Madrid airport

[Elizabeth C.]

Hi--It's been a few years since I was last in the Madrid airport, and want to check the vibe there! My flight arrives from the U.S. at 7:40 a.m. on a weekday. I'm looking to book a train to Seville. Is two hours enough time to clear Customs, etc.? I don't have to be in Seville at any set time, and don't mind waiting for a train if I'm overly generous with the time I allot. Thanks!

 

[Tincatinker]

2 hours? Nope. Look for a later train. Give yourself time for lunch

 

[peregrina2000]

There’s lots of recent info on the forum about the Madrid airport, but everyone’s question is a little different. So please excuse all the repetition!

Which airline will you fly? If it’s Iberia or a partner, you will arrive in T4. That makes it quick and easy for you to get on the Cercanías (commuter line) train and get down to Atocha for your train. I think the possibility is fair to good that you would make it, but that will depend on having a quick clearance through immigration. The Cercanías train runs every 15 minutes and takes about a half hour to get to Atocha. And there is some security clearance at Atocha, too but that doesn’t take too long.

If you’re coming into Madrid on another airline, you will have to choose from three options: the airport bus to Atocha (I have never taken it, but @J Willhaus will hopefully comment here because she knows it well); the metro from T1-3 (NOT recommended, imho - too many changes, too many pickpockets); or the intra-airport bus to T4 (free and frequent, about 10-15 minutes) and then getting onto the Cercanías.

I would book a later train, especially if you aren’t landing in T4. If you have a lot of time at Atocha, you could always pop into the Retiro park to shake off some jet lag with a walk. If you have several hours, the Reina Sofia museum is about a 15 minute walk, where Picasso’s Guernica is the big attraction.

 

[alexwalker]

Hi--It's been a few years since I was last in the Madrid airport, and want to check the vibe there! My flight arrives from the U.S. at 7:40 a.m. on a weekday. I'm looking to book a train to Seville. Is two hours enough time to clear Customs, etc.? I don't have to be in Seville at any set time, and don't mind waiting for a train if I'm overly generous with the time I allot. Thanks!

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).

This way, you will have no rush getting into central Madrid to your hotel for check-in.

Then walk to Atosha and buy a morning ticket for next day to Sevilla, then relax in/sight-see Madrid, have some tapas and a glass or two of red Rioja, get a good night's sleep, and then get on with the nice train ride to Sevilla the next morning.

But of course, if you have time constraints (which I don't have, as a retired), then it may not suit you. But doing all in one day will be a bit stressful/tiresome, and all depends on no delays/unforeseen events on your journey.

Anyway: Buen Camino! The VdlP is a great Camino.

 

[alexwalker]

Ya know, I hadn't considered that option, but why not?? Thanks!

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.

 

[henrythedog]

I’m a great fan of the airport bus but at about 0900 on a weekday I’d get on the train to Atocha. The roads will be jammed..

 

[Elizabeth C.]

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.

Relevant, thanks!! But if I buy my ticket online now for January, it's pretty cheap. I'm researching Tarjeta Dorada...muchas gracias!

 

[alexwalker]

Relevant, thanks!! But if I buy my ticket online now for January, it's pretty cheap. I'm researching Tarjeta Dorada...muchas gracias!

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.

 

[J Willhaus]

I agree with @peregrina2000 about taking the Cercanías line from T4 if that is where you land. If you arrive at Terminals 1, 2, or 3 just go out and get on the airport express bus (it will say Expres and may be yellow or green). It is 5 euros and it will go directly to Atocha (one stop in between, I think). It runs 24 hours a day. Here is the link. I have taken it several times.

EMT Madrid. Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid, S. A. - Airport

www.emtmadrid.es

 

[J Willhaus]

Relevant, thanks!! But if I buy my ticket online now for January, it's pretty cheap. I'm researching Tarjeta Dorada...muchas gracias!

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.

 

[alexwalker]

Relevant, thanks!! But if I buy my ticket online now for January, it's pretty cheap

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.

 

[JerryStroebele]

I bought my train ticket from Santiago to Madrid last week using the Trainline app. Easy and they keep my tarjeta dorado number on file. Early in the ride I was surprised to receive a sandwich and small bottle of wine compliments of my ticket. Buen Camino

 

[RRat]

Hi--It's been a few years since I was last in the Madrid airport, and want to check the vibe there! My flight arrives from the U.S. at 7:40 a.m. on a weekday. I'm looking to book a train to Seville. Is two hours enough time to clear Customs, etc.? I don't have to be in Seville at any set time, and don't mind waiting for a train if I'm overly generous with the time I allot. Thanks!

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.

 

[Wanderingfriend]

Hi--It's been a few years since I was last in the Madrid airport, and want to check the vibe there! My flight arrives from the U.S. at 7:40 a.m. on a weekday. I'm looking to book a train to Seville. Is two hours enough time to clear Customs, etc.? I don't have to be in Seville at any set time, and don't mind waiting for a train if I'm overly generous with the time I allot. Thanks!

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.

 

[Gringazolana]

This YouTuber has tons of great videos on negotiating the Madrid airport and other transportation options in Spain (and Portugal).

 

[khiker9]

Hi--It's been a few years since I was last in the Madrid airport, and want to check the vibe there! My flight arrives from the U.S. at 7:40 a.m. on a weekday. I'm looking to book a train to Seville. Is two hours enough time to clear Customs, etc.? I don't have to be in Seville at any set time, and don't mind waiting for a train if I'm overly generous with the time I allot. Thanks!

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!

 

[peregrina2000]

airport bus to T4 to get the commuter train to Chamartin (about the same timing as to Atocha).

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.

Like @khiker, I’ve had great luck getting from the airport to the train stations. I’ve posted this before, but here’s how it went for me in 2022:

I got off the plane at 6:35 and by 7:15 I had been through immigration, taken the train from the satellite T4S to the main terminal T4, gone through the vaccination check, taken the commuter train to the Chamartin train station, and was drinking my first cafe con leche.

That means, with the added 15 minutes to get to Atocha, I would have been in Atocha less than an hour after arriving in Madrid. But that is not something I would bet on, just hope for!

 

[mattythedog]

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.

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.

 

[JerryStroebele]

I had no problem renewing my tarjeta dorado at Atocha. But I am old and slow so these days I just take a taxi from the airport to downtown— 33 euros- to my favorite hostel then another taxi the next morning to Atocha or Chamartin

 

[C clearly]

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.

That's odd. I have bought a Tarjeta Dorada several times, in different cities, and always at a train station

 

[Canche]

Hi--It's been a few years since I was last in the Madrid airport, and want to check the vibe there! My flight arrives from the U.S. at 7:40 a.m. on a weekday. I'm looking to book a train to Seville. Is two hours enough time to clear Customs, etc.? I don't have to be in Seville at any set time, and don't mind waiting for a train if I'm overly generous with the time I allot. Thanks!

No. Not enough time. Madrid is a horrible airport

 

[Matterginn]

If you’re not on a tight schedule, maybe book a later train to Seville. That way, if you get through everything quickly, you can try to switch to an earlier train at Atocha, or just hang around the area. There’s Retiro Park nearby for a walk, or even a museum if you’re up for it.