Cable Car Above Madrid

Getting Around Madrid

Explore Madrid with ease using our handy guide!
By Adam Fraiel

Getting around a big city like Madrid can be intimidating. Read below for our top tips to make it a breeze!

Madrid is the largest city in Spain, spanning an area of around 600 km2. The city center of Madrid was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 due to its rich architectural heritage. Despite that, the city offers a modern transportation system including Metro, bus, and cable car, plus a few greener methods.

Is it easy to find your way around Madrid?

Absolutely. The public transportation system spans the entire city, from the city center out to the suburbs. As far as European cities go, Madrid is very well connected.

It's also well signposted, meaning you can ditch the transport network and stretch your legs if the rush hour traffic is messing with your plans.

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Getting around Madrid by Metro

The Madrid Metro is the city’s main transport system. It consists of 15 lines servicing 300 stations, connecting the city with the suburbs and towns.

The metro runs Monday to Friday from 6 am to 1.30 am, with trains departing every 2 minutes in the morning rush hour and every 15 minutes in the later hours (after midnight).

At the weekends they run a little slower, but it's still an incredibly reliable form of public transport.

You can download Madrid metro maps here, with the Touristmic Map displaying the main attractions. This helps give a greater perspective of the capital and the relationship between the iconic landmarks.

There is a single ticket, the Tourist Ticket, which allows unlimited transport around the city center on trains and buses. You can check all the up-to-date ticket prices and information here.

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Travel around Madrid by Bus

The Madrid Bus System serves most of Madrid’s suburbs and towns, running over 200 bus lines. The bus network is divided into four zones which are color-coded and indicated by signs on the bus stops.

The buses use a contactless smartcard system, which can be purchased from:

  • All Metro and Metro Ligero stations
  • Ticket machines that have a red sticker saying "Tarjeta Multi Disponible Aqui".
  • Newspaper stands
  • Tobacconists

You can also buy single-trip tickets on the bus, but only with coins or small notes. The drivers don't carry lots of change, and you may be denied passage if you only have big notes.

Madrid has 26-night bus lines that operate from 11:55 pm until 5:50 am every night. They cover most of Madrid, meaning you don't have to miss any of the amazing nightlife the Spanish capital is famed for. The fares are also the same as daytime tickets, keeping things nice and simple.

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Getting around Madrid by Bicycle

Madrid is a very cycle-friendly city, with 43 kilometers of cycle lanes, including some physically separated from motor vehicle traffic and others only marked with paint.

The main bicycle rental service is called BiciMAD and consists of 3000 bikes at over 250 rental stations throughout the city.

Sign up at the docking station machines where you'll be offered two ticket options - either an annual subscription or 'Occasional User' pass. You'll then have the option of a 1, 3, or 5-day pass, perfect for short trips and weekend adventures.

Madrid's a safe city, but you'll still need to exercise common sense precautions:

  • Chain your bike up when not in use
  • Don't ride against the traffic or on sidewalks
  • Follow all traffic signs and signals

If you want a more structured ride, consider taking an organized Madrid city tour like the Madrid Electric Bike Tour or, if you're feeling a little more adventurous, the Madrid Sightseeing Segway Tour.

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Getting around Madrid by taxi

Official taxis in Madrid are white, with a diagonal red stripe on the door. You can flag them down on the street and they're plentiful. You can also pay by card or cash.

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Explore Madrid by cable car

The Madrid Cable Car offers a unique view of the city, drifting for 11 minutes between Parque Oeste and Casa de Campo, and taking in some of the city's iconic landmarks.

The cable car runs year-round, but doesn't run during bad weather conditions.

Accessible transportation in Madrid

Madrid City Council created an Accessible Travel Guide, a comprehensive guide featuring information related to accessible public transport, wheelchair-friendly routes around the city center, and much more.

Additional tips for getting around Madrid

As with all major cities, traffic jams can be an issue. Rush hour is usually the worst between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Plan accordingly.

Depending on your route, you can negate the traffic by cycling in the dedicated cycle lanes. It's good exercise, eco-friendly and you'll see a different side to the city.

Check the balance of your public transport cards by using the Metro de Madrid's official app. You can also use it to check for your nearest train station, current wait times, disruptions in service, and lots more. It's definitely worth downloading to give peace of mind while traveling.

Save on Admission to Top Madrid Attractions

Explore the best things to do with a pass for Madrid by Go City®. Select from top attractions with our All-Inclusive and Explorer passes, where you’ll enjoy access to galleries, museums, tours much more.

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Adam Fraiel
Go City Travel Expert

