Help in Madrid/Salamanca!
 

My friend and I will be traveling to a conference in Salamanca. Other than the day we arrive, we won't have any time in Madrid, but I would like for her to see the Prado and some of the sights around town before we catch our train (or bus)to Salamanca. (I've been before--but 20 years ago.) Is there anywhere to safely store our luggage (lockers, etc.) at either the Chamartin train station or bus station while we zip around town for the day? If not, we will have to go straight to Salamanca and try to find a day during our conference with no workshops to go back to Madrid. Also, what's best: bus or train? Our flight leaving Spain (sad, sad day) departs at 11:30AM. I know that there is a train leaving Salamanca at 6:00AM, but is there a bus? Are there taxis available in Salamanca at oh-dark-thirty to take us to either station from our hotel or will we be hoofing it that early? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Could you go directly to Salamanca and then add a night at the end in Madrid? That way you wouldn't have to worry about getting to the airport on time.

The bus to Salamanca is quite nice.

Salamanca is a very pretty city. If I had to choose between Salamanca and Madrid I would choose Salamanca for a place to spend your time.

Taxis will be available any time you need them.

Have fun!

Please, don't think you will arrive on time to a 11:30 AM flight if you stay the night before in Salamanca. No matter bus or train..the connection is too tight and I don't think you want to lose the flight :) You can leave your luggage in lockers at the station (train , not sure on bus station)in Madrid.

I agree with Kenderina.
You won't make a 11:30 flight if it's international by leaving Salamanca at 6.
It's a 2 1/2 hr. bus or train ride, plus you'll need to taxi to Barajas airport , plus for an international flight you'll want to be at Barajas a full 2 1/2 hrs. before the flight. Check in lines (unless you're first class /business or gold card) are extremely long at all times.

And if you're flying out of the new T4, it's truly enormous and to walk from one end to another can take a full one half hr. (not kidding!)

Yes, taxis are available at all hrs. in Salamanca.

As Kenderina says, you can leave your luggage at the "consigna" at Chamartín station or at the Auto-Res bus station (it's the co. that services Salamanca).
For the bus schedule see
www.auto-res.es
The first a.m. bus from Salamanca to Madrid is at 6 a.m. The latest evening bus departs at 9:30. Both are express service.

I like taking the express bus btwn Salamanca and Madrid because it has leather seats, a video is shown, beverages served, it has a 2-1 seat configuration and holds only 30+ passengers and is usually very quiet and takes about 2 hrs. 15 min. door to door.
Plus as another poster noted recently, it's easier to allow the bus driver to store your luggage in the underbelly of the bus than to lug it up the train steps yourself and then try to find space in the luggage racks at the end of each wagon or the tiny overhead bins. Also the train is aT.R.D. and tourist class only.

That said, I would go straight to Salamanca and come back to Madrid the night before your flight out, as Judi wisely suggests.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

We would love to spend the mnight before in Madrid, but the hotel reservations had to be made way before the flights, so we are stuck with what we have. The sponsors of this conference have been SO unorganized and it's really frustrating. I know we'll be cutting it close to take the 6:00am bus/train and get into Madrid at 8:30, but that still gives us 30 minutes to get to Barajas and be 2 1/2 hours before our flight. Is this truly not enough time? It will cost us a fortune to change our flight reservations plus we'll lose the night's lodging in Salamanca and have to pay for another night in Madrid. Any suggestions for cutting down the time?

Siwash,
Take the express bus, which at that hr. should actually get in 15 min. early to the Auto-Res station on Conde de Casal. Then rush to a taxi to Barajas. From there it should be a 15-20 min. max trip to the airport via the Avenida del Mediterráneo and M40, provided it's not the beginning of a bank holiday. Will you be leaving from T1 or T4? What is your airline? If you're flying business or if you're a gold car member of certain airlines (US Air, for example) you'll get a much shorter line.

