3 of us will arrive at Barajas airport at 16.55 and will be taking a connecting flight the same evening at 00.10. What do you suggest that we do in that time? Could we go to Parque del Retiro and to some tapas bars? What would be the best means of transport from and to the airport?

Lets assume it takes 1 hour to deplane, get luggage, clear customs. It will be 45 minutes into city. You need to be back at airport 2 hours before next departure + add on travel time back to Barajas which is 3 hours. This kills 5 hours of the 7 hours you have. Dont know if it is worth the hassle. If you were going to do, take the Metro. Easiest and cheapest way to get into city.

Re: The previous answer from nygvic: I am not sure if you need to be at the airport two hours in advance. It depends on your destination. We were off the aircraft and onto the airport bus in a matter of minutes after our arrival in Madrid. And you will likely not have to wait for luggage, right?

The airport bus is a great way to get into central Madrid; if your destination is Retiro Park, you can get down at Plaza Cibeles. You could walk through the park and then have tapas in the neighborhood east of the Park.

But remember that most tapas bars will not be open before 8pm, at the earliest, although there are exceptions. I think you have plenty of time but you need to factor in the time you need to check in for your next flight. Keep in mind that the Park gates close at 10pm in winter.

Now with the new airport bus that goes all the way to Cibeles and Atocha I can think of no better way to get into Madrid. Arriving tourists will find it much easier and safer.

The Cevercería Cervantes should be open.. across from the Prado and "behind" Hotel Westin, just a block off the Castellana.

http://www.qype.es/place/289051-Cerv...rvantes-Madrid

If your plane is not late then you'll probably have around 3 hrs in Madrid. I presume your luggage will be checked for your connecting flight otherwise you'll have to leave it in left luggage office or locker. Also it's rush hour so the airport bus may take longer than 40 min. Metro to center (P.Sol) is around 40-45 min.

Great suggestion Lin, I was about to mention Cerveceria Cervantes since I remember going there for tapas early one evening (around 6:30-7PM).

I love that place!

I THINK lunch and merienda there just roll into dinnertime.
like at many cafe/bars. Sometimes it is only the grill that has a schedule as so many tapas are pre-made and waiting to be consumed.

Wow, thank you guys! I did not expect to get such valuable advice so soon! We just felt that it seemed such a waste to sit at the airport while a beautiful Spanish experience was happening outside. We will see what the situation is when we arrive at the airport and then take it from there - armed with your advice in my travelling file!
We will be arriving from Morocco and going back home to South Africa.

Don't cut it too close to departure time to return to the airport. Don't know what terminal you depart from for your SA flight, but from experience can tell you security lines at Terminal 1 can be horrendous.

Good luck!

Terminal 4?

transportation takes several minutes more to T4 so keep that in mind. Hope you enjoy your short visit.