Madrid: Getting there & around

Orientation

Madrid is Europe's highest capital city (650m/2100ft), and it's also surprisingly compact. The main north-south artery, Paseo de la Castellana (which turns into Paseo de los Recoletos and Paseo del Prado), connects the city's two main train stations, Chamartín and Atocha. The oldest quarters are squeezed in between Paseo del Prado (where you'll find the city's great art galleries) and the Palacio Real to the west. Midway, the barrios southeast of Puerta del Sol leading to the working-class district of Lavapiés are filled with seemingly endless restaurants, bars and cafes. The densest concentration of accommodation can be found around Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Santa Ana and the barrios of Malasaña and Chueca (for pensiones and hostales ), and along the Gran Vía (hotels).

Getting There

• bus

  Madrid is accessible by bus, although this is possibly the most arduous overland option. Madrid has eight bus stations dotted around, with companies servicing different parts of the country, Europe and Morocco.

• car

  Driving from Portugal or France is easy, as Spain's major highways feed into Madrid. Standard European road rules apply.

• train

  Atocha, in the south of Madrid, is the city's larger train station, Chamartín in the north is the other. The majority of trains to the rest of Spain depart from Atocha; Chamartín has international services. There are a range of train services, domestic and international, and fares to match, although these are often no cheaper than flying.

• plane

  Madrid is Spain's biggest international transport hub, so it's easy to reach by air from just about anywhere. The ever-expanding and always-busy Barajas Airport is 13km (8mi) northeast of the city. There aren't too many great discount ticket centres in the city, but you can occasionally dig up cheap deals to the main European capitals. Departure tax varies depending on the destination and is factored into ticket prices.

  Madrid must have the best airport-city connections of any European capital. The metro connection opened in 2002 is fast and comfortable; take line 8 from the airport to Nuevos Ministerios (12 minutes) and connect to your final destination (another 15 minutes or so). An airport bus runs to Plaza de Colón in the city centre, but traffic can be a problem, making the metro a better bet. Taxi is another option, or you can take the AeroCITY minibus door-to-door (from the city centre) service; it's cheaper with more people. Terminal 4 is connected to the rest of the airport (and the metro) by a shuttle bus service.

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Getting Around

• car

  If you really want to rent a car, driving is comparatively less hair-raising than in other Latin cities, and the rental options range from big-name agencies to smaller, local operators. Lots of people zip around town on mopeds - watch out for them.

• walking

  Walking, on the other hand, is the best way to get around the compact centre of Madrid. The car is king though, so pay attention when crossing roads and even pedestrian crossings.

• taxi

  By European standards, taxis are inexpensive and well regulated.

• train

  Madrid's fast and efficient metro is the best way to get around the city. There are some gaps, but they are largely filled by cercanías (regional trains).

• Disabled Travellers

  Although some concessions are made to the disabled, the city remains largely an obstacle course. Some hotels and public institutions have wheelchair access. Metro lines built since the late 1990s generally have elevators for wheelchair access but the older lines are generally ill-equipped. Some of the pisos bajos (city buses) also enable wheelchair users to board. The Ayuntamiento de Madrid publishes a Guía de Accesibilidad which contains information on disabled access to everything from the city's cinemas through to its public service buildings. It is designed mostly for disabled residents.

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