We are flying on Continental, but I have no idea which terminal they use. How do I find out?

It's Terminal 1. One World Alliance (American BA, Iberia) uses Terminal 4.

Hi Siwash,

I have to concur with the recommendation of going the night before to Madrid. I have flown on Continental from Barajas several times and the lines there are sometimes not to be believed! And then you might get "lucky" like my husband, and be pulled to yet another line where you are asked to empty your suitcase and then repack it! That time he barely made it to the gate on time , and this was after arriving 3 hrs. prior to the airport!

I understand the financial implications you explain but , based on my experiences in Barajas, I know I would gladly bite the bullet and pay for the "extra" hotel night in Madrid. That way at least I would have peace of mind. But of course, that's me. I always worry about "Murphy's law"!

You don't have to change flights..just lose one hotel night in Salamanca and pay for it in Madrid. I'm sorry the conference organization hadn't thought about it, they should have do it.

Again, thanks for all the help. It would make me feel better, too, I just haven't been able to work it out yet and money is definitely an issue.

I will ask the hotel in Salamanca--maybe I can get a refund for that one night. Any suggestions for a good, safe, cheap hotel in Madrid? I saw some on Expedia with free airport shuttles for around $75. Does anyone know anything about the hotel in the Chamartin train station?

Siwash92
I really think kenderina, Judi and cruiseluv are right,
A night's lodging in Madrid might be a very small price to pay rather than risk missing your flight to Newark because you've cut it too close.

Everytime my husband and I arrive at Barajas 3 hrs. early (and we use ff miles to upgrade to business or pull out our gold card so we enjoy a short line) I'm very glad that we did.

If the extra night's lodging cost is a major concern, you can find something at
www.hotelsearch.com
Better still if it's on a weekend.
Or check
www.bancotel.com.
Something will be available for one coupon, and you can buy individual coupons at all Viajes Iberia travel agencies. No need to buy a 5 coupon checkbook, as the Bancotel site indicates. There's a Viajes Iberia in Salamanca, on Plaza Canalejas 22, so buy your coupon there-there's a 3 euro service charge, but well worth it.
Halcón Viajes travel agency, with branches everywhere, has a similar system called "Weekend Plan" (but hotels available every day, not just weekends) with low Madrid hotel rates, if you're not particular about where you stay or how many stars.

Sorry Siwash,
While you were writing, I was composing.
I'm sure you can find something for 75 euros on the internet. The sites I gave you or Expedia or
www.utell.com
www.atrapalo.com
www.edreams.es
www.laterooms.com

Yes, there's a hotel at Chamartín station, but I haven't used it.

Here's a site to check the myriad airport area lodgings (there are a dozen-some with free shuttle service)
www.madridairporthotelguide.com

SiWash,

Obviously, I don't know the particulars of how this hotel reservation in Salamanca was done but my experience with hotels(unless they are small bed and breakfast type) is that they allow you to cancel up to 24-48 hrs before arrival. So it certainly doesn't hurt to approach the hotel in Salamanca and propose this.

As usual, Maribel is a wealth of information. I'm sure you will be able to find some reasonable hotel in Madrid using one of the sources she suggests. What time of the year are you going?

Good luck!

Hi cruiseluv and Siwash,
Yes, as crruiseluv says, your Salamanca hotel probably has a liberal cancellation policy, so I wouldn't worry about that.

One more:
www.placestostay.com

cruiseluv,
On another note: If you'd like a list of our favorite tapas bars in Santander, just send a email to my web page, and I'd be delighted to send you some recs.

Thank you Maribel, will do!

I stayed last June in a clean and well located 2* hotel in Madrid:
Hotel Mexico. My friend in Madrid booked it for me and I was completely satisfied. Simple but clean, breakfast available, nice staff, decent bathroom and close to the Prado as well as great pedestrian streets w/ food & drink. If you are interested I can find the info on it...

I stayed there by myself and felt safe.

