Use your Barajas layover to see Madrid by taxi: what to do on a short layover in Madrid

On a short layover at Barajas you can leave the airport if your travel documents allow you to enter Spain, if you do not have to collect and re-check your luggage or you have time to do so, and if you still have several free hours after allowing for the exit formalities and getting back with a margin. With little time, the sensible thing is not to go all the way into the centre and to stay around the airport: El Capricho park, Juan Carlos I park, the old town of the Barajas district or a shopping centre such as Plenilunio are close by and easy to reach by taxi.

1. Can you leave the airport?

If you are arriving from outside the Schengen area, leaving means going through border control, and for that you need documents that allow you to enter Spain (in some cases, a visa). If your layover is between two non-Schengen flights, you may not need to go through that control to connect, but you will to leave. Check the requirements for your nationality before you travel.

2. What happens to your luggage?

If your suitcase is checked through to your final destination, it travels on its own and you only carry your hand luggage. If you have to collect it and check it in again, add that time and ask at the airport about left-luggage options.

3. How much time do you really have?

From the length of the layover, subtract getting out (disembarking, checks), the journeys there and back, and returning with the margin your next flight requires: at least two hours ahead for European flights and three for international ones, plus security. What is left is your free time. Also check which terminal your next flight leaves from: T4 is separate from the others, as we explain in which Barajas terminal you need.

El Capricho park

In Alameda de Osuna, it is one of the loveliest historic gardens in Madrid, with a Romantic layout, a palace, a hedge maze and ponds. Bear in mind that it does not open every day, only on certain days of the week and on bank holidays; check the opening times before you go.

Juan Carlos I park

A large park next to Campo de las Naciones, with wide green spaces, open-air sculptures and paths for walking or cycling. Ideal for stretching your legs before a long flight.

The old town of Barajas

Before it gave its name to the airport, Barajas was a village, and it still has its main square and a relaxed atmosphere, with bars where you can grab something to eat away from the bustle of the terminal.

A shopping centre

Plenilunio, in the San Blas-Canillejas district, is an option if it is raining or if you want to eat and do some last-minute shopping.

With a long layover, the centre is worth it. For half a day there is a route in see Madrid in three hours, and if you have a whole day, in Madrid in 24 hours. The journey between the airport and inside the M-30 costs €33 at our fixed price, each way; if you are going to the Gran Vía area, pickup is explained in taxi from Gran Vía to the airport.

To leave, take a taxi from the official rank at your terminal. To come back, the most relaxed option is to book your return in advance for a fixed time with a margin: that way you do not depend on finding a free taxi in a park or a quiet street. You can do it in the booking form, giving the pickup address; the prices for each zone are under fares.