My Wife and I will be moving to Rota Spain this summer. From what I gather this is will be our route. By plane: Baltimore > New York > Madrid > Seville: By Bus to Rota. Is this about right? Is there a better way? I have a two years old daughter. How long is the flight from New York to Madrid?
Thank you

You could take Amtrak to Newark airport (EWR) rail station and fly Continental airlines to Madrid. (I have no financial interest in Continental; it just seems to me to be a better alternative than JFK and I hate JFK airport). It's about a 6.5 hour flight.

Alternative: U.S. Airways Philadelphia-Madrid. I would book the one (Continental or US Airways)with the earliest scheduled AM arrival in Madrid to give me the best chance to catch the 10:05 Altaria tren: Madrid - el Puerto de Santa Maria.

If you get off Amtrak at Phila's 30th Street Station you can catch an R-1 Airport Rail Line direct to the U.S. Airways International Departures Terminal at Philadelphia International airport (PHL)

There are two (2) thru trains to Cadiz daily. One departs Madrid's Puerta de Atocha: 10:05. If you can make that one, you might be better off getting off at el Puerto de Santa Maria and taking a taxi to your final destination in Rota. If you don't make that thru train you can catch the next (hourly, on the half hour) AVE to Sevilla and either take an hourly regional rail (commuter) train to el Puerto or taxi to Prado de San Sebastian Bus Station and catch a (ComesSA) bus to Rota. I think they run about every 2-hours.

Been there; done that! I am a bit tacaño so, if it were me, O think I would get off the Altaria train at Jerez de la frontera and catch a bus to Rota from there.

BTW
You're going to Rota (Cadiz) and you're not associated with the U.S. Navy or Air Force?

RonL,
I have to agree with Eddie,I was stationed in Rota 59/61 returned last year for a visit and discovered a whole new world.I know you will enjoy your time there. Good luck!

Just a heads up about jet lag and very young children. Sometimes they have strong reactions and sometimes none at all. You just never know until you do it. One of the unfortunate symptoms is motion sickness, so be on the lookout. We traveled quite a bit with our young children and my best advice is to chop up the journey into more manageable pieces. While adults just keep putting one foot in front of the other and push on to get to their destinations, some kids don't have that type of fortitude. That being said, traveling with kids can be great and I'm so glad we started with them right away. You will have a great time.

By the way, Eddie, I am truly impressed with your knowledge of transportation. I will email you next time I am planning a trip!

The only way to get Rota from Sevilla Sevilla is by bus, from the “Estación de Autobuses El Prado de San Sebastián”. Although this Sevilla bus station is very old and depressed, buses to Rota are good, comfortable and have air-co. The distance is about 110 kms, just 90/110 minutes by bus.

From Sevilla airport you can take the bus or a taxi to El Prado bus station. If you come to Sevilla by train, the bus station is near. You can take a taxi, it’s near ( 4€ the ride).

Rota is a nice and lively summer town. I vacation nearby Rota every summer.

For some reason I noticed that nobody recomended that he fly to Lisbon and take either the train or bus. Lisbon would be closer than Seville and certainly Madrid. I could be wrong about Seville. I don't know, maybe you can't get there from here.

Jana writes: Yes; I used to work for a Travel Agency here in Philadelphia and I have been there; done most of those things!

Desert Dweller writes: As for the Lisbon connection: when I did that it was a grueling, 9-hour bus trip. Definitely not one which I would want to take with a small child in 'tow.'

They have cut that by at least an hour (departing Oriente multimodal Transportation Center, crossing the Vasco da Gama Bridge and skipping Setubal) so it might be more bearable now.

Yes, one could take a train Lisbon-Albufeira or Faro and then catch a bus to Sevilla but those buses don't run very frequently and many Damas SA routes require a change of Bus in Huelva.

My family went to Spain in May 2005. Five adults, 1- 20month old
we left from the washington d.c area flew to philadelphia then to madrid. We stayed with family in madrid for 2 weeks then took the train to jerez de la frontera. where we rents cars to drive to Rota. My son did very well on the train ride. So I think it is a good way to go.