Stay in Madrid central or near airport for mid-morning flight?

I had the same situation last year. I decided to stay in Barajas (the city) at the IBIS hotel...Clean, basic, but convenient to the airport about 20 minutes or so from the pickup by the shuttle at the door. If you decide to stay in Madrid, check out the route for the Airport shuttle, it is a 5 euro fare departing from Cibiles (you will need to look carefully for the stop, it is almost hidden), and will get you there in about 15 -20 minutes from that pickup. Alternate route will be Aerocity van, for about 17 euros, dependable, make a reservation on line and have your hotel confirm for you. Taxi will be 35+- euros. If you plan to take the bus from Atocha, Hotel Agumar is a good choice, about 12 minutes walk. Check madridman.com for a map and photo of the pickup spot.

I can't answer your question directly from recent experience in Madrid, but with a 10:45 AM departure, I'd probably just stay in the center and plan to leave by 7:30 AM. This way, even with delays, you should be at Barajas in plenty of time. You should know my strong bias is to avoid airport hotels, for the reasons you mentioned (problems with shuttles, etc), unless they are actually connected to the airport with no shuttle required. I can tell you that Madrid's Metro is easy to use. As a bonus, the announcements are astonishingly clear (they sound like language teaching tapes). An old book I have about New York City (New York City Street Smarts by Saul Miller, from 1983) says, after describing some of the many complexities of the subway: >>You should take some solace in knowing that after you've developed the least bit of facility in maneuvering around the New York subways, you will find getting around on the subways of any other city in the world - Paris, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Munich, or Washington, DC - mere child's play.<< So far, he's been right. After all, where else does your R train turn into an F train - while you're riding it?

If it were me, I would just take the metro, 'cause I'm frugal and I kinda like subways. If you stay in the heart of central Madrid it would be a change or two to get on the 8 line to the airport. I would allow 45 minutes or so. The symbology of the Madrid Metro map is exactly the same as the New York Subway as far as I can tell. No great linguistic skills needed- you can figure out what Aeropuerto T4 means, right? :)

If it were me, I would stay in Barajas. If you find the shuttle doesn't run often enough to suit you, you could always take a taxi, but it would be a lot cheaper than from the city. I would not want to have to haul bags on the metro, and I would be a little nervous about traffic to the airport at that time of day.

I stayed at the Hotel Europa and had no trouble taking the train (from the metro stop just meters from the hotel) to get a 10 a.m. flight. The hotel was walking distance to the Thyssen-Bornamista and Prado Museums and very close to the HOHO bus. From the metro station, you will have to change trains. There is an information office there where you can get exact directions the day before you leave.

Madrid has an excellent subway system, which, unlike many American cities, can provide a one-seat ride to the airport. (Of course that depends on the line you are staying near.) A single change is not such a hard way to get to the airport. You don't need to read Spanish well to use a subway map. Do be sure to pay the correct fare to the airport, which is more than a regular subway fare. I saw many people unable to exit at the airport until they paid a second fare.

Stay in the city to take advantage of your last day in Madrid, and take the metro to the airport in the morning. It's so easy and being from NY, you'll have absolutely no problem.

Another vote to stay in the city. Transportation to airport is easy and your flight time is decent. Find the tavern with the row of Sangria pitchers on the counter for evening tapas...loved it so much we hit it two nights in a row.

i travel frequently for work so am accustomed to the walk from home to the subway station (with no elevators, just stairs), subway to long island RR (sometimes standing up the whole way), LIRR to airtrain (why is airtrain sooo slooow?), and then walk to the terminals, with luggage in tow. and reverse back home. so i'm not so worried about the schlepping part. but delighted to hear that the madrid metro will be cake compared to the incomparable NYC MTA. (funny quote, harold) so, majority rules -- looks like i'm staying downtown. :-) thanks, all!

You do not mention how you are getting to Madrid - are you coming in on a flight or coming in on a train from somewhere else in Spain - that will be a key consideration. If flying into MAD the previous evening, I would stay close to the airport unless you have ample time to get into the city and explore (no point passing up an opportunity). If you are coming in on a train, then I would consider staying in the city. We stayed at the Novotel (near the airport) in Jan 2012. We came in at 8 pm from IST and our flight to MIA left at 10 the next morning. There was no point in this situation in going into town. There was no cost for the Novotel shuttle when we were there.

Good point, Arnold! I will be coming by AVE train from Sevilla on a Sunday (early afternoon) and then flying out at 10:45am the following Monday. Thanks!