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Read about my family's night with "Walks of Madrid"
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Every time I have
visited Spain, I have found substantial
changes in the Madrid train station such
as locations of ticket windows, information desk, and even how you go
about boarding trains.
| Madrid
City Guide My
general information page on Train
Travel
How to read a
AVE Train Ticket
RailEurope
Rail Europe's rail map
Outside
Links specific to train travel in
Spain:
If you are
looking for train schedules try
clicking on RENFE ticket
sales (sometimes, this
link can be really slow and
difficult)
Train Passes and prepaided train tickets can be bought at Eurail Pass: The best way to get around Europe
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Currently (Oct. 2006),
the Madrid Atocha Train Station
is laid out more like an airport
terminal than what one thinks of
as an old- style train station.
This very logical layout isn't
overly confusing.
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| In
Madrid there are
two main train stations,
the Atocha station just
south of the center of
Madrid (see Madrid
orientation map)
and a smaller station to
the north, Chamartin.
The Atocha station is
easily reached by the
Metro via the Atocha RENFE
Metro station (It's on
line "1" also
known as the "blue"
line). As the newer,
Atocha, station is the
only one I used, the
following information
applies to it.
Photo
Left - Art at the train
station
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The
Atocha station is a modern
facility. It has a large atrium with
palm trees flanked by offices.
On one end of the atrium (upper
floor) is the entrance to the
train bays. 
The Atocha atrium. The
information office (left) is not
viewable in this photo.
The
general layout of the train
station's first floor. On my last
visit (Oct. 2006) I did not
recheck the placement of the
"Cercanias" ticket
office, so be warned--it may have
been relocated.
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Some, but not all,
ticket agents at the
Madrid train station
speak English. At the
information counter/s you
should find an English
speaking attendant. In
the past the hours for
staffing these
information desks seemed to
run from 9 AM to 2 PM. |
Most
of the signs in the Madrid Train
Station are dual English/Spanish.
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For long distance and regional
trains, once you have your tickets you
can check which platform (VIA) your train
will be leaving from by using the long,
gray, Arrivals and Departures
board in the atrium.
The
sign above reads, in English,
"Train departures"
"Boarding Lounge." |
Long distance and regional
train ticket holders will take
the escalator-style
ramps (located in the atrium on
either side of the Arrivals
and Departures board) up to
the second floor and go through
security before they are allowed
to board. Boarding works just
like at an airport. |
Part of the magic of
train travel in Europe is their high-speed rail system (AVE/Alaris). Currently
there are only a few high-speed routes in
Spain. One of them will get you from
Madrid to Sevilla in just two and a half
hours! The other one will take you from
Madrid to Valencia in 3 and a half hours!
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| Special Note: Due to pickpockets on
the Metro, when you are loaded down with
luggage, it's best to hire a taxi to get
to your hotel. More info on pickpockets
of Spain can be found here (safe travel). |
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| The train schedule I received for Cordoba and Malaga was in Spanish. Click here to view the train schedule as I received it written in Spanish . |
| Talgos - are the fastest trains and only stop at the major cities. |
| Rapidos - are the regular, daytime long-distance inter-regional trains. |
| Estrellas - are the nighttime version of Rapidos. |
| Cercanias - are the local commuter trains. |
| AVE - high-speed train from Madrid to Sevilla (2 hours 30 min.) |
| EUROMED - high-speed train from Barcelona to Valencia (2 hours 50 min.) |
| Arco - line between Barcelona and Valencia, stopping at main cities along the Mediterranean coast. |
| Alaris - high-speed line between Madrid and Valencia, making the journey in three and a half hours. |
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Maximum speed of a high speed train is 220 Km/hour.
Go To the Barcelona train station
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Atocha
Station (Madrid):
Serves
southern Spain.
Get there by:
Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V. Buses;
10, 19, 24, 26, 27, 32, 24, 37, 54, 57, 102, 112
and "Circular"; Atocha-Estación
underground station. |
Chamartin
Train Station (Madrid):
Serves north and European destinations.
Get
there by:
C/ Agustín de Foxá. Buses; 5 and 4, Chamartin
Metro station.
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