Arriving by Air

Madrid’s international airport, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, is 12 km (7 miles) east of the city and is served by all the major national and international airlines.

There are four terminals: T1, T2 and T3 for Air Europa, Ryanair, easyJet and other members of Star Alliance and SkyTeam; and T4 for Iberia and Oneworld Alliance flights. T4 is accessible via free shuttle buses that leave from the other terminals. If your departure gate is in T4S, check in at T4 and take the automatic train to the T4S building.

The Línea Exprés airport bus operates 24 hours a day and departs regularly from outside T1, T2 and T4 to Atocha-Renfe train station in the city centre, with a journey time of around 40 minutes and costing €5. This service operates with reduced hours on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January.

City bus no. 200 runs from 5am to 11:30pm from T1, T2, T3 and T4 to the Avenida de América transport hub, taking about 45 minutes.

Taxis to the city centre take at least 30 minutes and cost €30.

The Barajas metro link (line 8) (open from 6:05am to 1:30am) from T2 and T4 takes 12 minutes to Nuevos Ministerios, and the Cercanía (surburan overground) train runs from T4 to Madrid’s main stations, taking about 25 minutes and costing €2.60.

International Train Travel

Spain’s international rail services are operated by the state-run RENFE (Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles). Services include TALGO – direct long-distance express trains operated by RENFE – to Madrid from Paris, and a sleeper train from Lisbon. For international train trips, it is advisable to purchase your ticket well in advance. Eurail and Interrail sell passes to European non-residents and residents respectively for international journeys lasting from five days up to three months. Both passes are valid on RENFE trains.

Domestic Train Travel

RENFE also runs a suburban rail network, Cercanía, to towns around the city – the services are connected at several points with Madrid’s metro. They are useful for crossing longer distances within the city, particularly between the two main train stations: Atocha in the south and Chamartín in the north. There are eight colour-coded Cercanía lines, each with a number and the prefix “C”. Maps are displayed at stations. Trains run from 5:30am until 11:30pm daily, but hours vary from line to line.

Madrid is also served by four other types of train: regional, largo recorrido (long-distance), TALGO and AVE (a high-speed link to various regions in Spain, which is operated by RENFE).

You can purchase tickets on the RENFE website or at the station. The fastest intercity services are the TALGO and AVE, which link Madrid with Seville in two and a half hours, and with Barcelona in three hours. The largo recorrido (long-distance) trains are much cheaper than the high-speed trains, but they are so slow that you usually need to travel overnight. Book at least a month in advance. Trenes regionales y de cercanías (the regional and local services) are frequent.

Long-Distance Bus Travel

Travelling by coach in Spain can quite often be a quicker – and cheaper – way to get around than by train. There are three main long-distance bus stations in Madrid. The Estación Sur de Autobuses, southeast of the city centre, serves the whole of Spain. North of the centre, the Estación Auto-Res operates services to Valencia, eastern Spain, Lisbon and northwest Spain. The Estación de Avenida de América, east of the city centre, serves towns in northern Spain. The transport interchange at Calle de Méndez Álvaro also offers convenient access to buses and trains, linking three local railways, the Estación Sur de Autobuses and line 6 of the metro. Spain has no national coach company, but private regional companies operate routes around the country. The largest of these is Alsa, which runs in all regions. Tickets and information for long-distance travel are available at all main coach stations as well as on company websites, but note that it is not always possible to book tickets in advance.

Public Transport

EMT (Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid) is Madrid’s main public transport authority. Safety and hygiene measures, timetables, ticket information, transport maps, and more can be obtained at metro stations or from the EMT website. The metro is efficient, and the buses, though slower, are good for short hops.

Tickets

A range of transport tickets is available to choose from to match your particular needs.

The Tarjeta Túristica (Tourist Travel Pass), which can be purchased at the airport, allows you to take unlimited trips on selected public transport for a set number of days. Passes are valid for two zones – Zone A caters for those who plan on travelling within the city, while Zone T is best for those also visiting the surrounding area. The cost varies depending on the number of days and zone you choose.

The Metrobús is a useful multi-ticket – valid for 10 journeys on the bus or metro – it costs €12.20 and can be shared.

Alternatively, you can get a Tarjeta Multi, a contactless, rechargeable card onto which you load passes and tickets. The Tarjeta Multi costs €2.50 and can be shared between people. You’ll need to load any single metro tickets and all multiple tickets onto it (unless buying the Tourist Travel Pass). Metro tickets cost €1.50 for five stops and increase thereafter.

Tickets and travel passes are available from most newspaper kiosks, estancos (tobacconists) and from ticket machines and staffed booths at metro stations.

Metro

The Metro de Madrid is the quickest and easiest way to get around. Thirteen lines serve the whole city and are divided into various zones depending on different areas of Madrid. Work out the direction from the train’s final destination; a full list of stops is posted at the entrance to each platform. Operating hours are from 6am to 1:30am daily and trains run every 2 to 5 minutes during peak hours, and every 7 to 15 minutes from 11pm to 1:30am. Note that there is a €3 supplement for travel to and from the airport.

Buses

Madrid has an extensive bus network of over 200 routes. Buses are a good way to see the city but the sheer number of routes can make the bus travel tricky for first-time visitors. Buses can also be slow and crowded, particularly at peak times. Timetables for each line and a plan of the bus network are posted at bus stops. Each bus has the route number on the front. Operating hours are usually 6am to 11:30pm, every 5 to 7 minutes at peak times and every 16 to 24 minutes from 9pm to 11pm, but it depends on the route. Night buses (búhos) operate from 11pm to 6am – all routes leave from Plaza de Cibeles.

Buses only stop at designated stops, upon request. When you want to alight, press the button before you reach the next stop. When waiting at a stop, signal to the driver that you wish to board.