(Don't know if they have any airport transportation)

Siwash, please try to cancel that last night in Salamanca and get a hotel in Madrid or even better, near Barajas airport.

Also, if possible, get the bus. My friends in Salamanca prefer it to the train, and with good reason (it is faster and nicer).

I have stayed a couple of times in the Husa Chamartin (I guess that´s the one you are talking about, right on top of the station). Nothing fancy about it. It´s OK if you are on a business trip and you just need a place to stay, but the area is not specially interesting and you won´t be saving a lot of time for your morning trip to the airport.

Rgds, Cova

Siwash,
We might be able to help you more specifically about low cost Madrid lodging if we knew the date of your last night. If your trip is coming up very soon, your options aren't as broad.

Also do you specifically to stay at an airport hotel or would an inexpensive place downtown do as well?
In the intense Madrid summer heat, a/c is really a must, so I would direct you to a small hotel or hostal with a/c and preferably a lift.

As cova and cruiseluv confirm, the bus is more comfortable than the train. If you take the bus it wouldn't make much sense to stay at the Chamartín train station hotel.

Thanks again, everyone! I never expected so much help!

We are leaving the US on June 25. We lose a day going over, so we arrive on the 26th and leave on July 3rd. Based on what everyone is saying, we will need to leave Salamanca on that Sunday, July 2 and spend that night in Madrid in order to make our flight out of Barajas. That will be easy enough to do with all of the busses (not trains--I get that!) that run between the two cities. I'll find a cheap hotel in Madrid and enjoy the peace of mind!

Trying to get to this conference has been a complete nightmare. First of all, who has a conference in a city that has no airport--and makes no arrangements (or gives info) for the attendees to get there by bus/train? Add that to the fact that they are holding the conference at the university and just gave everyone a list of hotels--not necessarily nearby--instead of having the conference in a hotel and reserving a block of rooms. If it weren't in Spain (which I love), I would probably have given up a long time ago, especially after the trouble I had getting my passport. All of you have been so helpful--bad news and all--this posting has been the highlight so far!!

As for location of the yet-to-be-named cheap hotel in Madrid, I was thinking close to the airprt would be best, in order to save time on the morning of our flight. However, depending on what time the conference is actually over, we could leave Salamanca earlier and have some time to play in Madrid. In that case, something fun downtown would be nice--especially if it were close to the tapas bars. That would be a great way to spend our last night in Spain! It's been 20 years, but from what I remember, you can get anywhere in Madrid easily enough with the metro and a metro map. How much does it cost now, anyway?

The Hotel Mexico that was mentioned earlier might work, but if anyone else has a specific suggestion, that would be great. It's hard to know what's good just by looking at pictures on the websites. Maybe close to the airport is best for time's sake and just plan on using the metro for our night before excursions. A trip to Corte Ingles will definitely be in the works--the one on Gran Via is open on Sundays, right? Any other suggestions for cheesy souvenir shopping? My friend and I are both Spanish teachers, so we will be looking for things to use in our classrooms.

Thanks again!

You are Spanish teachers ? Then a conference at the university it's the best place, specially in Salamanca, the most ancient university of Spain.
So the idea is a very good one. I can see the organizers don't have a clue about travelling and making things as easy as possible. You will love Salamanca, sure , it's gorgeous !!

I get that having it at the university will be cool. I am also into history, so it's a double bonus for me! My issue with the "organizers" is the lack of organization about the whole thing. We didn't even get a schedule of workshops until after the registration deadline. How are we supposed to know if we want to go until we see what's offered? I guess they were counting on people like me who said--it's SPAIN--who cares??? I know we'll have a great time regardless of any glitches that pop up, but seriously, you would think a professional organization could have handled the arrangements a little bit better, you know?

