I am thinking about visiting Madrid at the start of our trip then going to Seville. We would return from Seville evening our last night and stay at an airport hotel. We are currently looking at one near Barajas Metro near Avenida General. My wife is pregnant so too many metro changes (or stairs) are a problem. Is the metro or a taxi the only feasible options from Atocha? I assume you take the train to T-4 and get a taxi, but is that a good option? Are there other options?

Thanks!

You can take the Cercanias from Atocha to Nuevos Ministerios and then transfer to the Metro. There is some walking but it is completely accessible with elevators, ramps, escalators and moving walkways. The metro then goes to both T1/2/3 and T4. It also involves buying separate tickets.

I looked into the new Cercanias from T4 to Sol/Atocha for my upcoming trip, but it involves a transfer at Chamartin, so the Metro was more convenient from the T1.

Matt

with your wife pregnant I will take a taxi.

A week ago I took the new airport bus-great deal for 2 euros!

The taxi from Barajas to Central Madrid will be about €25 ( including airport surcharge and tip ) I did it MANY times as it was so convenient . The Metro and the bus are really great services , though as has been mentioned , there is a lot of walking to do on the metro once you get to Nuevos Ministerios . With your wife being pregnant I would agree with my friend Pedmar that the taxi is the better option . The bus would cost you €4 for 2 people and the taxi €25 .. €21 split between 2 = €10.50 .. Ok I would say that's money well spent for the lack of hassle . Madrid taxi drivers , in the main , do not speak English so make sure you print out directions if your Spanish is not good enough .
Although I spoke OK Spanish I always had directions in my pocket , just in case .
That may have been a throw back to my first trip to New York City .. I was there on business in my early 20s .. I had the first morning meeting on the 48th floor of one of the World Trade Center towers ( our offices ) .. The cab pulled up infront of my hotel in midtown Manhattan and I asked the ( Indian ) guy to take me to the World Trade Center .. He didn't know the buildings !!!!! I said " the 2 big towers Downtown .. in the financial district .. really big towers ... " Finally he understood !!
Anyway the taxi drivers in Madrid are generally very good , but increasingly there are many immigrants driving , from Latin America, Eastern Europe etc.... They are very good drivers on Madrid's sometimes chaotic roads , but they sometimes lack knowledge of the city's streets .
Still my advice is to take a taxi !

Thanks for the tips. My wife and I walk alot so it is more steps and lifting luggage that is more of a concern. We are flying into Madrid and staying semi-near Atocha before going to Seville so this is helpful both ways. We will keep both options and see how she feels when we get off the plane. But If I read the above correctly, on arrival at Barajas we could take the metro to Nuevos Ministerios and transfer to Cercanias and take that to Atocha and walk 10 mins to our Hostal Bruna on Moratin. But we would need to pay separately for the metro and Cercanias and that would be €8 for us versus about €25 for a taxi. Thanks

Mike the yellow airport bus costs 2 euros each and goes to Atocha-no need to take steps,change trains etc.It took about 15 minutes-Believe me it's really a wonderful thing!!!

There's growing city support to raise the Airport Express Bus ticket price from its current 2 Euros as, it seems, is operating at a loss. I took the bus from Barajas to Atocha last spring and found it comfortable and pretty easy. The Wi-Fi internet didn't work, however, but maybe I was out-of-range while sitting in the back.

Saludos, MadridMan

I took the bus today from Cibeles-it was already packed coming from Atocha but the driver just kept packing them in! We still made it in good time even to Terminal 4.More and more people are beginning to use it! I think even if they double the price to 4 euros it would still be a good deal.

Someone told me about it from the fam in Madrid,but use to old habits still took the metro to move from T4 to Colombia,and on to Sainz de Baranda. Easy trip in and out.
the rest I had a car ::)