Getting Around Madrid

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This summer we used www.autoeurope.com to book Volkswagen Golf Disel for our trip around Spain and Portugal.
Autoeurope is a consolidating agency.
Looking at my confirmation our car will be delivered by AVIS.
The price is too good to be true, so we will see once we get there (where is the trick).
Our review this fall.
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Here it is .....

to our surprise the Avis was just exchanging their fleet, and we got brand new Alfa Romeo 159. The car had only 13 km on the meter....
ALFA ROMEO 159 !!! BRAND NEW!!!!

We were very pleased.
We had no problem what so ever with the car. After all it was a brand new car.
In July 2007 we paid $447 for 12 days (07.17-07.29) + second driver fee.

We will definitely use autoeurope next time.

There is a Spanish website that offers you to travel from one Spanish city to another or even in the same city. It can be accessed at the following link - http://www.shareling.es/demands.html
All you have to do is well in advance post your demand or needs of travel indicating from which city to another you wish to travel and people who would be travelling the same route and looking for company or just simply wanting to do a good deed would contact you and share their vehicle with you. A good way of cutting costs and making friends while you are in Spain.
This is totally FREE to use unless you want to share some expenses with the owner of the vehicle.
Note: I have not tried this service, which seems to be new (November 2007) so kindly take the necessary precautions.

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We will be flying to Madrid on EasyJet this year.
They are very cheap comparing to other airlines, but full of restrictions.
There is no seat reservation, so I guess I will have to fight with some older lady over my seat (I know my luck).
The time of the departure keeps changing to later hours.

I hope we will get where we want to get without any problems.

Our review this fall.
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Well, it was great ride on those orange easyjet planes. The only thing.........the seats do not recline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You sit on your butt in 90 degree position (or at least it feels like it).
The crew is great. Food is expensive. The crew is great. And I really like orange color.
We will definitely fly EasyJet again, even though the seats do not recline but... The crew is great. :-)

It takes you a lot of time to find a parking place along the streets. So if you are in madrid you better find a hotel with parking facilities. There are several parkings in Madrid, the green shield means its free, the red one means it s not free. When you park your car wrongly your car gets trown away by police and it will cost you 150 euro to get it back. in the town s centrum you need a parking licence to park. you can buy them at the tabac shops and you need to put it visibly behind your window. (between 8 am and 8 pm).

At Barajas, terminal 1, and attocha you can find car rental companies. Atesa, Avis, Hertz are some of them. You need to be 21 and have a valuable driving license. you can pay cash, by mastercard or with travel cheques. Its wise to fully secure yourself. Hotels and travel agencies can get you a renal car too.

When a taxi is free, it is showed by a green lamp on the roof of the cab and a sighn with the word libre at the back. Taxi drivers are obligated to put on the meter. so no tricks. the beginning tarif is 1 euo, but there are extra costs for the ride to the airport, and there is extra costs for luggage. You can order a taxi via Radio Taxi (914475180). disabled people can call for an adapted taxi via Radio Telefono Taxi (9154782000)

If you plan to use the bus more often, buy a metrobuscard. ten rides. (around 5 euro). you can buy them at kiosks and sigarshops and the EMT at Sol. At the busstops the numbers of the busses and routes are sighnpposted. click your card in the machine in the bus. wheelchairs can use the busses with a low entrance floor. (piso bajo). Line 2 rides from east to west trough the centre, line 5 rides between Sol and Chamartin station, line 27 rides from north to south over the paseo castiliano. Busses ride from 6 am to midnight.

Madrid Vision gives the whole year sightseeing tours on a red double decker. it starts at several places in town, but the main place to get upon the bus nis on Sol. there you can buy tickets. there are tickets for one tour, tickets for 3 tours. you can get up and off the bus and hop trough the city in that way. You get information by a headphone in sevral languages. getting up and from the bus is on 14 places. you are allowed to ride with the bus the whole day.