Stay in Madrid

Hello People,
I will arriving In Madrid on Jan'2010 for a work assignment. All I know for now is that my work place will be located at
Avda. Leonardo da Vinci 8, 2º-124
28906-Getafe (Madrid)

So was wondering would it a good idea to stay somewhere near to that place, since i heard that this area is kind off secluded for the city or take up a place next to the University located in Getafe. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

TIA.

I just looked it up on Google Maps - and yes, that address, your future workplace, is pretty secluded from not only Getafe itself but even more secluded from Madrid City. In fact, on Google Maps, there still aren't even any buildings built yet but you can see the roads recently paved. Might still be a construction area.

You might consider looking for a place to live/stay in Getafe itself as they have a couple of metro stations into the city as well as regional trains. If you stayed IN Getafe itself it looks like it would be a really long walk to work.

If you decided to live IN Madrid city you can metro/train out to Getafe and then walk the 2.5-3 kilometers to work.

Saludos, MadridMan @ http://MadridMan.com!

Hola,

You can't live that close to work. If you decide to live in Getafe, then find something close to the cercanias trains, like in the centre of Getafe. The metro in that area is a southern metro which is only for the south. The closest "madrid" metro is Villaverde alto.
If you want to feel like you live in Madrid, then you would have to get a place in the centre (maybe near the cercanias trains in Atocha) and commute out to work by train.
If you are more worried about work, then get a place in getafe near the Getafe Cetro station and take the bus to work.

Cheers,

The United Statesian

You can always buy a cheap car and resell it after.

ex ibiza 1.9L diesel 2000 1500 euros
i am sure you can resell it 6 months after for 1000/1400 so if you look at it, it is the cheapest way to go to work... taking into account the value of your own time...

Thank u guys for the Info... seems like a Car won't be bad deal. But i suppose i can buy one only after say 6 months. So the first 6 months should be Metro all the way. Also I don't intend to stay near to my work place. Here in India since I have a car, I travel 30 km's to & fro everyday to work. So definately a car wud be IDEAL. Any idea on the International license criterias ?

You won't be able to buy-then-register a car IN Spain unless you're already a resident. And you won't be able to DRIVE a car IN Spain without a drivers license recognized by the government's list - which includes most European states as well as most Latin American countries. Outside of these, there are few recognized.

Saludos, MadridMan @ http://MadridMan.com!

Hey I have moved to Madrid and wanted to own my own transport. And a car is a good idea, but when renting cars the only issue I have had is somewhere to park it. As parking can be difficult. And also if you buy a nice car expect to have damaged bumpers as people use their bumpers to park. I would recommend buying a motorbike, dependent on your views of safety. I have a motorbike and think it is a little dangerous out here but no worse than London. People tend not to use their mirrors so you have to be extra vigilant. But definitely a quick and easy way to commute and you can park your bike anywhere and it is free. I am from the UK and I had no issues with using my UK Bike license and I do not have to acquire a spanish license. My only issue was insurance as it can be expensive for expats. There are some expat insurance providers but I found that you generally have to be over the age of 30 and I am 28. So I have only got third party insurance which is not ideal but I have bought a really good bike lock to try and prevent it being stolen.

If you need any advise I can try and help, but others that have been here longer may give better advise.