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TRAVEL TIPS

 

AIRPORT

Madrid Barajas Airport is located 13 kilometres (eight miles) North-East of central Madrid. The airport links the capital of Spain to hundreds of domestic, European and international destinations. Barajas Airport is also the main European hub for flights to Latin America.

How to get to the city centre from the airport?

By taxi

Taxis are always available, with a journey time to the centre of Madrid in about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, which can be heavy.
Official taxi stands are located outside the ground floor in all terminals.
On starting the journey, passengers should check that the taxi driver has set the meter running. At its end, passengers may ask for a receipt. Please note that passengers should take a taxi from a stand rather than from unofficial drivers offering taxis inside the terminal.

To book a taxi in Madrid:
Radio taxi: (+ 34) 91 447 32 32
Tele taxi: (+ 34) 902 50 11 30
Radio Mercedes Madrid: (+ 34) 91 593 20 20

 

By bus

Buses provide an effective service between the airport and the centre of Madrid. They run 5:20 am – 11:30 pm and tickets cost around 1€.

• Line 204 buses link the airport with the Avenida de América & stop at the Terminal 4.
• Line 201 connects the Terminal 4 with Barajas Metro.
• Line 200 stops at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and links the airport with the Avenida de América. The bus stops are located at Arrivals/Departures. Passengers should use this service to travel between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and the city centre.
• Line 101 links Barajas Metro, Terminals 1 and 2, and various other convenient stops.

There is also a free internal shuttle service connecting the four airport terminals

 

By metro

The Madrid Metro system covers most of the city. From the airport, trains run between 6:00 am and 1:45 am
every day. Metro Line 8 runs towards the centre (direction Nuevos Ministerios), but passengers have to change at Mar de Cristal (Line 4) to reach the most central destinations.

The Airport metro stop is in Terminal 2, reasonably close to Terminals 1 and 3. The entrance is on the lower floor of Terminal 2.

The metro operates from 6:00 am-2:00 am and costs 2€.

 

THE TRAIN

To get to Madrid’s suburbs and surrounding areas, in addition to the buses, the train can also be used. The RENFE Cercanias (regional services) runs from 6:00 am-11:55pm (approx.)

The city has two major railway stations – Puerta de Atocha and Chamartín – which offer international rail services linking Madrid with Paris and Lisbon and “Grandes Líneas” inter-city services between Madrid and all the main Spanish cities.

 

OFFICIAL AIRLINES

Identifier Code BT0IB21MPE0007
For domestic and european flights: valid from 26/09/2010 to 03/10/2010
For intercontinental flights: valid from 22/09/2010 to 08/10/2010
Discounts are applied as follow:

• Domestic Flifhts:
  - 40% discount on full Business Class fares
  - 45% discount on full Economy Class fares
• European and Intercontinental Flifhts:
  - 35% discount on full Business Class fares.
  - 40% discount on full Economy Class fares

To acces the preferential fares granted for this event, use this link:
http://www.iberia.com/ferias-congresos // www.airnostrum.es

This present document of the event serves to justify the application of the preferential airfare.
Keep it with you as you may be asked for it at any point of your journey.
To locate your nearest IBERIA sales point, consult: www.iberia.com

 

For participants travelling within Spain to Madrid by train on the occasion of the congress, special fares may be obtained with RENFE (Spanish Railway Network). You can here download the ticket in order to ask a discount to an agency.

Valid from 22/09/2010 to 03/10/ 2010

30% discount on line haul
30% discount on medium haul distances
30% discount on suburb trains

 

BUSINESS HOURS

The most common business hours are Monday through Saturday, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, and from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

 

CONVERSIONS

The metric system is used in Spain. 1 metre = 3,28 feet 1 kilometre = 0,62 miles 1 kilogram = 2.20 pounds 1 litre = 0.264 gallons 0 (°C) Celsius = 32° Fahrenheit (°F)

 

CURRENCY

The currency in Spain is the euro (divided into 100 cents). There are eight different coins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 €uros). There are seven different bank notes (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 €uros).

• www.xe.com

ELECTRICITY

Electricity supply in Spain is AC 220 Volts, 50 Hertz. Sockets meet European regulations and use the round pin system. However, most hotels have adaptors for different plugs.

 

FOOD AND DRINKS

The main dishes in Spain consist of freshly prepared food with extra virgin olive oils, wines, cheeses, chick peas, saffron, cinnamon and fresh fruit. Add these to wine, fresh fish, seafood, cured hams, sausages like chorizo and fresh breads.

The most popular Spanish food recipes include the potato omelette (“tortilla de patata”), paella and chorizo. Chorizo is a term encompassing several types of pork sausage some originating from Spain. There are also many dishes based on beans (chickpeas, lentils, green beans); soups, with many regional variations.

Spain is also the third largest producer of wine in the world. There are more than fifty wine regions in Spain. Better known are the quality reds from Rioja and Ribera del Duero, and white wines from Penedés and Rueda, “sherries” from Jerez, and a fine sparkling wine known as cava (Spanish champagne).

 

SAFETY

Spain is one of the safest countries in Europe for visiting tourists. However, as in any country, there are basic security measures to bear in mind. Try not to walk around empty streets or poorly-lit areas, and avoid street gambling stalls. Try to carry only the cash that you need and take care of your possessions in crowded places such as public transport or department stores. When relaxing in public places, keep valuable objects like mobile phones and cameras out of view.
If you need help you can contact the Police on 091.

 

CITY TRANSPORTATION

Madrid is a large city. Nevertheless, the city’s extensive public transport system enables you to get to any point in the city quickly and comfortably.
Metro underground service runs every day 6:00 am – 1:30 am and metro station entrances are marked with the letter “M”.
Buses are also a good option. They operate from 6:00 am-11:30 pm and run on special bus lanes in the city’s principle streets. Bus routes and frequency are displayed at stops. To get around by night there are night buses, popularly known as “búhos”, which run every day from 11:30 pm – 5:30 am.
Taxis run all day and night. They are white with a red stripe. They are available at taxi stands or you can order them by telephone using the radio taxi service. Rates are displayed inside the taxis and comprise the minimum fare, flag-down charge, kilometre charge and other extras such as night service, public holidays, and station or airport service. The total cost is displayed on a meter.

For more information:
Madrid Regional Transport
Madrid Metro

 

TAXES

The standard rate of the value-added tax (VAT) in Spain is 7% or 16%.

 

TELEPHONE

For international calls to Spain, dial the international code from your country, followed by 34, then dial the area code and finally your correspondent’s number. The area code for Madrid is 91.

 

TIPPING

In every single establishment in Spain, service is included with the price of the meal or drink. However, tipping is a common practice at bars and restaurants, hotels, and taxis, depending on the total price and quality of the service. It is usually around five to ten percent of the total price

 

TIME

Time in Madrid is GMT/UTC + 1 hour in winter and + 2 hours in summer.

If it is 2:00 pm in Madrid at the time of the Forum, it will be:

Spain changes its time between summer and winter for daylight saving. This means that the last weekend in October the clocks goes back 1 hour (at 3:00 am it is 2:00 am) and the last weekend in March they move forward by 1 hour (at 2:00 am it is 3:00 am).

 

WEATHER

Spain, one of the warmest countries in Europe: it has a predominantly warm Mediterranean climate, with dry summers with balanced temperatures. Average temperature in September range from 14 C° to 25 C°. Average temperature in October range from 10 C° to 19° C°.