Madrid Travel Forum

I am a full-time undergrad and will be studying in Cordoba this Fall with a flight arriving in Madrid. My plan is to take a taxi from the airport and then take a bus to Cordoba in the morning. I am 22 but have an unhealthily overprotective father who thinks my luggage will get snatched if I walk down the street to hail a taxi. How can I assure him that I will be safe? Also, what is the nearest/cheapest youth hostel near MAD? And a third question, what is the likelihood of luggage getting stolen on a long bus ride from Madrid to Cordoba?

Thank you!!

Your luggage will be safe on the bus. You don't say where you are taking a taxi from/to, or should I understand 'cheap local hostel'?

Where is Cordoba bus station? Conde de Casal? There are cheap(-ish) hotels around there, which would save one taxi ride, but it's a hefty ride from the airport and metro would be just as good - look out for bag snatchers and pickpockets though.

Unhealthily, overprotective father???? being a little redundant aren't we? Just kidding. Welcome to VT and lets hope we can help. I presume you are arriving on day 1 and then wanting to get to Cordoba on day 2. The taxi queues are right outside the terminal and there is a great deal of airport security. The likelihood of someone snatching your luggage is next to nothing at the airport. I don't know how tight a budget you have, but there are many safe, inexpensive hotels by the airport. If you go into Madrid via taxi (40 euro), you will probably need another taxi unless you get a hotel/hostel by the bus station(which is by metro stop Mendez Alvaro) The area around the bus station is OK. There is a large El Corte Ingles (major department store very close). A lot of business people walking around. If the plan is to catch the bus ( 5 hours but only about 15 euro) to Cordoba you need to find a place around the bus station. Your best bet would be to find 4-5 places around that metro stop and then check them out on tripadvisor.com or venere.com. The buses in Spain are relatively comfortable, but I would think the train from Atocha Station to Cordoba (just over 2 hours but around 50 euro) would be worth the 3 hours. You can get the ticket from the Renfe desk at the airport terminal. As to luggage at the bus station, you stand right next to the bus as it is loaded on. If you take the train there is storage at the end of the car you are on. I am more concerned with someone stealing from the train than the bus. Buses are for the locals and most don't have much but clothes. You can also metro from the airport to either Atocha or Metro Mendez Alvaro, but that is more dangerous due to pickpockets. (I have personal experience) but I would not hesitate to use the metro. There will be a 20 minute or so stop on the bus ride to stretch your legs, buy a coke or whatever. Have a great time, Karl

You will enjoy Cordoba - one of my favourite cities in Spain and a great place to study. I expect that you have read up all about the Moors and stuff like that but did you know that over 1000 years ago Cordoba was the 'seat' of learning and studies in Europe. To copy one part of the BBC web pages about Islamic Spain:

..."there were half a million inhabitants, living in 113,000 houses. There were 700 mosques and 300 public baths spread throughout the city and its twenty-one suburbs. The streets were paved and lit...There were bookshops and more than seventy libraries."

This is from : http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml

As far as safety etc is concerned, Cordoba is probably one of the safest cities in Spain (as far as I know) although you can always get pickpockets and the usual 'scam' tricks with tourists especially around the old part that is centred on the Cathedral area. But if you look like an impoverish student then no worries !

With Spanish buses, everybody who has a case should put this into the storage lockers under the seating. These lockers are opened before the bus departs, usually by the driver. You will see that all fellow passengers will use the lockers without concerns.

The web site for the bus station called "Estacion Sur" in Madrid is here: http://www.estacionautobusesmadrid.com
and the bus operator that goes from Madrid to Cordoba :
http://www.secorbus.es/

As far as Hostels or even Hostals are concerned in Madrid, as far as I know there are none in the vicinity of the airport (MAD) and you would need to get into the city. I wonder if you are just staying over night in Madrid on the way to Cordoba ? Or planning to stay for a few days? Maybe a separate question specifically about staying in Madrid would be good. Or search through the Madrid pages on VT ?

The train line down from Atocha station in Madrid to Cordoba is awesome because it was one of the first high speed tracks in Spain. It is possible to get some lower fares by looking at www.renfe.es up to 4 months ahead of travel and searching. If you get a chance to use it, then you will enjoy. Apart from the AVE (the high speed) there are other trains that do this route which are comfortable.

The two largest cities in Europe in the 10th/11th centuries were Cordoba and Constaninople. Just thought I'd throw that in!

(I too have had personal experience of (failed) pickpocket attempt on ?Las Ramblas, also on the metro, seen off by two plainclothes policewomen, or may be ordinary housewives

We don´t know where are you coming from...but I am pretty sure that Madrid and Spain in general are as safe as your country or more.

Just follow the common sense rules and everything will be o.k. I hope your father will understand this. Never leave your luggage unatended( I have heard or read those messages in almost any airport or station in the world, so that means it is a common problem, not only in spain).

Good luck, enjoy Cordoba. It is a great city to live and study.

