Lord of the Flies from start to finish. Enough said, and if I ever come back to Spain, I will spend the extra money for taxis. read more

Estación de Chamartín - This is a horrible train station. - Train Stations Near Me - Madrid, M

This is the local station that gets you to destinations within the country. Within close proximity. This is how I went from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela. It's a fairly small station with lots of construction currently happening so give yourself some time in case you need to go from one end to another. My hotel was located close enough so I walked over after checking out. I had more than enough time so I was able to have a proper meal while I waited for my gate number to be announced. I went through security as soon as my gate was announced then they let us board. I'm hoping the current construction is allowing them to add food options cos there wasn't much to choose from. read more

Estación de Chamartín - Train Stations Near Me - Madrid, M

Departing from Madrid Chamartin station can be confusing bc this is a major transportation hub with metro in the lower underground levels and both local commuter Cercanius trains in a separate wing and Renfe regional and high speed trains in another. Make sure the tickets are for Cercanius (designated with a red "C" logo, and look for departure times posted on screens scattered around the Cercanius platforms. It almost goes without saying, but get on the train headed in the correct direction (I may or may not have experienced this ;) as sometimes times can be similar for trains on the same line headed in the opposite direction. What is also frustrating is the station publishes the platform exceedingly late between 3-10 minutes prior to the train arrival/departure so make sure you have your eyes glued on the screen, and are aware of your distance to each platform. There are a fair number of food and convenience store options in the station at each level, though as another reviewer mentioned outside of seating at the cafes, there is minimal other seating for customers waiting for trains, you basically need to stand around the waiting areas especially during peak times. If you're not familiar with the station and following Gmaps or any other map app, make sure you factor in 20 minutes to find your platform inside after arriving to the station itself, maybe more if you plan to buy tickets within the station, since again it can be a maze. read more

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The long term construction here means you need lots of extra time. Restroom (I only saw one outside the baggage scanners and it's over by medium distance train side) is very far from high speed train area and costs €1. Not nearly enough space for travelers to sit. Rough surface for rolling suitcases. Very far from metro / medium distance station and high speed train station. Outside in the elements for almost whole walk. It's a mess. Hope you make your train! Only good thing: personnel are helpful when you find someone and restroom is super modern, clean and relaxing. read more

Estación de Chamartín - Bathroom - only nice thing! - Train Stations Near Me - Madrid, M

2nd largest (21 platforms) Madrid Estacion and the Iryo Estacion for Valencia Sorolla. -A cafe and convenience store (both La Galeria), a few vending machines and a small corner store are available after Luggage check -could have more seating in the waiting area. One jumbo platform inf. board in the waiting area. Luggage Security check was busy but goes fast and only took 5 minutes. For incoming, we had a long walk to the Taxi stand -some major construction happening. About 20 minutes by Taxi to our hotel close to Gran Via and we took the Metro for our return due to the Marathon-about 25 minutes-of course Metro was much cheaper. From Metro platforms to train station was smooth and had ample escalators/elevator which was nice given we had larger luggage. Overall ok and should have some improvements after completed renovation. read more

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Possibly one of the worst central train stations I've passed through in Europe. This place is always busy, there are SO many beggars that will not leave you alone, even though the Policia Nacional are standing right there, and most of the restaurants are closed; not just closed out-of-business closed, but closed at times when you could really use breakfast or lunch. You'll be lucky if there's more than 2 places open at 7am. Godspeed--and hold onto your personal belongings, unless you want to get pickpocketed. I saw it happen to 2 people while on a 5 hour layover. Never doing that again. read more

This train station is built around function of loading and disembarking travellers, and not much more. The aesthetics are from the 1960's era with no visible updates. Unlike a newer airport where there are many places to shop or sit, this train station has a few places to get a sandwich but virtually no seated area for travellers outside of eating areas. The earlier you arrive, the longer you stand. The public bathroom is a long circuitous route from the entrance to the rail station and costs $1 Euro. It was very clean and continuously maintained by an attendant. Inside the terminal, after you pass through the luggage check, there is a bathroom at the very back and is easy to miss. My wife and I took a cab from our hotel in downtown Madrid and it took about 20 minutes and they dropped off right at the entrance to the train station. To pick up a cab, they have the cabs located about an 8-10 minute walk away that is clearly marked through and around construction areas. Not hard to navigate. In summary, the train station met it's transactional goals of getting us on and off a train at the same time as 1000's of others. It had very little extra to offer. read more

Estación de Chamartín - Entrance of station - Train Stations Near Me - Madrid, M

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A quick stop here to change from the train to the metro as I made my way from the airport to my hotel in central Madrid. This station is clearly laid out and has some handicapped accessible features for transfer. With a small suitcase, I had no difficulty. There are turnstiles for leaving the train section and then different ones for entering the metro section. In between, automated ticketing kiosks for each. The machine accepts cards and cash and coins. It does have an "English" button that made things a ton easier for me to purchase a multi-day pass. For the metro, this is a very busy station with service on C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-7, C-8 and C-10 lines. [Review 12503 overall, 2293 of 2019.] read more

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This place is a shit show. The signage is atrocious. You have to walk out of the train station and re enter after walking through a parking garage. The people who work for this socialist government station literally don't give a fuck about helping travelers. Obviously they don't get paid anymore for doing a good job and being helpful versus doing the bare minimum. The Renfe ticket boxes are nearly impossible to use unless you know ahead of time. This station will be exactly the same in 30 years because it's pretty clear nobody gives a damn about making it any better. They have so many employees standing around to help travelers because everything is not user friendly or easy for anyone to figure out. They probably could cut the number of employees by half if they wanted to actually install better signage from the scan through area, to the train platform info signs to just general direction signage around the station. Also, get your escalators to work. Again, don't expect anything but a debacle trying to navigate this shit of Madrid. read more

Nothing too special about this station it is fine. You can easily access it via the subway blue line. You do have to go through security so be sure to allow sufficient time for that effort. There are a few dining options and a phone store plus some other retail. It can be alittle confusing to find the gates read more

Estación de Chamartín - Train Stations Near Me - Madrid, M

Very clean and user friendly station. There are a few cafes to pick something up at, but nothing great. Security happens once your ticket is checked. The train times run a bit different than they do in America - they don't leave at the exact moment, which was a pleasant surprise to not be so rushed! read more

We took the train from Madrid to Lisboa and departed from Chamartin. I will admit we probably got there way before we needed to be, but when that's what you're used to when traveling in the US, it's hard to break out of that habit. There were a few little cafes spread out throughout the station & a couple of shops, but nothing like what you can see in some of the airports today. There was another option for a train station (Atocha) that would have had the 'fancier' experience, but Chamartin was not far from our place so it made the most sense. The agents in the station are helpful, but the flow of people coming and going made it seem like it was almost a self-sufficient station. read more

I'm very fed up with this station. First of all, they don't display from which platform the train will leave until 5-10 minutes before the train leaves. We asked the people at the information booth, who didn't even speak English, and they didn't know what the Interrail pass was, and almost tore off the ticket, which would have nullified the entire pass. They told us we'd have to reserve seats, even though the train we were taking didn't require reservations. read more

For the major long distance train station of Madrid, this place is pretty crappy. It is really far away from the center with pretty much nothing else around it. The selection in the station is limited and the whole complex outside of where the trains are is pretty much abandoned. It looks like an abandoned 80's mall/ shopping complex. read more