Madrid Metro
 

Hi
I'm going to Salamanca for a few days in December. I'll be arriving at Madrid's Barajas airport and I have to get to the Auto Res bus station. I've been advised to take a taxi but I was told it costs around 20 euro and as I have very little money, I'm reluctant to spend 40 E just to get between the airport and bus station and the other way round on the return journey.

What about the Metro? I checked the route and there is 3 changes. Is it simple to use and safe? I'm a teenage girl travelling alone and it will be about 7-8pm. The cost (one euro) is definitely better but if it's dangerous I won't do it.

hi, I can't answer real specifics as I don't know where that bus station is and the routing. HOwever, I was in Madrid in March and took the metro a lot and it seemed safe to me, and I was on it at night time at least until that time. I did overhear some tourists at my hotel complain about being pickpocketed in the metro, so do be careful with your things, and there were some panhandlers and homeless people around some of the metro entrances and areas, so do not be surprised by that.

The metro was very simple to use if you know how to use them. There wasn't anything unusual about it, go to ticket booth and buy type of ticket you want (I got some pass for several days or a week, I forget), use the turnstiles, and follow the signs to the quay for the train. You can ask the ticket clerk for a little pocket metro map with the lines marked on it (they are probably on the wall, also, I forget). The metro lines and map are like them anywhere.

I live in Madrid and take the Metro everyday. I think it's safe to use--I've even seen children as young as about 10 years old traveling to school on the Metro alone. You do have to really watch your purse/bags (especially as a tourist) because unfortunately, pickpocketing is a problem. The stop closest to the Auto Res bus station is on line 6, and you really have to watch out for pickpocketers on this line especially. But if you're paying attention you should be okay.

To get to the bus station from the airport you only need to change lines once. In the airport take the pink line 8 (the only line in the airport)for 4 stops to the stop at Nuevos Ministerios (it's the end of the line). Then change trains to the gray line 6 and stay on until Conde de Casal (6 stops). It will probably take about 30 minutes to get there. It's very simple to use since there are signs everywhere and it's all color-coded. In the airport you can pick up a map, and they can show you the exact route on the map. One thing to keep in mind is that if you're traveling with a lot of luggage it can be complicated to use the Metro because in some stations you may have to walk up or down the stairs with your suitcase.

Thanks a lot, BTW is it easy to find the bus station from the metro stop? Is it right outside?

yes.. right outside next to a hotel with pleasant coffee shop if you have extra time to kill.

OK great, sorry for all the questions but one more...
How long would a metro journey of this length normally take? I checked the route on the website and it told me 1 hour 33 mins, is this correct? I expected around 45 minutes.

The website has to be wrong--there's no way it takes an hour and a half (unless the train breaks down or something). It should take between 30 and 45 minutes.

Ive recently returned from Madrid and the Metro is a very clean, safe, efficiant and reliable form of transport around Madrid.
The journey you need to make will cost you €1.15 (or a 10 journey ticket will cost €5.40 if you have time to visit Madrid). Im not sure where the Bus Station is so I wont give you a false route.

To Meg4
What is the best way to get from the airport to the Palace hotel in Plaza de Cortes?
If I take the airport bus to Plaza de Colon - what do I do from there?
Thanks alot

Meira,

The best way is probably to take a taxi because if you take the metro you would need to take 3 different lines, and also it would still be about a 10 minute walk from the nearest metro station to your hotel. So, if you have a lot of luggage you should probably take a taxi.

If you want to take the metro you need to take pink line 8 in the airport to the Colombia station. At Colombia change to the purple line 9, and stay on line 9 until the Principe de Vergara station. Then change to red line 2, and take line 2 to the Banco de España station (the closest to the hotel). Then, you'd have to walk a few blocks down Paseo del Prado street until you get to Plaza de las Cortes.

I'm not too familiar with the bus, but if you take it to Colon you'd still have to take a taxi, the metro, or another bus to get closer to your hotel. The problem with taking the metro from Colon to the stop closest to the hotel is that there isn't a good direct route--you'd have to almost go in a circle. So, if you go to Colon you should probably get a taxi from there to your hotel