Are you planning a trip to Madrid and wondering how to get from the airport to the city center? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll cover all the information you need to know to leave the airport and start your adventure in Spain.
Thankfully, Madrid airport is really well connected to the center of the city, so you will be spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing the transport that will take you to your accommodation.
The Madrid Airport Train
The Airport train is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to reach the city center. But the problem is that the direct connection between the airport and Atocha was eliminated recently, and you need to change trains at Chamartín station, not great if you are travelling with luggage.
To take the train, you’ll need to purchase a ticket from the vending machines. You will find all the details on the video above.
The Madrid Airport Metro
The Airport metro is another convenient option for reaching the city center. The airport metro line leaves from both Terminal 2 and Terminal 4. The airport metro line doesn’t reach the centre of Madrid, so chances are you will have to transfer to another transport before you get there.
To take the metro, you’ll need to purchase a ticket from the vending machines or ticket office at the airport. Details on the video above, including a step-by-step description on how to buy the tickets.
The Airport buses
Madrid airport is covered both by local buses and the Airport Exprés, the official shuttle service running from all the airport terminals to the center of Madrid. As it was the case above, you will find all the details on the video.
Other options
If you’re traveling with a lot of luggage or want a more comfortable ride, a taxi is your best option. There is a fixed fare of 33€ for destinations within the M-30 ring road, encompassing the entire centre of Madrid. Elsewhere, you will pay a minimum 20€ fare plus whatever is displayed on the taximeter. Ridesharing services such as Bolt, Cabify and Uber are also available at the airport.
What is the best option to leave Madrid airport?
Your choice will depend on many factors:
- the address you are heading to in Madrid.
- the amount of luggage you are carrying.
- the day of the week and the time of the day.
If you’d like to know what we think would be the first option for you, drop us a comment either here or at the video in our YouTube channel, and we will try to help with specific instructions.
Madrid airport is very well connected to the centre of the city, it is just a question of choosing the right transport for you.
Hi Tony, I am Regina from Indonesia. I will go to Madrid next month and still learning how to leave airport to hotel. Your youtube channel is very usefull. Thank you.
Great to hear that, Regina, have a great trip!
We kind of relied on your information on our trip to Madrid and Andalusia the other week. (It was as hot, by the way..) But a recommendation from our Hotel guy at plaza mayor how to go to the airport turned out to be quite useful. He suggested that we take the M2 to the final stop and an Uber for 5€ to the airport. Turned out great for us since we did not need to change Metro and save the 3€ airport surcharge.
Thanks, Manfred. Even better than line 2 to the final stop it would have been line 5 to Alameda de Osuna, quite close to the airport. But it all depends on the specific location of accommodation and the personal circumstances of those traveling together. Last time we took an Uber to the airport from the centre of Madrid we paid 22€.
Actually I screwed things up.
I was the M5 to Alameda de Osuna, not the M2. I found it to be an interesting “backdoor” to Madrid.
Anyway, Madrid is such a great city. I’ve been there a couple of times, but not since 1995. But now I made a trip with my daughters to Granada, Cordoba, Seville and Cadiz and made extensive use of the information you provided. I felt, that I missed something out by bypassing Jerez.
Anyway, it was a great pleasure.
With best regards
Manfred
Tony,
My wife and I are making great use of your website and videos as we prepare for our trip to Spain. We are hoping for your insider’s input on our plans for traveling between our hotels and Atocha and Barcelona Sants stations as we use high-speed rail between the cities. If you email me, I will give you brief details on which you might comment. We are new to Spain, but experienced big city transit users. Thank you!
Hi John, we reply to all questions either here on the site or on our YouTube channel. On this text we’ll be happy to answer your questions on how to leave Madrid airport.
I like the valuable information you provide on your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and test again right here frequently.
I’m fairly sure I will be informed many new stuff right right here!
Best of luck for the following!
Thanks a lot, Jefferey!
Hola Tony and Cecilia, We are planning to travel from Madrid to Avila. My husband and I will both be arriving on the same day in Madrid: myself at Atocha train station and my husband at the airport. He can meet me at Atocha, I can meet him at the airport, or we can meet elsewhere in Madrid and then on to Avila together. In light of this, how do you recommend we get to Avila from Madrid (we will be leaving Madrid about 17:30)? We are seeing buses from Madrid Sud bus station to Avila, which looks easy to us, but is it? Or, should we just get ourselves to Principe Pio, and travel to Avila by train from there? We great appreciate your help. Thank you!
