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BP Spanish Cities Guide Spanish Cities Guide Main Spanish Cities Guide Madrid City Guide - 3 - Getting There
BP Spanish Cities Guide Spanish Cities Guide Main Spanish Cities Guide Madrid City Guide - 3 - Getting There
Madrid City Guide - 3 - Getting There |
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Getting to and around Madrid is very easy and convenient for travellers. Firstly you can fly in on up to 100 airlines or take a bus or train from other centres in Spain including the high speed rail network. Within the city itself the modern metro provides easy access to all parts of the city, or you can hop on a bus or catch a cab.
AIR In Madrid Airport (Barajas Airport) buses run to/from Plaza de Colón every 15 minutes (€3). The journey is about 30 minutes. There is a new public bus that runs to Avenida de America bus and Metro station (€1). Otherwise you can get a Metro from terminals 1, 2 and 3 to the city centre (€1). You can take free airport shuttles between the long-haul Terminals 4 and 4S (the Satellite building) and other terminals. Between Terminals 4 and 4s is an automated passenger transport system (APM) Here are some of the major airlines that provide services to Madrid:
Iberia Airlines (www.iberia.com) is the national carrier of Spain with more routes to and within Spain than any other airline. It also offers fly/drive programs.
American Airlines (www.aa.com), Delta (www.delta.com), United Airlines (www.ual.com), Continental Airlines (www.continental.com) and US Airways (www.usairways.com) are some of the US carriers to Madrid.
From Great Britain British Airways (www.british-airways.com), easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) operate.
For cheaper flights consider getting Iberia’s Europass, available to passengers with a transatlantic passage and two additional flights within Europe. For details see www.iberia.com.
TRAIN There are two stations that serve the domestic and international routes out of Madrid. Many trains s at both the stations. Alocha station is south of the city centre and runs trains to/from the south and around Madrid. Go here for the fast AVE trains to Andalucia. Chamartin (metro Chamartin) north of the city has trains that terminate from the north but some pass though to Atocha. There are also a few trains to Andalucia that depart from here. International trains to France and Portugal only s here and usually require you to change trains as the gauge is a different size. You can get information on train travel from the UK from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk). From London you need to change trains in Paris and also the rail terminus. For information on Spanish trains go to the Spanish rail network RENFE (www.renfe.es) or see a local train station or travel agent. Principe Pío station handles suburban services and short trips in the Madrid region. In 2008 a high speed rail link was established between Madrid and Barcelona (Talgo, 3.5 hours), allowing easier access to other parts of Europe as well. You can also get to Seville (AVE, 2.5 hours), Valencia (Altaria, 3.5 hours) and Malaga (Talgo 4.25 hours) from Madrid on high speed trains, just remember the faster the train the higher the fare and you usually have to pay a supplement. There are also TER and Electrotren services. You can also select preferente (1st class) and turista (2nd class) tickets. For all long journeys in Spain seat and sleeper reservations are mandatory and you should make them as far in advance as possible, the same goes for those travelling from outside Spain. It is possible to put your car on the train with Auto-Expreso. METRO The metro system is Madrid is extensive with some 202 stations, so it is generally considered the best way to get around. All stations fall within zone A of the network bar the stations on line 9 between Rivas Urbanizaciones and Argancia del Rey. Single metro tickets costs €1, while a ten-ride Metrebús ticket is €7.40. Travel outside of Zone A is a higher fare. For more details go to the metro website (tel. 902 444 403, www.metromadrid.es). There is also a map on the site. The metro ss runs daily from 06:00-01:30am. SUBURBAN TRAINS This suburban network called Cercanías is operated by RENFE. Trains on this network operate well for day trips to nearby cities such as El Escorial, Segovia and Toledo. They are also a good extension on the metro network and connect the Atocha and Chamartin stations. Príncipe Pío, Atocha and Chamartín stations are the main hubs for the Cercanías network. You can not use metro tickets on Cercanías trains. A single trip within zones 1 and 2 costs €1.20. Monthly travel cards are also valid on Cercanías trains. Go to the RENFE site for more details and a map. BUS Most buses, but not all, s at the Estación Sur de Autobuses, Calle de Méndez Álvaro (metro Méndez Álvaro, www.estaciondeautobuses.com). Most of the buses sping here go south and some are international. This is also a good spot to buy tickets (even for other stations) and get bus information for travel around Spain. There is a left luggage office here (6:30am-midnight) and access to metro line 6. Some of the companies that depart from here include: Eurolines (www.eurolines.com), the main international carrier to Europe and Morocco. Contact Eurolines Peninsular for information and tickets (tel. 902 405 040, www.eurolines.es). ALSA Internacional (tel. 902 422 242, www.alsa.es) operates throughout Spain and abroad. Their northern bound buses leave from the Intercambiador de Avenida de América. AutoRes (tel. 902 020 052, www.auto-res.net) has services from Estacion Sur to Extremadura (Cáceres), Castilla y León (Salamanca and Zamora) and Valencia via Cuenca, and internationally to Lisbon in Portugal.
Some other domestic bus departures include: Herranz (tel. 91 890 90 28) departs from Intercambiador de Autobuses de Moncloa in Moncloa to San Lorenzo de El Escorial from platform 30 at the train station. La Sepulvedana (tel. 91 541 32 83, 91 559 89 55, www.lasepulvedana.es) leaves from Paseo de la Florida 11, Príncipe Pío) for Segovia and La Granja de San Ildefonso.
