Marlowe

I'm arriving at Madrid Barajas Airport on a Tuesday morning at 7:45am and plan to go directly to Toledo to spend the day and night. I will return to Madrid on Wednesday to meet up with a friend who is arriving then.

What would be the best way to get there, taking into account that morning rush hour may be an issue? I have read both bus and train take about 90 minutes from Madrid to Toledo. Looking at the metro map, it appears the most direct would be to take the metro to Nuevos Ministerios and take a train from there.

travginny

ttt

dncee11

Either NM or Atocha station. The airport metro station is located in Terminal 2, I believe, and appeared well staffed and helpful. I have to say, you are pretty ambitious to plan this way - I hope you sleep well on the plane ride over!

Marlowe

Thanks! Yes, it will be a long day. I can usually get some sleep on a long flight, but I'm sure I'll need a siesta at some point. I didn't want to miss the chance to see Toledo and this was the only way this trip.

dncee11

Yes, I understand Toledo is worth the effort. We missed seeing it by getting on the wrong train! We wasted part of a morning and 20-some Euros but went back and took in the Reina Sofia museum, well worth the time!

Leburta

Do you think you will both be too tired to drive? We were there last summer and drove from the airport to Toledo. Although I was not the driver, it seemed like an easy and fairly short drive. A warning though: all the cars were standard shift. We saw a poor American kid trying to drive out of the airport rental car area. The poor thing jerked all the way up the ramp. Don't know if he ever got the hang of the standard shift!

lincasanova

the least hassle but would be pricey for one person would be to go by taxi directly from barajas, as you will be in toledo about the same time you finally get to atocha and perhaps luckily have bought a ticket for next train.

next day then could take bus or train back to madrid and with your friend travel wichever way you preferred.

calculate.. time/transportation fee barajas-madrid.
madrid to atocha.
figure out how/where to buy ticket to toledo.
wait for transport to toledo.
get off at toledo and take taxi to hotel .


the taxis in madrid airport will give you set fee to go to toledo.
at least check it out.
might be able to bargain it down a bit, and you always have the metro-madrid-atocha option once you find what they will charge you.

friends of ours (3 people) took taxi to toledo and a few years ago it was about $100. maybe someone here has done this more recently and can give a better correct price.

NEDSIRELAND

Alternate: MadridMetro linea 6 from Nuevos Ministerios to Mendez Alvaro: Estacion Sur de Autobus. Catch a bus from there to Toledo.

I'm not sure if or when work on the rail line Madrid-Toledo will be done. If it's still like it was, you'll have to do part of the rail journey by bus anyway.

Marlowe

Thank you all for your help. I leave tomorrow. I think for now my plan will be to take the metro to the train. The cost of the train on the Renfe site (www.renfe.es) is 4,95 euros one-way. If my flight is running late I will check with a taxi for pricing so I wouldn't lose too much of my day in Toledo. I hadn't thought of renting a car, which probably would be a nice intermediate (price-wise) option, but I think I'd rather not deal with it, particularly since I'm going to a place where, once I'm there, I'll be walking the entire time, and if I returned the car in Madrid I've heard traffic can be very difficult.

Thanks again!