Travel to Madrid

VISA information: If you are planing to attend FLINS conference in Madrid from outside the European Union, please check in your travel agency if you need a special VISA to enter the European Union, or contact the Embassy of Spain in your country of nationality. If needed, please apply for your VISA as soon as possible (see Embassies and Consulates of Spain for additional information).

In particular, if your nationality is China, complete information about VISA procedure can be found at the web page of the Embassy of Spain in Beijing, www.mae.es/embajadas/pekin. Once the applicant has completed all the required documentation (including formal FLINS acceptance letter), the embassy of Spain at Beijing can be contacted at cog.pekin.vis at maec.es.

Weather forecast: Fall season is the most beatiful time in Madrid, but you can check in weather forecast.

Travel to Madrid by plane: Daily flights connect Madrid-Barajas Airport and the leading cities of Europe and the rest of the world. Daily flights are also available to other major Spanish cities (air shuttle service runs between Madrid and Barcelona with 2 regular departures each hour between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.). Barajas International Airport is 12 kilometres away from the city. Please check arrival and departure terminal, since moving between new terminal T4 and old terminals T1,T2 and T3 may take 30 minutes (a free connecting shuttle can be taken between terminals and a taxi ride could cost close to 16 euros). A regular metro and bus service is available from the airport to city centre.

• Metro (underground): line 8, with two main stations
  • Station Aeropuerto T4 (in terminal T4)
  • Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 (in terminal T2, at walking distance from terminal T1 and T3).
• Bus (line 200 from terminals T1-T2-T3 and line 204 from terminal T4, both to Avenida de América) takes around one hour and close to 16 euros (check AENA).
• Taxi: from airport, initial charge should be type 1 fare (1.85 euros , from 6:00 hours to 22:00 hours) or type 2 fare (2,90 euros, from 22:00 hours to 6:00 hours).
  • Approximate fare by taxi under normal traffic conditions including airport supplement (5 euros), depending on terminal and some possible destinations:
    • to Plaza de Colón, 25 euros from terminals T1-T2-T3 and 32 euros from terminal T4;
    • to Puerta del Sol, 27 euros from terminals T1-T2-T3 and 37 euros from terminal T4;
    • to Plaza de España, 27 euros from terminals T1-T2-T3 and 35 euros from terminal T4;
    • to Atocha train station (2.5 euros extra supplement), 28 euros from terminals T1-T2-T3 and 35 euros from terminal T4;
    • to Chamartin train station (2.50 euros extra supplement), 24 euros from terminals T1-T2-T3 and 31 euros from terminal T4.
  • Recomendation: check that the taxi driver has started the meter when the journey begins (initial charge of 1.85 euros or 2.90 euros); the taxi driver is obliged to give you an official receipt if you so wish; in case of complaint you can fill in a claim form, available in the vehicle and send it to Dirección General de Movilidad, c/ Albarracín 32, 3º, 28037 Madrid, Tel. (+34) 91 480 46 13, Fax (+34) 91 480 46 18.
• Barajas Airport Information: Tel. (+34) 913 058 343 / 44 / 45 /46.

Travel to Madrid by train: RENFE is the name of the Spanish National Railway Consortium, see http://www.renfe.es, Tel. (+34) 902 240 202.

• Information and ticket reservations in the mains stations, by phone (Tel. +34 902 24 02 02) and on the website http://www.renfe.es .
• International Information phone: (+34) 902 24 34 02 .
• There are two main train stations in Madrid:
  • Chamartin Station. Located in the northern part of the city. Trains leave for the main Spanish cities. There are also international services to/from Paris, Lisbon, Fribourg, Milano, Zurich, etc. It is connected to the Metro and local trains. Metro (underground): Chamartín (line 10)
  • Atocha Station. Located in the southern part of the city. Trains serve the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura as well as Portugal. This is the departure and arrival point for the high speed train called AVE and where you catch the local trains to the suburbs and outlying areas. It is connected to the Chamartín Station by an underground train. Metro (underground): Atocha Renfe (line 1)
• The AVE or high speed train covers the distance between Madrid and Seville in two and a half hours with intermediate stops in the cities of Córdoba and Ciudad Real. There is a new AVE service going between Madrid and Barcelona in four and a half hours with intermediate stops in Zaragoza, Lleida and Tarragona.
  

Travel to Madrid by car: The main roads connecting Madrid to the rest of Spain, France and Portugal are

• A-I: Madrid - Burgos - Irún - French border.
• A-II: Madrid - Zaragoza - Barcelona - La Junquera - French border; A-II highway from Madrid to Zaragoza, AP-II highway, from Zaragoza to Barcelona and AP-7 highway from Barcelona to the French border.
• A-III: Madrid - Valencia - Alicante.
• A-IV: Madrid- Córdoba- Sevilla-Cádiz.
• A-V: Madrid - Badajoz - Portuguese border (it continues to Lisbon)
• A-VI: Madrid - A Coruña (Galicia) and northwest Spain.
• N-401: Madrid - Toledo
  Traffic Control Headquarters: Tel. (+34) 900 123 505
  Highway Assistance (ADA offers service free of charge): Tel. (+34) 900 100 899
  

Travel to Madrid by bus:

• Sur de Autobuses Bus Station. Destinations: Albacete, Algeciras, Alicante, Avila, Barcelona, Benidorm, Cartagena, A Coruña, Gijón, Lugo, Murcia, Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Toledo, Zaragoza and International.
  • Address: Calle Méndez Álvaro.
    Metro (underground): Méndez Álvaro.
    Information: TEL. (+34) 914 684 200 and website.
• La Sepulvedana Bus Station. Destination: Segovia.
  • Address: Paseo de la Florida, 11.
    Metro (underground): Principe Pío.
    Information: TEL. (+34) 915 598 955 and website
• Auto Res Bus Sation. Destinations: Badajoz, Cáceres, Castellón, Cuenca, Salamanca, Valencia, Vigo, Zamora and many other smoller cities.
  • Address: Calle Fernández Shaw, 1.
    Metro (underground): Conde de Casal (line 6).
    Information: TEL. (+34) 902 020 052 and website.
• See http://www.ctm-madrid.es/ for more information about transports in Madrid.

About Madrid: Madrid is a cosmopolitan city, capital of Spain and a centre for economics, finance, administration and services that combines the most modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, the legacy of centuries of fascinating history.

If there is one thing, however, that characterises Madrid, it is the deep, contagious passion for life reflected in its friendly, welcoming people. Madrid boasts concerts, exhibitions, ballets, select theatre productions and the latest cinematographic releases. You can sample a wide variety of the finest Spanish and international cuisine or be enchanted by its bars and taverns. These are just some of Madrid's leisure alternatives, alongside tempting shopping in the most traditional establishments and world-famous outlets stocking the finest international brands. Madrid's happening nightlife is another major attraction. Its pubs, bars, discos and flamenco clubs have a tremendous atmosphere.

This link may help you to get more information in order to enjoy your stay in Madrid: http://www.softguides.com/madrid_guide/info/info.html.