4 hours at MAD
 

I have a 4 hour stopover in MAD in 2 weeks. Travelling in economy so I will not have access to a lounge. What can i do to kill time. IS there ebough time to go into the city?

I'd say enough time to get out of the airport, but not enough to actually see anything meaningful in the centre. Get the metro till Colombia, and get out for a walk around (reasonable residential neighbourhood) and a coffee...

I agree with the above. I had close to a 7 hour layover in MAD, took the metro to Puerta del Sol, and hardly had enough time to do much. The metro alone killed off a chunk of my layover time.

I concur with trsny that time is not on your side. To get to Sol from any of the terminals, you have to take 3 metro lines (they all run frequently by the way) and about 45-55 minutes. I'd stay in the airport and check up on emails over a cup of latte, or something.

Forgot to mention I'd already visited Madrid previously so I knew where I was going. Had I not, I don't know if I would've made it back to the airport on time.

thanks everyone for the comments.. I shall stay in Barajas then..:(

If you do stay in Barajas, you may want to look into buying lounge access. I personally quite enjoy the AENA Tauromaquia lounge in T2 (though the last time I flew on AF, I got sent to an inferior lounge...but it was too early in the morning, and it was located right in front of the gate, so I didn't bother complaining).

Paid access is available online for £25 from the Servisair website , or you may be able to book direct with AENA (+34902404704 is the call centre, and the lounge itself can be contacted on +34913245112).

I would definitely leave the airport if I had my boarding pass and did not need to check baggage.

Sol is no longer a pain to get to. Nuevos Ministerios is around 15 mins from T1/2/3 (longer from T4) on the metro; from there take a Renfe Cercanias train to Sol (should take around 3 minutes). From memory you need lines C3 or C4 (check on www.renfe.es). Be sure to buy a one day tourist pass at the metro ticket machine (currently 5.20 euro) as a regular metro ticket is not valid on Renfe trains.

From Sol (seen as the geographical centre of Spain) it's only a short walk down Calle Mayor to Plaza Mayor and a little farther to the Palacio Real.

In my opinion, to remain at the airport would be a waste of an opportunity!

If you still have doubts, why not visit Barajas (the town)? That's one stop away on the metro (from both T1/2/3 and T4).

H


thanks all for the opinion and tips.. I might have more time in Madrid on the return leg..
since Spanair might be going on strike.. damn.!!

http://www.abc.es/20090723/economia-...907231806.html

I flew from BIO to MAD today and landed in T2. I wasnt planning to going to MAD so i didnt print this suggestion, but now that I am back in YYZ, I did exactly what you wrote. haha. I went up to the Metro booth at T2 and told the lady I have 2 hours... what should I do.. and she told me to do what you wrote. It was a very pleasant trip and quite fast. Both the trains/subway I took were incredibly clean// Same with the ones in Bilbao.

Much better than hanging around at the airport!

Yeah, the food places at T1 in Barajas is very limited and around 1130am, they were still not ready for lunch services except for some cold sandwiches.. :mad: I was hoping to eat some paella before boarding.. But then lunch in Spain starts at 2 doesnt it.. :D The terminal is also very smoky even though they have their "smoke room" but without doors - of course the smoke will drift out. It's interesting how the announcement comes on every 15-30 minutes or so reminding people to smoke in designated areas only.

It wasn't that long ago that I'd regularly see customers smoking in supermarkets in Spain.

Food in many Spanish airports is poor and overpriced.

Any ideas of what to do in Barajas town? I have another long layover in MAD coming up (for my sins!) and don't want to go into the center.

I'll also check out the Renfe train link as well. Seems like a better way into Sol rather than sitting on the metro for eternity.

Thanks :)

The cigarette in Spain gives off a very strong smell. Maybe in the rest of Europe too, but I don't go to Europe that much and the last time I went was Scotland and I don't remember people smoking as much there.

What really pisses me off is when people smoke in the washroom at the restaurant. Why would they do that when they can smoke in the restaurant? And there is no ventilation in the washroom so when you go in there it's like you almost have to hold your breath. I can pee that fast! :D