Madrid to Rota
 

My baby and I will be traveling to Spain in January or February of 2005. What would be the best way to get to Rota from Madrid? My uncle said to fly into Jerez and he would pick us up from there. How far is it between Madrid and Jerez? Could we take a train and would it be cheaper? I'm concerned about traveling alone with an 18 month old baby, so safety and ease is definitely a priority. Also, what's the weather like at that time of the year? Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

kibawe,
Fly, its faster. You've got a young child and don't need long hours on a train. I've done that flight MAD-Jerez, its short... perhaps an hour. For price check with Avianco, a local carrier I beleive does that route.

Thank you for your input!

It's about 400-miles Madrid-Jerez.

There are 2-trains daily from Madrid on which you don't have to change in Sevilla (Altaria: 10:05 and 16:05). Each takes about 4-hours Madrid-Jerez de la frontera. These trains are quiet and comfortable and your baby probably travels free. There is also an hourly AVE to Sevilla - you must change in Sevilla for an Andalucia Express, a 'Regional' train that lacks the comforts of AVE or Talgo-200.

A one-way fare on Altaria (Talgo-200) is a little cheaper than AVE: Turista, 55 Euros.

If you do travel by Train, they leave from Madrid's Atocha station. The Altaria also stops at el Puerto de Santa Maria and at Cadiz. El Puerto may be closer to Rota than Jerez. Ask your uncle.

If you're coming down from the U.K., RyanAir has nonstop service to Jerez from London (Stanstead, I believe). I don't know about Aviaco: I thought they 'folded' into Iberia. I don't know if SpanAir or Air Europa serve Jerez.

Thanks for the helpful info! I will be flying in from Houston, so I will probably just go ahead and fly from Madrid to Jerez. I've never riden a train, and would like to do so, but an extra 3 hours of travel (as opposed to the hour flight) would probably be too much for my daughter. I think what I'll do is get a one-way flight to Jerez, and for our return, just take the train, spend a few nights in Madrid, and fly back. I don't really have a schedule to follow so my plans are very flexible.

Coming from Houston I would guess that you are flying Continental EWR-MAD. Your best connection would probably be Iberia # 152 Madrid-Jerez departing Madrid at 11:55 AM.
I flew Continental to Madrid in Jun'04: Thought I had a comfortable 'window' for a connection but the Continental flight was 1-hour late (sked. 09:35; arr. 10:35). Then at Barajas airport it's quite a 'hike' from International Arrivals to Terminal #2. I made the connection to an 11:35 SpanAir flight but only because:
1. I didn't have any checked luggage and 2. they held the flight for me.

When you 'book' your Iberia flight, be sure to tell them you are travelling with an infant and require assistance.

NEDSIRELAND,

I didn't even think about the "hike" in the airport. You're right, I'll just need to ask for assistance. I haven't booked the tickets yet, and won't be able to do so until the last minute. I hope they aren't too expensive that time of year. I'm meeting my husband there and he won't know for sure until the last minute if his job will allow him to leave. I may stay for a month or so to leave a big window of time for him to meet us.