Airport: Barajas Airport is about
10 miles east of Madrid, and well connected by road and through the
underground (metro) line 8 to the center of town.
Taxis are recognizable as white
cars with a red stripe (otherwise totally ordinary cars). You can
flag them down by simply waving at them from the distance – but
only if their green light on top is on, otherwise it means that they
are engaged. There are many taxis operating in Madrid, so normally,
at least in the city center, you just need to raise your hand and
you’ll get one straightaway.
There
is a taxi rack just outside the airport terminal; from the airport
to the center the journey is about 30 minutes, and it costs around
25 €.
Underground: Madrid has a reliable, safe, clean
and inexpensive underground system, the metro. This is
possibly the best way to travel around the city. A map of the metro is
attached, but you can also download it from their website at:
http://www.metromadrid.es
Barajas airport can
be reached by a new line on the metro,
line 8. The journey from the “Nuevos Ministerios” station
to the “Aeropuerto” station takes exactly 15 minutes.
From the Residencia de Estudiantes you can walk to "República
Argentina" station within 7 minutes, then take line 6 (circular line)
and change one station down at “Nuevos
Ministerios” for line 8 to the airport. The whole journey
should take less than 45 minutes.
Single journey tickets can be purchased at any
station (including the “Aeropuerto” station)
for 1 €. If you are planning to move a bit around, though, a
recommended ticket is the METROBUS for 6,70 €. This is a single
ticket that gets you 10 single journeys in either the metro or
bus systems, any destination (including the Aeropuerto), any time – and
it is neither personal nor non-transferable (so e.g. a group of
5 people could use it to travel 2 single journeys each).
Bus: The autobús
de Madrid is another
good way to move around the city. And remember that METROBUS
tickets can be used on buses too, just insert the ticket in the “percolator” machine
on the bus. From the airport you can take a
bus to Plaza Colón for 3 €. From there you could get
a taxi, but it really makes more sense to just get a taxi all the
way from the airport – or back.
