Hola, can anyone give me instructions on the piblic transport system from train station to the Macarena? Also from the Macarena to the Airport! Gracias Amigos! Besote!
Please

Which train station? Atocha or Chamart�n?

Saludos,
jer...

Hola Jeremy, I am taking the train from Alicante to Madrid, the train station is Charmartin. Do you know how fare it is from This station to the MAcarena? What metro do I take. How much do you think it will be. Thank you sooo much.

Hey hipchick, as I understand it you are 6 travelling together right? I was at the Macarena the other day and I thought I saw a reservation in your name for a triple room and 2 doubles.

ANyway, if you are 6, you may want to take a few cabs from Chamart�n. If there are 6 of you a few cabs (3 and 3) could be a good deal. From Chamart�n to the Macarena should cost about 15 Euros each cab (about $14).

If you take the METRO, the easiest way to get to the Macarena (without getting lost in the streets of old Madrid) is to take the blue #10 Metro line from Chamart�n all the way south (in the direction of Aluche) 7 stops and get off at "Tribunal". Then get on the #1 line and take it 2 stops to Sol (in the direction of "Congosto"). Get off at "Sol" and head out of the Metro through the "C/. Mayor" exit. You will come up to street level in front of the famous Mallorquina pastry shop. Cross the Calle Mayor and you will be almost in front of McDonalds, head down Calle Mayor and after about 5 minutes walking you will see a small Plaza on your left called "Plaza de Bringas" and the "Mercadso de San Miguel" (St. Michael Market) will be in front of you on your leftish. Make a right and head down the street called "Cava de San Miguel". The Macarena is on your right at #8 about a 2 minute walk down the street. Don't forget to wave to me up on your left at #13 on your way down the street as that is where my kitchen balcony is

METRO MAP (to see how to get from Chamart�n to Metro station Sol).
CENTRAL MADRID MAP (use this map to see where you need to walk from Sol down the Calle Mayor and then onto the Calle Cava de San Miguel where the Macarena is).

Saludos,
jer...

I know that so far this discussion entailed Chamartin to Hostal Macarena, but I thought I'd share what I found out about how to get there (C/ Cava de San Miguel, 8) from Atocha.
I used the ctm-madrid.es route planner to determine the routes and walking times. I'm leaving taxis out of this discussion because obviously one could take a taxi.

ATOCHA to MACARENA BY METRO

• DIRECTIONS:
  Take Line 1 from Atocha Renfe to Sol. Exit Sol Metro station via the "C/ Mayor" exit. From there it's a safe 9 minute to Macarena. Walk down Calle Mayor (on the left side of the street) about 5-8 minutes until you see the "Mercado de San Miguel" ( CLICK HERE ) on your left hand side. Make a left and head down Calle Cava de San Miguel and in about 2 minutes you are at the Macerena (on your right hand side).
  
• PROS and CONS OF THIS ROUTE:[list]
  
  
• PRO: Can go into Metro from the Atocha station without going outside and being exposed to the elements (good in colder weather).
  
• PRO: Runs later than the bus (1:30am vs 11:30pm).
  
• PRO: More lenient than bus about the number of bags that can be brought on board.
  
• CON: Going from Atocha Renfe subway entrance to Sol subway entrance requires much more walking than the hopping on and off of the bus (might be an issue especially if tired and/or carrying luggage)
  

[/list]
ATOCHA to MACARENA BY BUS

• DIRECTIONS:
  Take bus 26 or 32 from Calle Atocha outside of the train station, get off at Plaza Jacinto Benavente. From here it's a safe 9 minute walk to Macarena. Walk down Calle Atocha towards Plaza Mayor. Cross Plaza Provincia, then take Calle Gerona, which leads to the southeast entrance to Plaza Mayor. Walk straight across the plaza, exiting at the southwest corner. Cross Calle Cava de San Miguel, the Macarena is #8.
  
• PROS and CONS OF THIS ROUTE:[list]
  
  
• PRO: Getting off and on bus requires much less walking than using Metro.
  
• CON: Must go outside of station to bus stop (not as fun in colder weather).
  
• CON: Stops running at 11:30pm.
  
• CON: Can really bring only one medium sized bag on board.
  

[/list]
(Updated 01/08/2003 23:32 with suggestions by Jer)

"An honest man is always a child" - Socrates ...no wonder I'm so immature!

Hey Paul, great work!!!

quote:

Are both walking routes safe at night (we arrive at Atocha at 00:30)?

Since the bus has been ruled out (see below), the answer is yes. The walk from the Sol Metro station to the Macarena is very safe. Exit Sol Metro station via the "C/ Mayor" exit and walk down Calle Mayor (on the left side of the street) about 5-8 minutes until you see the "Mercado de San Miguel" (CLICK HERE) on your left hand side. Make a left and head down Calle Cava de San Miguel and in about 2 minutes you are at the Macerena (on your right hand side).

quote:

How late do buses run (not the N buses)?

You can rule the bus out as normal city busses run until 11:30pm. That is they run their last routes at 11:30pm.

quote:

How much luggage could one realistically bring on this metro line or bus? (meaning, will the bus driver/metro ticket person limit the amount of baggage you can bring on board, especially during the busier times of the day and evening ?)

Busses have been ruled out due to your late arrival but normally one should not expect to bring more than one medium-large sized bag on a normal city bus.

The Metro is more lenient as space is more available and they should not say anything (as long as you don't have 6,000,000 bags ). I have seen people in the Metro with 2-3 bags/suitcases each.

Saludos,
jer...

Thanks Jer! I updated the message (with stuff I plagiarized from you, but it's your board so I figure you wouldn't care ) Anyway, I SWAG'd the description of the walk from Benavente to Macarena (and also said it was safe). You might want to review it for accuracy.

Looks good to me buddy

Saludos,
jer...