La Veloz (tel. 91 409 76 02) departs every half hour from Avenida del Mediterráneo 49, Conde de Casal to Chinchón.
Most travellers use the metro and suburban train network for travel within Madrid but you can also take EMT buses over 150 lines in the city (tel. 902 507 850, www.emtmadrid.es). These buses operate between 6.30am and 11.30pm with metro tickets, including the ten-ride Metrebús ticket. Bus route maps are available at touist offices. There are also 26 night bus routes, búsos, that leave Plaza de la Cibeles or Puerta del Sol between midnight and 6am. The metro starts again at 6am. Fares for day and night trips are the same: €1 for a single trip, €6.70 for a 10-trip Metrobús ticket. Madrid Vision (www.madridvision.es, tel. 34 91779 1888) operates a hop-on and hop-off bus around the city, taking in the major sights. There are two itineraries covering historical and modern Madrid. Tickets are from €17,00 for adults but there are big discounts for students and seniors. HITCHING It is not easy to hitch from Madrid. It would be best to get public transport out to the route on which you are heading. In Madrid itself there is a local ride-sharing agency called Nuevos Viajes, tel. 91 3083098. A fee is involved to have them organise a lift but should be cheaper than public transport. DRIVING You would probably be unwise to explore the city centre by car unless you want to sit in a traffic jam. Parking is also difficult in the centre. However if you want to tour the area around Madrid then a car is a good idea, although check out whether buses or trains go to where you’re going first as transport is efficient in this region and pretty cheap. If you are driving here or beyond, just remember you need to stay on the right side of the road. The city has two main ring roads, the M40 and M30 and some partial ringroads including the M45 and M50. The R5 and R3 are two new toll roads. If you’re heading beyond Madrid here are some directional roads: A1 – north to Burgos and Santander (ferry to UK)
A2 – northeast to Barcelona and France (AP7)
A3 – east to Valencia
A4 – south to Andalucia
A5 – west to Portugal via Caceres
A6 – northwest to Galicia
A42 – south to Toledo
Madrid has two main ring roads, the outer M-40 and inner M-30. In addition there are partial ring roads, the M-45 and more-distant M-50. The R-5 and R-3 are two planned toll roads that should ease traffic jams in future. If you’re keen to rent a car contact: Auto Europe Hertz Avis MOTORCYCLE Mopeds are everywhere in Madrid and great to park and for escaping traffic jams. If you’re not experienced with use of a scooter or heavy traffic then be careful. You can rent scooters at the following places: Moto Alquiler (Calle del Conde Duque 13, Tel. 91 542 06 57, www.motoalquiler.com). Open 8.30am-1.30pm & 5-8pm Mon-Fri Cooltra (Tel. 91 724 0258, www.cooltra.com/en/madrid/scooter_rental) for 50cc and 125cc scooters. Hertz (www.hertz.com) also rents bikes. BIKING AND WALKING This may be a cheaper, safer and healthier way to get around. Ask at your hotel or hostel for the nearest places to rent good bikes or do walking tours. Check out our tour pages for biking and walking holidays in Spain. While there aren’t a lot of bike lanes in Madrid you can transport your bicycle on the metro (10am-12.30pm and after 9pm Mon-Fri, all day on weekends and holidays). The Ceracanias trains also allow you on after 10am Mon-Fri and all day on weekends. Here are some operators offering biking or walking tours: Madrid Tourism Centre (bike and walking tours) Plaza Mayor, 27 (Salón de Columnas de la Casa de la Panadería)
Metro: Sol (Lines 1, 2 and 3) and Ópera (Line 5)
Open: 09:30-20:30 daily
www.esmadrid.com
Bike Spain (bike tours) Plaza de la Villa 1, Calle del Codo Tel. 91 559 06 53 www.bikespain.info Trixi.com (bike rental)
Calle de los Jardines 12 Tel. 91 523 15 47 www.trixi.com Walks of Madrid Tel. 34 6539 12879 www.walksofmadrid.com Adventurous Appetites (gastronomic walking tour run by English expats) Tel. 34 639 331 073 www.adventurousappetites.com Wellington Society of Madrid (fun excursions by an expat with liquid and food refreshment) www.wellsoc.org
TAXI Taxi ranks are available throughout Madrid or you can flag one down if the light on the roof is green or there is a sign libre (available) in the passenger side of the windscreen. Taxi’s will certainly ensure you don’t get lost in Madrid and are usually a good way of getting from the airport if there are a few of you (most can take up to four people with two medium cases and hand luggage). However do note there is an excellent metro service and night buses so where you can it’s still cheaper to get public transport. Flag fall rates vary according to the time of day. Usually they are: €1.95 - 6am-10pm daily (fare 1)
€2.15 - 10pm-6am Sun-Fri (fare 2) €2.95 - 10pm Sat - 6am Sun From then on the meter should be turned on and rates are €0.98 / km or €1.15 (10pm-6am). There are supplmentary charges to/from the airport (€5.50), from taxi ranks at train and bus stations (€2.95), to/from the Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I (€2.95) and on New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve from 10pm to 6am (€6.70). The great thing is there’s no extra charge for luggage in Madrid taxis. Here are some taxi contacts: Radio-Taxi (91 405 55 00, 91 445 90 08, 91 447 51 80) Tele-Taxi (91 371 21 31, 902 501 130, www.tele-taxi.es) Radio-Teléfono Taxi (91 547 82 00, 91 547 86 00; www.radiotelefono-taxi.com) for people with a disability.
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