Madrid Airport to Barcelona

What airline are you arriving on? If it's Iberia or another airline that flies into Terminal 4 take the regional train to Atocha. If it's someone that flies into terminal 1 then..... it's tougher. I was going to take the bus a few weeks ago. Apparently it picks up at 4 first and it was FULL. You can get on and stand all the way to Madrid, but that had absolutely no appeal for me. I was tired and having done that before I knew it was not fun. So I splurged on a cab! It's 30 Euros flat fee and well worth it IMHO.

You probably should have already purchased the train ticket so I doubt there's much cost savings in purchasing now vs. next week, but it would be easier to have the ticket already. Personally I would be OK with the 12:30. That's 4 hours. If you are running late take the cab and don't waste time waiting on the bus!

It's usually recommended that travelers not pre-purchase train tickets for their arrival day because of potential flight delays. Four hours should be sufficient if the flight is on time, but...

Thank you both! Unfortunately, I'm now running into issues with the Renfe website not showing any trains any day from Atocha Madrid to Barcelona Sants. What's the likelihood of the trains being sold out next week?

I am flying American Airlines

Thanks!

Shayg, could you not arrange to fly into Barcelona? It would certainly simplify things, if it's doable from the other end.

Be sure you're setting the origin as Madrid-Puerta de Atocha, not Madrid - Atocha Cercanias. The latter will just give you local trains going to nearby destinations.

The Renfe website is reportedly a bit of a challenge. Here's a TripAdvisor tutorial often said to be helpful. You may need to pay via PayPal rather than using your usual credit card directly.

acraven--Thank so for telling me I need Puerta de Atocha. I was unaware of that! I want the Barcelona-Sants arrival spot correct?

I booked the flight awhile ago. The flight was incredibly cheap, and non-stop round trip. I booked it months ago. Not worth trying to change it. That's why I'm doing arrival and head out to Barcelona on the same day, just to knock it out and instead of wasting another day.

Thanks!

Go to loco2.com for your train tickets. We did this per the man in seat 61 website. You will see the same prices as Renfe, but will have no issues making payment, including seats. Print at home tickets. We did this a couple months ago for our Barcelona to Madrid train, and it was a snap.

Also note that your train ticket will have a second code on it, it allows you to use the Regional rail for free up to 3 hours before your train. Put the code in the machine at the terminal at Madrid airport to get your ticket, which you also need to exit the regional line. As you will be coming in to T-4, this is where the Regional rail is (and BTW, the Metro line, which would need a couple changes to get to Atocha, is out of service for upgrades)

Atocha is a complex station, with two parts. You will need to go from one half to the other, and your bags will be x-rayed to enter the train, although you will not be checked. Anything sharp needs to be on you, not in the bag!

Larry - sue??? Surely you mean use? Although I love the image of having all that time to sue the railroad.

Right -the Spanish court system is unusual, limited time to start any court actions. I believe United Airlines will transfer their headquarters there...

I just can't seem to stare at the screen long enough to find anything that has not been id'd by spell-check. I have a bunch of routine typos. but THAT was not one of them... editing that post...thanks!

Yes, Barcelona Sants is the station for the AVEs from Madrid.

Incidentally, there's a small tourist office booth in the Sants station. Convenient for getting a city map. It doesn't have much space, so it lacks the wealth of English-language brochures displayed at the large office beneath Pl. Catalunya.

Because of the uncertainties around arrival time (so very many things can delay you), I'd wait and buy the train ticket when you get through the airport. Just follow the signs to the train or "Renfe". There's a ticket agent who will get you on the next available train, taking into consideration the airport connection and give you the free Cercanias ticket.

@ shayg714... did you check a low-cost flight Madrid-Barcelona? Sometimes it's even cheaper than the train. These two (train, plane) are fierce competitors on this line.

You said: "I would like to make this a smooth as possible from airport to train station..."

I'm not sure why no one ever recommends taking a taxi. I LOVE taxis. We took a taxi from the Madrid airport to our very-near-Atocha hotel last time we were in Madrid, and we will do it again in a couple of weeks when we return. It was lovely and calm and quick and entirely stress free, even while extremely exhausted post-red eye.

Though no one on here ever recommends a taxi, so perhaps there's a reason why?