Quick question(s)...where exactly is the metro stop located at the airport in Madrid? Just outside the doors? I'm gonna take line 8 to line 10 into Sol but I was just wondering where exactly I go after I get my bags.

Also, I'll be arriving in Madrid at 8:45pm...what time does it get dark over there? And I'll have 2 suitcases and a backpack. Should I just spend the money and get a taxi to Sol (Los Amigos Hostal) or is the Metro not bad? I know my route and address and all to the hostal but I know it will be late and I'll be tired.

hey DanielM

quote:

Quick question(s)...where exactly is the metro stop located at the airport in Madrid? Just outside the doors?

not by a long shot! the metro entrance is at terminal 1 so if you are landing at t1, it is a 10-15 minute walk indoors ( maybe 7 min. if you are naked, greased up, have no bags and there is zero wind drag )

seriously, it is a bit of a walk from t1 and if you fly into the "new" t4, it is a bus ride to t2 to get the metro.

i had so many asking about the metro at barajas when i launched multimadrid years ago so i shot this vide (had a lot more free time back then )

it is still valid as the metro is still where it was.

http://multimadrid.com/practical_info/metro/metro_at_airport.mpg

obviously, it is only valid if you are flying into terminal 1.

warning: you may want to take some dramamine before you watch it, a rolling tripod was not in my budget

video ends in a hallway but you keep walking straight after that and you get to an information counter on your righ. turn left and walk on the automatic walkways (3 or them) and you will see the metro in front of you to your left after you get off the 3rd.

btw, line 10 does not go to sol. you would need to take line 8 to 10 and then 10 to "tribunal" and change there to line 1. line 1 would take you right into sol. BUT, since you are going to los amigos, you are better off taking line 8 to 10 and then changing from 10 to the "R" line (ramal opera-principe pío) at príncipe pío. then take the "R" line one stop (that's all it goes) to opera. both los amigos opera and los amigos sol are closer to opera than to sol.

the los amigos website has EXCELLENT directions on how to get there at http://www.losamigoshostel.com/b/english/location.htm . i should know, i designed their website. i'm sure you saw the virtual tours at http://www.losamigoshostel.com/b/pano-tour/operatour.html if not, check em out.

see a recent metro map at http://www.metromadrid.es/acc_resources/pdfs/Plano_Metro_2007.pdf

quote:

Also, I'll be arriving in Madrid at 8:45pm...what time does it get dark over there?

depends on what time of the year you come, you did not mention your travel dates. in the thick of winter it gets dark by 6:30pm and at the peak of summer ther is still sunlight as late as 10:30pm.

with 2 suitcases and a backpack you might just want to spring for the cab. although there are some escalators in the metro stops where you change lines, there are also some changes with just stairs.

saludos,
jer...

by the way, the metro here has been terrible over the past 8 ,months or so. tons of breakdowns and delays, fewer and fewer "human" employees (machines taking the place of ticket booths), etc...

they have been expanding the metro a lot but have not been taking care of the already-existing lines and they have let them deteriorate.

it has become a hot topic in the political arena with the oposition blaming the govt. for the problems. in my opinion it is not a good time to be using the metro. i find myself taking the bus more and more these days.

saludos,
jer...

Jer,

Your last post seems to hit the mark. Now, I saw first hand how human tickets sellers are becoming less and less. I saw it in Plaza de España and I have been reading with a lot of interest about the metro and the breakdowns and people complaining. I prefer the bus to the metro anyway and don't find it that confuing at all. I get to stay above ground and really see the city.

Shawn

quote:

Originally posted by jer:
depends on what time of the year you come, you did not mention your travel dates. in the thick of winter it gets dark by 6:30pm and at the peak of summer ther is still sunlight as late as 10:30pm.

with 2 suitcases and a backpack you might just want to spring for the cab. although there are some escalators in the metro stops where you change lines, there are also some changes with just stairs.

Oh yeah, sorry. I arrive next Thursday, May 3rd.

If it is terminal four you fly into, I'd suggest taking the bus to Avenida America (it's right outside the terminal doors) and then taking the metro to Opera using line 5 from Avenida America. If this is too much of a hassle and money's an issue take the bus to Avenida America then catch a cab to the hostel from there, it will cost less than all the way from the airport.

Do yourself a favor and take a cab. Taxis are much cheaper here than in the States. A cab ride from the airport to Sol will cost you approximately 23€ from T1, T2, T3 and 33€ from T4. If you aren't familiar with the city, the last thing you will want to be doing after a transatlantic flight, especially all the way from California, is trying to figure out the public transport system. Use this adventurous nature for your next day exploring the city of Madrid.

Just the humble opinion from someone who has made that transatlantic flight several times...and once, only once, took the metro after arriving in Madrid. Lesson learned.

