Hi,
I know the new airport bus has been up and running for a while now, and you can go directly from Barajas to Atocha with only two or three stops in between. (see this post: traveling-to-from-the-camino/topic9474.html ).
But this metro-Cercanias combination may be faster.
Take the metro to Nuevos Ministerios (six stops on the pink line). Get off there and look for the RENFE Cercanias (commuter trains) -- it's right there underground as soon as you exit the metro. For a couple of euros, you can get a ticket from Nuevos Ministerios to Atocha. The machines will show the most common destinations, you will have to hit "more destinations" and then the options for Atocha and other in-town places will show up. It's two stops on the Cercanias, and about 4 minutes. All commuter trains heading in the Atocha direction will stop at Atocha, and there are many train lines (all of which stop on the same platform), so you won't have a very long wait.
I did this more or less in reverse last summer going from Puerta del Sol out to the airport on my way home. The Cercanias station and ticket machines are right there in the Sol metro. Buy a ticket to Nuevos Ministerios, two stops, four minutes, about 2E I think. At Nuevos Ministerios, exit RENFE Cercanias, buy a metro ticket and hop on the pink line, which goes straight to the airport.
Nuevos Ministerios to Atocha on the metro is about a half hour. On the Cercanias train it's under 5 minutes. A big time saver for an extra 2E.
I know the new airport bus has been up and running for a while now, and you can go directly from Barajas to Atocha with only two or three stops in between. (see this post: traveling-to-from-the-camino/topic9474.html ).
But this metro-Cercanias combination may be faster.
Take the metro to Nuevos Ministerios (six stops on the pink line). Get off there and look for the RENFE Cercanias (commuter trains) -- it's right there underground as soon as you exit the metro. For a couple of euros, you can get a ticket from Nuevos Ministerios to Atocha. The machines will show the most common destinations, you will have to hit "more destinations" and then the options for Atocha and other in-town places will show up. It's two stops on the Cercanias, and about 4 minutes. All commuter trains heading in the Atocha direction will stop at Atocha, and there are many train lines (all of which stop on the same platform), so you won't have a very long wait.
I did this more or less in reverse last summer going from Puerta del Sol out to the airport on my way home. The Cercanias station and ticket machines are right there in the Sol metro. Buy a ticket to Nuevos Ministerios, two stops, four minutes, about 2E I think. At Nuevos Ministerios, exit RENFE Cercanias, buy a metro ticket and hop on the pink line, which goes straight to the airport.
Nuevos Ministerios to Atocha on the metro is about a half hour. On the Cercanias train it's under 5 minutes. A big time saver for an extra 2E.