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Advice for Prado on Madrid Arrival

Advice for Prado on Madrid Arrival

Old Jul 5, 2017, 9:19 pm
  #1  
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Advice for Prado on Madrid Arrival

Hi experts,

It isnt that simple. My older mother just had a solo trip to Spain aborted and had to return home with Pneumonia. So I'm going to help her retry the complex part which includes starting in Madrid and then heading up to Burgos to see the area, Santo Domingo de Silos, etc. I'll probably rent a car at MAD and drive up. However, I'm coming from India, and she from the US, so she arrives earlier than me - 7am vs my 1pm. In the spare time, she wants to see the Prado for a few hours. We know there is left luggage at MAD where she can leave her bags, and she can cab to the Prado. Hours later, I land at MAD.

If I rent a car, it seems most efficient to pick her up, rather than having her have to cab back to the airport. However, I then have to get her luggage somehow. I think her bags will be too much to store at Prado. I do see that from the Prado to Burgos, the route goes roughly past MAD, so not a disaster to backtrack, but with airport parking, etc, its better to just grab all the luggage and get it to the rental car.

So, experts:
--Is there any chance I can pick up moms bags from left luggage. I cant see how she'd give me the tag. She's have to leave instructions to release the bags to me.

--If we take the bus to Burgos instead, I know it leaves from the airport. How do we get Mom on it from the Prado, and does it stop at the airport long enough for her to get in, get the bags, and get back on?

--And separate, how tough is navigating the Prado? She's just slow and fatigues easily. She gets a wheelchair assist for airports for distance reasons, but doesn't own one.

--Is this all a bad idea and should she just take a nap at the in airport hotel and have us go together, in the car, and get to Burgos later?

Thanks for expert perspectives.
ludocdoc is offline  
Old Jul 6, 2017, 4:45 am
  #2  
 
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I don't know if you could pick up her luggage without a tag, that seems unlikely. There is also luggage storage at Atocha Train station, which is only about half a mile from the Prado. She could store her things there and then it would be easy to pick up.
You could either rent a car from the airport or take the train to Atocha and rent from there (I'd check prices and see which is better).
Additionally, if you decide to take the bus, you can take the bus either from the airport or from Avenida de America Bus Station in the city. I just did that a few weeks ago.
I can't recommend what your mom should do as I don't know her condition, but she sounds pretty independent. The Prado has benches throughout so there will be places she can stop and sit. Also, the Reina Sofia Museum is almost directly across from the Prado. That is where Picasso's Guernica is, among many other things.
Enjoy your trip!
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Old Jul 7, 2017, 7:44 pm
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Yeah. The real question here is how comfortable she is navigating the city on her own and how much can she walk?

The easiest is just using Atocha as your base and the Prado is about 500m away.
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Old Jul 22, 2017, 4:34 pm
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Thanks all. I retooled my flight and now I get in a bit before 9, so I'll ve able to rent at the airport and drive her and me to the Prado.

So, any advice on handicap parking/drop off at the Prado? I figure I can park at Atocha or some other parking area after dropping her off. She does have a US handicap placard, but I have no expectation that will help us in Spain Were there on a Sunday, so maybe I'll even brave street parking (dubious)
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Old Jul 23, 2017, 1:06 am
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Originally Posted by ludocdoc
Thanks all. I retooled my flight and now I get in a bit before 9, so I'll ve able to rent at the airport and drive her and me to the Prado.

So, any advice on handicap parking/drop off at the Prado? I figure I can park at Atocha or some other parking area after dropping her off. She does have a US handicap placard, but I have no expectation that will help us in Spain Were there on a Sunday, so maybe I'll even brave street parking (dubious)
Keep in mind that the Paseo del Prado is closed to traffic Sunday mornings until 2 in the north direction.
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Old Jul 23, 2017, 2:53 pm
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Originally Posted by LupineChemist
Keep in mind that the Paseo del Prado is closed to traffic Sunday mornings until 2 in the north direction.
Some websites indicate that much of the parking to the East of the museum, between it and the park, is free on Sundays. Wonder if spots can be found...

Sounds like navigating might be a small challenge. Still, We're talking about leaving MAD at 930 or so, so getting to the museum near opening time, pretty early in the morning for Madrid on a Sunday.
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Old Jul 23, 2017, 11:17 pm
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Yeah, you may even be able to find street parking (free on Sundays). You should get in and out using Alfonso XII Street, though. It's the one that goes from the Puerta de Alcal to the Atocha station next to the Retiro park.
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