By the way, any suggestions about clothing and weather in Salamanca? I know it's beastly hot in Madrid this time of year, but the weather info I have seen on Salamanca is pretty vague--only giving average temperatures. I'm planning on mostly linen crop pants and cotton tops. Will I need anything for cool evenings or is that just wishful thinking? I'm sure I will overpack--I always do--but any suggestions?

You are right, too bad organizing !!!
Salamanca is just as hot as Madrid is in summer , maybe temperatures go down a bit in the night but not enough to care too much about it :) My mom is from Salamanca and I happened to be many summers there...awful terribly dry hot !!! No one in the streets before 9 in the night , but that is a bit later than your dates, you will have still a rather plesant weather, I hope :)

SiWash,

I'm so glad for you that you have decided to go to Madrid for the last night. I don't think you have to worry about traffic going to the airport on Sunday morning, there should be none( somebody correct me if I'm wrong). You should be able to get to Barajas airport in about 20 mins. from Madrid City center( if you're taking a cab).

It'll be great if you can leave Salamanca early Sunday, that way you have time to go to the Museums ( if you so choose) and a nice walk in Retiro park if it's not too hot. And in the evening, go for some tapas in Plaza de Santa Ana and end in PLaza Mayor. I love Plaza Mayor at night!

I agree with Kenderina, clothing for Salamanca should be summery. Bring a light sweater in case it gets cool at night ( it happened to us 2 years ago in Madrid during July. At night temps. went down and I was happy I had my sweater. You never know!).

Hopefully Maribel or other posters can suggest a hotel for your last evening that fits your requirement.

Thanks cruiseluv for the traffic info, but we'll be heading to the airport on Monday morning--I'm guessing during rush hour. ICK. We'll be sure to get up early and allow plenty of time for traffic and for the legendary lines at Barajas.

BTW, I checked the hotel's cancellation policy in Salamanca. It says that any cancellation 10 days or fewer prior to arrival will lose the fee for the entire stay. OUCH! I'm not actually cancelling the reservation, just changing it, so hopefully I won't lose that last night's fee. I emailed the hotel today, so we'll see.

Thanks for the weather/clothing advice. It's pretty much what I thought. I'm in Oklahoma (talk about being beastly hot AND humid), so DRY heat will be a nice change. What's the time difference from Central time in the US? Isn't it 7 hours? I guess I could look it up...

Any tips on places to shop in either city? Best/cheapest place for Lladro? Leather? Cheesy souvenir crap?

Hi Siwash,
I'm relieved! :)

About your questions:
The huge El Corte Inglés department stores are only allowed to be open a certain number of Sundays per year. I've checked the schedule at www.elcorteingles.es, and you're in luck! The huge downtown shopping complex at Preciados will open OPEN July 2!

About weather:
Salamanca, my former university, can get the extremes in temperatures-very hot (like Madrid) in summer and quite cold in winter.
It won't cool down much at night.

If you can leave the conference early, it makes much more sense, as cruiseluv says, to stay downtown and enjoy some of the city.
A taxi on Sun. morning should take absolutely no more than 20 min. and should cost 21-22 euros, including the obligatory supplement for the run to the airport (no charge for luggage carreid in trunk).
Upon your arrival in Barajas, pick up a brochure "taxi, bus, metro '06" for estimated fares. My normal run from in front of the Hotel Palace to the airport has been 20 euros lately.

If you want to be in the thick of things in Old Madrid in a cute little, attractively decorated, very well run, dependable hostal with a/c and elevator, btwn the Plaza Mayor and Plaza Santa Ana (tapas bar central),
CALL or FAX the Hotel Adriano (it takes them a while to respond to the flood of emails- there's not enough time). It's a favorite on Madridman.com and has been used by a very trusted Fodorite friend of mine (who may see this and reply and has very good taste). It's extremely popular given the high price/quality ratio and may already be fully booked for the summer. but give it a try. Only 63 euros for a double.
First see it at www.hostaladriano.com

For your date I also checked Bancotel (site is easier to negotiate in Spanish). It gave me 8 pages of hotel availability, but it's hard to know which to choose if you don't know the city-a pig in a poke. It gave me 142 hotels all over the place, ranging in coupon price from 60-250 euros. from 3 stars to super luxury.
Bancotel has changed its coupon system this year.-no longer uses just the 50 euro coupons. Remember you make your reservation on bancotel.com, then BUY that coupon at the Viajes Iberia branch in Salamanca.

