For various reasons, I’ve had to go back to the U.S. three times since moving to Sevilla last July. The trip involves a high-speed train from Sevilla to Madrid, a transfer from the Atocha train station to Madrid’s airport, two flights from Madrid to Charlotte and then everything in reverse to come home. By FAR, the most stressful part of the trip every time was figuring out the best way to get between the airport and the train station in Madrid.
The first time I flew back, I was able to get a relatively cheap ticket flying directly from Sevilla to Madrid, but changes to my plans on my return trip meant I had to get to Atocha after arriving at the airport. After an overnight flight, a long layover in Rome, and a stressful couple of weeks in the U.S, I decided to get an Uber, since the line at the taxi station seemed unreasonably long. Well, there were also a lot of people waiting at the Uber location, the driver took forever to get to the pickup point, and heavy traffic between the two locations caused me to miss my train, forcing me to wait at Atocha for more than two hours for the next one.
The next time, on the way to the States, I used this helpful guide from Catalonia Hotels and decided to try the Cercanias suburban train because I thought my plane was leaving from terminal 4, where the train arrives. I arrived in plenty of time to get to the airport, but the display said the train was arriving on Track 2, it actually arrived on Track 1, I missed it because I wasn’t paying attention, and ended up waiting another 45 minutes for the next train. Then I discovered my flight was actually leaving from Terminal 3, which is not attached to Terminal 4; indeed they are quite a bus ride apart. So a trip that should have taken 35 minutes took almost two hours! I made my flight, but my heart was racing as I flew to the gate. I used this train on the way home, too, but just missed one as it was pulling out when I arrived, and I ended up waiting another 45 minutes for the next one. Not ideal after a long night of overnight travel!
This month, I decided to brave the Metro, and that was by far the most efficient, cheapest way I’ve discovered so far. As the guide promised, it was much easier than it sounded, and the ride was clean, fast, and comfortable. And while I was looking at the subway maps, I realized my boys had no experience riding in a subway or reading a subway map, so I have an adventure to plan for them!
I haven’t tried the bus yet which, while the least expensive, also runs the risk of being caught in that Madrid traffic. Since I’ll be coming home this time (hopefully!) with my cat (more on that next week!), we’ll see if I want to try to bus or just grab a cab. I’ll keep you posted!
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