Spain: Madrid: Barajas: from airport to train via Metro
 

Hello Fodorites! Long time no see, maybe never on the Spain board. Anyone who knows me from my earlier trips will be shocked to hear I am taking a spur-of-the-moment trip. Which means, like, not much time to plan.
My sister is taking a language class (next week!) in Sevilla, and I just decided that it would be a shame to not hang out with her, after all, she's already rented an apartment.
So, airline is booked, Atlanta to Madrid, and I plan to take the fast train to Seville.
Based on what I have read here, it looks like it's an easy and cheap ride from the airport to the train station on the Metro. My questions are: 1) If my scheduled arrival is 8:45 a. m., what do you think is the earliest departure (train) I can shoot for without a mad rush? And 2) where in the airport do I go to find the Metro?
I am excited about this trip even if everything in my nature is screaming, "Nooooo...you must have time to plan." I just want to hammer down the basics: air and train, then I figure as long as my passport is up-to-date I can read a guidebook on that long flight.
Any advice is welcome. I promise to reply with a detailed trip report.
Thanks, all.

We did a similar trip from but in reverse. We took the train from Sevilla to Madrid, then took a taxi to the airport.

I remember reading somewhere that the taxi was better than the metro. Of course, we were traveling with 3 kids under age 10, so that may have been why I decided on the taxi.

I'm sure someone else will have better info on the metro, but the taxi worked just fine for us.

Thanks, sdfamily. do you remember how much the taxi cost? I have read that the metro is one euro. I am traveling alone. One euro is hard to beat!

The earliest AVE you could probably catch would be one that departs Puerta de Atocha at 12 Noon. It arrives Sevilla Santa Justa at 13:30. There's one at 11:00 AM that gets to Sevilla an hour earlier, but that might be cutting it too close, especially if you are taking the Metro. Check www.renfe.es to be sure. There are Renfe Offices in Barajas airport in Terminals 1 & 4. The Airport Metro station is between Terminals 2 & 3.

The last time I took a Taxi to Atocha, it seems like it cost about 20 Euro, including Airport & Rail station surcharges. You might want to look into AeroCity Van service.

Do not book before 13.00. I prefer the bus over the metro to avenida america and then a taxi to atocha. ( about 8 euros/taxi). If you walk away from the bus station you will not be charged the supplement.

Here is a trip report I did about this transport option

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-this-time.cfm

or this one

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-terminals.cfm

Sorry! The 12:00 Noon AVE arrives Sevilla Santa Justa at 14:30, not 13:30 as I indicate on my earlier post.

Also, I've gone to Avda. de America (as described by lincasanova) by Metro (changing at Mar de Cristal) and it's pretty fast and much less expensive than taxi from Aeropuerto de Barajas. But I don't recommend it if you have more luggage than to leave one hand free at all times.

You may also notice a Police presence on the Metro. It may make you feel secure or ...

I've never gone to Av America by METRO, only the bus, which is VERY easy with luggage and from THERE a taxi to El Prado or Atocha, for example.

The metro with bags is a DRAG, starting with how far you have to walk to even GET to it!

For the bus, you walk out the terminal door where the taxis are and look for the bus stop.

Thank you for all the tips Fodorites. I am leaving in about an hour: Atlanta to Miami, then Miami to Madrid, then Madrid to Sevilla. Going to be a long journey but I feel good about it and confident that I will be able to negotiate the connections. If I am too exhausted to think straight when I land in Madrid I'll take a cab to the train station but it will make me happier if I can do it via public transportation. (More in line with my self image as intrepid traveller, more in line with my budget, as well.)I only have one rolling bag and a not-too-big tote. Personally, I have always found it easier in a new town to find my way around via subway than by bus so I'll aim for that.
I'll let you know how it goes.