Taxis

Official taxis are plentiful, and prices are moderate by European standards. There are taxi ranks at train stations, near the Plaza Mayor, on the Plaza del Sol, along Gran Vía and near the Prado. Taxis can be hailed on the street, or you can pre-book with firms such as Pidetaxi or Tele Taxi by phone or online.

Taxis are white with a red stripe across the door. A green light on the roof is illuminated when the taxis are available. Look out also for a green sign saying libre in the front window. Fares start at €2.50, increasing by €1.10 per kilometre, with supplements for travel at weekends, evenings and for journeys to or from train stations. Be aware that if you call for a taxi, you also have to pay for the journey to the pick-up point.

Trips and Tours

Madrid City Tour buses allow you to hop on or off at major sights multiple times in one day. Services operates from 10am to 6pm between November and February, and from 9am to 10pm from March to October. There are two routes – both cover the Paseo del Prado, after which the blue route heads west around the Palacio Real, and the green route goes north to Salamanca and the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Tickets are available for one or two days, and cost €22 for adults, or €10 for those under 16, for one day.

There are also plenty of greener tours to take advantage of in the city. The Madrid Tourist Office organizes a wide range of walking tours, including some geared towards travellers with specific requirements. Themes include art and literary tours, haunted Madrid, food and wine tasting, and even crime and mystery tours. Tickets can be purchased at the tourist office, via their website or in some cases at the start of the tour.

Bravo Bike runs city tours with a choice of standard or electric bikes (some streets in the old centre are very steep). It also offers tours of towns outside Madrid, including bike tours of El Escorial, Aranjuez and Toledo.

For a more unusual experience, try a tour by segway. Segway Tours runs tours of major sights as well as restaurant- and flamenco-themed excursions. All include an initial training session. Another fun alternative is to scoot around Madrid in a vintage Seat 600. There is a choice of three routes, and prices can include lunch or a pit stop for churros con chocolate (fried dough strips with hot chocolate). Thrill-seekers can take a helicopter tour with Heliflight Spain and marvel at Madrid, Toledo or Aranjuez from the skies.

Driving to Madrid

If you drive to Spain in your own car, you must carry the vehicle’s registration document, a valid insurance certificate, a passport or a national identity card and your driving licence at all times. You must also display a sticker on the back of the car showing its country of registration and you risk on-the-spot fines if you do not carry a red warning triangle and a reflective jacket with you at all times.

Many people drive to Spain via the French motorways. From the UK there are also car ferries from Plymouth to Santander and from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

Spain in general has two types of motorway: autopistas, which are toll roads, and autovías, which are toll-free. You can establish whether a motorway is toll-free by the letters that prefix the number of the road: A = free motorway, AP = toll motorway.

Carreteras nacionales, Spain’s main roads, have black-and-white signs and are designated by the letter N (Nacional) plus a number. Those with Roman numerals start at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, and those with ordinary numbers have kilometre markers giving the distance from the provincial capital.

Carreteras comarcales, secondary roads, have a number preceded by the letter C. Other minor roads have numbers preceded by letters representing the name of the province, such as the LE1313 in Lleida.

From whichever direction you approach Madrid, make sure you are able to identify your motorway turn-off by its street name. Madrid has two major ring roads, the outer M40 and the inner M30. If you need to cross the city, it is advisable to take one of the two and get as close as possible to your destination before turning off. Highways lead to the M30 but most do not continue into the city.

Driving in Madrid

There are restrictions to driving and parking in central Madrid owing to the Madrid Central low-emission initiative, which allows only electric and hybrid vehicles to drive and park in the central zone. Whole swathes of the city centre have been pedestrianized or are open only to drivers who are residents and whose vehicles meet these criteria. Your hotel may be part of the Madrid Central scheme that offers one-day passes to visitors, but it’s best to check ahead. Otherwise, you’re better off paying for an underground car park on the outskirts or avoiding driving altogether.

Car Rental

The most popular car-hire companies in Spain are Europcar, Avis and Hertz. All have offices at airports and major train stations. Fly-drive, an option for two or more travellers where car hire is included in the cost of your airfare, can be arranged by travel agents and tour operators.

A car for hire is called a coche de alquilererer. You will need an international driver’s licence (if you are an EU citizen your ordinary licence is sufficient) and you must be over 21 years of age. You are also strongly advised to take out full insurance.

Rules of the Road

Most traffic regulations and warnings in Spain are represented on signs by easily recognized symbols. However, a few road rules and signs may be unfamiliar to some non-Spanish drivers. Watch out for blue and white curbs meaning you are not allowed to park.

In Spain you drive on the right side of the road. If you have accidentally taken the wrong road and it has a solid white line, you can turn round as indicated by a cambio de sentido sign. At crossings, give way to all oncoming traffic unless a sign indicates otherwise.

The blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is 0.5 mg/ml and is very strictly enforced.

Cycling

Madrid is gradually becoming more bike- friendly, with an increasing number of cycle lanes. Cycling around parks like the Retiro or Casa de Campo tends to be a lot safer than on the roads. Experienced cyclists could try the Anillo Verde Ciclista (Green Cycling Ring), a 60-km- (37-mile-) long bike path surrounded by trees that rings the city.

BiciMad is a public bicycle sharing scheme with over 120 stations in the city. Fares start at €2 per hour. Centrally located private firms that offer bike tours and rentals include Trixi and Bike Spain.

Walking

Madrid is easy to explore on foot and this is one of the best ways to get around and soak up the city's charm and atmosphere. The historic centre is compact and most of the main attractions are within a 20- minute walk of the Puerta del Sol. Many of the central streets have been pedestrianized in order to combat traffic pollution.