Ok. I’m not so keen on the morning cheap flights. So it was only EUR9.99 but by the time you account for paying for a taxi for EUR20 because public transport is not operational so early in Porto, it doesn’t feel THAT cheap as flying later in the day.
Getting to the Airport
Having to leave at 4.50am, I thought it best to pre-book a taxi. One of the best prices I found was through VM Transfers for only EUR20.
I did notice that even normal taxis at this hour, if you hail one, have a middle-of-the-night surcharge. So the EUR20 seemed like a good deal. PLUS, I paid online too so I didn’t need to think about having cash or paying when I arrived at the airport.
The taxi was waiting outside at 4.50am. It was clean and had a nice smell (uncommon for taxis) and in 10 minutes I was at the airport! The road was practically empty.
It was a bit quiet inside the airport, which I don’t mind. Another plus of arriving at 5am.
After “visa verification” at the Ryanair booth, I headed through security which was quite fast.
I only had time to get a bottle of water before it was time to board.
This was the second time that Ryanair INSISTED that the plane was full and I had to check my bag. First time was the flight to Porto. Annoying – yes – but I tried not to let it bother me the second time around.
At least boarding, and the flight were on time.
And again, I had to laugh, the overhead compartments were mostly empty…
Another really good thing about flying at this time, is witnessing the dawn of a new day! It adds to the feeling of adventure, and life is short, and all that jazz.
After landing, I saw a shop called Crystal Media, so I heading right in an asked for a Vodafone SIM card. I bought one for EUR15 which included 60 minutes of international phone calls (quite cool) and 1.5GB of fast data, and then unlimited data at slower rate, for 30 days – perfect!
Collecting my bag and heading out was fast and smooth – but ouch! It felt cold!
I went to the bus stop just outside to catch the 200 bus.
I didn’t wait too long, and I paid the bus driver EUR1.50.
Google Maps said the best route was the bus to Canillejas Metro Station, and then metro to the centre.
I just followed all the locals when the bus stopped.
It was only 1 minute across the highway to walk to the metro.
I had to buy a single ticket for EUR2.00. And I had real trouble understanding their signage. Or maybe I was just tired.
The whole trip took about an hour, but soon I was at La Latina metro station.
And from there it was a 5 minute walk to the hostel.
The hostel was very welcoming and friendly, and offered for me to store my luggage until check in at 3pm. Easy. And welcome to Madrid!