Getting Around Madrid: Transport, Airport Transfers and Where to Leave Your Bag
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
Madrid's metro is cheap, frequent and reaches almost everything a visitor wants. A central ride costs €1.50 to €2.00. The one thing that catches people out is the €3.00 airport supplement, added whenever your metro trip starts or ends at the airport. The other news: since 1 June 2026 you can tap a contactless bank card or phone at the metro gates for a single ticket, and guides written before then still miss it. Everything below was checked in October 2026.
Disclosure: Ciceru earns a commission if you book luggage storage through its Radical Storage link, and you get 10% off. It does not change what is recommended.
Once your bag is dropped, the Madrid Interactive Self-Guided Walking Tour is a self-guided walk in the Ciceru app, 2 km and about 1.5 hours from Puerta del Sol to the Royal Palace, with a story and a quiz question at each of its 8 stops, for €7, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM.
⚡ Quick answer
- From the airport: metro line 8 is €4.50 to €5.00 including the €3.00 supplement, the Exprés Aeropuerto bus is €5.00 and runs 24 hours, and a taxi to anywhere inside the M-30 ring road is a fixed €33.00
- Tickets: a metro single is €1.50 for up to 5 stations and €2.00 at most, a 10-journey ticket is €7.30, and the reusable Multi card costs €2.50
- Bank cards: contactless cards and phones work at the metro gates for single tickets since 1 June 2026, at an introductory €1.50
- Tourist pass: Zone A is €10.30 for 1 day and €23.10 for 3, and it is rarely worth it
- Luggage: official airport desks charge from €10 for 2 hours, and Radical Storage lists 157 spots in Madrid from €1.60 a bag a day, 10% off with Ciceru's link
✈️ From the airport
Metro line 8. The cheapest fast route. T1, T2 and T3 share one station (inside Terminal 2, floor 1) and T4 has its own (floor -1). Line 8 runs to Nuevos Ministerios, where you change for the rest of the network, in roughly 12 to 20 minutes depending on the terminal. Aena lists service from 06:05 to 02:00. You pay a normal ticket (€1.50 to €2.00) plus the €3.00 airport supplement, so €4.50 to €5.00 in total, with the supplement valid for one use that day.
- 📍 Aena tells passengers to use a Multi or Public Transport card here. No official page explains how the supplement works with a bank-card tap, so use a Multi card or tourist pass at the airport
Cercanías C1. The commuter train stops only at T4 (floor -1) and runs on via Chamartín and Atocha to Príncipe Pío. It suits T4 arrivals staying near Atocha or Chamartín. Aena's airport page lists ordinary Cercanías fares with no supplement, €1.70 for zones 1 and 2, but check the machine and Renfe's notices for works.
Exprés Aeropuerto (line 203). A flat €5.00, running 24 hours between T1, T2 and T4 and the centre. By day it ends at Atocha, at night it starts from Plaza de Cibeles. Buses come every 15 to 20 minutes by day and every 35 at night, and the ride takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes. The tourist pass and 10-journey tickets do not cover it. EMT, the operator, lists €5.00, though some city pages show €5.10, so expect to pay about €5.
Taxi. The fixed fare is €33.00, 24 hours a day, between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30, with no supplements. It was left unchanged when other taxi tariffs rose on 1 January 2026.
🎫 Tickets and cards, explained once
Madrid's tickets load onto the Multi card, a reusable contactless card that costs €2.50 (the price is included if your first purchase is a tourist pass). It is anonymous, so different people can use it, and it holds up to three tickets. Buy and load it at metro vending machines.
- 💶 Metro single: €1.50 up to 5 stations, 10 cents more per station for 6 to 9, and €2.00 for 10 or more
- 💶 10-journey metro ticket: €7.30 in Zone A, which is €0.73 a ride
- 💶 Bus single: €1.50 on board
- 💶 Metrobús, 10 journeys: €7.30 for EMT buses and the metro together
- 💶 Airport supplement: €3.00 on top of a single or 10-journey ticket
Paying with a bank card. Since 1 June 2026 you can tap a contactless card, phone or watch at the gates and skip the machine. It buys single tickets only, at a reduced €1.50 that the Consorcio describes as an introductory price for the first weeks, without saying what follows. At older stations only some gates accept cards. A Multi card with a 10-journey ticket is still cheaper per ride.
💳 Which pass is worth it
In Zone A the tourist pass costs €10.30 for 1 day, €17.50 for 2, €23.10 for 3, €27.80 for 4, €33.40 for 5 and €43.20 for 7 (Zone T, the whole region, is €15.40 for 1 day). The card and the airport supplement are included, children under 11 pay half, and the days count as calendar days from your first tap.
