Where to buy hiking poles in Madrid

[Ernie Fraser]

I plan to fly into Madrid mid-September without checking my backpack. Where in Madrid city center can hiking poles be purchased?

 

[Tincatinker]

Shops, or to be more helpful Decathlon which seems to have 10 branches in Madrid including one at Atocha, handy for anyone heading north

Google is no one’s friend but it has much information…

 

[Ernie Fraser]

Shops, or to be more helpful Decathlon which seems to have 10 branches in Madrid including one at Atocha, handy for anyone heading north

Thanks. Will be staying in the Atocha area for two nights prior to walking so this seems like a possibility.

 

[Tincatinker]

Decathlon hold a wide range of stock so you should find something to suit and if not they’ll pull stuff from another branch in 24 hours. So go early.

 

[ortemio]

Madrid center at the 0Km marker, in the same plaza were Apple store is you will find an old store specialized
in walking batons and poles and hats ... I got mine there during the Camino de Madrid.
Later modified to be split in two pieces to fit in my backpack.

 

[CarolR]

I plan to fly into Madrid mid-September without checking my backpack. Where in Madrid city center can hiking poles be purchased?

Hi I bought mine from Decathlon Madrid Salamanca branch. They had a range at different prices. Bonus is the Salamanca branch is near the Sorolla Museum/ art gallery and is much less hectic than Atocha.

 

[HeyRobin]

I went to three different places in Madrid because I’m very picky when it comes to poles. They have to be my size, not too heavy, they have to be the kind that folds out not the ones that telescope and they have to have rubber caps on the ends so I don’t make that awful “clinking” sound with every step. On the third store I found them! Go to Outdoor Sin Limite. They have the perfect poles! If not, you can certainly go to Decathlon but in my experience their inventory wasn’t too good. Best of luck to you! Robin

 

[Shadi]

So many fabulous tips on this website (thank you!) Basic question: For the most part do people find that they can take their Camino pack as carryon lugguge on their flight with the exception of the walking poles (which it sounds like I can buy when I arrive in Madrid, Spain)? What do you think of checking luggage on the outward journey with poles purchased at home (Canada) then giving/selling them to someone when departing (Porto, Portugal).

 

[C clearly]

Welcome to the Forum!

Basic question: For the most part do people find that they can take their Camino pack as carryon lugguge on their flight

Basic answer: For the most part, yes, but this is not much consolation if you are the person who is stopped at the gate. If you want confidence that you can carry it on your flight, just make sure that it fits within the dimensions given by the airline! For some backpacks, this might mean not filling the top part of the pack to capacity.

For the definitive answer on poles on planes, see this thread.

 

[Shadi]

Welcome to the Forum!

Basic answer: For the most part, yes, but this is not much consolation if you are the person who is stopped at the gate. If you want confidence that you can carry it on your flight, just make sure that it fits within the dimensions given by the airline! For some backpacks, this might mean not filling the top part of the pack to capacity.

For the definitive answer on poles on planes, see this thread.

Thank you for the welcome and the very helpful information.

 

[David Tallan]

So many fabulous tips on this website (thank you!) Basic question: For the most part do people find that they can take their Camino pack as carryon lugguge on their flight with the exception of the walking poles (which it sounds like I can buy when I arrive in Madrid, Spain)? What do you think of checking luggage on the outward journey with poles purchased at home (Canada) then giving/selling them to someone when departing (Porto, Portugal).

It depends on which pack I am using. The pack I bought for my 2016 Camino had a rigid piece in the back that was just an inch or two too long to fit within the carry on specifications. So I used different packs for my 2018 and 2023 Caminos that fit as carry on (the first was the one that my son had used for the 2016 Camino, the second was one that I purchased for myself for 2023 and made sure would fit). So you can fit your pack (minus poles, pocket knifes, etc.) as carry on - if you have a pack that fits.

In terms of your second question, it doesn't make much sense to me. If I am bringing poles from home and have a ticket that allows luggage checking, why not take my poles home with me? If I am going to have carry on luggage only for one leg of the trip and not the other, it's going to be on the outward leg, so there are no worries about luggage delays when I arrive. If my luggage is delayed for a few days when I get home because it has gone astray, it's much less of an issue. I am much more likely to give away poles (as I did after my 2023 Camino) if they are ones I acquired in Spain because I was on a carry on only flight.