Spain Guide
Madrid
Arrival
The Aeropuerto de Barajas is 16km east of the city, at the end of Avenida de América (the A2 road). It has four terminals, including the vast new T4 building designed by Richard Rogers and Carlos Lamela, which has helped double the capacity to some seventy million passengers a year. All Iberia's domestic and international flights, as well as airlines that belong to the Oneworld group, such as British Airways and American Airways, use T4 (a 10min shuttle-bus ride from the other terminals); other international flights and budget airlines, including easyJet and Ryanair, go from T1, while Air France, KLM and SAS use T2.
From the airport, the metro link (Line 8) takes you from T4 and T2 to the city's Nuevos Ministerios station in just twelve minutes (daily 6am–2am; €2) From there it's a fifteen-minute metro ride to most city-centre locations.
The route by road to central Madrid is more variable, depending on rush-hour traffic, and can take anything from twenty minutes to an hour. Buses run from each terminal to the terminus at Avenida de América (#200 from T1 and T2, #204 from T4; daily 6am–11.30pm; €1). Taxis are always available outside, too, and cost €25–30 (including a €5.25 airport supplement) to the centre, unless you get stuck in traffic.
Half a dozen or so car rental companies have stands at the airport terminals. Other airport facilities include 24-hour currency exchange, ATMs, a post office, left-luggage lockers, a RENFE office for booking train tickets, chemists, tourist offices and hotel reservations desks.