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Madrid Public Transport

Madrid metro and bus fares

There are 8 tariff zones in Madrid: 6 within the city and 2 suburban areas. A public transport ticket should be purchased depending on the zone within which your trip will be. Attached is a map of Madrid tariff zones below.

Most tourists travel within zones A and ML1 (center of Madrid) , however, I will give the fare in all tariff zones in the table below. Children under 4 years old use Madrid’s public transport free of charge.

Ticket typePublic transport modePrice in Euro
1-ride ticket (Zones A and ML1) (Billete Metro (Metro Zona A y ML1)€ 1.5 for travel up to 5 stations and € 2 for travel over 10 or more stations. Only 1 ride between selected stations is allowed.Underground€ 1.5 – 2
Combined 1-way ticket (Billete Combinado Metro)With this ticket, you can make 1 trip from any metro station to another, regardless of the zone. However, this ticket does not entitle you to the airport . If you need to go to Barajas airport, you will have to pay extra.Underground€ 3
1-ride ticket (Billete Sencillo)Bus€ 1.5
Ticket for 10 journeys (zone A and ML1, EMT buses) (Billete de Metrobús y ML1 de 10 viajes)Valid for any 10 trips on the EMT metro or city buses.Metro and EMT buses€ 12.2

Where to buy a ticket for public transport in Madrid?

Below I will indicate the places where you can buy tickets for the metro or bus in Madrid.

  • Ticket machines at metro stations where you can pay for your ticket with a credit card, coins or bills. The machines are quite convenient and easy to use.
  • On the platforms of the Puerta de Arganda, Tres Olivos, Puerta del Sur and Estadio Olímpico metro stations.
  • The bus ticket is bought directly from the driver.

Metro in Madrid

The metro network in Madrid is one of the most extensive and fastest-growing networks in the world, second only in size to the London Underground. Currently, the total length of the Madrid metro lines is 287 km. The metro is constantly expanding, it has 12 branches and about 238 stations. Download the Madrid metro map.

The metro operates seven days a week from 06:00 to 01:30. Metro entrances are marked with the letter “M”. It is convenient to get to the main attractions of Madrid by metro: Arena Las Ventas (metro station Ventas), Plaza Mayor (metro station Puerta del Sol), Royal Palace in Madrid (metro station Opera), as well as to the main the stations of the Spanish capital, which are located at the metro stations: Atocha station, Chamartin station, and others. You can plan your Madrid Metro route in advance on the Madrid Metro website.

Buses in Madrid

Buses run every day on weekdays from 06:00 to 23:30 and on weekends from 07:00 to 23:00. The Buses travel along a dedicated lane within the city. Bus routes and their schedules are indicated at stops. This type of transport is not very convenient during the daytime, because traffic jams are very common in Madrid, and it takes a very long time to get to your destination.

At night, from 23:55 to 06:00, there are night buses from Plaza de Cibeles, marked with the letter “N”. On Saturdays and on the eve of public holidays, buses run from 23:00 to 07:00. The metro in Madrid closes at night, so if you need to go somewhere at night and still save money, you can take the bus. However, as you yourself understand, this may not be safe in all cases.

Suburban trains Cercanias

Trains operated by Cercanias will take you to the suburbs and surrounding areas from the center of Madrid. Cercanias commuter trains run every day from 05:00 to 00:00. By train, you can get to such popular places among tourists as Alcalá de Henares (Alcalá de Henares, train line C-2), El Escorial (Escorial, train line C-3 and C-8), Aranjuez (Aranjuez, line electric trains S-3).

I indicated the fare for the train in Madrid in the table below. Tickets for the Cercanias electric trains are bought at the ticket offices or ticket machines at the stations or in advance via the Internet on the Cercanias website. The fare depends on the number of zones that you travel by train.

Number of zonesTicket price for 1 trip in EuroTicket price for 10 Bonotren rides in Euro
1-2 zones€ 1.7€ 10
3 zones€ 1.85€ 13.7
4 zones€ 2.6€ 18.55
5 zones€ 3.4€ 24.3
6 zones€ 4.05€ 28.55
7 zones€ 5.5€ 38.45

The main railway hubs for the Cercanias commuter line are the Atocha railway station in the southern part of the city and the Chamartín railway station in the north of the city.

Trains from Madrid to other cities in Spain, Portugal, France

The national railway carrier of Spain is the RENFE company, on whose trains you can easily travel both in Spain and go abroad: to Portugal or France. Train tickets can be bought at the box office at the Atocha and Chamartin railway stations, as well as in advance on the website of the Spanish carrier RENFE.

Below I will tell you about popular destinations in Spain and abroad from Madrid, the cost of train tickets to these destinations and travel times.

The cost of train tickets

  • Train Madrid – Barcelona. Departure from Madrid Atocha train station. Madrid – Barcelona train ticket price: from € 40 to € 150 one way. Travel time: from 2.5 to 9 hours. € 150 is a direct one-way ticket for the Madrid – Barcelona high-speed train.
  • Train Madrid – Seville. Departure from Madrid Atocha train station. Madrid – Seville train ticket price: from € 45 to € 75 one way. Travel time: 2.5 – 3 hours.
  • Train Madrid – Valencia. Departure from Madrid Atocha train station. Madrid – Valencia train ticket price: from € 27 to € 66 one way. Travel time: from 1 h. 40 min. up to 7 o’clock!
  • Madrid – Alicante train. Departure from Madrid Atocha train station. Madrid – Alicante train ticket price: from € 39 to € 65 one way. Travel time: from 2.5 to 4.5 hours.
  • Train Madrid – Tarragona. Departure from the train stations Atocha, Chamartín in Madrid. Madrid – Tarragona train ticket price: from € 39 to € 80 one way. Travel time: from 2.5 to 8 hours.
  • Train Madrid – Toledo. Departure from Madrid Atocha train station. Madrid – Toledo train ticket price: € 13 one way. Travel time: 33 minutes.
  • International train Madrid – Paris. Departure from Madrid Atocha train station. The price of a train ticket from Madrid to Paris is € 260 – € 300 one way. Change at the train station in Barcelona. Travel time: from 10 to 12 hours.
  • International train Madrid – Lisbon. Departure from the Chamartín train station in Madrid. Madrid – Tarragona train ticket price: from € 50 to € 70 one way. Travel time: 10 – 11 hours.

From Madrid to other cities in Spain and Europe by bus

You can take a bus to another city in Spain or an international bus directly at Madrid airport or at the Intercambiador de Avenida de América bus station in Madrid.

The bus is an excellent alternative to the train if you want to travel, for example, from Madrid to Barcelona, ​​because a bus ticket in this direction will cost you much less than a train ticket. The cost of a bus ticket for the Madrid – Barcelona route: only € 40 one way.

DestinationDistance to destination
Alicante419 km
Andorra la Vella610 km
Barcelona624 km
Bilbao398 km
Granada419 km
Lisbon625 km
Malaga531 km
Murcia398 km
Paris1272 km
Zaragoza317 km

Taxi in Madrid

If, while walking around the city, you take a walk, and the metro no longer runs, and you don’t want to take a night bus, I recommend that you order a reliable taxi. Use the services of only trusted carriers! There are enough Africans in Madrid who will happily give you a taxi ride and then ask you to pay them an unrealistic amount, so be careful.

Official taxis in Madrid are white with a red stripe running through the front door. There is a license number on the taxi door. All official taxis have a mandatory meter. In a taxi, it is best to sit in specially designated places: at taxi ranks. Taxis in Madrid charge a bunch of surcharges: boarding fees, night-time travel fees, airport, and train station fees. 

Madrid Public Transport
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