Against that, a Multi card (€2.50) with a 10-journey ticket (€7.30) gives you rides at €0.73 each. Pay the €3.00 supplement each way and a 3-day visitor breaks even on the pass at about 20 city rides, roughly seven a day, or about 28 without the airport trip. Most people who walk the centre ride far less than that, so the cheaper plan is a Multi card and a 10-journey ticket. For the full three-day costs, see Madrid on a Budget.
⚠️ Validation, fines and traps
- 🎫 Tap every time. Travelling without a valid ticket carries a standard fine of €144, reduced to €100 if you pay within 30 days, listed by the Consorcio for Metro, EMT buses and Cercanías
- ⏰ Hours: the metro runs roughly 06:00 to 01:30. After 23:30 the night buses (búhos) take over and fan out from Plaza de Cibeles at normal fares
- 🚕 Short taxi hops from stations cost more. From major rail and bus stations the minimum is €8.00 for trips under 1,450 metres, a rate that rose from €7.50 in January 2026
🚶 What you will actually walk
The Habsburg centre is a walking job. Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace sit within about 2 km of each other, which is the length of the Ciceru walk. Sol to the Prado is roughly 1.5 km on foot, about 20 minutes, and Atocha station to Sol roughly 2 km, 25 to 30 minutes (own estimates). Save the metro for longer hops.
🧳 Luggage storage in Madrid
1. The airport. Aena lists Safe Bag desks in all terminals: Terminal 1 on floor 0, 05:00 to 23:00, Terminal 2 on floor 1, 07:00 to 22:00, and Terminal 4 on floor 0 in arrivals, 05:00 to 23:00. Prices are per item: €10 for up to 2 hours, €17 for up to 24 hours, €34 for 48 hours and €51 for 72 hours, then €17 a day. Fine for a few hours, dear for longer.
2. Atocha and Chamartín. Adif's Atocha page lists no left-luggage office or locker bank, and no official page confirming one at Chamartín could be found in 2026. Treat any station-locker claim as unconfirmed and ask at the information desk. Ouigo's travel page lists private locker services near both stations, but gives no prices or hours.
3. Shop and locker networks. Radical Storage lists 157 verified locations in Madrid, from €1.60 a bag a day, with no size or weight limits. Hours and prices depend on the partner. Its listing at Atocha station was €5.00 a bag a day, 08:30 to 20:30, booked online only.
Which one wins
- ✈️ A few hours at the airport: the Aena desks, €10 for 2 hours
- 🚉 Arriving at Atocha or Chamartín with no confirmed station locker: Radical Storage, 10% off with the link above. Book ahead, since Atocha is online only
- 🧳 A big case or anything awkward: Radical Storage again, as there is no size limit
- 🗓️ More than a day: Radical Storage, as the airport charges €17 an item per day
🚕 Taxis and ride apps
Madrid taxis are white with a diagonal red band, and show a green light when free. Under the 2026 tariffs the starting charge is €2.55 on weekdays 07:00 to 21:00 and €3.20 at other times, then €1.40 a kilometre in the daytime and €1.60 otherwise. All taxis accept cards. Free Now and TxMAD book them.
Uber, Bolt and Cabify also work, booked in the app with the price shown in advance. At the airport they pick up from designated car parks (for example P1 for terminals 1, 2 and 4), so follow the app's instructions.
🕐 Your first hour in Madrid
- Buy a Multi card at a metro machine in the airport station, then load a 10-journey ticket and the €3.00 supplement (or a tourist pass if you will ride a lot).
- Take line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios, a 12 to 20 minute ride, and change there for your line.
- Too early to check in? Drop bags with a Radical Storage partner near your hotel, or at the airport desk if you are heading straight to a flight.
- Walk the centre light, then plan the rest.
❓ FAQ
How do I get from Madrid airport to the city centre?
Metro line 8 is simplest at €4.50 to €5.00 including the €3.00 supplement, about 12 to 20 minutes to Nuevos Ministerios. The Exprés Aeropuerto bus is €5.00 and runs 24 hours, and a taxi inside the M-30 is a fixed €33.00.
Can I pay for the Madrid metro with a contactless bank card?
Yes, since 1 June 2026, for single tickets at the gates, at an introductory €1.50. For the airport trip, a Multi card or tourist pass is the safer choice, since no official page explains how the supplement works with a card tap.
Where can I leave luggage in Madrid?
At the airport, Aena's Safe Bag desks charge €17 per item for 24 hours. No official left-luggage service could be confirmed at Atocha or Chamartín, so use a private network such as Radical Storage, from €1.60 a bag a day, 10% off through Ciceru's link above.
✅ Before you go
The €1.50 card-tap fare is introductory, so check the price at the gate. Buy a Multi card, skip the tourist pass unless you will ride all day, and add the €3.00 supplement only for the airport trip. For the wider picture, start with Madrid Explained.
