Madrid airport to Atocha train station

[JamesG]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if there is a shuttle (bus or rail) from the Madrid Airport to the Atocha train station?

 

[Tincatinker]

https://www.aena.es/en/adolfo-suarez-madrid-barajas/getting-there/bus.html
Bus, Metro and Train. Take your pick. The trains probably easiest

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if there is a shuttle (bus or rail) from the Madrid Airport to the Atocha train station?

First question in response to this question always is — Which terminal will you arrive in in Madrid? If you are on Iberia or a partner in the One World Alliance, you will arrive in T4. Any other airline uses T1-3. They are not walkable. T4 is several kms away from the others.

I agree with @Tincatinker that the Cercanías train (commuter line) is the quickest and easiest. It leaves from the lower level of T4 and has departures every 15 minutes. There are two Cercanías lines, C-1 and C-10 that go out to the airport, and both stop in Atocha.

But if you don’t arrive in T4, you will have to take a bus from your terminal over to that terminal, where the Cercanías station is in the lower level. That will add at least 20 minutes. The bus runs very frequently, though.

I personally don’t recommend the metro from the airport into central Madrid. It will be jammed at rush hour and there are a LOT of pickpockets on the lines from the airport, looking for jet-lagged people from other lands. The metro in Madrid is fantastic, but you really have to be careful on crowded routes. I have never seen or heard of a pickpocketing problem on the Cercanías trains.

@J Wilhaus and @Phil W use the airport shuttle bus direct to Atocha and like it a lot.

This thread from a few years ago lays out the options.

 

[henrythedog]

If you’ve already bought your train ticket (and if you haven’t, you should) there’s a good chance it’s ’Cercanias incluye’ - look for that in the top right corner of the printout or in the e-ticket pass.

Then see this thread:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/cercanias-ticket.88343/

Personally, I take the bus as I’m never in a hurry and usually overnight in Madrid to give the madrileño licenced-trade a leg-up.

 

[JerryStroebele]

I arrive in Madrid jet lagged from an overnight red eye flight. I stumble down through the airport to the taxi stand. Right now the fare is 33 Euros to downtown Madrid. I overnight in a hostel and enjoy the evening in Madrid. Train the next morning to my Camino beginning. Buen Camino

 

[RRat]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if there is a shuttle (bus or rail) from the Madrid Airport to the Atocha train station?

Yes there is an inexpensive bus. The Madrid airport is huge with multiple terminals. Finding the busses will be one of the most stressful experience on the Camino. But take a deep breath and stay positive. You will eventually find it and be on your way.

 

[J Willhaus]

The bus leaves right outside the airport Terminal (any of the terminals). If you are worried, use Google Maps to help you find it. You are looking for the one that says Expres on the sign at the top of the bus in the front.. They used to all be yellow, but now some are also Green. It will stop at a couple of places and the end point is the Atocha Station. It costs 5 euros and you can pay cash or card now.

 

[Varekai]

From now until October 5, the Cercanias between the airport and Chamartin is under renovation and has been replaced by a shuttle service between the affected stops, making this rather unwieldy, especially for a someone who has just arrived in Spain and has baggage. There is an express shuttle bus that goes from the airport to Atocha with a few stops in between for just 5 euros. This is the easiest way to get there via public transit. You can pay on board via contactless credit/debit card or cash.

Ignore what the poster above said about finding the bus being one of the most stressful things you'll do. All you have to do is exit the airport building on the arrivals level of your terminal and find the bus stop. It's not that deep or hard.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

A taxi ride to Charmartin or Atocha is always less stressful for me than other modes of transport. I've done them all. Costs more tho.

There is this other option... you walk out of T4 and cross the street. There is a bus that used to be yellow but I think now is more bluish. It has cool LED lighting on the side that clearly reads "Atocha". When boarding the bus I always ask... "Este es a Atocha?" And the driver looks at me like I am stupid but takes my fare. It can get crowded.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

i should really read prior responses before adding my 2 cents.

