I will be traveling to Madrid soon (so excited!)and would like to take the AeroCity shuttle upon arriving at Barajas. Does anyone know if it is necessary to book this ahead of time? Or is there a booth you go to and get in line? Also, is this available 24hrs? Thanks for any info!

Hello doragil30!

Best thing to do would be to send Aerocity an email to ask about the 24 hour service.

While I'm not certain, I don't think they operate 24 hours. They have (or at least they had) a booth in the public area once you leave baggage claim and pass through the "Nothing to Declare / Nada de Declarar" gate of the T1-T2, but I don't know/think they have a booth in T-4. The booth may be overlooked in T-1/2 so if you don't see it, ask at the many free "i" (for "Information") tourism counters/booths and they can direct you.

I don't think it's now necessary to book ahead of time when flying into Madrid's Barajas Airport but maybe so if you're arriving at an odd or extremely early/late hour. Again, send them an email to ask.

Good luck and enjoy your visit to Madrid and Spain!!

Saludos, MadridMan

Bear in mind that if you want to travel from the airport to Central Madrid .. it´ll only cost you a couple of Euros on the metro which is right there at the airport . The downside to the metro is that the´re aren´t always escalators or elevators so you´ll have to drag luggage up stairs sometimes .
The more expensive ( much more ) that i´ve used many times is a taxi . There are 100s of them at the airport .. It´ll be something like 30-40 Euros into the centre .. The price on the metre will be the basic price and THEN they´ll add on a 5 or 6 Euro airport surcharge ... Notices in the taxi will tell you about this .
Steve

i think it depends on how he is traveling, luggage, small kids, etc. otherwise the metro is a breeze and cheap.

I have heard of the aerocity shuttle, but never needed to use it.

I have used the aero city shuttle on each of my trips to madrid. You may book ahead, and I think the cost may be a smaller amount, but not that much. As you leave the customs area and enter into the terminal itself, travel to your right about 1/2 block. In the area in front of the store marked "Pharmacia" you will see a booth. This is the location for the aero city station. You will get the shuttle service directly outside, but need to check in at the booth first. I do not believe they are open 24 hours per day, but check with them.

MadridMan is right. The best and most efficient way to get from the Barajas to Madrid central is with the Aerocity Shuttle. I have been going to Spain annually now for the past 15 years and ever since hearing of this company and using them, they have never ever been late both coming and going. That being said, they are also very efficient and courteous in their operation. If you are not familiar with the Metro and train system of Madrid, this is your best course of action. Hope that this helps.

Thank you all for your suggestions and info. I will look for the booth when I get there!

thinking of using Aerocity from Madrid (city) to Barajas in the early morning of Aug 6th. We will have lots of baggage and I think it might be the best idea not to hail a cab at that time of the morning (7 am). Does anyone have any opinions or thoughts about Aerocity? Are they reliable for pick up??? thanks

esperanza, we have had lots of reviews, nearly always positive, about the Aerocity service in Madrid - but lately, in the last couple of years, they've kind of "dropped off the map". I was reading a number of not-so-positive reviews about them in the last 6 months about being charged higher fees than what's on their website, non-English-speaking drivers, drop-offs several blocks from the hotel, and no-shows too.

August 6th is a Friday. Still, I would doubt you'd have any trouble getting a cab at 7am. And plus, Aerocity might balk at your request of a pickup at anyplace other than a hotel. Sometime tells me they don't have/use GPS.

But I know what you're saying about having lots of luggage. Hmmm.... You could always contact Aerocity at, at the very least, ask if they could do a residential pickup. While more expensive, you may also consider calling a taxi by phone.

Saludos, MadridMan

well, just to follow up on this: We took the Aerocity shuttle to Barajas airport on Friday and it went very smoothly. I was very nervous about them not picking us up on time, but they were there 10 minutes early and we got to the airport very quickly. We had 4 large suitcases, 5 smaller bags (backpacks, duffle bags, etc.) and we were 2 people going to separate terminals. I was charged 34 euros, which was very fair. I do not think I could have found a taxi to take us with all our baggage. I booked it online and they corresponded with me quickly and efficiently. So, all in all, a good experience with Aerocity.