I'm going to do a three month internship at INTA, Madrid, which is located outside of the city, north of Torrejon de Ardoz. I've been looking at bus schedules and metro stations to see what options I have of getting there, and how close to the city centre I can live without having to spend a lot of my days in public transport. So far I've come across the following resources:
After some searching I think that the following bus lines might be my best option: 224 - /A America - Torrejon de Ardoz --> 30 mins 252 - Torrejon de Ardoz - INTA --> 20 mins with 10 mins of security that is about an hour worth of travelling each day. If I find an apartment near the metro station on Av America the city will be very close by with public transport and I can also reach my working place. Am I missing any transport options? Would the listed table times be correct, considering congestion etc?
I am now looking for an apartment, from which I would not feel inhibited to go to the city centre (because of travelling distance, time, availability etc.) but would also not force me to spend hours commuting. What would you recommend? Is the Av. America a good option?
Other options are Torrejon de Ardoz itself, perhaps an appartment in San Blas or Barajas. Or go for another hub metro station at for instance Atocha, which serves local train C-1. Well, I'm still trying to figure this all out, but some outside perspective would be appreciated, so let's hear it! How far/long do you commute? Anyone else that's working outside the city?
Posts: 11 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: 05 May 2008
I think the conclusions were that: * jer has an extreeeeeemeeeeeeeeeeeeeely long commute each day * Chica (if I remember the name correctly?) has stopped using public transportation for commuting * There is no comprehensive coupled public transportation website --> business startup idea * For me av de America will probably be the best option for finding an apartment, which is what I am now doing.
Posts: 11 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: 05 May 2008
Hey Coen-- I posted a message about the cercanías train from the center of Madrid... It runs really frequently to Torrejon and takes 25 minutes. If you look on the renfe.es site under Madrid Cercanías, you can see the schedule. I think Cercanías (commuter train) to a local bus would probably be the best bet unless you can find a door to door bus.
Posts: 1070 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 10 December 2002
Hey Coen I passed your question to a friend, who live not far from Torrejon de Ardoz, and here is her reply: "to find a flat near Atocha, nice area, near to Retiro, near to Sol, museums, etc, lots of buses and good metro line, and also Cercanías for going to Torrejón, which is 25 min or so, andén 3, dirección Alcalá de Henares o Guadalajara. There are trains each 5-15 min, according to the hour, and if the job is near to the Torrejón Train Station that will be great. Anyway I think it´s better than bus, because you never risk to catch a traffic jam, which is very usual at work time hours and can make a 20 min traveling 1:30 min!!!! And deffinitly I think it´s better to live in Madrid, because even if you spend 1 hour or 1:30 for going to work (and the same for coming back home), when you arrive back home, you have a nice city to see, more friends close to you, and you can spend your free time much much better.
I totally agree with her, as I wrote you (before we lost all posts ) I spend 1 hour or more each direction and no way I'd change it.
Good luck Nava
Age is a matter of mind, if you don't mind it doesn't matter.
Posts: 319 | Location: Israel >Madrid | Registered: 29 July 2004
Heh, so now people are leaning more in favor of Atocha... it is a lot closer to the city for sure, but also a little more expensive. However the argument that the train does not become stuck in traffic jams is a very convincing one. Since my internship still hasn't been officially approved it's probably gonna shift a few weeks, so more time to find and appartment. Let's see what is on offer near Atocha. Thanks for all the advice folks!
Posts: 11 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: 05 May 2008
I thought I´d post a reply now I have been in Madrid for a couple of weeks. The search for a room proved harder than I thought and I ended up opting for a temporary room in Torrejon... which is indeed, not a place you want to stay for long.
It proved that the buses to INTA are provided by INTA itself, so that I can live practically anywhere, so the search has continued anew...
I´m working on finding an apartment for the 1st of july to the 15th of septembre. Since I don´t have internet both at home and at my workplace at the moment I ain´t too active on this forum, I hope I can contribute a little once I´m in Madrid.
Thanks for all the help and I´ll keep ya posted.
Posts: 11 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: 05 May 2008
Another update: Since tuesday I'm living on c/ de la collegiata, right in the middle of things in a great house with a salon, balcony, and my room is big and has a double bed . I visited a number of private 'pisos compartidos' from segadamundo but in the end this one offered the best price/value for me. It's a room from www.erasmusenmadrid.com which is good place if you want a temporary room without too much hassle. Be sure to haggle for the price though, especially in summer.
Posts: 11 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: 05 May 2008
Originally posted by jer: i just had a look at that erasmus site. wowzers! €600.00 for a room is a LOT but €400 to 450 is more reasonable.
i think a site geared towards erasmus students may take advantage of people since erasmus has big money.
Yeah, that's probably what the business case revolves around. At the moment 2 of my roommates are French 1-month interns, both pretty young as well. For one of em their school arranged this place, the other did it himself. I can understand that for one month and all the other overwhelming new experiences you wouldn't want the hassle of househunting, which is where erasmus makes their money. The €600 room is indeed very expensive, it's large with its own balcony and baño though. I tried haggling for it, but they wouldn't come down to a price which was acceptable for me. For now it's still empty . They also offer cheaper beds in two person rooms... not for me and another great way for em to squeeze some more money out of a room.
Posts: 11 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: 05 May 2008
for the record, that site is not from the erasmus organization. the site is simply a 3rd party private service that offers the housing to anyone who can afford it.
erasmus is probably not making money from these services.
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