In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Exprés Aeropuerto bus is €5, runs 24 hours and goes to Atocha via Plaza de Cibeles. Metro line 8 runs 06:05 to 02:00 to Nuevos Ministerios and needs a €3 airport supplement unless you hold a Tourist Travel Pass. Cercanías C-1 stops at Terminal 4 only. A taxi is a fixed €33 to anywhere inside the M-30, 24 hours a day, and Uber, Bolt and Cabify pick up from set points. Or pre-book: Madrid City: Direct Private Transfer to/from MAD Airportad is from €23.14 for 1 hour (GetYourGuide).
The airport to the centre, compared
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas has four terminals, T1, T2, T3 and T4. Aena’s pages for the bus, Metro, train, taxi and chauffeur-driven cars are the airport’s own.
The bamboo roof of Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas. Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
| Option | Where it goes | Fare | Hours and frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exprés Aeropuerto (EMT line 203) | T1, T2 and T4 to Plaza de Cibeles and Atocha | €5.00 | 24 hours; every 15 to 20 minutes by day, every 35 minutes at night | Atocha to T1 30 minutes, to T2 35, to T4 40; luggage free |
| Metro line 8 | Airport T1-T2-T3 and Airport T4 to Nuevos Ministerios | €1.50 to €2.00 by stations, plus the €3.00 airport supplement | 06:05 to 02:00; last trains 01:33 from each end | Change at Nuevos Ministerios; no supplement with a Tourist Travel Pass |
| Cercanías C-1 | Terminal 4 to Chamartín, Atocha and Príncipe Pío | €1.70 for 1 to 2 zones, €1.85 for 3, €2.60 for 4 | See Renfe’s timetable | Terminal 4 only, on floor -1 |
| Taxi | Rank outside arrivals | €33 fixed inside the M-30 | 24 hours | Official taxis are white with a red diagonal stripe |
| Uber, Bolt, Cabify | Set pick-up points | By app | 24 hours | Car parks P1 and P4 and the Express car park at T2 arrivals |
| Buses 200 and 101 | Avenida de América (200); Canillejas (101) | €1.50 single | 200 about 05:00 to 23:30; 101 to 23:45 | Both take the Tourist Travel Pass |
The Exprés Aeropuerto bus
€5.00 · 24 hours · Atocha in 30 to 40 minutes
EMT, Aena and the Consorcio de Transportes all give €5. You pay the driver by cash, with change up to €20, or by contactless card or phone, or at ticket totems at the terminals (T1 stop 3540, T2 stop 3542, T4 stop 5726) and outside Atocha (stop 5709). In the day the buses leave Atocha from 06:00 to 23:30; the night buses leave Plaza de Cibeles from 00:00 to 05:40. The stops are Atocha, where Metro line 1 and several EMT routes meet, Plaza de Cibeles for Metro line 2, then T1, T2 and T4. The zone A Tourist Travel Pass does not cover this bus. It is the one public option after 02:00.
An EMT Exprés Aeropuerto bus beside the Palacio de Cibeles. Photo: FDV, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Metro line 8
€3 supplement · 06:05 to 02:00 · change at Nuevos Ministerios
Line 8 runs from Nuevos Ministerios to the airport, with stations at Airport T1-T2-T3 and Airport T4. A single ticket, a 10-trip ticket or a combined single valid only for zone A needs the €3.00 airport supplement to get on or off at either station, so the Metro costs about €4.50 to €5.00 each way. A Tourist Travel Pass, or a monthly pass covering zone A, does not. The supplement is for one use and valid to the end of service that day.
The Metro platform at Airport T4 station. Photo: Draceane, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Cercanías C-1
Terminal 4 only · floor -1
Renfe’s C-1 runs from Príncipe Pío through Atocha and Chamartín to Terminal 4. Aena says it is free for passengers with an AVE ticket that connects to a flight. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have a free shuttle bus to T4.
Taxis
€33 fixed inside the M-30 · 24 hours · every day
The fare is €33 between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30 ring road, with no supplements. Outside the M-30 the airport minimum fare applies for trips under 9 km: a start of €22, then €1.40 a km after 9 km and €27 an hour. Use the rank outside arrivals and check the meter starts at the minimum.
Uber, Bolt and Cabify
All three work from the airport. Aena lists three pick-up points for each app: car park P1 in the west zone, the Express car park at T2 arrivals, and P4 module D on floor 4. Fares are set in the app.
Buying a pass at the airport
The Consorcio’s offices at Terminal 2 and Terminal 4 sell the Tourist Travel Pass from 08:00 to 20:00 every day. The Metro machines at both airport stations, and the entrance to the Cercanías T4 station, also sell it. A Tourist Travel Pass in zone A is €10.30 for one day and takes the Metro, the EMT buses except the Exprés Aeropuerto, and zone A Cercanías, with no airport supplement: Madrid public transport has the prices for 1 to 7 days and the zone T option. The pass includes the Multi card that Aena charges €2.50 for.
Tickets that save a change
- A private car. Madrid City: Direct Private Transfer to/from MAD Airportad is from €23.14 for 1 hour (724 reviews, 4.3), and From Madrid Airport: 1-Way Private Hotel Transferad is from €85 for 30 minutes (341 reviews, 4.9).
- A bus for the first afternoon. The Madrid City Tour hop-on hop-off busad is from €29.70 (13,615 reviews); the hop-on hop-off options are compared on the walking tours page.
Which to take
- After 02:00: the Exprés Aeropuerto bus, or a taxi.
- To Atocha for a day-trip train: the Exprés Aeropuerto bus, which stops outside the station.
- With a Tourist Travel Pass: Metro line 8, with no supplement.
- To Chamartín or Atocha from T4: Cercanías C-1.
- Three or four people, or heavy luggage: the €33 taxi, a fixed fare for the car.
What to book before you go to Madrid lists the sights that need tickets, and where to stay in Madrid compares the areas. The day trips from Madrid leave from Atocha, Chamartín and the Moncloa interchange, and Madrid public transport covers the Metro and the Tourist Travel Pass in detail. Madrid in one or two days shows what to do with the first afternoon. For the other end of a Spanish trip, see Barcelona El Prat to the city and Seville airport to the city.
Common questions
How do you get from Madrid airport to the city centre?
By the Exprés Aeropuerto bus (€5, 24 hours, to Atocha via Cibeles), by Metro line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios, by Cercanías C-1 from Terminal 4, or by taxi at a fixed €33 to anywhere inside the M-30 ring road. Uber, Bolt and Cabify also pick up.
How much is the Exprés Aeropuerto bus?
€5.00 one way, paid on board by cash (change up to €20) or contactless card or phone, or at the ticket totems at the terminals. It runs 24 hours a day, every day, every 15 to 20 minutes by day and every 35 minutes at night, and luggage is free.
Is there a surcharge on the Metro from the airport?
Yes. A ticket valid only for zone A needs a €3.00 airport supplement to enter or leave either airport station. A Tourist Travel Pass does not need it. The supplement is sold at Metro machines and the CRTM apps.
Is the taxi from Madrid airport a fixed price?
Yes, €33 for any trip between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30 ring road, 24 hours a day, every day, with no supplements. Outside the M-30 the airport minimum fare starts at €22 for trips under 9 km.
Which train goes to Madrid airport?
Cercanías line C-1, which stops at Terminal 4 only, on floor -1, and runs from Príncipe Pío through Atocha and Chamartín. From Terminals 1, 2 and 3 a free shuttle bus runs to T4.
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