Here are some useful resources for students to check out.
Resources for Study Abroad in León, Spain
Airport Border Control
If you arrive from a country that’s outside the European Union and you do not have a passport from an EU country, you’ll be directed to go through Border Control. You should say you are in an educational program in León (provide start and end dates). Be prepared to tell the border control agent the exact dates that you’ll be in Spain.
Do not say that you are here to work, as you are not going to be an employee of a business or organization. You may be asked where you are staying; address of home stay (if you know it) or
Centro de Idiomas de la Universidad de León: Plaza Jardín de San Francisco, s/n, 24004 León.
Getting to León from Madrid
● Bring a copy of the ALSA bus schedule or RENFE train schedule so that you know when the next bus or train will leave, or download the apps for ALSA and RENFE on your smartphone.
● Have a contingency plan, in case your flight is late and you are meeting someone.
Public Transportation in Madrid: Your Guide to Getting Around – Devour Tours
Tourist Travel Pass | Official tourism website (esmadrid.com)
- The ALSA bus company has service from Terminal 4 at the Madrid airport to León. It takes four to five hours to travel to León by bus. Not all of them have restrooms, so plan ahead.
- Go to an information kiosk or to the AENA airline information desk and ask for directions to the shuttle bus stop for Terminal 4 (unless already in Terminal 4).
- Go to an information kiosk and ask how to get to the ALSA bus departure location.
If you haven’t bought your ticket in advance, you can do so at the Kiosk. It’s safest to buy a ticket in advance, and reserve a seat. Keep your passport and valuables on your person or in a bag that you keep with you.
Renfe is the national rail line for Spain. You can purchase a train ticket at the station or in advance on the Renfe website.
● Madrid has two major train stations, so be sure to go to the Chamartín-Clara Campoamor station; (ask for it by name). This station provides transport to León.
● The ticket will show your train number. Look for the number of your train on the reader board in the main lobby of the train station, as the reader board may not list León as a destination. About 15 minutes before your train departs, the platform (Vía) from which it leaves will be posted. When it’s posted, head through security to that platform.
From Barajas Airport:
You can travel to Chamartín-Clara Campoamor by taxi, regional rail or subway.
This option is the cheapest depending on the city and time of day.
Residents also use Cabify, however, this requires an UN number to register.
This is the easiest and may be the fastest-use only the official white taxis in the queue outside the terminal.
● Fare from Barajas to anywhere in Madrid, including Chamartín-Clara Campoamor is a flat rate of 30 euros, plus a small (maybe 1 euro per person) tip.
Regional rail system-Cercanías:
● Go to Terminal 4 and look for the C-1 suburban train line to Príncipe Pío.
● This suburban train station is one level below the main train station.
● A ticket will cost about 3 euros and is valid for two hours.
● If you bought your train ticket to León in advance, taking a Cercanías train to Chamartín-Clara Campoamor is free. At the ticket kiosk at the airport, you can use your train ticket to León to get your ticket on Cercanías.
● Chamartín-Clara Campoamor is the second stop on this line
You also can travel from Barajas to Chamartín-Clara Campoamor on the Metro, which is Madrid´s subway system. Please note that the metro can be extremely busy at times.