travel in Portugal

Portimão is 62km west of Faro and 18km east of Lagos. There are abundant scheduled, charter, budget and no-frills flights to Faro Airport from all over Europe. Portugalia and TAP Fly from both Porto (via Lisbon) and Lisbon.

Train Travel in the Algarve

There are local trains from Faro Station (tel. 289 801 726) to Albufeira (30 mins), Ferragudo (78 mins), Portimão (81mins), Lagos (105 mins), Loule (20 mins), Tavira and Vila Real de Santo Antonio. From Portimão change at Tunes (via Silves) for trains to Lisbon.

Car Travel in the Algarve

From Faro and the west, take Route N125. From Spain, get onto N125 going west.

Bus Travel to Portimao

There are local buses from Faro to Albufeira, Lagos, Olhao, Portimão and Vila Real de Santo Antonio (via Tavira). EVA bus company runs a service to Sevilla in Spain via Huelva. The bus leaves Lagos at 6.30am and arrives in Portimão at 7am. There are regular buses from Portimão railway station on the outskirts of town to the town center. Regular Vai e Vem buses also make the short journey to Praia da Rocha.

Buses to Lisbon take around 3 hours, 45 minutes from Portimão, which is also connected by bus to Albufeira, Lagos, Salema, Silves and Cabo São Vicente.

Weather

The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22 degrees Centigrade and 26 degrees Centigrade.
Get more weather information for Portugal

Rocha Introduction - Things to do - Beaches - Airport to PDR> Day Trips - Algarve Introduction

Praia da Rocha is a lively beach resort that is situated on a stunning coastline and makes for a fantastic holiday destination for both families and couples of all ages.

The main international airport of southern Portugal is Faro airport and this is located 70km to the east of Praia da Rocha.

This guide will detail how to travel from Faro airport to Praia da Rocha by taxi, bus and train.

Faro Airport to Praia da Rocha by Public Transport

Public transport from Faro airport is not great and this is surprising considering how many visitors pass through the airport every year.

There is no public transport hub at Faro airport and all visitors must first travel to the city of Faro for onward bus or rail services. Praia da Rocha is a small town and has no train station or major bus station, the nearest bus/train station is in the city of Portimão 5km to the north.

This means that there are three stages to the journey from Faro Airport to Praia da Rocha by public transport:
• Faro airport to the Faro train or bus station (by bus or taxi)
• Faro to Portimão (by train or bus - train is faster)
• Portimão bus/train station to Praia da Rocha and to your hotel (taxi or short bus ride)

(All of these stages are explained in detail later on in the article)

Praia da Rocha is amazing once you get there.....

The other inconvenience is that the last daily train departs Faro at 20:50 (correct 2019 - please see link to latest timetable later in the article). So for flights landing after 19:00 should book a transfer as there will not be time to connect to the train.

No, a taxi hired directly from the airport arrivals lounge to Praia da Rocha will be very expensive (>€90). A much better option is to pre-booked a private transfer which cost €54/€108 (one way/return).

Cheaper options are transfer buses with tickets around €17- €20 but as Praia da Rocha is a distance from the airport expect multiple stops and a very long journey (90 minutes).

Summers in the Algarve are manic and Faro airport can be chaotic, with huge queues for everything, it is always best to pre-book transfers. The main (and only) advantage using public transport is that it is inexpensive (less than €10) and there is always space on the train.

Faro taxis, waiting outside the train station

Private Transfer from the airport

A private transfer is the easiest and fastest method of travel from Faro airport to Praia da Rocha. The most reliable and highest regarded (by people who live and work in the Algarve) transfer company is Yellow Fish Transfers. They operate smart, clean and safe cars and their drivers are renowned for being punctual.

A transfer from Faro airport to Praia da Rocha costs €54/108 (single transfer/return), takes 60 minutes and their website, along with bookings can be found here. (The link opens new window).

The remainder of this article will explain in detail traveling from Faro airport to Praia da Rocha by public transport.

Yellow Fish operate the best transfer service in the Algarve

Traveling from Faro Airport to Praia da Rocha by public transport

The first stage of the journey is the 6km from Faro Airport to Faro train or bus station. There is a direct bus service from the airport with irregular departure times but at least one bus per hour between 6am-11pm.

The journey takes under twenty minutes, the fare is €2.35 and tickets are purchased from the driver. There are departures every 30-50 minutes, and the latest timetable can be seen on the Proximo website at:
https://www.proximo.pt/uploads/schedules/Linha_16_14.pdf
https://www.proximo.pt/uploads/schedules/Linha_14_3.pdf

(links open new windows)

A taxi from the airport to the train station cost €10-12 and only takes 10 minutes. Faro train station and bus station are very close together and are only a 200m apart.
For a detailed guide to this first stage please see this guide, Faro Airport to Faro train station.

