• Sights
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Travel Tips
• Features

By Air

Madrid is served by Madrid Barajas Airport, 12 km (7 mi) east of the city.

Several major airlines have regular flights from the United States, and others serve London and other European capitals daily. In February 2006, the culmination of a 10-year project produced a fourth terminal (T-4), almost doubling the airport's capacity to 70 million passengers a year. This terminal handles flights from 32 companies, including Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, and Virgin Express. All other American or British airlines depart from and arrive at Terminal 1. The four terminals are connected by a bus service lanzadera, which departs every three minutes and gets from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 in 10 minutes.

With the exception of those connecting in Madrid and Barcelona, local flights tend to be expensive. There are four airlines covering this route (Iberia, Air Europa, Spanair, and Vueling), and if you buy a ticket in advance, you can fly to Barcelona for almost the same price as the train or even the bus -- there are also sometimes good last-minute air deals.

Spanair usually has the best discounts. Internet flight aggregators such as www.edreams.com or www.terminala.com can help you get the best price for local flights. Note that some of the local carriers have strict carry-on luggage limits. Shopping among Madrid travel agencies will probably get you a lower fare than those available abroad, especially to and from Great Britain.

Airport Transfers

The fastest transfer way to get to terminals 1, 2, and 3 is the subway line number 8 (Línea 8). Terminal 4 will not be connected by subway before spring 2007. At the time of this writing, to get to T-4, take subway Line 8 to Barajas (the town, not the airport), and from there take the special bus service to the terminal. The metro runs every few minutes (daily from 6:30 AM to 1 AM) between Nuevos Ministerios (where you can check your luggage) and Barajas Airport; it costs EUR 1 and takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

For a mere EUR 1 there's a convenient bus to Avenida de América, where you can catch the subway or a taxi to your hotel. From Avenida de América you can also take Bus 204, which takes you straight to T-4, and Bus 200, which takes you to the other three terminals. Buses leave every 15 minutes between 5:20 AM and 11:30 PM (slightly less often very early or late in the day).

In bad traffic, the 15-minute taxi ride to Madrid can take the better part of an hour, but it makes sense if you have a lot of luggage. Taxis normally wait outside the airport terminal near the clearly marked bus stop; expect to pay up to EUR 22, more in heavy traffic (and more from Terminal 4, which is farther out), including a surcharge that goes up each year (was EUR 4.50 in 2006). Make sure the driver is on the meter -- off-the-meter "deals" will surely cost you more. Finally, some hotels offer shuttle service in vans; check with yours when you reserve.

Contacts

Aeropuerto de Madrid Barajas (902/353570. www.aena.es).

Carriers

Air Europa (902/401501. www.air-europa.com). Iberia (902/400500. www.iberia.com). Spanair (902/131415. www.spanair.es). Vueling (902/333933. www.vueling.com).