Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Madrid





Madrid is a relative newcomer to the city break scene which is surprising as it is a fascinating city famous for its zest for life. Architecturally it doesn't have the same quantity of essential sights as Barcelona but is a fascinating city to explore and take in the atmosphere, especially around the Old Madrid of the Habsburgs including Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor.Culturally, the art scene is right up there with the Prado remaining the city's major cultural attraction and Picasso's 'Guernica' in the Reina-Sofia being the number one exhibit. Madrid is also a great place to see the traditional Spanish arts with the largest bullring in Spain at Las Ventas and a flamenco scene on a par with the traditional flamenco cities of the south.Real Madrid football club are another major attraction with thousands of visitors in the city every other weekend to see a match at the Bernabeu stadium. Time permitting, if you want to escape the bustle of the city there are a whole range of superb day excursions available to the likes of Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial and beyond. Below we've listed a selection of links relating to Madrid tourist information which you should find useful in preparing your trip.

Madrid Airport Transfer
Metro
Line 8 of the Metro links the airport with the center of Madrid at Nuevos Ministerios in just 12 minutes. The stop is on the first floor of terminal 2 and the service operates between 6.05am and 2.00am with departures every 5 minutes.
On arrival at Nuevos Ministerios there is a connection with over 50 other stations via lines 6 (circle), 8 (Nuevos Ministerio-Barajas) and 10 (Fuencarral-Puerta del Sur).
Once in the city the extensive metro network can be safely used for travel beyond the central area. To get the right direction look for the name of the last stop on the line you are using, eg. to go north on line 10 look for dark blue signs for Fuencarral. To go south on line 10 look for dark blue signs for Aluche. The 10 journey ticket costs about € 5.80 and is also valid on all city bus routes.

Airport Bus
The long standing special airport bus service from the airport to Plaza Colón no longer operates and has been replaced by regular bus services as follows:
No. 101 line from Canillejas-Airport (T1, T2, T3).No. 200 line from Avda. de América-Canillejas-Airport (T1, T2, T3).No. 204 line from Avda. de América-Canillejas-Airport (T4).Intercity line no. 822 Coslada-Airport-Canillejas-Airport (T1, T2, T3).There is a special bus service from Barajas Metro (Underground) station to T4.
From Avda. de América or Canillejas you would need to join up with the metro to continue your journey. The excellent metro service has taken over from the old bus route as the best way into the city (just watch your valuables!).

Taxi to/from airport
There are taxi ranks in front of the arrivals lounges of all three terminals at Madrid airport. A taxi to/from the airport to/from central Madrid should cost around 20 Euros though taxi drivers are notorious for overcharging recent arrivals (see below). Check that the meter is set at zero when you get in and that it begins the journey at the official minimum fare. There are also additional supplements at night, on Sundays and for each item of luggage placed in the car boot as well as as journeys to bus and train stations and to the IFEMA trade fair. If in doubt about the charge be sure to request a receipt.

Train
The Spanish Railway Network does not go to Madrid-Barajas airport directly. However, you can connect to the airport by using the the underground in Atocha or Chamartin railway stations.


Madrid
Airport









Madrid's Barajas airport lies 13km to the northeast of Madrid's city limits. There is a fine transport system between the airport and the city.
On February 5th 2006 the new Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas Airport was opened making Madrid one of the world's most modern airports. This expansion includes two new buildings (T4 and T4S), a car park, two new runways, new access roads and many more services including additional shopping and entertainment facilities and massage areas.The terminal building (T4) and its satellite (T4S) are superbly designed with maximum sunlight a key feature. It will be able to handle 35 million passengers a year, more than 10,000 during peak hours.The new terminal has 39 aircraft stands adjacent to the terminal building made up of three large modules on six levels. The first block is for check-in, the second for security control and the third for boarding of domestic and Schengen country flights.
The Satellite Building (T4S) has been built to enable more efficient international boarding and disembarking operations in the new T4 and it has more than 26 aircraft stands with air-bridge access. It is located between the runways and its architectural style and cutting-edge design are identical to those of the new terminal.
The transport of passengers to and from the T4 and the T4S is conducted by means of an Automated Passenger Transport System. This system consists of a driverless train that covers the distance the 2km distance between the two terminals in just 4 minutes. It will operate 24 hours a day and it will run every 2 minutes during peak hours, making 30 second stops at each station. In 1 hour, it can transport up to 13,000 travellers.

