DebConf9/Travel

Travel Information

This page is for collecting information on how to get to DC9. At some point it should be converted into something a bit more official at http://debconf9.debconf.org

Returning Home, Caceres -> World

take a look at TravelHome

Air

There are 3 main international airports within rail or bus distance of Cáceres:

• Madrid (about 300 km)
  • Budget flight listing
• Sevilla (about 250 km)
  • Budget flight listing
• Lisbon, Portugal (about 300 km)
  • Budget flight listing

Allow 15-60 minutes to leave the airport. Allow an extra 10 minutes if you arrive at Terminal4 as it is further away from Metro stations.

The nearest domestic airport to Cáceres is in Talavera in the province of Badajoz, around 90km away. [1]

Train

Cáceres is served daily with trains from Madrid, Seville, Badajoz and Lisbon (in portugal).

Train bookings to Madrid become bookable from 22nd April. Returns are also now (1st May) open for booking. Local trains Madrid <-> Caceres have a 62day horizon and thus become bookable from 23rd May (outward), 31st May (return).

We suggest making a user account ('Alta usarios' link) before booking online, as this will allow you to retrieve your tickets easily, and to check more easily if they have been booked if you have a problem with the website during payment.

• Spanish railways ticket search / (also Spanish railways homepage but that's currently broken for many)
• Instructions on booking train tickets from the Spanish railways website above
• Rail Europe
• Elephant Hire
• European railway timetable -- this (German) site is the best place for finding trains that go through more than one country, but unfortunately you can only buy the german portion online. They can sell alltickets by phone.
• Spanish Rail in the UK -- only their contact details, but apparently they should be able to help with ticket booking
• Other ticket sites??

Details of people who have/are booking trains available on Debconf9/Travel/TrainBooking.

Bus

• Avanzabus
  • There are two busses departing directly from the airport (T1) to Caceres (map). To see their schedule choose Madrid Aeropuerto as origin on the web interface.
  • More buses are available from the Méndez Alvaro (a.k.a. Estación del Sur, South bus station).
  • Estacion Sur has two floors: the platforms are on ground level, and the ticketing desk/departure table/mall is on the first floor. The Avanzabus tickets are sold from the rightmost windows (the ones with the longest queue :-/ ). The platform (andén) number can be looked up on the large sign opposite the ticket desk.
• Buses at the Seville Cáceres route are operated by Alsa. There are some six buses a day, tickets are bookable on the web for 17,21€ one way, 32,70€ return, though advantages of web booking in doubt.
• Others??

Metro/Tube/Subway/Underground in Madrid

• Significant stations:
  • Trains to Caceres leave from Atocha Renfe
  • Busses to Caceres leave from Méndez Álvaro
  • Planes leave from/arrive at Aeropuerto
  • Trains to Paris leave from/arrive at Chamartin
  • Trains to Barcelona leave from/arrive at Atocha Renfe

• Maps and planners
• Metro map: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Madrid_Metro_Map.svg
• Official (but ugly) metro map: http://www.softdoc.es/madrid_guide/maps/metro_map.html
• Integrated train/metro map(also translated into english): http://www.anden1.org/rfi/RFi_Ciudad_Julio2009_1.pdf
• English route planner: http://www.metromadrid.es/en/index.html

• Metro journeys are 1€, including as many changes as you like as long as you don't leave the train station. Arriving or leaving the Airport is 1€ extra. Changing from Metro to bus requires a second ticket. If you buy a book of 10 then each segment is 0.68€
• http://www.metromadrid.es/en/comunicacion/prensa/noticia226.html says that the section between Nuevos Ministerios-Laguna will be repaired until the 7 August :)
• It should take 45-60 minutes from Aeropuerto to Atocha Renfe (Metro station to Metro station)
  • Line 8 from Airport to Nuevos Ministerios, Circular line 6 to Pacifico, line 1 to Atocha Renfe. (23 mins, according to planner) -- NOTE: line 6 is being repaired, you will have to take a (free) bus. You should probably better just do the following:
  • Line 8 from Airport to Nuevos Ministerios, line 10 to Tribunal, line 1 to Atocha Renfe. (~52 minutes)

• Airport to South bus station (45-60 minutes)
  • Line 8 from Airport to Nuevos Ministerios, Circular line 6 to Méndez Álvaro, then follow the signs to "Estacion Sur"

At the "Atocha Renfe" metro station

If you arrive at "Atocha Renfe" metro station from the north (as probably 95% of the people will), the train tracks are on the right side (looking from the driving direction of the metro.). It approximatly 300m straight from the metro to the tracks where the train to Caceres leave, after 300m the tracks are on the left. There are huge signs indicating on which track the train leaves exactly.

What's the best way to go from Chamartin to Atocha?

The way to go is by train (Cercanias), which at that time of day should have a frequency of <10min, and a trip time of <15min. In renfe.es you have a 'Cercanias' drop menu (IIRC) where you can choose 'Madrid', and then see the timetable between Chamartin and Atocha.

Atocha v.s. Atocha Cercanias

They are both on the same place (same metro station), just look at the signs inside, or ask where you should take your train (you should probably see some big banners saying "Extremadura", just follow them).

Atocha v.s. Atocha Renfe metro stations

If you want to get to the train station get down at Atocha Renfe, otherwise you will be getting out on the station that is located outside (in the street) of the train station.

In Caceres

Directions to the venue

Various useful maps of Madrid and Spain

• http://www.gomadrid.com/madrid-maps.html

Recommended hostels in Madrid

It is recommended you reserve a place in Madrid ahead of time! Its summer and things fill up, you cannot count on something being available the day you show up.

If you want a hostel that is ok: clean enough, air, totally free wifi, with a metro station 10 min away and have big lockers. You can go to: http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Cat-s-Hostel/Madrid/6657 or http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Mad-Hostel/Madrid/13326 (they are pretty much the same since apparently, they are both owned by the same people). NOTE: Read the reviews that people have left for these hostels! I did and found that the Cat hostel has had a couple people mention bedbugs in the last week, that does not sound good! I read a bunch of the reviews and settled on http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Way-Hostel/Madrid/34763 which is a brand new place, had a significant number of positive reviews (some even said it was the best hostel they have ever stayed in, ever). Reserving through hostelworld seems to work fine.