Dialysis in Algarve, Portugal

The Algarve is Portugal's southern coast: a string of beaches, cliffs and resort towns that draws visitors from across Europe, and a region used to welcoming travellers who need dialysis. From Faro and the eastern towns near Tavira to Portimão and the western beaches, you can keep your treatment routine and still enjoy your holiday.

Reni coordinates your dialysis while you travel. We list the dialysis centres we can find across the Algarve (whatever the operator). Tell us where and when, and we contact the centres for you, follow up until one confirms your sessions, and help you plan the rest of the trip. The centre provides your treatment, and you book your travel directly with each provider. Finding a centre and arranging your sessions with it is free, and we share your details with a centre only with your consent.

Getting your sessions sorted comes down to five steps:

1. Find a centre. The centres in our directory appear below, so pick the one closest to where you're staying.
2. Send your inquiry. Include your current dialysis schedule, prescription details and travel dates. We contact the centre for you and follow up until it answers, only with your consent.
3. Confirm dates, times and what to bring. The centre replies with available slots. Get your sessions confirmed in writing before you do anything else.
4. Gather your paperwork. Ask your nephrologist or dialysis nurse for everything the centre needs. Leave time; home units can be busy.
5. Travel. With your slots confirmed and your documents in order, you can enjoy the coast with your schedule sorted.

Portugal runs its public health service, the SNS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde), alongside private clinics. Holiday patients usually arrange sessions with a private or visitor-friendly unit; the public system mainly serves residents and emergencies.

When we last reviewed this guide, our directory listed centres in the places below. The list further down this page comes straight from the directory, so check it for the current centres.

• Faro: the regional capital, right beside the airport.
• Portimão: to the west, convenient for the Praia da Rocha and Lagos area.
• Tavira: to the east, close to the Spanish border and the eastern beaches.

A typical routine is three sessions a week of around four hours, but your schedule is a matter for you and the centre. We don't offer medical advice. We help you find a centre and get in touch.

Centres usually ask visiting patients for the same core set of documents. Gathering these before you leave is one of the most important things you can do:

• A recent letter from your home unit, including your dialysis prescription and current schedule.
• Recent blood test results.
• Virology and serology results (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV), routinely required.
• A full list of your medications, including doses and timing.
• Your passport, plus EHIC or GHIC if you have one and it's valid.

How recent your blood and virology results must be is set by the centre that will treat you, and it differs from one centre to another. Ask that centre what it needs, then ask your nephrologist or home unit to arrange the tests to match.

The exact requirements vary by centre, so confirm the list when you make contact.

Faro Airport (FAO) is the gateway to the Algarve, with direct summer flights from the UK, Ireland and northern Europe.

• Location: right beside Faro itself, so it's the closest airport for any centre in the region.
• Onward travel: well connected west and east along the coast by the A22 motorway, trains and buses.
• Worth asking: when you contact a centre, ask how visiting patients normally get there and about parking.

The Algarve fills up in summer, and dialysis slots are limited.

The golden rule: get your sessions confirmed in writing before you book flights or your hotel. Changing flights is expensive and stressful; confirming dialysis first keeps you in control.

If you are travelling between June and September, inquire several weeks ahead and keep a backup option in mind. Outside the peak there is usually more availability, but it is still wise to arrange before you arrive.

Availability, what to bring, languages spoken and any costs differ from centre to centre and can change. Always confirm the details directly with the centre before booking flights or treatment. We list centres and keep their contact details as current as we can, but we are not affiliated with them and cannot confirm availability on their behalf.