Hi Carol. The airport train goes directly to Príncipe Pío. So your husband could take the train to Príncipe Pío and meet you there. You would need to take a train from Atocha. All the best.
Thank you, Tony. 😀
Hi Tony, First if all thank you for the useful Madrid airport to city YouTube video. I will arrive Madrid airport T2 and planning to take Uber to hotel. Could you please provide me more detail information on the exact pickup location? My friend told me it’s on the second level of a parking structure. Could you please clarify? Gracias!
Hi Carol, you will have to follow the instructions in the app and, if needed, ask at an information desk for the exact location of the pick-up point. As far as we are aware, the pick-up point at T2 is not within any parking structure, it’s outdoors, a few meters in front of the bus stop. All the best.
Hello! I have a question regarding the airport surcharge on metro line 8. We are spending our first night very close to the airport and will take metro line 8 from either T1 or T4 to the Barajas metro stop. Since we will get on at the airport, I presume that we will have to pay the airport metro surcharge fee for this trip. The next day we will get back on metro line 8 at Barajas stop are going to the Nuevos Ministerios stop, do we have to pay the airport surcharge fee again?
Hi, you pay the airport surcharge every time you go through the gates of an airport metro station or get out of one of them. You don’t pay it elsewhere in the network.
Hello Tony,
I’m staying at the Hotel Praga, C. de Antonio Lopez, 65, Carabanchel. Is it within the M-30?
Best regards,
Abe
Hi Abe, no, it’s just outside de M-30, a bit far from the centre of Madrid.
Thank you Tony. So in this case, the fixed taxi fare of 30 euros does not apply? Will it be actual taxi meter fare? I’m just making sure.
Best regards,
Abe
The fixed fared went up to 33€, you have all the updated information on the video at the beginning of the text. To get to your hotel you will pay a fixed fare of 20€ plus whatever the meter records. A ridesharing service might be a better option.
Thank you very much for your advice, Tony. I read that Freenow is available in Spain. Are you able to confirm this?
Best regards,
Abe
Freenow is available in a few cities.
Muchas gracias, Tony!
Best regards,
Abe
Hello,
I went to Madrid with my family two weeks ago and we had previously watched yor guides and one of them about transportation between the airport and the city.
We found out that the tourist card was not valid a full 24h from the time of first use. We purchased a 5-day card in the afternoon and it was not valid on the sixth day morning (within a 120 hours).
Maybe we misunderstood the info in your video, in that case i apologize, but we think maybe the info in your video was not intirely correct.
We love your nice and informative videos :) Thanks! Gracias!
Thanks, Anders. The information on our video was correct at the time of publication. There was a subsequent change and, as you probably know, you cannot edit published videos. What we did was to leave a HUGE warning on the first fixed comment below the video (you can check it out here). Always make sure you check the first comment under any video, it’s the only way we, creators, can communicate changes to you. Hope you had a great time in Madrid. All the best!
Hello!
So glad to have found your site and videos as I plan my trip to Spain beginning of September. I am flying into Madrid and going directly to Salamanca. From watching your latest high speed train 2024 video, there is no HS train to Salamanca. What is the best mode of transport to get to Salamanca from Madrid or the airport?
Thank you,
Charlys
Hi Charlys, there is no direct connection to Salamanca from the airport. You either go by bus or by train, our preferred choice. It’s not a full high-speed route but it travels at high-speed for a considerable part of the journey. The train departs from Chamartín station.
Hi Tony,
From MAD to Hotel Liabeny (C. de la Salud, 3, Centro, 28013 Madrid, Spain), what is best public transportation option.
AirPort Express bus 203
Or
Metro with connections.
Hi Dao, bus 203 won’t leave you anywhere near your hotel. If you are traveling light, you could take the metro to COLOMBIA, change to line 9 and travel to PRÍNCIPE DE VERGARA, where you will change to line 2 and travel to SOL. And then you’ll walk less than 10 minutes to your hotel.
Hello Tony, I’m just loving your YouTube videos and how to understand the airport, love it.
I’m arriving first thing in the Morning to Madrid and planning to take the fast train to Sevilla could you give me more details of how to make the transition from the airport train to the fast train to Sevilla.
Also on my way back also on the fast train from Sevilla to Madrid could you tell me how to arrive to the Sol station. I just need confirmation . Thank you for all your advise:
Hi Kitty, on the video you will see inserted above you will find all the details on how to reach Atocha station using different types of transport. On this other video you will see our advice for the connections flight>train. On the way back, if you are travelling light, you can take the metro from Atocha station to Sol. Otherwise, take a ridesharing service. All the best.