I see two decent downtown bargains both for 60 € double.

My choice:
3 star Hotel Opera, next to the Royal Opera House and a stone's throw from the Royal Palace.

Other choice: 3 star newly renovated Hotel Tirol on Princesa in Argüelles, near the Plaza de España.

Also if you have to be near the airport, Bancotel has availability at the 3 star NH Express and 4 star Auditorium, both for 60 euros.

I also checked Halcon Viajes
http://www.halconviajes.com/viajes/a.../jsp/index.jsp
You purchase your coupon on their web page). I found two downtown.
my choice: Hostal Persal-more like a modest 2 star hotel and across from the new Hard Rock Hotel (still construction going on-yet to be officially inaugurated-so would need an interior room) off the Plaza Santa Ana for 63 €
Another choice: 2 star Hotel Asturias, 2 blocks from the Puerta del Sol for 60 €
These aren't fancy but have a/c, elevator and are cheap.

We sometimes use Halcon Viajes for last minute city stays. Got a 90 € rate at the 5 star Hotel Palafox in Zaragoza from them for your same date.

But I would definitely call or fax the Adriano first.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, I forgot...

What about wearing crop length yoga-type pants on the airplane? Too utterly tacky? I want to be comfortable on my 16 hour+ flight (not counting the bus to Salamanca), but I don't want to be the obvious "ugly american" tourist, either. I know that shorts are a definite no-no, and I have seen enough other posts to know that people have some very strict ideas of what is and is not appropriate in Europe. I have some others that would look a bit nicer, but would not be nearly as comfy. At this point (and weight) in my life, being comfortable is a higher priority than looking good. That's 2 kids, a love for all types of carbohydrates and about 60 extra pounds will do for ya!

Oops,
That taxi ride is on Mon. morning, but it still should take no more than 20 min., and I would leave no later than 8.

Since El Corte Inglés will be open in Madrid on Sun., you can do your shopping in one fell swoop, even the cheesy stuff-just go to the "turismo" dept. Salamanca doesn't have a ECI, but there's a nice university shop that sells posters and tasteful memorabilia.

Thanks, Maribel! You (and everyone else) have been awesome!

Since you seem to be Maribel-the-all-knowing-all-seeing-all-powerful ;-)~, what's your opinion on the yoga pants?

The yoga pants are ok, but you can wear shorts..who said you cannot ? You are on vacation !! :) That said, don't wear them in Salamanca, they dress up to the nines for going to the bakery in front of their home !!! It's almost ridiculous for me, used to a coast location :))

Also, what do you recommend regarding money? I am seeing on several posts that traveler's checks are outdated, but I can obtain those in euros, if that helps. Does it make a difference? What about just carrying cash (carefully) and a credit card? I don't have a PIN for my credit cards, plus I get charged outrageous international transaction fees, so using that at an ATM is not really an option. Any advice?

No traveler checks , please !! And if you carry some..is better in dollars. You won't find very easily a place to change them (many banks don't want to do it)so, if you can't change them..if they are in dollars you can have your money back at home.
Best thing for cash are ATMs but with a debit card not a credit one, and use the credit for paying at hotels, restaurants, department stores... .
Maybe you can ask your bank for a debit card or an ATM only one. It's the easiest and cheapest solution.

Hi Siwash,

Sorry that I missed you're flying out on Monday not Sunday. But like Maribel says, it shouldn't be a problem.

The yoga pants... What are these like? Like palazzo or gaucho pants?

