Getting to Leon from Madrid airport

[Trillian]

Hello!

I will be starting my camino in Leon in approximately 3 weeks and am looking for some advice about getting to Leon from Madrid-Barajas. I'll be landing around 11:30am on a weekday, terminal 1. I will not have checked luggage.

Would it be feasible to get the train to Leon from Chamartin that leaves at 2:40pm? If yes, what is the easiest way to get there within my time constraint? Metro from T2 (which I would walk to from T1) or free shuttle bus from T1 to T4, then Cercanias to Chamartin? If I book my Renfe ticket ahead of time, is the Cercanias free (I read this in another thread but not sure if it's still valid)? If it is the case, do I just show the printout of my e-ticket?

Another option would be to take the bus from T4 to Leon...do you think I can make the 1:45pm one?

I would like to book a private room in a hostel in Leon for 2 nights, so that I can spend my second day in Spain exploring Leon before starting my camino...and be well rested before I begin. Any recommendations for reasonably priced hostels or hotels would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your insight and advice!

 

[whariwharangi]

03:10 hours should be sufficient to get from the plane to Chamartin by either Cercanias or Metro.

02:15 hours should be sufficient time to get from the plane at T1 to T4 bus station.

Not checking your luggage does not significantly alter the time appreciation. Usually luggage is rolling off the carosel just a few minutes after you stroll off the plane.

The Cercanias ticket is included in the Renfe fare from Madrid to Leon.

The Metro to Chamartin takes about 40 minutes and departs every 6 - 8 minutes.

The Cercanias to Chamartin takes about 20 minutes and departs every 30 minutes.

The most time efficient transport depends on shuttle and Cercanias timings. If you wait the full period for the airport shuttle and then end up at T4 just after the Cercanias departs you add 45 minutes wait time to the travel time.

I would take the Metro from T1-T2-T3 as it involves the least transfers and waits.

I understand the Parador in Leon is not as expensive as you might expect.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Take the bus from T-4! It is easy to find, and you can purchase your ticket from the bus driver.

Centrally located:

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/hos...8972724829041f4d076;dcid=1;dist=0&type=total&

 

[Julienh]

Hi, I'm struggling to find metro timetable as I am arriving in Madrid in a few weeks in the evening and was thinking of staying over at the airport and getting 07.45 train to Leon but can't find what time the trains start to chamartin. Does anyone know? Also, do I need to buy train ticket in advance? Thanks

 

[whariwharangi]

They start shortly after 0600.

Madrid Metro
http://www.metromadrid.es/en/

Madrid Renfe Cercanias
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/madrid/

 

[Castilian]

Would it be feasible to get the train to Leon from Chamartin that leaves at 2:40pm?

If your plane arrives on time, yes, it should be feasible.

If yes, what is the easiest way to get there within my time constraint?

Transit bus from T1 to T4 and Cercanías train from T4 to Chamartín station.

If I book my Renfe ticket ahead of time, is the Cercanias free (I read this in another thread but not sure if it's still valid)?

As you plan to take an Alvia train, it should be free.

If it is the case, do I just show the printout of my e-ticket?

If you use a self-service machine to get your cercanías ticket, you have to look for the "combinado cercanías" number on your ticket and type it on the machine when requested. If you are attended by and human being on a sales desk, just ask about it.

Another option would be to take the bus from T4 to Leon...do you think I can make the 1:45pm one?

If your plane arrives on time, you should be able to make it.

The Cercanias ticket is included in the Renfe fare from Madrid to Leon.

That's true for the specific train the OP plans to take but not for every train from Madrid to León (e.g.: it wouldn't be included on a MD train).

The Metro to Chamartin takes about 40 minutes

Just a warning: The quickest route by metro -the one that usually recommends the metromadrid web if you don't change settings- involves 2 changes of lines along the route. It might be easier to take the Metro to Nuevos Ministerios and change there to Chamartín (choose "fewer train changes" when looking for schedules).

The Cercanias to Chamartin takes about 20 minutes and departs every 30 minutes.

According to the RENFE web it's just 12 minutes. Although, of course, that's the time it takes from train station to train station. You have to add the time it takes to get to the train station in T4 from terminal one, the time it takes to get the cercanías ticket, the time it takes to change trains in Chamartín...

Hi, I'm struggling to find metro timetable as I am arriving in Madrid in a few weeks in the evening and was thinking of staying over at the airport and getting 07.45 train to Leon but can't find what time the trains start to chamartin. Does anyone know?

The first one out of the airport departs at 06:05 a.m.

Also, do I need to buy train ticket in advance?

That would be a good idea because that way you might get one of the discounted fares available on the Alvia train you plan to take (and you wouldn't worry about whether the train gets full or not).