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Free Things to do in Madrid

Madrid isn’t exactly renowned as a budget holiday spot, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to have fun once you’re there. In fact, there are stacks of free things you can do in Madrid, from visiting world-class museums and royal palaces to browsing flea markets, picnicking in the parks, and simply enjoying the city’s elegant architecture. Check out our selection of the best free things to do in Madrid, including: Plaza Mayor Cibeles Palace Retiro Park Prado and Reina Sofia museums Almudena Cathedral El Rastro flea market Gran Via Temple of Debod Plaza Mayor A stroll around this most elegant of Madrid plazas is essential and, crucially, will cost you absolutely nada. Plaza Mayor is the city’s beating heart, a grand square that’s accessed via nine monumental arches. Grab a selfie by the extremely photogenic Arco de los Cuchilleros then take in the intricate mythological murals that adorn the Casa de la Panadería and say hola to King Philip III sitting astride his trusty steed (albeit in statue form). Pro tip: there’s no better way to people-watch in Madrid than by grabbing a cone of hot, sugary churros with chocolate dipping sauce and finding a seat beneath one of the plaza’s ornate towering lamp posts. Enjoy! Cibeles Palace The crowning glory of the already magnificent Plaza de Cibeles, Cibeles Palace is a glorious architectural confection complete with Neoplateresque facade and great wedding-cake turrets. There’s no charge for admiring its extraordinary exterior, taking a peek inside and filling your Insta feed with #humblebrag snaps galore but, if your budget will stretch to it, it’s worth paying the €3 fee to ascend the tower for 360-degree city views that take in the 11-kilometer-long Calle Alcalá, the Colon Towers and, of course, Plaza de Cibeles itself, with its iconic marble fountain depicting the goddess Cybele on a lion-drawn chariot. Retiro Park There’s more than enough free eye candy in Retiro Park to fill a day’s sightseeing (or more). Don’t-miss landmarks include the glass-and-cast-iron masterpiece that is the Crystal Palace, once a hothouse showcasing local flora and fauna; now an exhibition space for the Reina Sofia Museum. Feast your eyes on the Fountain of the Fallen Angel, a monumental sculpture depicting Lucifer’s fall from grace, stop to smell the roses in the formal gardens, and marvel at the epic Monument to Alfonso XII from a prime position on the tranquil boating lake. See it all on a guided bike tour or take it easy – a lazy picnic of Spanish cheeses, cured meats and still-warm bread, scoffed on the lawns by the kitschy Fisherman’s House, is just about as good as life gets. Free Museums Madrid has more world-class art museums than you can shake a paintbrush at. Chief among these are the Prado and Reina Sofia which, between them, cover the history of (mostly) Spanish and European art from the 12th Century to the present day. We’re talking masterpieces by the likes of Picasso, El Greco, Goya, Velázquez, Dalí, Miró, Bosch, Raphael and van Dyck, to name just a few. You’ll find some of their best-known works here. Hit up Reina Sofia for a close-up look at Picasso’s Guernica, one of the most powerful anti-war statements ever committed to canvas, and head over to the Prado for Velázquez’ illusory Las Meninas, Bosch’s enigmatic Garden of Earthly Delights triptych and other bucket-list pieces. Entry to the both museums is free during the last two hours of opening. Reina Sofia is completely free to enter on Sundays and holidays. You can also save money on guided tours at both (and access to many other Madrid attractions) with a Madrid pass from Go City. El Rastro Market The picturesque old neighborhood of La Latina is worth a visit any day of the week (top tip for foodies: it’s where you’ll find some of the best tapas in town), but Sundays are particularly enjoyable thanks to the vast El Rastro, Spain’s biggest open-air flea market. It’s great fun just browsing the hundreds of stalls in the streets and lanes around Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores, all piled high with antiques, retro fashions, kitsch kitchenware, vintage vinyl records and, well, pretty much anything else you can think of. It’s free to look, and free to take Insta-worthy snaps galore. But bring your best haggling game, too: there’s no way you’re walking out of here without being tempted by a phrenological head, old street map, Spanish Civil War medal, or some such other souvenir curio... Gran Vía Sticking with the shopping theme, the Gran Vía is Madrid’s most famous shopping boulevard, a long, elegant stretch of capitalist excess with hundreds of stores, malls, bars and restaurants in which to splash the cash. But resist the lure of Mango and Massimo Dutti and there’s plenty of gratis fun to be had here, by simply admiring the eclectic architecture and soaking up the lively atmosphere. Look out for the landmark Metropolis building, topped with its gilded cupola and winged goddess, snap a selfie beneath the Capitol building’s old-school Schweppes sign and – oh, go on then – treat yourself to a refreshing Seville orange sorbet from one of the many fine gelato joints. Almudena Cathedral This glorious 19th-century confection at the bottom of Calle Mayor (and right next door to the Royal Palace) is free to enter. The neo-gothic interior’s clean lines, vivid stained glass windows and, yes, even pop-art decor, set it apart from other European cathedrals of this era, lending a strikingly modern look that surprises and delights in equal measure. Look out for statues of contemporary artists, painted icons by Spanish legend Kiko Argüello and a neo-romanesque crypt that houses the mortal remains of several Spanish royals and other dignitaries. There’s a €7 fee to enter the cathedral museum, which contains effigies of the city’s patron saints. Temple of Debod Last but by no means least, you simply must enjoy a sunset from the atmospheric environs of the Temple of Debod in Oeste Park. Dating from the 2nd Century BC, this sacred Egyptian shrine found its way to Madrid in 1968 and has been a favorite with locals, tourists and hopeless romantics ever since. Comprising of a small temple and several stone arches, set over tranquil pools amid beautiful gardens, the temple is pretty special at any time of day or night, but rarely more so than at sundown, when the whole place seems to glow a fiery orange. Cost of this unforgettable Madrid experience? Precisely zero Euros. Heavenly. Save on things to do in Madrid Save on admission to Madrid attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
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Vacations are a great way to chill out, relax, and immerse yourself in a new culture. But all of that can go out of the window when the rains come. All of a sudden, even the biggest explorers among us run for cover. So if you're in Madrid and the sky falls, what are the best things to do when it rains? Check out our picks down below! Including: Torres Bermejas Bernabeu Stadium Tour Prado Museum Madrid Royal Palace Wax Museum and more! And those were our picks of the best ways to avoid the rain in Madrid! Now you know what to do when the heavens open; what about when the sun is finally shining again? Don't worry; Go City's got you covered. With our All-Inclusive Pass or Explorer Pass, you can see all of Madrid's best bits for one low price! So grab a Madrid Pass and see all the best Madrid attractions around!
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