Getting to Madrid Airport in time for 10:45a flight

[cnissi]

There is a RyanAir flight that arrives at the Madrid airport at 9:05a.

There might be an overnight train that arrives in Madrid 8:00. (I'm not returning until October, and it does not list the overnight train as of now).

I have no idea where the train arrives in Madrid--at the airport or do I have to transfer?

Is either of these options a good option to catch a 10:45 a.m flight to Lisbon and then on to Boston? I am not checking my bag.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, cnissi,
The train from Santiago arrives in the Chamartin train station. From there it is a 12-15 minute ride on the Cercanias trains (commuter line) to T4 of the Madrid airport, Barajas. You don't say which airline you are flying -- if it's Iberia or a code share partner like American, you will be leaving from T4. If it's another airline, you'll be flying out of T1 or T2. So if you need to get to T1 or T2 from T4, you will need to take the airport shuttle bus. The shuttle buses run frequently but T4 is a long way away from the rest of the airport. Maybe as long as a 20 minute bus ride.

If you are flying Ryan Air from Santiago, I think it arrives in T1. If your flight for Lisbon leaves from T1 or T2 it'll be a short walk. If it leaves from T4 you'll have to take that same shuttle bus to T4.

In my experience, checking in at the Madrid airport takes a long time, also. Either of these options would be too close for comfort for me but others might disagree. I would probably come in the day before, spend the afternoon and evening in Madrid, and then take the train out to the airport from downtown in the morning.

For your next Camino you should consider booking your ticket with a Santiago departure. That way if the plane is late and you miss your connection, it's not your problem.

 

[whariwharangi]

You'll likely want to get to the airport at least two hours before flight time. Check-in, customs, and security all take time. That pretty much means arriving in Madrid the night before.

Barajas Airport (MAD) has 4 terminals. 1, 2, and 3 are connected in walking distance of each other. Terminal 4 is in another building. There is a shuttle that runs between the two terminal buildings.

Metro (Subway) line 8 connects all airport terminals at Barajas Airport to the rest of Madrid.

Line C1 of Renfe Cercanías runs every half hour from terminal T4 of Madrid-Barajas airport to the city center.

Several bus lines run from the airport to central Madrid, nearby towns and large cities in the rest of Spain.

There are two major Renfe train stations in Madrid; Puerto Atocha and Chamartin. It’s important to know the station your train arrives at; they do not stop at both stations. As noted in an earlier post, trains from Santiago arrive at Chamartin.

There is a concentration of Hotels of all classes located near the SOL Metro station.

I only saw a four star Hotel at Chamartin Renfe station

Barajas Airport
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Sat ... arajas/en/

Metro de Madrid
http://www.metromadrid.es/en/index.html

Metro de Madrid Map
http://www.metromadrid.es/export/sites/ ... yo2013.pdf

Cercanius schedule information (Horarios)
http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias ... index.html

Cercanius Map
http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias ... adrid.html

 

[cnissi]

Thanks to both of you for responding. I think I will head to Madrid the day before and avoid the angst and worry of making my plane.

Now I just have to decide if I ought to train it or plane it to Madrid. Is easy to get to the airport in Santiago? The idea of a short flight versus a long train trip is tempting.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, cnissi,
The Santiago airport is about a 30 minute bus ride or a much shorter cab ride. The bus leaves from the Plaza de Galicia and the stop is well marked. Buses run every half hour, I think the first one is at 6 am. Buy your ticket on the bus, it's about 3 euros.

It would give you alot more time in Madrid if you fly, that's for sure. Buen camino, Laurie