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Madrid to Leon

Shauna

Member
Mar 22, 2014
80
40
Time of past OR future Camino
2014
Hi
We land in Madrid on 15 August at 19.25 and I am looking at all the options to get to Leon. So far we could stay in Madrid overnight and get train to Leon next day. With a hotel and train fares it looks like we would be looking at £100. Does anyone have any other ideas - bus may be cheaper but would take longer and we would like to arrive next day in Leon early to have the day there.

Thought about an overnight train but having trouble understanding the site. Any advice? Thanks.
 
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miamijhp

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May 28, 2011
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Miami
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whariwharangi

Guest
The 'overnight train' is called trenhotel. There is not a trenhotel service showing as running from Madrid to Leon.

Renfe site shows the last train leaves at 1835 15 August 2014.

I don't know why raileurope would advertise trains that are not listed on the Renfe site.

Renfe
http://www.renfe.com/

ALSA operates frequent bus service to Leon from Madrid including several late departures that get to Leon way too early in the morning.
http://www.alsa.es/en/

There are not any other viable options.

If I were you I'd stay the night in Madrid. You can catch a bus at 0815 Estacion Sur or a train from Chamartin at 1030 on 16th ... they both arrive in Leon around noon.
 
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peregrina2000

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Mar 6, 2006
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Hi, Shauna, welcome to the forum!

I don't see that there's an overnight train to Leon but I may be missing something. The last train I see on the Renfe website leaves 18.35 so you'll miss it.

It looks like the daily early train at 7:45 is sold out for August 16th, but the 10:30 train has very cheap prices available, around 15 euros. That's a bargain! That would get you into Leon around 1:30, so you would have a half day to tour. Not much time, but if you really liked Leon you could also spend the following morning there and do a short walking day.

The only problem I see with the train is that the trains to Leon leave from Chamartin train station, which is very easy to get to from the airport, but not an area with a lot of great lodging options. If you were willing to be a 13 minute train ride from Chamartin, there are many budget options near Atocha train station, and the lovely Retiro park is there for enjoying a bit of greenery as well. Good luck with the planning. Buen camino, Laurie
 
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november_moon

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Mar 10, 2012
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Most of the trains to Leon actually do serve the Atocha station, but the site is confusing in the way the trains are displayed. If you click on a particular train, it will show all of the stops. Most of the Chamartin trains will show Atocha as the stop just before.

If you can purchase your tickets ahead of time, you can save quite a bit of money. People can have trouble buying Renfe tickets online due to credit card issues (banks blocking transactions), but you can call your bank and get them to allow the transaction. It might take some doing, but it is worth the time to get the savings. Full fare (purchased day of travel) tickets can be close to 50 euro/person.
 
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whariwharangi

Guest

I'm finding only the Alvia trains stop at Atocha before going to Chamartin.

Further, there is trenhotel service but its not indicated in August. It might be worth looking again closer to date of travel. We recently saw trenhotel schedules frustratingly updated only three weeks before someone's dates of travel.
 
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peregrina2000

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Unless something drastic has happened, which is of course always possible, the trains to Leon do not leave from Atocha, they leave from Chamartin. But there are frequent cercanias trains connecting the two, so it is possible that the schedules you are seeing with Atocha departure times are telling you the time you need to get on the Cercanias in order to get on the train in Chamartin. So in either case Shauna could stay in one of the many places near Atocha and quickly get back to Chamartin the next day.
 

november_moon

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Mar 10, 2012
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There are 3 trains each day that stop at Atocha station, Chamartin, and continue onto Leon - all of the ALVIA runs, except the first one of the day. No Cercanias involved. There are INTERCITY trains that don't go to Atocha, but leave directly from Chamartin, and then some other departures that either require a change of trains or have a lot more stops, so they take longer to get to Leon.
 

Shauna

Member
Mar 22, 2014
80
40
Time of past OR future Camino
2014
Thanks for all your help everyone. I think we will stay overnight and catch the 10:30 train the next day. When I check the voyages.sncf site the prices are £64 - this seems a lot. Where do I go to buy the 15 euros tickets as I would like to book them now.
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
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