 

[peregrina2000]

From now until October 5, the Cercanias between the airport and Chamartin is under renovation and has been replaced by a shuttle service between the affected stops, making this rather unwieldy, especially for a someone who has just arrived in Spain and has baggage. There is an express shuttle bus that goes from the airport to Atocha with a few stops in between for just 5 euros. This is the easiest way to get there via public transit. You can pay on board via contactless credit/debit card or cash.

Ignore what the poster above said about finding the bus being one of the most stressful things you'll do. All you have to do is exit the airport building on the arrivals level of your terminal and find the bus stop. It's not that deep or hard.

This is very important information, thanks so much Varekai.

My guess is that the Airport Shuttle bus to Atocha (described by Janet in post #7) is the obvious replacement.

I see that Renfe is going to institute a bus between the airport and Chamartín, which may be a good substitute for those going from the airport to get a train in Chamartín. But for those who want to get to Atocha, it would require a transfer from bus to Cercanías in Chamartín (which is undergoing a lot of construction), so I think it could be a real hassle.

 

[DTCamino]

From now until October 5, the Cercanias between the airport and Chamartin is under renovation and has been replaced by a shuttle service between the affected stops, making this rather unwieldy, especially for a someone who has just arrived in Spain and has baggage. There is an express shuttle bus that goes from the airport to Atocha with a few stops in between for just 5 euros. This is the easiest way to get there via public transit. You can pay on board via contactless credit/debit card or cash.

Ignore what the poster above said about finding the bus being one of the most stressful things you'll do. All you have to do is exit the airport building on the arrivals level of your terminal and find the bus stop. It's not that deep or hard.

Super convenient getting from downtown Madrid to the airport too, even at 3am!

 

[JamesG]

Landing at T-1 but sounds like there are plenty of options non of which are overly complicated. Nice thing about the bus, if you miss one there’s usually one not too far behind. Thanks all for the info. This is a great resource!!

 

[J Willhaus]

Super convenient getting from downtown Madrid to the airport too, even at 3am!

I think the Cercanías shuts down at about midnight, but the Expres bus does go every 20 minutes all night. Last January, I had a student group staying at an AirBNB on the Gran Via (edit: Cibeles is maybe the name?) and I walked 3 different groups to catch the airport bus through the night. It picks up in front of the big Correos building near the fountain. Lots of people out and about at 3 am. Fewer at 5 am, but I did not feel afraid walking back alone in this area.

 

[henrythedog]

I think the Cercanías shuts down at about midnight, but the Expres bus does go every 20 minutes all night. Last January, I had a student group staying at an AirBNB on the Gran Via and I walked 3 different groups to catch the airport bus through the night. It picks up in front of the big Correos building near the fountain. Lots of people out and about at 3 am. Fewer at 5 am, but I did not feel afraid walking back alone in this area.

Cibeles?

From memory I think the other stop apart from Atocha is by metro O’Donnell

 

[Lindsay53]

From now until October 5, the Cercanias between the airport and Chamartin is under renovation and has been replaced by a shuttle service between the affected stops, making this rather unwieldy, especially for a someone who has just arrived in Spain and has baggage. There is an express shuttle bus that goes from the airport to Atocha with a few stops in between for just 5 euros. This is the easiest way to get there via public transit. You can pay on board via contactless credit/debit card or cash.

Ignore what the poster above said about finding the bus being one of the most stressful things you'll do. All you have to do is exit the airport building on the arrivals level of your terminal and find the bus stop. It's not that deep or hard.

Thanks for the information Varekai. I will need to get from the airport to Chamartin in a couple of weeks.

 

[RRat]

A taxi ride to Charmartin or Atocha is always less stressful for me than other modes of transport. I've done them all. Costs more tho.

There is this other option... you walk out of T4 and cross the street. There is a bus that used to be yellow but I think now is more bluish. It has cool LED lighting on the side that clearly reads "Atocha". When boarding the bus I always ask... "Este es a Atocha?" And the driver looks at me like I am stupid but takes my fare. It can get crowded.

Same experience.