Madrid: Can I leave the airport on 10 hours layover?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 146
Madrid: Can I leave the airport on 10 hours layover?
I am considering a flight connection that would involve a layover at Madrid for about 10 hours. Both flights are international. Am I allowed to leave the airport or I must stay airside on transit?
Thanks,
Thanks,
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Falkirk, Scotland,VS Red, BA Gold, HH Diamond,UK Amex Plat
Programs: Master of the Privy Purse des Muccis
Posts: 17,899
If you can enter spain on your passport then there will be no problem going landside and leaving the airport . Madrid is a beautiul city and the center can be reached quite quickly by a number of different methods ( is your layover during the day or overnight?)
Regards
TBS
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 146
Yes, we have valid passports that don't require visa.
I am also considering renting a car. The cost for a single day seems to be about the same of going and returning with a cab. I like to drive at foreign cities and it is more flexible and convenient in some ways. We can also take the hold baggage with us. But the question is how bad/complicated/expensive is the parking at Madrid?
Thanks again.
I am also considering renting a car. The cost for a single day seems to be about the same of going and returning with a cab. I like to drive at foreign cities and it is more flexible and convenient in some ways. We can also take the hold baggage with us. But the question is how bad/complicated/expensive is the parking at Madrid?
Thanks again.
#7
Join Date: Jun 2009
Programs: Flying Blue Gold, Dinasty Flyer, Accor Platinum, Swissotel Eleva
Posts: 49
Yes, we have valid passports that don't require visa.
I am also considering renting a car. The cost for a single day seems to be about the same of going and returning with a cab. I like to drive at foreign cities and it is more flexible and convenient in some ways. We can also take the hold baggage with us. But the question is how bad/complicated/expensive is the parking at Madrid?
Thanks again.
I am also considering renting a car. The cost for a single day seems to be about the same of going and returning with a cab. I like to drive at foreign cities and it is more flexible and convenient in some ways. We can also take the hold baggage with us. But the question is how bad/complicated/expensive is the parking at Madrid?
Thanks again.
#8
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 1,351
Yes, we have valid passports that don't require visa.
I am also considering renting a car. The cost for a single day seems to be about the same of going and returning with a cab. I like to drive at foreign cities and it is more flexible and convenient in some ways. We can also take the hold baggage with us. But the question is how bad/complicated/expensive is the parking at Madrid?
Thanks again.
I am also considering renting a car. The cost for a single day seems to be about the same of going and returning with a cab. I like to drive at foreign cities and it is more flexible and convenient in some ways. We can also take the hold baggage with us. But the question is how bad/complicated/expensive is the parking at Madrid?
Thanks again.
I don't understand dcisneros' post above. The whole Recoletos-Prado axis, for instance, is gorgeous and very easily reached from the airport.
#10
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Somewhere between EZE , MAD and GLA
Programs: IB , BA , AA , LATAM
Posts: 865
Parking in Madrid can be a pain. Driving can also be a nightmare depending on where you are from . It can be quite agressive at times . After living there for a few years , I learned to cope but you neeed to have your wits about you.
Public transport - buses , metro , trains and taxis can make your stay more enjoyable.
Public transport - buses , metro , trains and taxis can make your stay more enjoyable.
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 146
Thanks for all the replies. I have a few more questions if you don't mind.
So renting a car is not recommended. Can I take a taxi from the airport and ask him to make a small quick tour on the way to Madrid's center? Or that's not a good idea?
Can I use the Velazquez Lounge on arrival before going to the city? I assume I can, but do I need to go back through security?
I understand it is much better than the Arrivals Lounge, right?
What are the breakfast and lunch hours at the Velazquez? Are they published anywhere?
Thanks again.
So renting a car is not recommended. Can I take a taxi from the airport and ask him to make a small quick tour on the way to Madrid's center? Or that's not a good idea?
Can I use the Velazquez Lounge on arrival before going to the city? I assume I can, but do I need to go back through security?
