Trying to figure out what time train to reserve. We will be landing in Madrid around 8:30 am from the US. We will not have checked luggage. We plan to travel by train to Cordoba (which I believe is from the Atocha station).
How much time should I allow to pass through customs and taxi to Atocha train station, find train, etc?
I
Madrid has two train stations for intercity routes, Atocha and Chamartin. Chamartin is closer to the airport.
It’s a difficult to answer this in the abstract. Barajas airport is massive. If your plane lands at one end of T4S, you could be walking a really long distance. I don’t know how fast you walk.
My experience is that Barajas isn’t crowded at this time of day and passport control is quick. I wouldn’t expect to wait more than 5 minutes.
Flights are also often delayed. I would build in some allowance for your flight to Spain being delayed.
The other thing is, what’s your tolerance for a mishap, or buying flexible tickets that can be rebook if you miss your train? And, how urgently do you need to be in another city?
Maybe you can book a later train with a lot of margin for error and then plan to get tapas in Madrid before your train.
In conclusion, use your own personal common sense.
Where are you headed after you land in Madrid, hard to give helpful answer without all the info? There are commuter trains into Madrid from the airport about every 15 minutes. You will go thru another security check at the train station which takes time. There are busses from the airport to major cities which may be faster than going into town and back out by train. Long story short, Spain moves on island time so double whatever you expect. J
Thank you. My apologies for the vague original post…. I realized as soon I pressed enter that more information would have been helpful.
We will be traveling to Cordoba. I believe this is from the Atocha station.
I assume we need to book ahead of time to avoid a significantly higher train fare, but I am concerned about buying a ticket and missing the train due to an air travel delay
Yes, train station to Cordoba is Atocha. There really is no way to know exactly when you will land and how long it will take to clear customs. I recommend going to the Trenitalia office at the airport and buy your tickets at that point. The ticket will include the train to Atocha onward. It is a short”ish” train ride. You will not save a significant amount of money by prepurchasing the ticket. Your plane could be late, cancelled, early, who knows?
I did this exact thing a few months ago, except my arrival at MAD was earlier than yours, and I had to wait around for the express bus.
Based on advice from travelers on this forum, I did not get an advance ticket to Córdoba. I bought my ticket when I arrived at Atocha. I don't remember how much it cost, but it wasn't very expensive. And compared to the cost of buying a ticket on a specific train and finding you didn't get there on time, I think it's better not to buy your train ticket in advance.
I did a similar thing a couple of years ago. arrived at 6:30 am in Madrid, but had booked my train to Caseres around noon. I would rather sit around a station than rush or miss the connection. As noted, Barajas is huge, and so is Atocha. Atocha has multiple types of trains leaving from different levels, and they don't have a central display board for all trains. Depending on short, medium, or long-distance trains, you have to find your general area first, then locate your platform. Expect a lot of walking and going up and down escalators. At Barajas, depending on the number of international arrivals, immigration and customs lines can get very long (my experience). My suggestion - play it safe.
You can hedge your bet on what time you book a train if you buy an “ELIGE” train ticket on a Renfe high-speed train to Cordoba. For a supplemental fee of about €5 to €8 you can buy the least expensive train tix with the Elige supplement and you can then change your train ticket to the next subsequent train, if necessary. You will know whether you need to do this after getting through Passport Control at the airport and before leaving the airport by taxi or by commuter train for Atocha.
I would book a train ticket with the Elige supplement for 2 hours after your flight’s scheduled arrival time at Madrid’s airport. That gives you time to get through the airport formalities, transit from the airport to Atocha train station on the Cercanias commuter train or by taxi.
An alternative is booking a flexible train ticket with the private IRYO train company which also has high-speed trains on the Madrid to Cordoba route.
Have fun in Spain!
Thanks all. Sounds like it won’t cost significantly more to purchase the tickets day off. That seems like the safest option. I was incorrectly assuming the price would rise significantly if I didn’t book ahead of time - I’ve tried to book Amtrak tickets in the US and have found if you don’t book months in advance the price is ridiculous
