multimadrid.com - Transportation in Madrid!

Welcome to my very visual tour/crash course on using the postal system in Madrid and Spain in general. You are about to venture on a journey that will teach you how to do everything from buy the stamp to actually mailing the letter/postcard/package to it's final destination. First and foremost,it is important to recognize what a Spanish mailbox looks like so I have taken the liberty of pasting one into the page at left. I have developed some neat and simple little instructions for using the mailboxes here, so, get ready and click HERE.

So, you see it is not difficult, just takes some basic know how.

This yellow mailbox also comes in red and may be round in shape but those are for urgent mail only and require a higher rate. The normal yellow mailboxes are fine for the average person, stick with them.

Now that you know how to mail stuff (small stuff anyway), let's move onto bigger things. If you need to mail anything that will not fit in the mailbox, you will have to go to one of the Post offices throughout the city of Madrid. The central post office is called the Palacio de Comunicaciones and is located in the Plaza de Cibeles --->

Metro Banco de España, line

. The central post office ("correos") is open from 9am-9pm Mon-Saturday.

You can also ask at your hotel if they have a mailing service in the event that you need to send a package but it is up to you if you want ot pay their rate (it will probably include some type of service fee but some may include it as a free service for guests).

Even if you do not have to use the central post office, DO NOT LEAVE MADRID WITHOUT GOING INSIDE. Sorry, no interior photos on my website since you are not allowed to take pics in there :-(

Postage stamps come in MANY shapes and sizes and can be purchased at the "Estancos" throughout the city (on just about every other block in the city center at least). Do not look for the word "Estanco" but rather ""Tabacos" or "Timbres" ("Tabacs" in Cataluña, Valencia and Baleares) for the Estancos are actually tobacconists. Aside from the "Tabacos" shops, you can get stamps at any post office that you may come accross.

"Estancos ("Tabacos") are open during normal Spanish business hours, jejeje, or in other words from 9:00am(ish) to 2:00 pm(ish)

and then in the afternoons from 5:00pm(ish) to 8:00 or 9:00pm(ish) from Mon-Fri and most open on Saturday mornings as well. Too many "ish"s?, well that's because the opening hours are not always strict and THIS IS SPAIN :)

Tip: there is also a fully functional post office in the basement of the Corte Inglés department store in the Puerta del Sol that is open from 10:00am to 9:00 pm from Monday to Saturday. It is a good idea to use this post office during the summer months (especially August) when many "Estancos" either cut back their hours or shut down completely. Expect LONG to VERY LONG lines at the Corte Inglés Post office however, especially at midday during the week.

Mailing Rates: rates vary depending on the destination and/or letter weight/size but a normal letter or postcard (up to 20 grams) costs:

* to anywhere else in Europe (including Greenland) - 0.45 euros or approx. $0.40 cents.

Although you can find one one just about every other street, there is a great list of Estancos in Madrid and all of Spain at www.cigarros-puros.com/directorio/madrid.htm (website in Spanish but a list is a list).

Note: these prices are in effect since Jan. 1st, 2002 but rates usually change yearly on the 1st of January.

	Language Tip: Asking for Stamps in Spanish.
	a) "A stamp for ??? please" = "Me da un sello para ?¿? por favor". *You should fill in the ??? with the name of the country you want to mail to.
	*always remember to say "please"= "por favor".

Note: the official website for the Spanish Postal Service is online at www.correos.es and while it is a very comprehensive and easy to use, it is only in Spanish.

So, if you are mailing something to a destination within the city of Madrid, you use the following "MADRID - CAPITAL" slot in the mailbox...	and if you are mailing something to a destination outside the city of Madrid, you use the following "RESTO DE DESTINOS" slot in the mailbox: