Madrid Hotels

Air

Barajas International Airport is located 13km (8 miles) from Madrid's city center, and has three terminals. Terminal one handles most of the international flights. Terminal two serves domestic flights and the Iberia international flights to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal. Terminal three is used for the Madrid-Barcelona shuttle.
The EMT airport bus departs approximately every 10 minutes for the underground bus terminal at Plaza de Col?. The traveling time is around 45 minutes to an hour. The Barajas metro (line 8) provides a fast route into central Madrid (requiring a change to line 4 at Mar de Cristal). Taxi's can be taken from the indicated taxi ranks. Don't accept offers from taxi drivers inside the terminals but use the indicated taxi ranks outside. By road, the trip takes about 45 minutes.

Train

The national Spanish railway network is run by RENFE. Madrid has two main railway stations - Estaci? de Chamart?, in northern Madrid, and Estaci?n de Atocha, in southern Madrid. Both provide service for long distance and Cercanias (commuter) trains. Atocha is used for most destinations to the south and west of the country, the high speed AVE trains which travel to Cordoba and Sevilla and also serves as the hub of the Cercan?s network. Atocha is closer to the city center and the largest and most used train station. Note that there is a separate metro station named Atocha, which is not directly connected with the train station. Chamart? serves trains headed east and north. It is essential for travellers to book ahead for long-distance trains.
The Cercan?s, the local train network, network connects outlying towns beyond the metro. Trains are frequent and reliable and there is less overcrowding than on the metro. Other Cercan?s train stations in the city center include Pr?cipe P?, Recoletos and Nuevos Ministerios. For ISIC student card holders there are rail passes for long distance trains within Spain (they are not valid on the high speed AVE or the EUROMED trains).
Train tickets can be purchased in the train stations, the RENFE office on calle Alcal? or from travel agents.

Taxi

The white colored taxis are plentiful in Madrid and can either be stopped in the street, at ranks or ordered in advance. All official taxis are painted white with a red diagonal stripe across the front doors and have a green light on the roof. There are surcharges for things such as extra passengers, pick-up from a phone call, pick-up at the airport, loading of luggage etc. When entering a taxi, travellers should check that the meter is not already running, as this is an occasional scam to overcharge passengers.

Subway

Madrid's Metro system is cheap, efficient, and the fastest way of getting around the city. The metro is made up of eleven lines and covers most of the city. Trains run every three to five minutes between 06.00 and 01.30. Ten-ticket passes are also valid on buses.

Buses

Buses are generally the cheapest form of transportation in Spain. The bus system, run by EMT, consists of over 150 lines and covers the entire city and outlying areas. The day buses run from 06.00 to 23.30. There are 20 night bus (called 'buhos', meaning owl) lines. All start at midnight at Plaza de Cibeles, leaving every half hour between midnight and 03:00 am and every hour between 03.00 and 06.00.

Estacion Sur de autobuses, situated south of the city center, is the main bus station for international and long distance travel. Continental Auto runs buses to the north of Spain. These buses depart from a separate terminal located near the Nuevos Ministerios and Ceranias station.
Single tickets for the city buses can be bought on board. Reduced tickets for ten rides are available at local new stands, tobacconists and EMT information kiosks at Plaza de Callao and Puerta del Sol (these cannot be used on the buses to the airport)

Car

Motorways (Autopista) are marked by the letter 'A', national multi-lane roads connecting towns and cities by the letter 'N' and Madrid ring roads are indicated by the letter 'M'. Many motorways have tolls. The speed limit is 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 100kph (62mph) on dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) within towns. Madrid has 6 principal highways entering and leaving the city (N-I to N-VI). It also has an inner (M30) and an outer (M40) ring road. The NI connects Madrid with the French border, the NII with Barcelona (via Zaragoza) and the French border. The NIII heads towards Valencia and Alicante, the NIV to Seville and C?iz, the NV to Badajoz and the Portuguese border and the N401 to Toledo. Traveling time from Barcelona is 7 hours 30 minutes; from Seville, 7 hours 45 minutes and from Lisbon, 8 hours 45 minutes. Driving in central Madrid can be slow and somewhat nerve-racking.