Madrid
Getting There/Around

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Getting There

Air

Madrid Barajas Airport ( MAD ) ( +34 91 305 6000 / http://www2.aena.es/aeropuertos/barajas/index.htm/ ) is located nine miles east of downtown, handles 25 million passengers a year. Major airlines serving the airport include:

Air Berlin ( +45 30 41 47 75 10 / http://www.airberlin.com/ )
Air Europa ( +1 888 238 7585 / http://www.air-europa.com/ )
Air France ( +1 800 871 1366 / http://www.airfrance.com/ )
American Airline ( +1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com/ )
Blue Air ( +40 40 21 208 86 86 / http://www.blueair-web.com/ )
BMI Baby ( +0890 710 081 / http://www.bmibaby.com/ )
British Airways ( +1 800 247 9297 / http://www.british-airways.com/ )
Continental ( +1 800 525 0280 / http://www.continental.com/ )
Delta ( +1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com/ )
Easy Jet ( +33 ( 0 )8 25 08 25 08 / http://www.easyjet.com/ )
Germanwings ( +44 870 252 12 50 / http://www1.germanwings.com/ )
My Travel ( +870 238 7710 / http://www.mytravel.com/ )
Smart Wings ( +420 255 700 827 / http://www.smartwings.net/ )
TAP Portugal ( +351 707 205 700 / http://www.flytap.com/ )
United ( +1 800 241 6522 / http://www.ual.com/ )
US Airways ( +1 800 428 4322 / http://www.usairways.com/ )
Virgin Express ( +0821 2230 202 / http://www.virgin-express.com/ )

From the Airport

Car Rental:
Car rental desks can be found in each terminal at MAD. AresMobile also provides the option of renting a chauffeured vehicle.
AresMobile ( +34 917 477 570 / http://www.aresmobile.com/ )
Avis ( +34 902 135 531 / http://www.avis.com/ )
Europcar ( +34 902 405 020 / http://www.europcar.com/ )
Hertz ( +34 902 402 405 / http://www.hertz.com/ )
National ( +34 902 100 101 / http://www.nationalcar.com/ )

Taxi:
Taxis are easy to locate outside the terminals. Depending on traffic, downtown rides average between 20-30 minutes. Only board taxis that operate via meter, for the others are notorious for overcharging. A usual fare into town averages around EUR17-EUR25.

Shuttles:
AeroCITY ( +34 91 747 7570 / http://www.aerocity.com/ ) operates around the clock. Each holds up to seven passengers and, depending on location, costs between EUR17-EUR38. Reservations are encouraged but not imperative.

Bus Service:
Madrid buses are frequent and an efficient way to the downtown area. Several different bus lines connect the various terminals with points around the city. From Terminal 4, line 204 provides service to the Avenida de América in the city center. Also from Terminal 4, line 201 transports passengers to the Barajas Metro station. From Terminals 1, 2 and 3, line 200 travels to Avenida de América and the city center. The busses run from around 6a until 2a. Fares can run anywhere from EUR1 to EUR3 for a single fare.

Rail:
Plenty of ground transportation options abound with the Metro's Line 8 being the best. Opened in 2002, this line of the Metro is fast, efficient, and comfortable. Its boarding station can be found in Terminal 2 and rides only last 12 minutes. Trains run from 6a until 1:45a, daily. Passengers must change trains twice to reach downtown. The Metro is not yet connected to Terminal 4, so passengers must take the bus line 201 to Terminal 2 in order to take the Metro.

Highway

There are seven major Autovías, or highways, running in and out of Madrid. All these highways are named for major destinations on the route as well as having numbers. The A-1 or the Burgos Highway ( also known as the Autovía del Norte ), connects Madrid with Burgos and Santander to the north of Madrid, as well as cities in the Basque region, France and the ferries to the United Kingdom. The A-2, or Barcelona Highway, runs directly ( as its name implies ), to Barcelona to the northeast and Portbou in France. The A-3/Valencia Highway runs southeast to Valencia through Cuenca and Albacete. From Valencia it runs south to Alicante. The A-4/ Andalucía Highway, runs to numerous cities in the south of Spain, including Seville, Granada, Málaga, Cádiz and the ferries to Morocco. The A-5/Extremadura Highway runs east to the Extremadura region of Spain, passing through the cities of Trujillo, Cáceres, Mérida, and on to Lisbon and Southern Portugal. The A-5 can also be used as a route to the western part of Andalucía. The A-6/A Coruña Highway runs northwest to nearby El Escorial, Ávila, Salamanca, Segovia, Zamora, Léon, Galicia, and on to Northern Portugal. Finally, the A-42/Toledo Highway runs south to Toledo. Within Madrid there are three major ring roads, the inner ring is M-30, and two outer rings, the M-40, which services many suburbs, and the M-50, which runs much more rural areas.

Getting Around

Car

Madrid, like any sprawling metropolis, has its fair share of traffic congestion. Driving here, if not familiar with the city by car, can be a rather daunting experience. Visiting drivers must remain vigilant as locals tend to be somewhat reckless in their driving, and taxi and bus lanes must be respected. Additionally, parking can be an extreme hassle, and there are several rules that visiting drivers should be aware of when attempting to park in Madrid. In between certain hours, “green areas” are parking reserved only for residents with the proper permit, while others will have to pay. “Blue areas” are visitor parking with a 2 hour limit, and payment is required here as well. An easy solution is to park only in designated “parking areas” or garages to avoid ticketing or towing. As Madrid has a very extensive and efficient public transportation system, visitors who find this explanation intimidating may be better off not renting a car or driving here unless necessary.

Taxi

Taxis are easy to hail from downtown streets as long as the weather remains clear. Madrid's cab drivers have an odd reputation for being fair weather drivers. As soon as it begins to rain they apparently lose faith in their vehicle's ability to repel water and disappear. Only use metered cabs and keep in mind that they all add strange surcharges for driving on Sundays and holidays and out to the bullring. Tele-Taxi ( +34 91 371 2131 ) and Radio Taxi Gremial ( +34 91 447 5180 ) are two of Madrid's more prominent cab companies.

Subway

The Metro ( http://www.metromadrid.es/ ) subway system represents the fastest means for scooting about the city. Twelve lines and a branch line, each designated by color and number, with 190 stations cover all of Madrid, including the airport. Keep an alert eye on personal items, for the subway stations are pickpocket magnets. A one-way ticket averages around EUR1. Most visitors opt for the cheaper 10-Trip ticket for EUR6.70. Hours: 6a-1:30a.

Bus

Estación Sur de Autobuses ( +34 91 468 4200 ) serves as Madrid's main bus station. The Alsa-Entacar bus company ( +34 90 242 242 / http://www.alsa.es/ ) buzzes into Madrid from every direction and is part of Eurolines/National Express, which services all of Europe. Madrid's extensive public transportation system makes it possible to visit without the need of a car. Its red city buses ( +34 91 406 8810/ http://www.ctm-madrid.es/ ) service every district in and around Madrid. More than 1,900 buses cover 185 routes. Night buses are also available.

Train

Renfe ( +34 93 490 1122/ http://www.renfe.es/ ), Spain's largest train line, chugs into Madrid on a daily basis. Its north station, Chamartin ( +34 91 315 9976 ) services all points north of the city including France to the east and Portugal to the west. Atocha ( +34 91 328 9020 ), the south station, caters to the towns and cities in southern and eastern Spain, including Seville and Valencia.