There are many enjoyable activities in Praia da Rocha and Portimão. We have worked with Getyourguide.com over the last five years, and a selection of their best tours and activities include:

The train journey from Faro to Portimão takes 1 hour and 30 minutes and a single ticket costs only €6.10. Tickets are purchased from the ticket office and cannot be pre-booked as the train is a regional service.

There is no need to pre-book tickets as there is always space on the train with ample space of heavy luggage.

The Algarve regional train

The main issue with the rail service is the lack of departures and the infrequency during the day, for example there are no departs between 13:55 and 15:17. Also, the last train is at 20:50, (correct October 2019), so no good for passengers arriving at Faro airport after 19:00. The latest timetable as a PDF can be viewed at the CP (Comboios de Portugal) website and the link is:
https://www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/timetables/vila-real-s.antonio-lagos-regional-trains.pdf

(the link opens a new window)

.....or by bus

There are express buses between Faro to Portimão, which depart from Faro bus station and take 1h45m. The bus departures are just as infrequent as the train and as of October 2019 the last bus leaves Faro at 19:40, a link to the bus time table can be found here:
https://eva-bus.com/pdf/57.pdf

(the link opens a new window)

The bus ticket costs €5.50/€11.00 (single/return) and are purchased from the ticket office, which can be very busy in the summer months - when traveling from Faro bus station bus tickets cannot be purchased from the driver. The express bus to Portimão is part of the express bus route to Lagos therefore buses will be have 'Lagos' in their display window. Bus to Portimão depart from the older covered intercity bus station not the new open air 'Proximo' bus station, where the Faro airport bus terminates.

The final stage (and possibly the time why you wonder why you choose to travel by public transport) is from Portimão train station or bus station to Praia da Rocha and your hotel. For this short stage it is generally easier just to catch a taxi for this final stage of the journey and there are always taxis waiting when the train/bus arrives and the taxi fare will be between €10-12. There are direct local bus from the main bus area of Portimão but not the train station. For a map of the Portimão local buses please see this link:
http://vaivem.portimaourbis.pt/images/docs/BroRedUrb2015.jpg
The main local bus routes for Praia da Rocha are the 33,and 35
35 time table http://vaivem.pt/images/docs/LINHA_35.pdf
or 33 timetable http://vaivem.pt/images/docs/LINHA_33.pdf
The bus ticket is €1.50 for 1 hours travel or €3.50 for a 1 day pass. The Largo do Dique (where the local buses depart from) is a 1km downhill walk from the train station and is much easier than waiting for another bus.

Our final advice

The route by public transport from the Airport to Praia da Rocha may seem overly complicated while transfers are expensive, especially during the summer season or on budget holidays. Our advice (and what we do when visiting Praia da Rocha) is to catch a taxi to Faro from the airport then take the train to Portimão and finally a taxi from Portimão to Praia da Rocha.

This works out at a total transfer cost of around €32 for two people and can take as little as 2 hours. For the possible lunch time delay in Faro, either do as the Portuguese do and have a long lunch or visit Faro which is a surprisingly pretty city (just not near the train station).

Our most popular articles for Praia da Rocha and the Algarve

Rocha Home

Home Page and introduction to Praia da Rocha

Sights & activities

What are the best sights & activities in Praia da Rocha?

Beaches

A guide to the beautiful beaches of the Praia da Rocha region

Need a Hotel?

Find the best hotels at the lowest prices!

Day trips

There are many enjoyable day trips from Praia da Rocha

Airport to Rocha

How to travel from Faro Airport to Portimão & Praia da Rocha?

Silves

The ancient capital of the Algarve, makes for an enjoyable day trip

Loulé

Experience an authentic Algarve market town as a day trip

Top 10 Algarve

What are the top 10 sights of the Algarve?

Where to stay?

What Algarve town is the best for your holiday?

Albufeira

The largest and liveliest resort town of the Algarve

Lagos

History, beaches, and nightlife -Lagos is rightful popular!

Carvoeiro

Family-holiday destination on a magnificent coastline

Faro

The historic city of Faro is much more than just the airport

Tavira

The most charming town of the eastern Algarve

Introduction to PdR
PdR's best hotels
Sight and activities
Day trips
Airport to PdR
PdR's beaches
Lagos or PdR

Lagos Introduction
1 Week in Lagos
Lagos Day Trips
Day trip to Sagres

Carvoeiro Introduction
Carvoeiro beaches

Sete Vales Suspensos hike
Ferragudo day trip

Algarve Introduction
Best town in the Algarve?
Itineraries and tours
The Algarve for Teenagers
Algarve for Christmas
Lisbon to the Algarve

Vilamoura Introduction
Sights and activities
Vilamoura beaches
1week in Vilamoura

Faro Introduction
Sights and activities
Faro Beaches
Airport to Faro
Day trip to Faro