Madrid Travel Guide

Getting There

By Air The Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) (http://www2.aena.es/aeropuertos/barajas/index.htm /+34 (0)91 305 6000), located nine miles east of downtown, handles 25 million passengers a year. Its three terminals, which are connected by free shuttle buses, are loaded with restaurants, cafes, and retail outlets. Major airlines serving the airport include:

Aero Mexico (+ 1 800 237 6639/ http://www.aeromexico.com) Air Berlin ( +45 30 41 47 75 10/http://www.airberlin.com ) Air Europa (+1 888 238 7585/http://www.air-europa.com) Air France (+1 800 871 1366/ http://www.airfrance.com) Air Malta ( +33 ( 0 )1 58 18 64 05/ http://www.airmalta.com/ ) Air Transat ( +877 872 6728/ http://www.airtransat.com ) American Airline (+1 800 433 7300/http://www.aa.com) Blue Air ( +40 40 21 208 86 86/ http://www.blueair-web.com ) BMI Baby ( +0890 710 081 ( France )/ http://www.bmibaby.com ) British Airways (+1 800 247 9297/http://www.british-airways.com) Continental (+1 800 525 0280/http://www.continental.com) Delta (+1 800 221 1212/http://www.delta.com) Easy Jet ( +33 ( 0 )8 25 08 25 08/ http://www.easyjet.com/ ) Germanwings (+44 870 252 12 50/ http://www1.germanwings.com) Iberia (+1 800 772 4642/http://www.iberia.com) Iberworld Airlines ( http://www.iberworld.com ) Meridiana ( +39 0789 52 682/ http://www.meridiana.it ) My Travel ( +870 238 7710/ http://www.mytravel.com ) Smart Wings ( +420 255 700 827/ http://www.smartwings.net ) Sterling.dk Airline ( +457 033 3370/ http://www.sterlingticket.com ) TAP Portugal (+351 707 205 700/ http://www.flytap.com) Transavia ( +312 0406 0406/ http://www.transavia.com ) United (+1 800 241 6522/http://www.ual.com) US Airways (+1 800 428 4322/http://www.usairways.com) Virgin Express ( +0821 2230 202/ http://www.virgin-express.com ) Vueling ( +34 93 378 78 78/ http://www.vueling.com ) Wind Jet ( http://w3.volawindjet.it )

Plenty of ground transportation options abound with the Metro's (subway) Line 8 being the best. Opened in 2002 the Metro is fast, efficient and comfortable. Its boarding station can be found in Terminal 2 and rides only last 12 minutes. The lone negative is that passengers must change trains twice to reach downtown.

Buses exit the airport every 15 minutes, depositing passengers underneath the Plaza Colon in downtown. The station conveniently connects with the Metro subway system. Rides generally last 30 minutes and cost around EUR2.50. Hours: 5:40a-2a daily.

Taxis are easy to locate outside the terminals. Depending on traffic downtown rides average between 20-30 minutes. Only board taxis that operate via meter for the others are notorious for overcharging. A usual fare into town averages around EUR17-EUR25.

AeroCITY's (+34 (0)91 747 7570/http://www.aerocity.com) vans operate around the clock. Each holds up to seven passengers and depending on location costs between EUR17-EUR38. Reservations are encouraged but not imperative.

Avis (+1 800 831 2847/ http://www.avis.com) and Hertz (+1 800 654 3131/ http://www.hertz.com) are the only two major car companies located at the airport. By Train

Renfe, (+34 93 490 1122/ http://www.renfe.es), Spain's, largest train line, chugs into Madrid on a daily basis. Its north station, Chamartin (+0 34 91 315 9976) services all points north of the city including France and Portugal to the west. Atocha (+34 91 328 9020), the south station, caters to the towns and cities in southern and eastern Spain, including Seville and Valencia.

By Bus

Estacion Sur de Autobuses (+34 91 468 4200) serves as Madrid's main bus station. The Alsa-Entacar bus company (+34 90 242 242/ http://www.alsa.es) buzzes into Madrid from every direction and is part of Eurolines/National Express which services all of Europe.

By Car

Madrid's central location makes it extremely accessible by vehicle. Freeways begin with the letter "A" and average 75 MPH. Basic two-lane national routes begin with the letter "N." *Highway A1 drifts into Madrid from the Basque country to the north. *Highway A4 accesses the city from the south and is the main thoroughfare from Granada and Seville. *Route NII juts down from France and Barcelona in the northeast. *Route NIII services Madrid from the Mediterranean coast to the east. *Route NV winds in from Portugal to the west. *Highway M40, the outer ring road, surrounds Madrid and connects with every major route into the city.

Getting Around

Madrid's extensive public transportation system makes it possible to visit without the need of a car. Its red city buses (+34 91 406 8810/ http://www.ctm-madrid.es/) service every district in and around Madrid. More than 1,900 buses cover 185 routes. Night buses are also available.

The Metro (http://www.metromadrid.es/) subway system represents the fastest means for scooting about the city. Twelve lines and a branch line, each designated by color and number, with 190 stations cover all of Madrid, including the airport. Keep an alert eye on personal items for the subway stations are pickpocket magnets. A one-way ticket averages around EUR1.10. Most visitors opt for the cheaper 10-Trip ticket for EUR5.20. Hours: 6a-1:30a.

Taxis are easy to hail from downtown streets as long as the weather remains clear. Madrid's cab drivers have an odd reputation for being fair weather drivers. As soon as it begins to rain they apparently lose faith in their vehicle's ability to repel water and disappear. Only use metered cabs and keep in mind that they all add strange surcharges for driving on Sundays and holidays and out to the bullring. Tele-Taxi (+34 91 371 2131) and Radio Taxi Gremial (+34 91 447 5180) are two of Madrid's more prominent cab companies.

Driving in Madrid is not recommended because of the brutal traffic congestion and the dire lack of parking spaces. Should you opt to drive, bear in mind that you must keep to the right side of the road.2008-08-02T07:29:22.000 11