Metro of Madrid
The Madrid Metro was built with a focus on comfort and convenience rather than beauty. Nearly all stations with transfers between metro lines offer the option to do so via an elevator. Could anything be more convenient? You select the desired floor and end up on the correct metro line. Additionally, all stations are equipped with an elevator that takes you to the very top. I love the metro.
But the process of buying a train ticket is quite the opposite. The interface is extremely cumbersome, especially for foreigners. Proof of this is the queues at the ticket vending machines. You could stand there for 30 minutes and still not understand how to purchase a ticket.
This article will be your assistant in purchasing metro tickets. We will now address this issue.
My friends who do not speak Spanish often tell me: «We walked for 15 minutes through the endless airport and, when we reached the metro, we couldn’t buy a ticket. We had to go back and take a taxi for €80.»
Well, first of all, a taxi for €80 is a rip-off for the rich. You should order a taxi using the Cabify app. The trip will cost between €10 to €19. Taxi is my choice when traveling with family in Madrid.
Secondly, you just need to read this article and learn how to buy metro tickets in Madrid cheaply.
How much does a trip on the Madrid Metro cost
The cost of a single trip on the metro is €1.5.
But it is more convenient to top up a travel card for 10 trips. In that case, each trip will cost you 61 cents.
A trip to the airport and back is charged additionally at €3 each way. There are no options to get a discount. In this article, I will tell you how to get to the Madrid airport by metro without paying the extra €3 on top of what you pay for a regular trip. But these are prices within Madrid.
There is also a tourist travel card. In my opinion, the 10-trip offer for €6.1 is the best deal.
Some stations, such as Nuevos Ministerios, offer connections to suburban trains. These trips are more expensive and it’s better to buy a travel card through an assistant who is available at every station. They will suggest the optimal option for the price/number of trips ratio.
How to buy a ticket for the Madrid Metro
If you don’t have a card yet, you need to purchase one. To do this, select the first button «Adquirir tarjeta de transporte»
On the next screen, choose «AEROPUERTO» if you are still at the airport, or 10 trips. We will consider the option of a trip from the airport.
On each screen to proceed, we press «ACEPTAR».
If you only need to choose one trip, be prepared to encounter a riddle on the next screen. You will be asked to press any letter of the Spanish alphabet. As you can imagine, this is the first letter of the station name.
It’s good if you know the name of your station. The thing is, on the third screen, there will be a trap for tourists. Both metro stations and suburban train stations will be mixed together. It’s quite possible to buy a much more expensive ticket if you choose a trip to the wrong place.
Therefore my advice: first press «P» and then select «Plaza Espania» and pay €1.5 if you already have a transport card, or €4 if you don’t have one yet.
We continue to buy 10 trips.
When you choose “AEROPUERTO” and move to the next screen, you will again see an offer to buy one or ten trips.
We select 10 trips to proceed to the next screen.
Next, our choice falls on the top button «METROBÚS 10 VIAJES».
And now on the next screen, we must answer the question «Indicate the Airport Supplements you need at this time» — how many trips to the airport or back the transportation card will contain at this moment.
My choice is 1.
If you’re not alone, but with another person or even more people, choose a taxi through the «COBIFY» app. It will cost you the same or less than the metro, depending on the number of people. By the way, you can find out the price in the app before you make a decision. And you can and should book the car in advance, for example, at the time of departure, when you’re already on the plane.
So, we chose 1 payment for a trip to the airport, 10 metro trips, and bought plastic (a transport card) for €2.5.
Total to be paid €11.60.
Press «ACEPTAR» one last time and you can pay. Coins, bills, and cards are accepted.
All that’s left is to open the turnstile and go ahead – towards the Spanish trains.
The day was drawing to a close, and I was returning to Madrid airport. It was a short business trip, and there was still plenty of time before the morning departure. There was no need to hurry. My curious investigative mind required one more little adventure.
After the dull rocky landscape that surrounds me in Tenerife, the beginning of summer in Madrid delighted me with the scent of flowering shrubs and an abundance of greenery. This beauty inspired the idea to look for a walking route from the center of Madrid to the airport. But I abandoned this idea quickly. The route was laid along the highway and did not evoke any romance.
However, I wondered why there are two metro lines near the airport, but we are only offered to use one of them. Finding the answer to this question became the subject of my little adventure.
I got off at the last station and found myself in an utterly charming and cozy town.
Honestly, I did not expect this at all.
There was a long night ahead, I wasn’t going to sleep, and I was hungry.
As usual in such cases, my salvation is ready-made hot meals from the Mercadona store.
I was lucky; such a store was literally a five-minute walk from the station.
Hot chicken with fried potatoes for €4.5 – this is undoubtedly the best deal.
Google Maps offers two routes from the Mercadona store. The second route is shorter. But beware! This route will lead you to a dead end. You’ll almost reach the airport but end up against a guarded area, just 100 meters short of the terminal.
Choosing the main route, you’ll stroll through this charming town, perhaps stopping at one of the bars. Cross the highway via a small bridge. Here you’ll once again encounter the imperfections of the maps. Right at the end of the bridge, turn towards the highway. The unobvious road along the barrier is the route the airport staff takes to get home. The road is narrow only at the beginning; it gets normal later on. Another thing that might confuse you: 100 meters after the bridge, when you cross the pedestrian crossing, you’ll find yourself at big doors of some building. This is an entrance to a parking lot. Open them confidently and go through the parking lot. Right after the parking, you’ll see a line of taxis. You’re almost there. Just a couple more minutes and you’re at terminal T1.
The route is longer and takes almost 30 minutes. This is not the best option for tourists with suitcases, but nevertheless:
1) you don’t pay €3 for the trip to the airport;
2) you buy groceries from Mercadona to take with you.
If you need to kill time before departure, this is a great way to take a walk.
Can you spend the night at Madrid airport?
The answer is yes, without problems and even for more than one night.
You might find this method extreme. But no one will judge you if you settle in a corner with a sleeping bag.
I was more comfortable spending time in a café on the lower level of terminal 1.
Incidentally, this is the only café in the entire airport building that operates 24 hours a day.
Moreover, it’s a suitable place for work. Each table is equipped with an outlet.
I spent the first half of the night in this cafe and even slept sitting up. My dinner, bought at Mercadona, came in very handy. Prices at the airport are on average 300~400% more expensive.
Why not take advantage of the suggested route and dash out for really tasty and varied products at Mercadona :), well, if it’s not nighttime, of course.
But I didn’t buy water. The airport’s insane water prices don’t fit any limits. The air conditioning indoors makes you constantly thirsty.
There’s good news and bad news. The good: there’s very tasty drinking water available for free at the airport. The bad: the water is only in the departure/arrival area after going through security.
If you have an empty bottle left after security, don’t throw it away. You can fill it with water and take it with you on the plane. I saved at least €10 on water.
This fountain is located at the exit from the duty free zone.
My little adventure has ended. I’m sitting on the plane and writing this article. Hope you find something useful for yourself.
