Hi again. We´ll be leaving Madrid tomorrow, and I haven´t been to Chamartin Station...does anyone know where the window is to start using our Eurailpass? In relation to main entrance? Also, if our train is at 1900 and boarding can begin at 1800, how long should I give it to get from Plaza del Sol to Chamartin? Many thanks. R

you could go today to the intown Atocha station and activate your pass there - there can be long lines at any ticket window at Charmartin IME

you can of course activate the pass at any station so you may consider hopping to Atocha, near the Prado, and do it

You can even do it at Plaza del Sol station in theory - i've done it at small stations like this though the staff is not always that familiar with the process but give it a try.

If you have a consecutive day pass then if activating the day before be sure to tell the validating official you want it to start tomorrow before he automatically fills in today's date.

If it's a flexipass good for a two-month period then you are only activating the two-month period so it usually doesn't matter when it starts (unless you'll be there two months of course)

Does your first train leave after 1900 or at 1900 hours exactly.

I know that if it leaves after 1900 then the next day will be the first day of use on the pass.

but only if it is an authentic overnight train and not a train that terminates somewhere at 1am or a train you ride from 19:00+ for a few hours unless it's an overnight train

A connecting train to get to the overnight doesn't count either.

Thanks. According to the reservation, the train leaves AT 1900. It´s the Tren Hotel from Madrid to Paris, so I hope this counts at 16.09.07?!! We´ll see!! R.

it can literally take HOURS to do anything at atocha ( and perhaps chamartin,but i have no exp. first hand there).

so keep this in mind.

the lines can be so horrendous.. i know people who have missed their train or decided to not go that day and even buy tickets at a travel agency to beat the lines..( which you will not be able to do.)

give yourself gobs more time than you expect, and i hope you are pleasantly surprised and it goes way more quickly.

should be a nice trip. we took an overnight train from barcelona to zurich once and it was very pleasant (except for people smoking in the hallways and the smoke filtered into our room)