What is the best way for my wife and I to get to the Hotel Europa in Madrid from the Madrid Chamartin train station? We have 1 bag each and could be mobile if we have to.

Chamartín train station in in the northern part of the city - north of the Old City Center. You can make this trip cheaply by metro (web: http://www.metromadrid.es ) if the bags are the smallish, rolling type. Anything larger and you might consider a taxi. It's a difference between about 1 Euro each for the metro or about.. maybe... 12-20 Euros by taxi. If you can afford it, going by taxi would be less stressful and less physical (lots of metro station steps, escalators, jumping on and off metro trains, standing in metro train cars, etcetera).

However, keep in mind a taxi (nor a the metro) will deliver you to the door of Hotel Europa because it's on a pedestrian street. You'll arrive within a block though.

Enjoy Madrid! And we'd welcome your personal review of Hotel Europa in the "Hostels & Other Lodgings" forum when/if you have time. Thanks!

Saludos, MadridMan

Gracias MM. Will write review of Hotel Europa in Madrid and Hotel Continental in Barcelona when we get back. Aloha!