Arrival time and finding a place to stay in Madrid

[momof34man]

So, I hope other travelers have already experienced this issue and can help guide me through this.
I am flying from the U.S. and arriving in Madrid at 23:25. I am concerned with finding a place to stay. I probably wont be able to get out of the airport until midnight or after that. It is a tricky hour of the night and I am a little concerned that due to our late arrival time. Technically we will be checking into the hotel the same day we are leaving it. I have heard that hotels are known to give away rooms if you don't check in at a reasonable hour and if space was needed for someone else.

If we decide to stay near the airport, we would need to find a way back to the shuttle to get to the train station. I have also looked into staying AT the airport as well. I was also considering trying to find a place to stay near the Atocha train station so we can get a little more sleep. However, the public transport (bus) doesn't run to the destination (train station) during the hours we are arriving. How reliable is the taxi service at that hour?

Has anyone else had to deal with a late arrival and finding a place to sleep for the night/morning?

Thanks -
Margie (momof34man)

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Margie,
You will find taxis at the airport at any time of day or night and that's what I'd recommend at that hour. You are likely to be totally bonkered -- I assume you have to make some intra-Europe transfers because I don't think there's any direct flight from the US that arrives at that awful hour.

The information I see about the airport shuttle bus, though, does say that it runs all night, just at less frequent intervals. Is that the bus you were thinking of? http://madridman.com/blog-madrid/2012/01/madrid-airport-express-shuttle-bus/

Are you leaving from Atocha the next day? If so, I think your best bet is to get a taxi/bus and stay near the station. There are lots of hotels and pensiones around. I think that so long as you communicate directly with the hotel and let them know of your late arrival, you won't have any problem. There are lots of small family run pensiones near the station, and those may be closed at that hour, so if I were you, I'd book into a bigger establishment with a 24 hour staff at check-in. Lots of online hotel searches allow you to narrow the search to Atocha, but maybe a forum member has some experience.

Try the search function with "Atocha" and "hostal" and you'll get some additional help. I remember one thread involving Kiwi-family: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/madrid-accommodation.25274/#post-198728

Good luck with this, sounds like a grueling trip. But the reward will be very much worth it! Laurie

 

[MileHighPair]

Laurie's advice is surely sound. On our first camino we did not reserve any rooms - because that's just the way we wanted it. Madrid was the only place we had a little trouble. It turned out great, but easily could have been a nightmare.

In the states when we are arriving late, we inform the hotel of the details, and have never had a problem. It seems like this might be a time to pay a little more for at a "bigger establishment", and feel confident of a room upon arrival. Buen Camino.

 

[OzAnnie]

Margie
On recommendation from fellow pilgrims in Oz, many of us have booked. Hotel Medio Dia
Directly opposite Atocha Station. Walk across in the morning. It takes the stress of dealing with traffic to catch outbound trains and there is no noice staying at hotel (then again, I don't notice snorers either, lol)
I took taxi from airport as I find the alternative daunting on my own after a long haul from Oz. I just want to get to my room.
Enjoy
Annie

 

[momof34man]

Great advice. How much did the taxi cost from the airport to Hotel Medio Dia? I was just researching that hotel last night. It looks like it was nice and I could sleep in a little longer before taking the train into Pamplona.

 

[HeidiL]

Hostal Viky (www.hostalviky.com) is very close to the airport and has a free pick-up service, 24 hours a day. If you have a reservation, you can just call them from the airport and say where you are, and they'll come over and pick you up. They also do free airport delivery - the poor woman had to drive us there at 4.30 the last time we were flying from Barajas...

 

[peregrina2000]

Great advice. How much did the taxi cost from the airport to Hotel Medio Dia? I was just researching that hotel last night. It looks like it was nice and I could sleep in a little longer before taking the train into Pamplona.

According to the airport's website, as of January 2014, a taxi from Barajas to the center of Madrid has a fixed price of 30€. http://www.aeropuertomadrid-barajas.com/transportes/taxis-barajas.htm

 

[Castilian]

The information I see about the airport shuttle bus, though, does say that it runs all night, just at less frequent intervals.

Yes, but the last bus shuttle bus from the airport to Atocha is at 23:30 and the first one at 06:00 a.m. All the buses in between end in Cibeles. Therefore, given the scheduled arrival time of the OP to the airport, the bus wouldn't leave her in Atocha but in Cibeles (something like a kilometer away from Atocha station).

