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Best route from MAD to Toledo (via Atocha)

Posted by (Washington, DC) on

My husband and I will be landing at Terminal 2 at 8:05am on a Saturday in October. We are planning to go directly to Toledo via Atocha. I don't plan to buy tickets from Madrid to Toledo in advance in case there is a flight delay, since the trains leave every hour. What do you think is the best option?

(1) Airport Express shuttle bus to Atocha, buy tickets when we arrive at Atocha. The RS guidebook seems to think this is the best option if you are not landing in T4.
(2) T4 Train to Atocha, then on to Toledo. The benefits of this seem to be that we could purchase our Madrid to Toledo ticket at the airport which could be good if we are worried the train will sell out. The con seems to be that it is inconvenient to get from T2 to T4.
(3) Taxi to Atocha then train to Toledo. This is the most expensive option, but does seem convenient.

I am probably overthinking this, but since I will be jetlagged, I like to have all my ducks in a row for my first day.

Posted by
2267 posts

I dont think I'd bother going to T4 for the train, leaving the bus or the taxi.

Knowing me, I'd "plan" for the bus, and truly mean it up until I'm in the arrivals hall. Then I'd march straight to the taxi stand for the flat-rate ride into town.

Posted by
28102 posts

I think--but do not know for sure--that Toledo tickets are sold at a different Atocha counter from long-distance tickets. I certainly hope that is true, because the last thing you want do is end up in a multi-hour ticket line at Atocha. You should be able to buy the Toledo ticket from a machine, but in the past there were some complaints about US credit cards not working in the machines.

Posted by
7175 posts

Acraven’s thinking is correct, well it was the case back in January 2020. No one needs reminding that a lot has changed in the world since then. Toledo tickets are sold from a separate walk up counter, with no queue when I made my purchase.

Posted by
2267 posts

I had no problem buying a ticket to Toledo from a machine in Atocha this past November. The only possibly cumbersome part was having to dig out my passport number to enter it for the ticket.

Posted by
18 posts

Thanks all, this is very helpful. Happy to know I won't have to wait in a long line to get Toldeo tickets. And @scudder, we are cut from the same travel cloth. I would never plan to take the taxi, and yet...

Posted by
2267 posts

ebennet12- Haha! Someday I'll be honest with myself... maybe!

One more note about the train to Toledo from Atocha: You'll have to pass through a security check before getting to the area with access to the platforms. It's much easier than any airport security, but can be a slight bottleneck there. So buying a ticket for a train that leaves in, like, three minutes would be pushing your luck.

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