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Madrid City breaks are made extra easy by the fact that Madrid Barajas Airport is just 12km from the city centre. Direct links via bus, metro and taxis are all cheap as well as quick from Madrid Airport into the city. A number of UK and Ireland Airports now offer cheap direct flights to Madrid, including London/Heathrow, London Gatwick, Liverpool, Dublin, Bristol and East Midlands.
Madrid's weather is more extreme than the Spanish resorts on the coast. Winters are colder and longer, and Summers are hotter - it's a dry heat pushing often up into the 30s (centigrade) during June, July and August. Sunshine though, event during the colder winter months is often crisp and clear (good news for photographs!), and more extreme temperatures tends to mean Madrid has quieter tourist months during the peak three summer months and in December and January - good times to avoid queues at the Prado Museum! For cheap Flights to Madrid and car hire from Madrid Airport checkout the weblinks right for details or contact Iknow Holidays booking line direct for assistance.
Madrid's Barajas Airport sits just 12km from Madrid city centre, making it the closest European airport to its city centre. Taxis, buses and the metro all run from Madrid Airport to the city centre, an being so close taxis are cheap and situated outside each terminal.
Madrid Barajas Airport is a hub not just for European visitors and Spanish business nationals, but also as a key link to Latin America. Extensive expansion is still underway with new runways forthcoming. Madrid Airport now has four terminals. Terminal 1 serves domestic flights, and if you're coming from the UK you'll arrive in this terminal. Terminal 2 serves domestic and Spanish airline flights whilst Terminal 3 serves the Barcelona to Madrid air shuttle and some local flights. Both Terminals 1 and 4 arrival halls at Madrid Airport have tourist information points.
Direct flights currently (2007) from the UK and Ireland to Madrid run from Bristol, Dublin, Liverpool, London/Heathrow, London/Gatwick, London Luton and Nottingham/East Midlands. Budget airlines like Easy Jet and Ryan Air feature heavily in this service (see cheap flights Madrid weblink right for Open Jet flight comparisons and booking).
Madrid's Barajas Airport has its own metro stop/Line 8. Access it via T4 floor 1 and Terminal 2 first floor. Madrid Metro is the cheapest way to access Madrid city centre from the Airport, and you can connect to Madrid's main national station - Atocha via the metro. If you're basing your holiday in Madrid city centre, with plans to access some of the attractions around Madrid such as the Escorial palace, car hire is hardly needed as buses, the Madrid Metro, local trains from Atocha Renfe station and cheap taxis will see you through. If you're pushing further afield however, and really want to explore the area around Madrid then car hire is easy from Madrid Airport. Pre-booking is advised to avoid disappointment from this busy European airport. (see Holiday Autos Car Rental from Madrid Airport weblink right for best car hire deals and booking, or contact the Iknow Holidays booking line direct).
The main British Embassy in Spain is in Madrid and can assist with replacement passports if yours is lost of stolen, as well as assistance in other emergencies.
Madrid Consulate-General, Paseo de Recoletos 7/9, 4 28004 Madrid, Spain. Tel. 91 524 97 00. Check the British Embassy weblink right for opening times.
It's easy to get caught out by Madrid weather, which is rather different than Spain's east coast resorts and the coastal cities of Barcelona and Valencia.
Madrid's climate is more extreme. Winters are colder and dryer, indeed temperatures are colder here in early autumn when on the coast they'll still be potentially up in the 20s centigrade. It's dryer here in the centre of Spain, and rainfall is less - although cold Madrid often experiences clear and bright sunshine. What rain comes tends to fall in autumn and spring, but February is a month known to be often strangely warm! The colder winter months of December and January tend to be less busy months in Madrid. Certainly no worse than a British winter, these are good months to head to Madrid to avoid the very long queues to popular attractions such as the Prado Museum and cable car ride at Casa de Campo.
The peak three summer months - June, July and August can be unbearably hot, although if you function well in very high temperatures again you're likely to avoid the queues for Madrid attractions, as many locals particularly leave the city centre.
Average maximum and minimum temperatures for Madrid in degrees centigrade are as follows, Jan 9/2, Feb 11/2, March 15/5, April 18/7, May 21/10, June 27/15, July 31/17, Aug 30/17, Sept 25/14, Oct 19/10, Nov 13/5 and Dec 9/2.
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