I understand it is much better than the Arrivals Lounge, right?
What are the breakfast and lunch hours at the Velazquez? Are they published anywhere?
Thanks again.
#13
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: BAEC, Ib+, Accor, HHonors
Posts: 609
Thanks for all the replies. I have a few more questions if you don't mind.
So renting a car is not recommended. Can I take a taxi from the airport and ask him to make a small quick tour on the way to Madrid's center? Or that's not a good idea?
Can I use the Velazquez Lounge on arrival before going to the city? I assume I can, but do I need to go back through security?
I understand it is much better than the Arrivals Lounge, right?
What are the breakfast and lunch hours at the Velazquez? Are they published anywhere?
Thanks again.
So renting a car is not recommended. Can I take a taxi from the airport and ask him to make a small quick tour on the way to Madrid's center? Or that's not a good idea?
Can I use the Velazquez Lounge on arrival before going to the city? I assume I can, but do I need to go back through security?
I understand it is much better than the Arrivals Lounge, right?
What are the breakfast and lunch hours at the Velazquez? Are they published anywhere?
Thanks again.
You are overcomplicating your itinerary, I think. If you land, you will have to go through security to get into Velazquez, however my advise is, as soon as you land go immediately to the Metro and proceed downtown (you can take an Uber or Taxi as well if you wish, but public transport is good, efficient and cheap). Step out and go to a nice bar (or cafe) and have a nice breakfast, it's cheap, good and a beautiful experience. Then plan 1 or 2 extra things (and lunch, of course) and head back to the airport, to enjoy some time in Velazquez.
You can get some tips from here as well, about what to do in Madrid.
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,033
It really seems like you're desperate to take a taxi or have an irrational fear of public transportation. Most of us on the Iberia board would be on the Cercanias train to Recoletos for a wander around. You won't be seeing Plaza Mayor, the museums or the Retiro, etc. from the back seat of a taxi.
#15
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 7
I second all the comments saying you should use Cercanías (commuter train network).
Trains run from Terminal 4 (where Iberia operates), every 15min and take 25-30min to get to the city center. A cab will roughly take the same time (or more, during rush hour) and cost you way more money. The train is clean, quick and safe.
Driving is discouraged because driving and parking in the city center is not easy, and sometimes, forbidden — this is an old city, and driving in the center without an electric/hybrid car and without using an underground car park (3€/hr), or driving an old polluting car, results in an automatic fine.
My suggestion is: get off at Recoletos, walk west to Tribunal (calle Barceló), and then walk south to Callao (Gran Vía), puerta del Sol, Barrio de las Letras, and then take the train to the T4 in Atocha Station. That area (also known as Madrid Central — where you can't actually drive with a rental car in most cases) is the most interesting one IMHO.
Or, from Recoletos, you can also walk to the Barrio de Salamanca (the posh area of the city), or to the Retiro Park. In any case, everything is within walking distance from Recoletos and Atocha.
You can check the timetable for the commuter train here: Cercanías Madrid
Trains run from Terminal 4 (where Iberia operates), every 15min and take 25-30min to get to the city center. A cab will roughly take the same time (or more, during rush hour) and cost you way more money. The train is clean, quick and safe.
Driving is discouraged because driving and parking in the city center is not easy, and sometimes, forbidden — this is an old city, and driving in the center without an electric/hybrid car and without using an underground car park (3€/hr), or driving an old polluting car, results in an automatic fine.
My suggestion is: get off at Recoletos, walk west to Tribunal (calle Barceló), and then walk south to Callao (Gran Vía), puerta del Sol, Barrio de las Letras, and then take the train to the T4 in Atocha Station. That area (also known as Madrid Central — where you can't actually drive with a rental car in most cases) is the most interesting one IMHO.
Or, from Recoletos, you can also walk to the Barrio de Salamanca (the posh area of the city), or to the Retiro Park. In any case, everything is within walking distance from Recoletos and Atocha.
You can check the timetable for the commuter train here: Cercanías Madrid