The European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) is the ESA center that specializes in astronomy and space science. It is located in Villafranca del Castillo, Villanueva de la Cañada, close to Madrid in Spain, and hosts the science operation centers for all ESA astronomy and planetary missions together with their scientific archives.

Access to ESAC
Please, be aware that ESAC is not easily accessible with public transportation. Refer to the ESAC access web pages.

Bus transport (free of charge) will be provided on the meeting days between San Lorenzo de El Escorial and ESAC

Arriving in and departing from Madrid
Madrid can be reached by air through Barajas International Airport. Useful references are:

* Madrid/Barajas Airport (Courtesy of AENA)
* Information about transport to and from Madrid (Courtesy of SoftGuide Madrid)
* Transports Information System of Madrid (Courtesy of the Consejería de Transportes e infraestructuras)
* The Madrid Metro Map (Courtesy of the Metro de Madrid)

There is a Metro Station at the Barajas Airport that will connect with the main train and bus stations (1 ).
Airport to Train: (1) Metro line 8 from "Barajas Aeropuerto" to "Nuevos Ministerios".
Airport to Bus: (1) Metro line 8 from "Barajas Aeropuerto" to "Nuevos Ministerios" - (2) Metro line 6 from "Nuevos Ministerios" to "Moncloa".
A taxi is always a good (but more expensive) alternative.

Getting to San Lorenzo de El Escorial

San Lorenzo de El Escorial is situated at around 50 kilometers North-West of Madrid. (Note: El Escorial and San Lorenzo de El Escorial are two different towns 1.5 Km away).

For the jet lagged, luggage bound, and tired traveller -- we would recommend to take a taxi from Madrid Barajas airport to Moncloa Metro/bus station, and there to board the 661 bus (Madrid to San Lorenzo de El Escorial). The bus will drop you within 30m of the Hotels. The taxi from Barajas to Moncloa should cost - about 20€ . The bus fare is about 6€ , with the ticket being purchased on the bus.

You can take the train all the way to El Escorial - but unlike the bus it does not go to San Lorenzo, and leaves you at the train station 1.5 km short of the hotel. A local bus from the train station to the bus station (see map below) provides a regular service, synchronized with train arrivals, from 7:00 to 22:30 local time.

Finally, the third option is to take a taxi all the way to San Lorenzo de El Escorial, with an estimated price of 65 .

In summary - We would advise the simple taxi + bus option. It is fairly direct and not too expensive.

• Bus Line 661 Timetable Select: Suburban Buses - Madrid (Moncloa) - S.L. de El Escorial (via Galapagar)
• Train (Cercanías) Timetable Select: Madrid (Nuevos Ministerios) - El Escorial
  

Taxis

Airport/San Lorenzo del Escorial: 60€
ESAC/Airport: 50€