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Accommodation Dilemma

tpatnode

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Future
As I posted earlier, we are flying into Madrid on April 28th, and hope to take the train to Ponferrada and stay there the 28th. Since we may not catch the train, and have to stay in Madrid the 28th, we are unsure about booking accommodations ahead. Someone posted that the coming weekend is a big national holiday, should we be concerned? I think we can average 25 KM per day once we start in Ponferrada, just not sure if we will start on the 29th or 30th.
 
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Can you get some certainty around your train tickets? I would recommend you book them ahead of time, either using omio.com or renfe.com. That way you know what the plan is as soon as you arrive in Madrid, whether you're staying the night or heading straight to Ponferrada. And you're right, May 1 is a major holiday so there will be a lot of travel...but the busyness may just be starting on that Thursday, and really come to a head on Friday/ Saturday.

Ponferrada is beautiful! Buen Camino.
 
You are assuming your flight into Madrid will arrive as expected. We have visited Spain a half dozen times and the majority if them have been changed in some way, thus impacting our arrival times. Now, I will admit that we live in the Rocky Mountains of the US and that means several flights to get to Madrid.

As an aside, you might want to give yourself a day or so to re-charge after the flight(s) so you can begin your Camino refreshed.

!Buen Camino!
 
Altus ANDES 400 H30 sleeping bag
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
What time is your flight landing? What time(s) are the train(s) leaving Madrid? Need those answers before guidance can be given.

But - if there is a chance you may miss the last train - I would plan to book a hotel in Madrid the first night and take the earliest train to Ponferrada. Depending on what time you arrive in Ponferrada - you have 2 options. 1) Book a night in Ponferrada the second night and spend the day in Ponferrada or 2) figure out what time your train will arrive in Ponferrada - and determine whether or not you want to start walking immediately upon arrival - or wander town for a bit then start walking. If you do that later options - you can book accomodations half way to the next "stage" town and just walk a shorter day.

I did like Ponferrada a lot - it is certainly worth giving yourself at least half a day to explore!
 
Our flight from Munich arrives in Madrid at 11:10 AM. The train we hope to catch departs from Chamartin at 2:40 PM. Does that seem feasible?
 
tpatnode said:
Our flight from Munich arrives in Madrid at 11:10 AM. The train we hope to catch departs from Chamartin at 2:40 PM. Does that seem feasible?
Click to expand...
Since it is an intra-EU flight you won’t have any immigration to deal with. Which terminal are you arriving in? I’m asking because if you are on Iberia or a One World Alliance partner, you will arrive in T4. T4 is where the Cercanías trains leave from and you can get a quick train easily to Chamartín.

If you arrive in T 1-3, you will need to take the intra-airport bus over to T4. They run frequently and take about 10-15 minutes if memory serves. If the intra-airport bus leaves you off at the departures level, you will have to go down two flights to the underground Cercanías station.

In a pinch, cabs are one-fare-only, 30€ to any Madrid destination.
 
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tpatnode said:
Our flight from Munich arrives in Madrid at 11:10 AM. The train we hope to catch departs from Chamartin at 2:40 PM. Does that seem feasible?
Click to expand...
You can probably make it - just have a back up plan just in case! Will you have tickets purchased in advance though for the train? I made it to the train station in time for my desired train to Pamplona - but the ticket wasn't being sold in the billet machine and the line to purchase tickets took forever - and I was forced to take the next train. Is there a later train than 2:40 in case you miss that train? If yes - it should be safe to book accommodations in Ponferada. If not - there is a SLIGHT chance you might not make your train - but you will PROBABLY be fine.
 
tpatnode said:
Our flight from Munich arrives in Madrid at 11:10 AM. The train we hope to catch departs from Chamartin at 2:40 PM. Does that seem feasible?
Click to expand...
If it arrives even vaguely on time; yes, comfortably. Personally I’d buy the tickets in advance - it will be cheaper and it’s not unknown for Spanish trains to sell-out.
 
We are arriving on Lufthansa, not sure which terminal yet.
 
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