Cordoba is also one of my favourite cities anywhere. I agree with the recommendation to travel by fast, comfortable train, where your baggage will be safe.

Autumn 2009? Bus to Córdoba from Madrid? Check out Tarifa Web single fares on the www.renfe.es website, and see if you can get a 60% discount on the high speed train fare, from Madrid Atocha station. Metro line 8 from airport (Barajas) to Nuevos Ministerios, then RENFE Cercan'ias trains - every three minutes or so - to Atocha. Two hours or less by AVE to Córdoba, departures every hour or more frequent. The bus will take AGES, and it is not that cheap nowadays.

Simple answer to the baggage - hold on to it. Yes, there are light-fingered folk around everywhere nowadays. Two decades or so ago, far fewer. Difficult to steal luggage on a high speed train (no, I am not speaking from experience in trying). There are luggage security checks, airline style, on the platforms!

Youth hostels - no idea. If I had to stay cheaply somewhere in or near madrid I would go up to Cercedilla on the old line to Segovia, and try Hostal Longinos, near the station. Should have a website nowadays! A 'Hostal' in Spain is merely a hotel that does not make the 'Hotel' ratings for some obscure reason (showers, perhaps, rather than baths).

To clarify, I am from California. Thanks for all the information about Spain's public transportation system. But, it really costs 40 Euros to get from the airport to Madrid?! That price seems out of sight! My plan is to arrive at the airport at 17:30, find a hostel or very cheap hotel for the night and then take the bus or train to Cordoba in the morning. (I must arrive before 18:00)

I am glad to hear so many positive comments about Cordoba, I am very excited though I'd also like to visit other parts of Spain if possible. I was also wondering, what is the average rate of taxis in Madrid by kilometer?

I think 40 euros is a reasonable price for what we are used. There is a long way to Madrid downtown from Barajas. I think you can make it to Cordoba the same day you arrive. Acording to the renfe website there are trains at 21:30; 22.00 and 23:00 (http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/index.jsp?ID=s&page=hjhir110.jsp&image2.x=23&image2.y=1) Using the high-speed train it is a very comfortable trip.

If you have no time or you are not interested in visiting Madrid this time. I think Cordoba can offer cheap acomodation too...and you get the next day to relax.

Good luck.

good luck.

The taxi fare from Barajas to Atocha station should be under €30.
There is a clear (or fairly clear) guide to taxi rates from Barajas on the AENA web site.
On this page:
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?Language=EN_GB&MO=1&SMO=1&SiteName=MAD&c=Page&cid=1049727006393&p=1049727006245&pagename=subHome
Last time I did this route I used a sort of shared taxi system run by a company called AEROCITY http://www.aerocity.com/ and it worked out at I think €25 or was it 20....duh...you can book online too. Just look for the Aerocity desk and follow the instructions.

The actual distance from Barajas to Atocha is under 20 kms and journey time isn't normally that long. Depends on traffic obviously.
A Google map of the route is here:


http://tinyurl.com/lfzvn2


So if its 20 kms and according to the official Taxi fares I think you should pay under €30. (see supplements !)

If you allow plenty of time and try and book one of those later AVE cheap discount tickets you could get to Cordoba same night - I think this would be fine. Cordoba City is relatively compact and from the rail station to anywhere downtown is only a few kms.

If you turn up at Atocha AVE check in point early and could get the earlier train then you can ask them to switch your booking for free. But obviously if there is a free seat. At Cordoba you can see where the station is using Google Maps. Cut & paste this address and you should see the station roof !

Av de America 50, Cordoba,Spain

Hi Sdavies you don't have to worry at all, really. Spain in general and also Córdoba and Madrid are safe so you don't have to worry at all, just take common sense precautions. Spain as all Europe in general is very safe, nothing to do with USA so if you come here change your mind and think that you will not in the USA anymore. no guns here, no killers, no violent crime no gangsters etc. Murders here is a very strange thing here. Don't worry please, just common sense as if you were going to Paris or Rome or Berlín just that.

HI sdavies, If you get in to Madrid/Barajas at 17:30 and try and take a taxi into central Madrid by the bus station or train station, you will hit the traffic on the periphery which can be like rush hour here in California. As mentioned, the airport is a ways out of town. It would be slightly easier on you to find an inexpensive hotel near the airport (many shuttles are available for nothing or next to nothing), get rested and oriented before you head into Madrid. The downside is that you will miss an evening of exploring Madrid (unless you check in, then metro into Madrid for the evening and then come back). The least expensive way of getting from the airport to central Madrid is the metro - it is a basic metro ticket plus a small supplemental charge (maybe $3 total). The down side is once you get to Nuevos Ministerios you will need to change metro lines (to get the line that brings you to Atocha Station or the metro by the bus station - assuming that is where you stay) and haul your luggage, purse, backpack, etc. around the metro station. By 7 PM the metro rush hour will have died down, but I have had to wait with my luggage for several trains during rush hour until there was room for me and my parts could get on. As mentioned, a shuttle works if you are not in a rush, and there is always the bus from the airport to various places in Madrid central. Another possibility would be to metro to Nuevos Ministerios and then take a taxi from the queu outside the metro station to whereever you stay in Madrid. If you are not exhausted, you should try to explore Madrid that evening, visit Plaza Major, nearby St. Gines for chocolat and churros. Let us know if you have any more questions. Karl

