Madrid Transport - From the Airport to Downtown

Airport Transfer

Welcome Pickups offer a specialised taxi service which can be reserved in advance from our website. They will pick you up at the airport in a comfortable, air-conditioned, sedan car and take you to whichever destination you specify, monitoring your flight so that they are on time always. Their drivers speak English and prices currently stand at just 35 euros total for up to 4 passengers with bags. Click here for more information and reservations.

Advantages: Excellent price for door to door service. As cheap as a normal taxi and more comfortable. GoMadrid strongly recommends this option.
Disadvantages: really there are none, except for the strict budget traveller, who may prefer the metro.
Cost: 35 euros for up to 4 passengers with bags.

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AresMobile is a chauffeur-driven meet and greet service which can be reserved in advance from our website. You will be met at the airport in the arrival hall by your chauffeur who will speak English (or other languages if specified) and whisked away to your final destination. Personalised chauffeur-driven tours and excursions with hourly rates can also be arranged. Prices start at 65 euros. Click here for more information and reservations.
Advantages: Fully personalised luxury service.
Disadvantages: For the fortunate few - may be out of your budget
Cost: From 65 euros

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The old 89 bus route to Plaza Colón has been discontinued and replaced by the Exprés Aeropuerto (Airport Express), a 24-hour service which has only 3 stops after the airport: O'Donell, Plaza de Cibeles and Atocha (this last stop only during the daytime hours between 6 am and 11.30pm). The buses run every 15 minutes during the day and every 35 at night, and the journey takes approximately 40 minutes. Tickets cost 5 euros and may be bought on board. There are stops at terminals T1, T2 and T4.

You may see the Airport Express information sheet here.

Note: Once in the city, you may purchase a 10-trip "Metrobus" ticket in newspaper outlets, "estancos" or tobacconists and Metro stations, which is valid for both the EMT city buses and also the Metro (although there is a supplementary charge for journeys to/from the airport - see below). If taking several bus journeys, save money with the Madrid Travel Pass.

Advantages: Cheap, frequent service, running 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Disadvantages: Infrequent stops means that you have to also take the Metro to your final destination, making this service a little inconvenient if you have heavy suitcases.
Cost: 5 euros.

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All the major car rental companies are available in Barajas airport. Hertz, Europcar, Avis, etc. all have offices between arrival halls 1 and 2 in Terminal 1. However, it is often cheaper to reserve your car rental before you arrive. Click here for cheap car hire in any location in Spain. For Portugal, we can recommend this Cheap Car Rental site.

Advantages: Flexibility. Good for daytrips out of the city.
Disadvantages: You may not be used to driving in Spain. The traffic in Madrid can be bad at almost any time of day or night.
Cost: Variable

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Madrid's Barajas Airport has Metro stations in Terminal T2 and the newer Terminal T4. Trains leave every 5 minutes from 6.00am to 2.00am. Line 8 goes straight to the Nuevos Ministerios Metro station in the centre of Madrid, with a journey time of just 12 minutes.

The price of a single journey to or from the airport is currently 5 euros, which includes a supplementary airport charge. If you already possess a valid Metro ticket, you can simply purchase the airport supplementary ticket which is 2 euros cheaper.

Tip: Consider buying the Madrid Tourist Travel Pass, which allows you to travel on any Metro, bus or suburban train, all included in the price of just 5 euros, making it a great way to save money on public transport. With this pass, it is not necessary to pay the airport surcharge.

It is also possible to purchase a 10-trip "Metrobus" ticket, valid for both the Metro and city buses, since you will undoubtedly be using the Metro again during your stay. This may be purchased at newspaper outlets, "estancos" or tobacconists and Metro stations. Note that you will still need to purchase the supplementary ticket for any journey to/from the airport.

See our Madrid Maps section to download a plan of the Madrid Metro or visit the Madrid Metro website.

Advantages: Cheap, frequent service to virtually any part of town.
Disadvantages: You will most likely need to transfer a couple of times to get to your final destination. Consider this when lugging about large suitcases!

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The most convenient option for some, but expensive for others, and often fraught with difficulties due to language problems.

If you prefer the old-fashioned method of taking a taxi, walk outside the airport terminal to the taxi ranks. Do not accept offers from drivers inside the terminal, since these are often illegal drivers and you will almost certainly get ripped off. There is now a fixed rate of 30 euros to any central location (within the M-30 ring-road). For other locations there are many, at times confusing, supplements to the basic fare. These include: obligatory initial fare, surcharge to/from airport, surcharge to/from bus or train stations and to/from the Ifema trade fairs, and all these supplements are further increased at weekends or holidays. There is no charge for suitcases, rucksacks or pets. Always ask for a receipt at the end of your journey in case the fare comes into dispute.
Click here to book your Madrid taxi online

Advantages: Convenient, door-to-door service. Cheaper than many European taxis.
Online booking available here
Disadvantages: Bus and Metro are cheaper for shoestring budgets. Open to abuse from rip-off merchants. Most taxis will only take up to 3 passengers. We would recommend the Airport Transfer service which is more efficient and comfortable, and allows up to 4 passengers.
Cost: 30 euros to all central destinations.

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The Madrid City Pass includes a private transfer from the airport, a "skip-the-line" ticket to see Real Madrid's stadium, a a "skip-the-line" entrance to the Prado Museum, a free 24h Hop-On Hop-Off Bus ticket, and 20% discount on countless other Madrid attractions.
Click here to book the Madrid City Pass

Advantages: Convenient airport transfer option which includes other tourist attractions in the same ticket.
Online booking available here
Disadvantages: More expensive than simply ordering a normal Airport Transfer option

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We believe the most comfortable and convenient option for most travellers is to simply take a private airport transfer. We appreciate that this option might not be suitable for everybody's budget, but this is by no means a luxury, especially when you are sharing the ride with a few others.

So, if you are arriving in Spain at one of the other major airports, we highly recommend using the services offered at Spain Airport Transfers, where you can book private taxi transfers from the airports of Barcelona, Malaga, Ibiza and others. And if you are also considering travelling to Greece, please check out the similar services at Greece Airport Transfers for arrivals at Athens, Mykonos, Corfu, Santorini and more.

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