Madrid City Guide

Public transport

Operator. The Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM) is the fare authority that combines the fares of Metro de Madrid, the city's EMT buses, the intercity buses and Renfe's Cercanías trains into a single zone-based system. A ticket bought once, or a topped-up Tarjeta Transporte Público, is valid for all these modes of transport within the relevant fare zone.

Network. Twelve metro lines, one of Europe's largest networks, plus buses and suburban rail.

Modes of transport. Metro (subway) · Metro Ligero (tram) · EMT city bus · Intercity bus (Interurbano) · Night bus (Búho) · Cercanías (Renfe commuter rail)

Operating hours. Metro de Madrid operates daily year-round from 6.00 am to 1.30 am, with some stations having restricted access hours. The city's EMT buses run during the day, with individual lines operating roughly from 5.50 am to 11.30 pm, varying by line. After the daytime lines stop, the 32 Búho night lines take over into the early morning, meaning Madrid is effectively reachable by public transport around the clock.

Night service. The Búho night bus network consists of 32 lines, N1 to N32, which run every day of the year, not just on weekends. Service begins between 11.20 pm and 11.45 pm and ends, on nights from Sunday to Thursday, between 5.30 am and 6.00 am, while on nights before Saturday, Sunday and public holidays it extends until 7.00 am. Frequency is 35 minutes until 4.00 am on nights from Sunday to Thursday, then 70 minutes until the end of service, while on nights before Friday, Saturday and public holidays it's 15 to 20 minutes. 24 of the 32 lines share their common terminus at Plaza de Cibeles, with further hubs at Plaza de Alonso Martínez, Moncloa and Avenida de América. In addition, line N27 runs around the clock as the night variant of the Bus Exprés Aeropuerto between Plaza de Cibeles and the airport.

Buying tickets. Single tickets and the 10-trip Metrobús ticket are loaded onto the Tarjeta Transporte Público at the ticket machines in every metro and Metro Ligero station. EMT bus tickets are also available directly from the driver for cash, as well as from vending machines at Atocha station and in the airport terminals. Card top-ups are also possible at selected Estancos, i.e. tobacco shops. For tourist cards and general card management there are four fixed CRTM sales points, at airport terminals T2 and T4, at Ríos Rosas, Sol and Atocha, plus the Mi Tarjeta Transporte app for digital management.

App and payment. CRTM's official Mi Tarjeta Transporte app lets you carry and top up the Tarjeta Transporte Público virtually on your smartphone, so no physical card is needed. Single tickets for EMT buses can also still be bought the classic way, for cash from the driver.

Which ticket. The Zone A metro single ticket costs 1.50 Euro for up to 5 stations, rising in 12.10 am-Euro increments per station up to 2.00 Euro from 10 stations, while an EMT bus ticket costs a flat 1.50 Euro. The 10-trip Metrobús ticket for 7.30 Euro is valid for the Zone A metro, EMT buses and the ML1 tram line, working out to 0.73 Euro per trip. The Tarjeta Transporte Público, onto which these tickets are loaded, costs 4 Euro on first issue, with a 6 Euro replacement fee if lost. The Abono Turístico covers unlimited trips for 1 to 7 days, in Zone A at 10.30 Euro (1 day), 17.50 Euro (2 days), 23.10 Euro (3 days), 33.40 Euro (5 days) and 43.20 Euro (7 days), with children under 11 paying half. The card fee is already included in the price of the Abono Turístico. The 10.30 am-Euro day pass works out, by the numbers, to 6.9 single trips at 1.50 Euro, while the reloadable 10-trip ticket already pays off compared to the single ticket from the very first trip, and for a two- to three-day visit it often covers several days of sightseeing before it needs reloading.

Fare zones. Zone A corresponds to the city of Madrid and covers almost all the sights. Only trips beyond the city limits need higher zones. Single tickets to the airport cost a 3 Euro surcharge, which the Abono Turístico automatically includes.

Tip. The metro needs a rechargeable card; paper single tickets no longer exist.

Links

• CRTM – Tickets and Fares
• CRTM – Tourist Pass
• EMT Madrid – Fares and Tickets
• Metro de Madrid (official website)
• Aena – Getting to the Airport by Metro
• CRTM – All Network Maps (Metro, Bus, Night Bus, Cercanías)
• Network map

Getting there

Main station

Location. Main station for the south, with a tropical garden in the old hall. Chamartín serves the north.

Long-distance trains. Madrid Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes is the terminus station for high-speed rail in the south of the city. Renfe lists the station as the starting point for the majority of Larga Distancia and AVE trains. From here trains run to Barcelona Sants, to Andalusia with Seville Santa Justa, Málaga María Zambrano, Córdoba and Granada, as well as to Zaragoza Delicias and on the short route to Toledo. Important for planning, the complex consists of two parts. In the Atocha Cercanías section, the Cercanías Madrid commuter trains run, along with Media Distancia and a few long-distance trains. For the Levante corridor toward Valencia, Alicante and Murcia, it's worth checking your ticket carefully, since Renfe has moved most of these AVE trains to Chamartín Clara Campoamor station, with only a few services still starting at Atocha.

Opening hours. The station is open daily from 5 am to 1 am, after which it's closed for four hours. The first long-distance trains roll out shortly after 6 am, around 6.20 am to Barcelona, 6.27 am to Córdoba and 6.30 am to Zaragoza. Anyone catching the first AVE is standing in the hall early.

Airports

Local quirks

• Dinner from half past nine. Before that, restaurants are empty or geared toward tourists. A vermouth around seven bridges the gap.
• Night buses run every night. Madrid's 32 Búho night lines don't just run on weekends, but every night of the year, usually from 11.20 pm until at least 5.30 am, and on Fridays and Saturdays even until 7 am every 15 minutes.
• Airport surcharge only on single tickets. Anyone traveling to the airport with a single ticket or 10-trip ticket pays an extra 3 Euro surcharge at the metro gate. The Abono Turístico automatically includes this surcharge, with nothing extra to pay at the gate.

Good to know

Currency

EUR €

Emergency number

112

Plug type

C · F

Time zone

Europe/Madrid

Driving

right

Speed limits. built-up areas 20/30/50 km/h (tiered), outside towns 90 km/h, motorway 120 km/h

Since May 2021, a three-tier system has applied within built-up areas instead of a single uniform value. 20 km/h on streets with a single level for the roadway and sidewalk, 30 km/h on streets with one lane per direction, and 50 km/h only from two lanes per direction upward. As a result, most inner-city streets are now limited to 30 km/h, which surprises visitors from countries with a uniform 50 km/h. A dense network of fixed and mobile speed cameras enforces this consistently, and fines on rental cars often arrive by mail only weeks later.

Tipping. Not expected. A few coins or five percent for good service is plenty.

Tolls. Some motorways are tolled, recognisable by AP in the name. Routes marked A are free.

Access restrictions. Cities above 50,000 inhabitants must set up low emission zones. Madrid and Barcelona enforce by camera, and foreign vehicles must register online in advance.