Karl - its been a while since I took a taxi from Barajas to Atocha but at that time the driver took me directly into the city without using any peripheral road.
I just looked at the Google map and there are several routes that a taxi could take. One that I show here seems to be less distance but I have no idea if you can cover 16.3 kms in under one hour at 17.30 or if it takes longer. Just no idea how the taxi drivers think and if they know the best routes as the fares tend to be fixed by distance rather than time. Or at least that's my experience. I really don't think that it can be much more than one hour - or can it ?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&;saddr=Autov%C3%ADa+M-13&daddr=40.419247,-3.692865+to:Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FcWgaQIdwW3J_w%3B%3BFZuNaAId56_H_w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=14&via=1&sll=40.418005,-3.695612&sspn=0.030124,0.055189&ie=UTF8&ll=40.43545,-3.666&spn=0.120466,0.220757&t=h&z=12

I favour getting a train - an AVE train - to Cordoba from Atocha with a pre booked ticket which is quite possible on line. Always sensible to pre book the ticket as you have travelled so far. Also discounts can be found if doing this. Depends on the time of travel and day of course. Train takes under 2 hours and full fare is around €63 if you can't find a discount.
I saw a great help with booking these cheap online tickets at this URL:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online..html

Get a later train leaving you some time as a safety reserve.

¡Me ca'! 40 Euros from Barajas to the centre of Madrid!!!???!!!

Buy yourself an Abono Turístico Regional de Transportes - one day 5.20 euros for the metropolitan area, 10.40 euros for the whole of the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, and that will cover all your journeys by train (RENFE Cercanìas), Metro de Madrid, bus and tram.

And having had a dose of ALSA bus services this morning (one way Villamayor via Lea Arriondes to Cangues and Covadonga, running about 30 minutes late for a journey of around 30 km), I was pretty disgusted, though the late running was NOT the bus driver's fault.

RENFE punctuality on high speed services is around 99.8%, one of the best anywhere in the world, and Madrid to Córdoba is exemplary in this respect (no, I do NOT work for the railways). Seek the Tarifa web bargains. Incidentally, punctuality on RENFE Cercanìas (suburban) services is around 98 to 99%, too. And unless things have changed in recent years, in the Madrid and Barcelona areas at least they broadcast classical music over the public address between stops. Good quality sound system, too.

I would reiterate what others say about Spain being essentially, and on the whole, a very SAFE country to travel in. But do take sensible precautions in larger urban areas.

If going from Barajas to Atocha I would look at booking AEROCITY online much closer to the day of travel - i.e 5 or 6 days or so. They operate a shuttle bus and can take one passenger along with others. Of course this means that you may take longer because of earlier drop offs to hotel in city centre but its good vale and you know that you can immediately head for them after leaving the arrivals.
Please read through the web site closely. I have not used them since the new Terminal has been opened and don't know which Terminal you arrive at.
The web site is: http://www.aerocity.com/english/

By the way, I would not hesitate in using Aerocity for a transfer and opt for the Shuttle because I am a cheapskate.

and I noticed comments about them also at Trip Advisor here --

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187514-i126-k2896342-Aerocity_any_one_used_them-Madrid.html

I am glad for all the responses, I am not used to dealing with a public transportation system as sophisticated as Spain's so this is all new and confusing. I have decided to just buy a bus ticket and take the Metro from the Barajas stop to Atocha and then stay at a hostal nearby. The next day I will then take the Metro to the Atocha station and will either take a bus or the train from Madrid to Cordoba. From my calculations Metro is about $60 USD cheaper than Renfe so that is probably what I will go for. (Unfortunately I am living on a shoestring budget, so every little thing counts)

I have one other question, though. How does the Metro take the bus fair? Do I just drop coins into a machine like I would in the USA, or do I need to buy a pass?

Muchas gracias.

As you go down the stairs/escalators to the metro there is a machine where you can buy the ticket. Usually there is another traveler around who can answer questions. There is also a ticket counter close by. It is a standard metro ticket, but you also have to get a supplemental for the trip from the airport (it is marked on the machine how to do this). As long as you stay in the metro system you can use that same ticket to the Atocha area even though you will have to change trains at least twice. The first change is at Nuevos Ministerios. Then you have several options to get to line 1 (blue) towards Congosto, the grey circular line and change at Cuatro Caminos or line 10 and change at Plaza de Castilla. If you take the bus, to get to the bus station the next morning from Atocha you change at Pacifico to take the short trip to Menendez Alvara. Take care when on the metro as there are many pickpockets (personal experience) Try not to stand in the middle of the car. The safest are the seats at the end of the car with your backpack and suitcase in front of you. Karl