Arriving in Madrid

[garybatz]

Hi,

Next June I'll be flying LHR-MAD and I'm gathering information about how arrivals work there. Yet to book the flight but will probably be on a BA flight number. Being a non-Schengen flight I understand I'll land in T4S, the satellite terminal, which means clear Immigration then jump on the shuttle to T4 main terminal to collect baggage. Can anyone confirm I have that right?

Also wondering how long it's likely to take to have baggage in hand - I expect to land around 15:00. Supposedly the shuttle is regular and quick, but what about Immigration? After about 24 hours of flying (MEL-KUL-LHR-MAD) I'm planning on treating myself to a car service to my hotel and wondering what sort of time to book the pick-up.

Thanks.

 

[ermen]

hi i can't give specific information on your case in MAD (i have only done the reverse IB BCN - xMAD - LHR)

But got a suggestion - IB operated flights to/from UK depart from T4 main terminal - you may wish to book that instead of BA to save yourself a shuttle trip

 

[ICUDr]

Hi Gary

My father and I did ORY-MAD and BOG-MAD recently.

The biggest delay was moving between terminals. It's a big airport.

The shuttle train was quick and pretty regular and immigration was busy but it was really quick.

It took us around 25 to 30 minutes from arriving until we were out of the terminal with our bags.

Good luck with the trip. It's much tiring on the way back to Oz
Kenny

 

[kermatu]

20 minutes minimum in my experience. But if booking a car you'd be able to give flight details so I'm sure the driver will time arrival to match (that said, I've found it a bit chaotic meeting your designated driver occasionally in Spain - can't recall specifically in Madrid or elsewhere though, sorry).

 

[Radio8tiv]

I'm flying into Madrid into terminal 4S on Qatar and transiting through terminal 4 on Iberia, but I only have 1:20 is that too tight or is it possible? I'll be in J so will deplane quickly, also flying HLO so no baggage to worry about, although I guess it would have just transferred through

 

[Radio8tiv]

I'm flying into Madrid into terminal 4S on Qatar and transiting through terminal 4 on Iberia, but I only have 1:20 is that too tight or is it possible? I'll be in J so will deplane quickly, also flying HLO so no baggage to worry about, although I guess it would have just transferred through[/QUOTE

Just a reply to my own question, Qantas won't allow you to book with such a short transit time, they say the minimum at Madrid is 1:30, so ended up taking a later flight anyway

 

[karen blancfield]

20 minutes minimum in my experience. But if booking a car you'd be able to give flight details so I'm sure the driver will time arrival to match (that said, I've found it a bit chaotic meeting your designated driver occasionally in Spain - can't recall specifically in Madrid or elsewhere though, sorry).

We booked a car through Blacklane and they know the flight arrival times. Great driver, lovely Mercedes and cost 46 euros compared to 30 euros in a taxi. Not sure if it's worth the difference but Blacklane provides a good service.

 

[garybatz]

We booked a car through Blacklane and they know the flight arrival times. Great driver, lovely Mercedes and cost 46 euros compared to 30 euros in a taxi. Not sure if it's worth the difference but Blacklane provides a good service.

I've booked a car with Blacklane as well, going all the way through from MEL to MAD I didn't want to face taxis or the train for the last bit. I did a trip with them last year in Berlin and they were great, and for this one I had a 20% off voucher from them

 

[Jacques Vert]

We got the train both ways and found it very convenient. Bought a 3 day pass at the desk (bottom of escalators) which covered train, bus and tram (although we never saw any trams).

It did save us a bit of money, but the best thing was not having to buy a ticket each time we needed to catch a train or bus.

One thing with the metro is that one of the lines was closed for renos when we were there (Oct '16), so it may pay you to check whether the line you need is actually running.

JV

 

[garybatz]

We got the train both ways and found it very convenient. Bought a 3 day pass at the desk (bottom of escalators) which covered train, bus and tram (although we never saw any trams).

It did save us a bit of money, but the best thing was not having to buy a ticket each time we needed to catch a train or bus.

One thing with the metro is that one of the lines was closed for renos when we were there (Oct 16), so it may pay you to check whether the line you need is actually running.

JV

Thanks for the tips JV. Did you find you used the trains much in Madrid? We're staying near the Gran Via metro stop and it looks like most of the major museums etc. are within walking distance. We will be doing some trains when we leave as heading to BCN from Atocha station.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Thanks for the tips JV. Did you find you used the trains much in Madrid? We're staying near the Gran Via metro stop and it looks like most of the major museums etc. are within walking distance. We will be doing some trains when we leave as heading to BCN from Atocha station.

We stayed at the IC which is near Gregorio Marañón metro station which is a little bit away from the centre of town. So we tended to catch the train first thing and to return to the hotel.

In addition to that we took an average of about 5 trips a day on the train or bus. We also walked a lot around the main sights/museums, etc. however we found you can get tired during a busy day walking, especially as Madrid can get quite warm in summer.

The 3 day pass cost Eur 18.40 and included the airport stations which otherwise come with a surcharge.

Line 1 was the one that was closed when we were there but I understand that it has re-opened; although some sites suggest that it will be closed again for further renovations "at some stage". Also, line 8 (the one that services the airport) is due for maintenance:

"an updated report shows the line closure has been programmed for the end of January until mid-April"

It may pay you to email your hotel prior to arrival to get the latest local info on line closures.

Enjoy your trip.

JV

 

[RB]

Thanks for the tips JV. Did you find you used the trains much in Madrid? We're staying near the Gran Via metro stop and it looks like most of the major museums etc. are within walking distance. We will be doing some trains when we leave as heading to BCN from Atocha station.

Depending on your fitness obviously but we just walked everywhere when we were in Madrid. We found it pretty easy going & were able to find enough shade to stay comfortable. We actually caught the shuttle bus from airport into Atocha & it was comfortable & convenient. We left from Atocha & found it was worthwhile going there the day before to get our bearings-just found the layout a tad confusing with the commuter/intercity/regional/ave all in the mix