 

[HeidiL]

Hostal Viky (www.hostalviky.com) is very close to the airport and has a free pick-up service, 24 hours a day. If you have a reservation, you can just call them from the airport and say where you are, and they'll come over and pick you up. They also do free airport delivery - the poor woman had to drive us there at 4.30 the last time we were flying from Barajas...

Sorry, their webpage seems to be down, but I found them on several booking sites, so you can still use them.

 

[MaryLynn]

So, I hope other travelers have already experienced this issue and can help guide me through this.
I am flying from the U.S. and arriving in Madrid at 23:25.... I was also considering trying to find a place to stay near the Atocha train station so we can get a little more sleep. However, the public transport (bus) doesn't run to the destination (train station) during the hours we are arriving. How reliable is the taxi service at that hour?
Has anyone else had to deal with a late arrival and finding a place to sleep for the night/morning?

Hi, Margie, I haven't had to deal with a late arrival, but I have flown in and/or out of Madrid several times and each time I have stayed at the Urban Sea Hotel Atocha 113 (that is also the address: Atocha 113). It is a ~seven minute walk from the Atocha train station. It used to be part of the Chic and Basic hotel chain - and the new owners maintain the same stylish and minimalist character. There is a 24hour desk, the staff all speak English fluently and are friendly and welcoming, it is simple and clean, and the price is very reasonable. One year I had made reservations at the hotel for the beginning of my trip and several weeks later I made reservations for the end of the trip, and a few days later I got a phone call to confirm that I hadn't made a mistake and I really did want to make two different reservations. I was quite impressed with their attention to detail. The Spanish are late-night people and Calle Atocha is quite a busy street so there would be plenty of people around at your late arrival hour, but if you take a taxi from the airport you would be delivered to the hotel door, and getting back to the Atocha train station in the morning is easy. If the other suggestions don't work out for you, check out Urban Sea Atocha113. There is a lot to see in Madrid near Calle Atocha--so if you have the time, Madrid would be a good place to get over jetlag for a couple days. Good luck!

 

[momof34man]

According to the airport's website, as of January 2014, a taxi from Barajas to the center of Madrid has a fixed price of 30€. http://www.aeropuertomadrid-barajas.com/transportes/taxis-barajas.htm

Good to know there is a fixed price. Thanks for the information.

 

[momof34man]

Yes, but the last bus shuttle bus from the airport to Atocha is at 23:30 and the first one at 06:00 a.m. All the buses in between end in Cibeles. Therefore, given the scheduled arrival time of the OP to the airport, the bus wouldn't leave her in Atocha but in Cibeles (something like a kilometer away from Atocha station).

This concerned me as well that the last shuttle from the airport to Atocha is discontinued until 6am. It looks like the Taxi may be my best option for the time of the night/morning that we are arriving.
Thank you!

 

[momof34man]

Hi, Margie, I haven't had to deal with a late arrival, but I have flown in and/or out of Madrid several times and each time I have stayed at the Urban Sea Hotel Atocha 113 (that is also the address: Atocha 113). It is a ~seven minute walk from the Atocha train station. It used to be part of the Chic and Basic hotel chain - and the new owners maintain the same stylish and minimalist character. There is a 24hour desk, the staff all speak English fluently and are friendly and welcoming, it is simple and clean, and the price is very reasonable. One year I had made reservations at the hotel for the beginning of my trip and several weeks later I made reservations for the end of the trip, and a few days later I got a phone call to confirm that I hadn't made a mistake and I really did want to make two different reservations. I was quite impressed with their attention to detail. The Spanish are late-night people and Calle Atocha is quite a busy street so there would be plenty of people around at your late arrival hour, but if you take a taxi from the airport you would be delivered to the hotel door, and getting back to the Atocha train station in the morning is easy. If the other suggestions don't work out for you, check out Urban Sea Atocha113. There is a lot to see in Madrid near Calle Atocha--so if you have the time, Madrid would be a good place to get over jetlag for a couple days. Good luck!

I'll keep this hotel in mind. Right now I am looking at Mediodia Hotel which appears to be right across the street from the train station.

Thank you!