Travel to and around Madrid

If you must travel by plane, choose direct flights when possible to limit the carbon emissions.  

By train

Madrid has an extensive railway network that enables access to the capital from all parts of Spain, offering the possibility to move around with ease and comfort within the national territory. Atocha and Chamartín are the two main railway stations as they receive short-haul, long-distance, high-speed and suburban trains.

• Atocha Station is situated in the South of the city, very close to the centre. As its location suggests, it mainly serves destinations in the south of Spain. If your origin or destination is Málaga, Seville or Córdoba you'll be using Atocha.
• Chamartín Station is located in the north of the city and trains from the north of Spain, as well the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Valencia, arrive here. Chamartín also receives international arrivals from France and Portugal. Connected to the rest of the city by Metro and local trains running to some of the other stations.

Short-haul

• Short-haul trains enable travelers to reach the capital from all corners of Spain. Chamartín (Agustín de Foxa, s/n) and Atocha (Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, s/n) stations are the daily arrival and departure points for trains serving the country’s most important cities.

Long Distance / High Speed

Amongst the RENFE (Spanish national railway company) long distance destinations, travelers will find the following routes: 

• ESTRELLA TRAINS: This service allows travelers to travel by night and arrive at the major Spanish capitals in the early morning.
• TRENHOTEL (HOTELTRAIN): The Trenhotel is a first-class night train, in which travelers have their own private compartment with a bed.

International destinations

• Two long-distance lines connect Madrid with Lisbon and Paris, both of them being Trenhotel services, departing from Chamartín station.
  • Madrid-Lisboa (Santa Apolonia): daily Trenhotel Lusitania train, takes 9 hours 30 minutes.
  • Madrid-Paris (Austerlitz): the Trenhotel Francisco de Goya connects the Spanish capital with the French one in 13 hours 30 minutes. Travels via Orléans, Blois and Poitiers (http://www.elipsos.com/).

By plane

The Madrid-Barajas International Airport welcomes all international flights arriving in Madrid.

It is located in the Northeast part of the country, 12 kilometers away from the capital and only 10-15 minutes by taxi from the congress centre IFEMA - Feria de Madrid - Centro de Conventiones South.

Madrid Barajas Airport, where over 100 airline companies operate, has the highest level of air traffic in Spain and is amongst the top five in Europe. You will find all types of services available within the airport facilities.

Madrid Barajas Airport has four terminals: T1, T2, T3 and T4.

• There is also a satellite terminal at T4: T4S. These two terminals (T4 and T4S) are connected by a continuous automatic underground train (APT) that takes about 4 minutes to complete its run.
• The four terminals are connected by 2 subway stations and by a free shuttle bus system that runs every three minutes, 24 hours a day.

We strongly recommend that you consult your airline company to find out to which terminal your flight arrives at or leaves from.

By car

Madrid is the epicentre of Spain's road network.

Geographically, Madrid can be considered Spain's wheel hub, the spokes being the 6 major roads (A1 - A2 - A3 - A4 - A5 - A6) leading out of the city in all directions and starting at the famous Kilometer Zero point in the Puerta del Sol.

• The A1 (Burgos Highway), also known as the “North Highway” (Autovía del norte), connects Madrid with Burgos. From there one can go toward Cantabria, Pais Vasco and France via Irún.
• The A2 (Barcelona Highway) connects Madrid with Barcelona and the Costa Brava, passing through Guadalajara, Zaragoza and Lérida. The highway also connects with the south the France via La Junquera.
• The A3 (Valencia Highway) connects Madrid with Cuenca, Albacete, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia and Castellón.
• The A4 (Andalucia Highway) connects Madrid with Ciudad Real, Jaén, Córdoba, Sevilla, Granada, Almería, Málaga, Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Tarifa and Gibraltar.
• The A5 (Extremadura Highway) connects Madrid with Talavera, Trujillo, Cáceres, Mérida, Badajoz, Lisboa and al Algarve (in the south of Portugal). This is also a good alternative for the west of Andalucía.
• The A6 (la Coruña Highway) connects Madrid with El Escorial, Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, Valladolid, Zamora, León, Galicia, Asturias and the north of Portugal.

These highways can be accessed from the inner ring-road known as the M30, and the outer one known as the M40.