Hotel for a 9 hour layover in Madrid airport

I will be arriving at Madrid airport at 20:55 on a Saturday evening and my connecting flight leaves at 06:25 the following (Sunday) morning. We are a couple with a 2 year old son.

How much time do we realistically have between having collected our baggage from arrivals and needing to check in for the following flight? Are there any hotels that would be in the right place to make reserving a room worthwhile?

Obviously I'm assuming the flights are on time and that our baggage arrives correctly!

(both flights are within the EU if that makes any difference to timing)

Best Answer

If possible, check your baggage directly in to the final destination. This will allow you to save time as you won't have to take up your luggage in Madrid and check in again. If that's not feasible, as you are leaving early, you might be able to an evening check-in in Madrid. You will save precious time in the morning. In either case you could take the essentials for the one night in you hand luggage.

I would stay in an hotel next to the airport. The airport's website lists 17 hotels nearby. Very often hotels close to airports offer free shuttles to and from the airport.

If you really want to go to an hotel downtown, take a taxi. You can go by metro, but it takes more or less 45 minutes to travel from the airport to Puerta del Sol. Not so convenient with a tired 2 years old ... The Madrid Metro operates from 6AM to 2AM. To go back to the airport you would need a taxi anyway.