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¡Prepárate!
El Programa de Verano de UNCG en Madrid, España
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Transportation
The Metro
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Tickets are available in metro stations
from cashiers or automated machines, from authorized news kiosks and
tobacco shops (estancos) or you can buy a ticket on the
bus. If you buy a multi-trip ticket, it can be used on either the subway
or the bus. You have to validate
your ticket on each trip by putting it through a slot in the turnstile. Take care of your multi-trip ticket to keep
the magnetic strip on the back from being damaged. If you still have rides and your ticket won't pass through the slot
to be validated, you can take it to the cashier and show it to him or
her.
Although you should try to use exact change
on the bus, the driver will give you change if necessary.
If you use a large bill, however, the driver is not required
to give you change; rather, he will take your name and address and the
change will be mailed to you.
System maps are posted at many metro stops to help you find your way.
The website for the bus system is http://www.emtmadrid.es/
and there is even an English-language version of the site. The site is easy to use, easier than the maps
posted on the bus-stops, so it's probably a good idea to check it out
before your trip, locating your residence in Madrid and places you may
wish to visit in order to find out the numbers of the bus lines you
will need. It is especially important to know about the
bus system if you are a night person, because the subway stops running
at 1:30 a.m. It can be difficult
to find a taxi late at night, as well as expensive, so if you're planning
to sip rioja with your new Spanish friends until
deep into the night, be sure you know where to catch the bus home.
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The bus stops have maps and show
the bus numbers that stop there. |
However, you will probably use the subway
more frequently, due to its speed and ease of use..
Each train has a route map so you won't miss your stop; the map
also shows which lines connect at each station.
Metro costs
- Metrobus 10 viajes (ten trips) €6.40
- Abono mensual (monthly ticket) €40.45
- Abono mensual joven (monthly ticket for young people under 21) €26.30 +
- Tarjeta mensual (monthly trip ticket) €1.20
- Abono transportes turístico,
Zone A, 7 days, €19.80
With a ticket of the month you can ride an unlimited
number of times on subways and buses.
Such a ticket consists of two components:
a ticket (tarjeta mensual)
and a magnetic coupon (abono mensual).
The monthly ticket is available from the 20th of the preceding month
until the 15th of the current month.
It can be purchased from metro agents in the stations or at authorized
news kiosks or tobacconists (who also sell postage stamps -- €.78 to
send a postcard to the US).
A tourist ticket is available at the Centro de Información de Turismo de Madrid in Plaza Mayor, as well
as at certain licensed newstands and tobacco vendors. It is available in units from 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days, from midnight
to midnight, and for Zone A (metropolitan Madrid) and Zone T (which
will get you as far as Guadalajara and Toledo). The price varies, of course, with the length of time you buy and
the zone you choose. A 7-day
ticket for Zone A costs €19.80 and includes unlimited travel on the
metro and buses. You must show your passport at the time of
purchase and the ticket is not transferable.
This cost is slightly more than three times the rate for a ten-trip
ticket, so you would need to use public transportation more than thirty-one
times per week for this ticket to save you money. However, if you will be spending a weekend exploring Madrid and
its surroundings, it may be worthwhile to invest in a 2- or 3-day tourist
ticket. This website
will allow you to check the prices to make a good decision; it provides
information in Spanish and English.
The monthly ticket is not a 30-day ticket; it is good
for a calendar month. If you
purchase a monthly ticket at the end of May, it will be good for the
month of June. If you are leaving Madrid on the 18th of June,
you will have to ride the metro more than 61 times to save money with
the monthly ticket, that is about 3 to 4 times per day, every day. If you are under 21, however, the deal is a
bit better: you will have to
ride the metro more than 41 times to save money, about 2.3 trips daily. If you live far from the Institute and need
to ride the metro to and from class, plus use the metro to go out at
night, this may be a good idea. However,
most likely your best bet is going to be the 10-trip ticket at €6.40.