Good luck with the cancellation. Today is exactly 10 days before so hopefully they will not charge you the fee!

All this talk about Salamanca makes me want to go back!!!!

Hi Siwash92,
Change banks! I get charged practically nothing, zipoo, for my withdrawls from a Spanish ATM through my US bank. Nobody, I do mean nobody, uses travellers' checks, they're truly obsolete. Put enough money in a new account in a new bank to cover your expenses, in a bank that offers you a debit card that won't charge you outrageous fees for using a European ATM on the Cirrus/Plus system. And alert them that you will be using your ATM card in Spain.
I do carry 2 credit cards for major purchases and my ATM for cash withdrawls. I haven't bought travellers' checks in years, literally in years! There are more ATM machines in Spain than in any other Western European country.

About the yoga pants on the plane:
Who cares? I see anything and everything on the plane to Spain-people dress for comfort. It's a long ride from Oklahoma to Madrid (I actually know this!) Just be comfortable, and if you're comfortable, you''ll be happy and arrive happy, which is what matters.
But once in Salamanca, I would switch to long pants. It's a rather conservative town, as kenderina knows.

And again, good luck and have fun!

Maribel, you are a walking guide book!

We went to Salamanca for the first time last fall and we liked it very much. There wasn't much English spoken in that town. Siwash, you will have many opportunites to use your Spanish!

As a light packer, I wouldn't wear anything on the plane that I couldn't wear again at my destination. I certainly agree that one needs to dress comfortably but perhaps that could be elastic waist black pants.

It is probably too late to get a new credit card but for future reference Capital One adds no additional charges to international purchases. We use that card only when we are traveling out of the country.

Our ATM transactions cost practically nothing. I agree, no traveler's checks.

Thanks everyone. I guess it's definitely ix-nay on the traveler's checks. Poor American Express. Whatever will they do? J have a Capital One card, so I will double check with them about fees. Thanks Judi!

Between all the different responses, I think we;ve covered this, but the yoga pants are almost like crop-length sweatpants. Good quality, but VERY casual. If Maribel thinks they are ok, then they must be. ;-) I have mostly crop length linen pants and a skirt for the rest of the trip, so I should be ok. I won't be dressing up for the bakery, so maybe that will keep me from going in...Ha ha.

I may have missed it somewhere along here, but we do need to go to the south bus station, right? And they do have a place to store our luggage for a few hours? I went to the auto-res website and tried to find out which station it is, but I couldn't find it. Must have overlooked it.

My friend read this post yesterday and emailed me to say how excited she got just from reading what everyone had to say. Our flight arrives at 9:30AM, so depending on how tired we are, we may stash our stuff at the bus station and explore Madrid for a few hours before we head to Salamanca. We may be exhausted from the flight and decide to head straight for the bus, so I'm glad we'll have most of that Sunday before we leave, just in case. Then again, just being there and breathing Spanish air may be enough to re-energize us. Thanks to all of you, we have the flexibility to wing it.

Hi SiWash,

It sounds like you're set to go! Did you find a hotel for your last night in Madrid?

With respect to the bus station: When I did the Madrid- Salamanca bus ride 2 years ago it was out of Estación Conde de Casal, calle Fernandez Shaw. So maybe double check if it's still from there.

Maybe Maribel knows for sure and will post.

if i have missed a solution to your hotel, ignore this advice. there are NUMEROUS airport area hotels from 60 euros or so.
www.hotels.com, www.lastminute..com

www.rumbo.es has a nice list sometimes.

www.bancotel.es is not as great as it used to be as so many websites are now also getting similar rates without the coupon hassle.

we stayed at silken puerta madrid and it was great. (60 euros)

We left from Conde de Casal last October. The buses at that time were leaving at forty five minutes after the hour. We missed a bus by about five minutes and had to hang around the tacky bus station for an hour.

You will be happy with the bus; it is quite comfortable.