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If I were you (which I'm not...
), and coming from US to Europe with jetlag, I would simply get a hotel room and have a rest day in central Madrid (Atosha is just a 15 mins easy walk from Plaza Mayor).
A laidback, slow and relaxed day in Madrid, before your adventure starts? Tempting?
Relevant, thanks!! But if I buy my ticket online now for January, it's pretty cheap. I'm researching Tarjeta Dorada...muchas gracias!A laidback, slow and relaxed day in Madrid, before your adventure starts? Tempting?
Edit: I do not know your age, but if you are 60+, you are entitled to buy a Tarjeta Dorada (Gold card), which will give you a min. 25% discount on all train travels in Spain for a whole year. It costs only 6€. You have to buy it at the station prior to buying your train ticket. Easy.
This Forum is indispensable, isn't it?
Remember, when you arrive in Sdc (or another place) you will once again, most likely, use the train to get to your departure place for home. And then the Gold card could come in handy again.
Unless you already have one that you can renew, you have to buy the Tarjeta Dorada in person at a station. It might be cheaper to buy the ticket early than to wait in line at Atocha and then buy a ticket right away for Seville with the TD discount. I think you can renew the TD online, but I have always bought mine in person. Be aware that you may have to show your passport when you go through the train line or to the conductor if you buy a ticket online with your Tarjeta Dorada. We've been checked a couple of times. I renewed mine for three years last time I was in Spain so will just need to watch the dates and renew accordingly.
Much could change up to January. I am always making decisions on the ground. Your inflight and homebound flight dates are what matters most. Act according to those. Make flexibility to those in both ends.
Time required to clear customs depends on how many flights have arrived. If yours is the first flight of the morning going through customs no problem. On the other hand if your flight is the third or more flight that just arrived the lines will be long.
I am always generous about times and airports. I’d rather give myself extra time, get a coffee or lunch and feel less stress. I was just at Madrid airport, it is a busy vibe and although I found the lines efficient, you just never know.
I arrived in Madrid about 3 weeks ago at 8:00+. I made it through customs & transferred from T1 or 3
on the airport bus to T4 to get the commuter train to Chamartin (about the same timing as to Atocha). I went to customer service & they switched me from a 1:00+ train that I had booked online to Leon to a 9:56am train (I was only asking for the 11:00+ train). All of that in less than 2 hours & there is construction at Chamartin! Bottom line - if you book a later train & things go well you most likely can get it changed! I did pay for a ticket that could have one free change. Good luck!
This may be a silly quibble, but for those who are planning and worried about the minutes, the train from the airport to Chamartín is 15 minutes, while the train to Atocha takes about a half hour. All Cercanías trains at the airport go to both stations, but Chamartín is closer.
Good luck with that senior discount card I tried in Santiago bus/train station, and they said I needed to go to a particular bank in town. I did, and arrived 1105. The bank personnel said I was at the right place, but office responsible closed at 1100. Come back tomorrow. I didn’t. Maybe Atocha will provide improved results.A laidback, slow and relaxed day in Madrid, before your adventure starts? Tempting?
Edit: I do not know your age, but if you are 60+, you are entitled to buy a Tarjeta Dorada (Gold card), which will give you a min. 25% discount on all train travels in Spain for a whole year. It costs only 6€. You have to buy it at the station prior to buying your train ticket. Easy.
That's odd. I have bought a Tarjeta Dorada several times, in different cities, and always at a train station
No. Not enough time. Madrid is a horrible airport
This!!! Plenty to do in Madrid if you have a bit of time before catching a train: parks, walking, churches, museums, or just finding a bar and a bite to eat. Slow down, don’t plan to the minute, give yourself a chance to breathe.
I’m guessing you’ve never flown through Rome Fiumichino or Paris Charles de Gaulle? I’ve been in and out of small Central African airports that seem safe and organised compared to those.
Try it in a wheelchair. Awful
I must have missed that - ordinarily I’d be on your side; but it’s a bit of a cheap shot to add that as a clarification.
It is free but service is lousy. Service also terrible in Houston where I have to go every 6 weeks. Let's hope I won't need one the next time I go to Spain in the spring.
Thank you. When I was ready to start the second half of the Primitivo all of a sudden I got excruciating back and hip pain which lasted for my 3 week trip. It got a bit better but it was still difficult and painful to walk. I went to Lugo, got a cane made it to Santiago, and walked around a little to see Ivar and Johnnie Walker and go to my favorite restaurant, L'Encontro and then on to Barcelona to visit a friend (better then) and on to London where going up and down stairs to the Tube was awful. I am praying for no pain next spring to finish my Primitivo.