Remember when traveling on the metro that it will be
very crowded at rush hour and often at other times as well. It's especially important to watch your belongings
on the metro because the crowded conditions make it very easy for someone
to bump up against you "accidentally" and take your wallet
or slip their hand into your purse.
One trick is for a person to drape a sweater or jacket over his
or her arm in order to conceal the fact that he or she is slyly unzipping
your bag. Thieves in Madrid are very accomplished and
manage to rob not only tourists but also Madrileños with distressing
frequency. You really can't be too careful! This is a situation where a little paranoia
wouldn't hurt.
Taxis
Getting a cab in Madrid is a very
varied experience. It's best to be prepared with some information.
The cabbie could be anything from warm and friendly to rude and
dishonest. Cabbies will not stop and pick you up if you look drunk or
if you have a buddy with you who is passing out or looks intoxicated.
Free cabs have a green light on top; if the light is
out there is already a fare in the cab. Prices are higher from 10 at
night to 6 in the morning and on holidays. The number next to the green
light as well as the meter in the cab indicates the fare, Tariff 1 for
the lower fare, and 2 for the higher. For some trips there is an extra
fee, for example, from a taxi stand or the airport.
If you get stuck in traffic, there is an hourly fee of €13.30
for each hour you travel less than 19 km./hour (about 6 ½ miles per
hour).
The fare to or from the airport should not exceed €25,
unless there is simply horrendous traffic.
Check the meter when you get into and out of the cab in order
to assure that you are being charged fairly.
If you suspect you are being ripped off, refuse to pay and ask
to speak to a police officer (after you have gotten your bags out of
the cab). If the cabbie is trying to cheat you, he will
probably just take off at that point.
Cabbies are required to give you a receipt if you ask for one;
if you wish to register a complaint at the Oficina
Municipal del Taxi you should also write down the driver's ID number
or Tax Identification Number and the official number of the cab displayed
on the dashboard, as well as the date and time of your trip.
You need to be on your guard but do not hesitate to
take a cab if all your friends have left and you need to go home alone
very late at night. If it's
very late ask the bartender or your host / hostess to call a cab for
you. If you call a cab, the driver starts the meter
when he receives the call and sets off to pick you up.
If you are separated from your group on a field trip
and everyone leaves without you, don't panic.
Trains travel frequently to and from Madrid and don't cost much. For example, if you are left behind in Segovia,
it will cost you less than €6 to get back to Madrid and there is a train
every 2 hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
From Toledo the schedule is similar and the price is under €10.
If you decide to spend a weekend in gorgeous Valencia,
trains leave about every hour (some faster, some slower) and the cost
varies with the speed of the trip.
You can get there in about three hours for about €43 or in a
first-class seat for €70.
For more information on traveling by train, check out
the website.
Website recommendation
About.com's "Spain for Visitors"
website has a wealth of valuable information on all kinds of topics
including transportation, things to do in Madrid, a photo gallery and
many more practical and useful links.
Advice from
UNCG students from the Summer in Spain 2007 program
Students surveyed at the end
of the 2007 summer program shared the following advice.
The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of students giving
that piece of advice.
- Figure out right away how often you'll use the metro so you can decide if a tourist pass or monthly pass is worth the cost. (6)
- Try to walk rather than take the metro, because it gets expensive and you can walk most places. (4)
- Walk as much as possible: Madrid is beautiful. (2)
- Walk to school to save money on metro tickets. (2)
- Be aware of the costs of the metro and be sure to budget; some students spent as much as €200 on the metro! Look into alternative ways to buy tickets if you will be using the metro more than 3 times daily (7-day tourist ticket, monthly pass).
- WALK! Sure the metro is easier, but you'll find out a lot more about Madrid if you walk everywhere. It's big but not that big. AND you'll be saving money.
- The metro's amazing! Forget about taxis unless it's too late to take the metro and you can't walk.
- The metro is easy to learn.
- Don't take taxis unless absolutely necessary; the taxi drivers take advantage of you.
- Remember, the metro closes at 1:30.
- Metro
tickets are good on the buses, too.