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,

Hi,

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

Thanks you for your quick reply. Layover is during the day.

Well worth the trip into downtown Madrid and easily reached with the train from T4. You can get a day ticket for about EUR8-9. I would suggest being back to the airport 90 mins before your next flight.

Do you have a valid passport to enter the Schengen Area (or a valid visitor visa)?

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.

Don´t rent a car. Use public transportation. Subway will take you directly to Madrid downtown. Even though is not a beautiful city...

Renting a car is not a good idea, it will take you more time (considering the pick up and return process) than public transportation and it really isn't needed. You can take the Cercanías train and be in the centre very quickly and cheaply. Hold baggage will be checked through and you could use the left-luggage facilities at T4 for any cabin luggage.

I don't understand dcisneros' post above. The whole Recoletos-Prado axis, for instance, is gorgeous and very easily reached from the airport.

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.

Agreed Madrid is one of my favourite cities.

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.

Do you have a plan/guide of what to do, or you want to do? Madrid is a big city, but do only stuff up in your priority list.

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.

Depending on the taxi driver, you're going to be taken around the M30 the wrong way anyhow. :D If you ask for the scenic tour you're really going to pay for it...

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.

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