Arriving MAD like 6a April 30th.
Planning to train from Madrid Atocha station to Cordoba.
I get things are fluid, but what is an appropriate time to leave Atocha?
Figure getting off the plane, getting bags and going through imigration/customs will be at least a couple hours.
Then a little time to get to Atocha.
Is a 9a train pushing my luck?
Or better safer than sorry and shoot for later?
Thank you!
Personally I would buy the tickets when you arrive. Over the years have been on a number of international flights that were delayed and just recently had one flight to London cancelled as we were sitting on the runway firing up the engines. There is a train ticket station in the airport near where you catch the bus to Atocha. Buy your tickets there. If old enough you can buy the senior discount card at the same time.
If you generously allow two hours to get through the airport gauntlet, then another hour to get to the “T4 Aeropuerto” train station below Terminal 4, buy your train ticket from the machine and take the 31-minute Cercanias train to Atocha station— you can be at Madrid Atocha train station by 9am. Once at Atocha, walk to the security checkpoint for high-speed trains where you put your luggage through a machine ( takes a couple minutes) collect your luggage and walk to the train platforms where the trains depart. This all should take 20 minutes so allow 30 minutes.
You should be able to take Renfe’s 10am AVE train or IRYO’s 10:35am Frecciarosa train to Cordoba. The trains take about 1:45 to reach Cordoba. For the best price, buy a 2nd class “Basico” Renfe online ticket for $59 or the IRYO online “Inicial” ticket for $44. These are prices for non-refundable tickets and they are the current price online. Like airline tickets, train tickets in Europe only rise in price as the clock ticks.
Check www.TheTrainline.com and www.IRYO.eu and www.Renfe.com for details.
Do not under any circumstances plan to buy your Madrid-Cordoba ticket (or any other long-distance ticket) at a staffed ticket counter at Madrid's Atocha Station. The staffed counters have stunningly long (hours long) lines. The Atocha vending machines had no problem with my US credit card, but I suppose there could theoretically be an issue with yours. By far the best solution is to buy your ticket at the airport train station. Those folks are efficient, in my experience, and they speak English (not a given everywhere in Spain).