Which Terminal at Madrid Airport?


TERMINAL 1
Aerolíneas Argentinas - Aeromexico - Air Plus Comet - Air Europa (1) - Air France - Air Madrid
Air Malta - Alitalia- Alitalia Express - Austrian Airlines- Blue Air- British Midland Airways
Bulgaria Air- Continental Airlines - Cubana De Aviación - Delta Airlines - Easyjet Airlines - Easyjet Switzerland- Futura Internacional - Germanwings - GmbhHelvetic Airways - Hola Airlines (1) - Klm Royal Dutch Airlines - Lloyd Aeroboliviano - Lot-Polskie Linie Lotnicze
Lufthansa - Malev-Hungarian Airlines - Meridiana - Monarch Airlines - My Way - Pluna
Portugalia - Pullmantur Air- Santa Barbara Airlines - Scandinavian - SasSpanair (1) - Swiss
Thai Airways Intl.- Transavia Holland- Travel Service - Tunis Air- Us Airways- Varig

TERMINAL 2
Air Berlin - Air Europa (2) - Girjet- Hola Airlines (2) - Ltu Intl Airways- panair (2) -
Tap Air Portugal

TERMINAL 4
Aer Lingus - Aeroflot - Air Algerie - Air Cairo - Air Nostrum - Air Senegal - American - Airlines - Avianca - British Airways - Csa Czech Airlines - Egypt Air - El Al - Finnair - Grupo Lan (Lan Chile/Lan Ecuador) - Iberia - Iberworld- Japan Airlines - LuxairSterling (Maersk Air) - Olympic Airlines - Qatar Airways - Royal Air - Maroc - Royal Jordanian - Sn Brussels Airlines - Syrian Arab Airlines - Tarom - Transportes Aéreos De Cabo Verde - Turkish Airlines - Ukranie International - Virgin Express - Vueling


(1) International not Schengen flights
(2) Domestic flights and Schengen flights

TERMINAL 3: LAGUN AIR (Only)

Madrid Metro


Madrid Weather

The local saying about the Madrid weather is "9 months of winter and 3 months of hell". This is not strictly true but the summer months of August and September do tend to be very, very hot but due to the lack of humidity in the air it doesn't feel as hot as it could do. This heat and lack of beach do tend to drive most Madrileños out of the city during the month of August creating a quiet time of the year in the city when you can visit without queues and traffic jams. The down sided is that many of the bars and restaurants are closed.

The Madrid weather in winter can be quite cold but there are often blue skies and some sunshine and in general there is not too much rain.

Click for Madrid, Spain Forecast

Rent a Cellphone

You can rent a cellphone in Madrid for as little as 1 Euro per day which includes:

FREE INCOMING CALLS
CALL AT BEST RATES
FREE DELIVERY


Know your cell phone number before you travel. We send it to you by e-mail when making the reservation
For More Information:
CALL IN SPAIN: (+34) 687 558 529


New Road Access to Madrid Airport

As a result of the development of T4 it has been necessary to expand its access roads.To access the new terminal area by road the M-12 (North-South) motorway and the link between the M-14 and the M-13 (East-West) have been built. These new access roads connect directly to the departures and arrivals areas of the new terminal.

More Information:

Madrid Top Popular Hotels- 5 Star

Madrid Top Popular Hotels- 4 Star
Madrid Top Popular Hotels- 3 Star
Madrid Top Tourist Attractions
Madrid Pictures
Madrid Map
Websites of the Museums in Madrid




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