DanielM.

if you do end up taking a cab, make sure you are not "taken".

there are a few (quite a few actually) bad eggs at the airport that completely and disgustingly rip off travellers.

you should only pay what the meter reads (make sure the cabbie turns it on ) and the 5 euro airport supplement and NO MORE. they cannot charge you for bags.

also, watch the meter. i have seen (personally) cases where the meter reads 18 euros and we are about to arrive at the hotel (i take cabs back with clients sometimes) and then you look away a second and look back and it has hyperleaped to twice that amt.

meter tampering is illegal but they do it anyway.

saludos,
jer...

By the way, the rates that I quoted above were taken directly from the pamphlet handed out at the airport explaining the taxi fee system as well as the metro and other urban transport. So if you are charged much more than what I quoted above, make sure you get the taxi driver's number, and ask for an "hoja de reclamación" to file a complaint. They cannot deny you this complaint form. If you pay, then make sure you are given a receipt (un recibo).

Thank you guys all for your responses! Chica, if T1 is around 10 Euros cheaper to Sol with a taxi, how can I get to T1 from T4 or any other? Jer said you just take a bus, but are they just out the doors and easy to navigate? I guess I could always ask the TI at the airport.

Also, what if I took the metro line 8 to its end at Nuevos Ministerios, and instead of transfering, just took a taxi the rest of the way to Los Amigos, how much would that be? Or should I just suck it up and pay the 23 Euros from T4...?

Oh and I read in my guide book here about shuttle buses that run every 10 mins. to the city center...anyone ever use them?

Last time I had to transfer from T4 to T1, the buses were just outside the door, and were very frequent.

Has no-one mentioned Aerocity yet? They cost less than the taxi, and normally will drop you right outside your hostal. I can see the link to them on this page!!!

Chica wrote...

quote:

So if you are charged much more than what I quoted above, make sure you get the taxi driver's number, and ask for an "hoja de reclamación" to file a complaint. They cannot deny you this complaint form. If you pay, then make sure you are given a receipt (un recibo).

in theory, yes but those rotten cabbies know more tricks than the travellers and unless you are fluent in spanish, it can be hard to fight of a rip-off. i have a lot of experience in this as i usually head back to the city in my client's cabs with them. yes, you can ask for an official receipt or a complaints form but many of them will simply write down a false license number or will write it in handrwriting that could compete with even the best doctors

they know that 99% of the tourists will never do anythign about it in the end.

DanielM...

quote:

how can I get to T1 from T4 or any other?

as jer said , you take the free bus from t4 to t1. to get the free bus last i knew, you have to go upstairs to departures at t4 and walk out the doors and over the catwalks that taek you over a road. then go down the stairs or elevator and the busses are right there. they usually say t1-t2-t3-t4 on them. t1 being the older international terminal, t2 the domestic terminal, t3 domestic terminal as well and t4 the new international terminal.

quote:

Or should I just suck it up and pay the 23 Euros from T4...?

you mean 33, not 23 from t4, read Chica's post above. and beware, those are approximates, it can easily cost 5 euros more if there is a lot of traffic.

quote:

Oh and I read in my guide book here about shuttle buses that run every 10 mins. to the city center...anyone ever use them?

as far as i know, there exist no such shuttle busses. please tell us what guide book that is.

madsue mentioned aerocity (see link at bottom left of this page). yes, they are advantageous in that you know beforehand exactly how much it will cost you so there is no risk of rip-offs and for 1 person, the rate is about 20 euros. only down side is that depending on where you are headed and how many others are in the shuttle, you may be 1st or last to be dropped. if Daniel is going to sol, odds are that would be one of the last stops so the ride could be an hour long.

saludos,
jer...

Agree re the time aerocity may take, but, you know there is no ripoff with them, so it is so much more relaxing than being in the taxi checking the meter, worrying etc etc. I have only ever taken a taxi twice, once with aging parents, and another with a less than agile friend and I was ripped off both times

It takes me average 40 mins on the tube and that is with just one suitcase, to get to Gran Via. Being the tightwad I am, I only use aerocity if I have a late flight in or an early flight out.

The book is the DK Eyewitness guide. I've heard a few things about them but I really like their travel book series. Anyways, under the survival guide it reads that, "Taxis are also avaliable and a shuttle runs every 10 minutes to the city centre." But upon rereading the section it looks like this shuttle is avaliable at "the central station in Nuevos Ministerios, where numerous airlines have set up check-in facilities." Either way it's really vague as to where the shuttle is located.

Come to think of it, many guide books are really way off, no matter how reputable they seem. For example, I bought the same guide book DK Spain in 2000 and it had an outdated map of the metro. It made it seem that line 7 stopped at Avenida de América and that was it, but after looking at the copyright, it was published in 1994 and then revised in 1999, but they didn't touch the metro map.

That's why it's best to ask questions on a message board such as this one for up-to-date information. Guide books are a good start, but not the end all to end all.

Shawn