madrid to leon

[carolh]

Hello my name is Carol from Liverpool.

I would be grateful for some advice/ guidance from people out there.

I have booked a flight to Madrid from Liverpool on 1 May 2012. The flight gets into madrid at 4.20 on that day.

I have been loking at train and bus timetables.

1- the bus timetables only go up to 30/4/12/
2- the train leave from Charmatin station in madrid the trains available appear get in around 11 on that day
3- is the 1 may a bank holiday in spain? will this effort the buses on that day?
4- should i stay overnight in madrid and leave for Leon following day( is madrid safe place)
5- If I got to Leon on 1 May, late evening ,I would stay in a hotel and commence walkimg on 2 may?

I am travelling on my own and I considering the safety issues as well!

Best wishes Carol

 

[amancio]

Hola Caro!

please see my suggestions below

I would be grateful for some advice/ guidance from people out there.

I have booked a flight to Madrid from Liverpool on 1 May 2012. The flight gets into madrid at 4.20 on that day.

QUESTION: 4:20 pm or am? It sounds like pm after reading further down.

I have been loking at train and bus timetables.

1- the bus timetables only go up to 30/4/12/

SUGGESTION: use the Sunday schedules as a reference, there should be no major changes. Or write an email to ALSA, the bus company.

2- the train leave from Charmatin station in madrid the trains available appear get in around 11 on that day

SUGGSTION: Chamartin Station is quite quick and easy to access from Madrid Barajas airport. You have two different trains on that day: at 6:29 arriving in Leon at 10:54, and at 8:20 arriving at 11:05. both would be very feasible to catch on time directly from the airport, the 8:20 train would even leave you time for a quick stroll through the center or in gorgeous Parque del Retiro. You can just book a Pension or hotel in Leon for the night. Beware, though, Leon is absolutely worth a visit.


3- is the 1 may a bank holiday in spain? will this effort the buses on that day?

SUGGESTION: indeed, both may 1st and 2nd are a holiday in Madrid. I do not know up to what extend it might impact bus schedules, there might not be so many changes, you can pretty much rely on the bus schedules for any Sunday, it will most likely be the same for May 1st.

4- should i stay overnight in madrid and leave for Leon following day( is madrid safe place)

SUGGESTION: Madrid is a pefectly safe place, as long as you are not ostenting jewellery or money in the wrong places. You should have no problem. Springtime is a beautiful time to visit Madrid. There will be even good bullfights on that day, if you are interested. Beautiful city for walking.

5- If I got to Leon on 1 May, late evening ,I would stay in a hotel and commence walking on 2 may?

SUGGESTION: that makes perfect sense, pilgrim hostels turn off lights at 10 pm, and you might not find it easy to fall asleep in a crowded room at such early hours in the evening.


I am travelling on my own and I considering the safety issues as well!

BUEN CAMINO, COMPAÑERA!!!


Best wishes Carol[/quote]

 

[zammy]

call alsa

customer service in English
(+34) 91 327 05 40 (8:00 h - 24:00 h)

 

[fraluchi]

I have booked a flight to Madrid from Liverpool on 1 May 2012. The flight gets into madrid at 4.20 on that day. should i stay overnight in madrid and leave for Leon following day( is madrid safe place)- If I got to Leon on 1 May, late evening ,I would stay in a hotel and commence walkimg on 2 may?

If you arrive in Madrid at 4:20 pm, you'll just miss the Alsa bus for Leon. (16:45) Which means you'll have to stay overnight in Madrid. There are a few nice Hostels in Barajas, only minutes away from the airport, and staying in Madrid as a whole is quite safe.
On 2nd May you can travel to Leon either by train (Renfe.es) or bus (Alsa.es), and you can book your ticket on-line. Both stations are located in Madrid.
The journey to Leon takes over 5 hours by bus, less by train!
Here are the trains leaving for Leon from Madrid on 2nd May:
04111 ALVIA 11.00 13.42 2 h. 42 min.
18001 MD 11.30 16.00 4 h. 30 min.
18003 MD 14.30 18.49 4 h. 19 min.
04141 ALVIA 14.40 17.34 2 h. 54 min.
18005 MD 18.29 22.54 4 h. 25 min.
04181 ALVIA 18.30 21.14 2 h. 44 min. Consultar y comprar Ver Ver
00751 TRENHOTEL 22.30 02.59 4 h. 29 min.

 

[carolh]

Thank you for the friendly, encouraging information.

I have decided to stay in Madrid and travel Leon on the 2 May by train.

Another question for you all - I am worried about finding the way onto Camino, in Leon, from guide guide books -Brierley that it is tricky finding way out?

Should I stay over in Leon and start on the 3 May?

I am to be back in Madrid by 19 May 2012.

Any help is appreciated

Carol H

 

[Whalleyranger]

It's easy to find your way onto the Camino in Leon as it passes right by the cathedral. With the cathedral facade behind you, the Camino heads down the road in the right hand corner. Also in the city centre the Camino is marked by brass scallop shells set into the pavement.

 

[NHawes]

I am finding comments here most helpful. Do you suppose I could ask assistance in this most confusing task. We are arriving in Madrid August 24th at 8:30 am at the Madrid airport and want to immediately go the train station to travel to Leon. How much time do you suppose we need to allow to get to the train station(with customs and baggage) and can anyone help me intrepret the train schedule?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, NHawes,

The quickest way to get to the Chamartin train station, which is the train station for trains to Leon, is to use the commuter trains. They leave the Madrid airport at 28 after the hour and 58 before the hour for most of the day. It takes about 12 minutes to get to the train station from the airport once you are on the train. To see the map and timetable of the train route, which is part of the Cercanias system of RENFE, look here: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercan ... index.html

Having said that, there is one caveat. The Cercanias trains leave from the new part of the Madrid Airport, which is called T4. The other parts, T1, T2, and T3 are connected via a regular transfer bus, but that would add some time to your travel. To figure out which terminal you will be flying into, I can tell you that Iberia and its partner airlines (namely American and BA for most people on this forum) fly into T4, whereas the rest go to the other terminals.

The other factor that could add time to the total it will take you to get from plane to train is whether you check bags or not. In my experience, it takes a LONG time to get your bags in T4, which is another reason why I have not checked anything pre-Camino for years now.

So, once you figure out about how long it will take you to get to the train station (I would say that a 3 hour window would be generous, but of course you never know if you will arrive on time), then check the train schedule. I usually use raileurope.com to check the schedules. It shows that on a weekday, there are trains to Leon at 11:05 am, 2:40 pm and 5:00 pm.

I think you might make it to the 11:05, especially if you land in T4 and have no checked luggage.

Hope this helps. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[NHawes]

Thank you Laurie, your help is most appreciated.

 

[whariwharangi]

I'd allow an hour to allow for vagaries of flying (for instance arrival time is the time they land on the runway ... not when you get off the plane) In my experience the less time I allow between flights the more time gets eaten by 'unforseen airplane delays' Murphys Law applies.

Allow one hour for deplaning, baggage, and customs.

Allow about an hour from airport to train station using either Cercanius or Metro.

Barajas Airport
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Sat ... arajas/en/

There are two ways to get to the train station.

One is Cercanias as described by peregrina2000. Its main disadvantage is that it leaves from T4 whereas your flight will likely land at T1/2/3. It runs every half hour.

The other way to get downtown is by Madrid Metro. It runs every few minutes but its located at the far end of the terminal T1/2/3 and takes at least 15 minutes to walk to it (included in your hour). It also stops at T4. You'll need to transfer twice to get to the train station. (its a matter of getting off train climb a set of stairs to another platform and wait for the next)
http://www.metromadrid.es/en/index.html

http://www.metromadrid.es/export/sites/ ... yo2013.pdf

Note there are two major train stations in Madrid; Puerto Atocha and Chamartin. As near as I can tell all trains to Leon stop in Chamartin but only a few stop at Atocha. (and perhaps a few stop only at Atocha) So its important to know which station your train leaves from.

Renfe train site
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/horarios.html

After you put in departure (Madrid*) and destination with dates the site will present a list of trains with schedule. Click on the train (ie-Alvia-) to see the itenerary. Some trains may require a transfer.

Here is unofficial train map:
http://www.getspain-spain.com/renfe_map_northern.html

What part of the train schedule do you need help to interpret?

 

[peregrina2000]

Just a few more things to piggyback onto whariwarangi's post.

To my knowledge, all One World alliance flights arrive in T4. There are 12 airlines listed here: http://www.oneworld.com/member-airlines/overview

So there's not really anything unlikely about arriving in T4, it just depends on what airlines you fly.

If you do arrive in T1/2/3, I'd do some careful calculation to make your best guess as to whether taking the airport transfer bus (stops outside each terminal) to T4 plus the Cercanias is quicker than walking to the metro and then taking the metro to Chamartin. The metro takes at least twice as much time as the Cercanias, probably three times as much. The metro is much more crowded as well, and not to be alarmist but I have seen many pickpockets on the metro and none ever on a Cercanias train.

Trains from Madrid to Leon stop only at Chamartin. You can get to Chamartin from Atocha on the Cercanias, it's a quick shot and direct line, but the actual train to Leon will leave from Chamartin.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[NHawes]

So much to think about - ww will arrive in T 1 - what about a taxi to Chamartin?

 

[peregrina2000]

Taxis in Madrid are quite reasonable. BUT there are many who see obvious newcomers as targets for price-gouging. Having said that, Chamartin and Barajas are on the same side of the city, less than 10 miles apart. It shouldn't be more than a 15 minute cab ride in good traffic. Others with more experience in cabs can add their estimates (I take public transportation almost always, unless someone else is paying for it). But I would bet it should be under 20 euros.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Radhika Murari]

We are going to be in Madrid on April 21. Can we take a train from Madrid Barajas Airport to Leon?

In Leon, does everyone recommend that we stay the night and begin the next morning? I will be with my son, who will just have turned 9.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There are buses from the airport, but you must go into the city for the train.

You can leave the same day, but most probably stay the night.

 

[andonius]

There's also a subway connection between the airport and the CHAMARTIN TRAIN STATION (be careful with that as there's another train station in Madrid called Atocha. Trains to Leon always depart from Chamartin). Either by bus or by subway you can estimate an hour of transfer time. A taxi will cost around 30€.
The traject from Madrid Chamartin to Leon takes around 3 hours (more or less, depending on the train you take) so unless you take a very early train (first departs at 7:45) you'll have to sllep in Leon. I will do that as Leon is a wonderful city that you'll like not to miss. And your son will love the romanesque paintings in the Panteon of the Kings in San Isidoro church and all the magnificent glasswork of the best cathedral in Spain.
You can check train timetables and costs at http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html
BUEN CAMINO ¡

 

[Radhika Murari]

After reading even more and showing the routes to my son, we think the Porto to Santiago might be best for the ease and scenery.

Suggestions and thoughts? There are so many choices and routes...