To and from the Airport

You can now travel to the Barajas Aiport on the metro line number . Prices are 0.95 € for a single journey and 5 € for ten journeys. Ten-ticket passes are also valid on the buses, but not for the buses to the airport.
Especial Buses travel between the Airport and Plaza de Colón (see quandrant N-3 on the detailed maps, or 10 on the center zones overview map) every 10-15 minutes, from 5.45am until 9:30am. The trip takes about 3/4 of an hour when traffic is not too congested; during rush hour one should allow for more than an hour. A one-way ticket cost 3 euro (US$2.70). Info tel: 91 431 61 92.


The two nearest metro stops to the airport bus terminal are Colón and Serrano.

The photo shows the fountain at the plaza de Colón, with the Biblioteca Nacional (national library) in the backgound.

Taxis from the airport to the center of Madrid cost around 20 euro (US$16.00). There is almost never a problem getting a taxi from the indicated ranks, and we would advise against accepting offers from taxi drivers inside the airport building as there are frequent reports of passengers being ripped-off .

Most major car rental agencies are represented at the airport, and there is plenty of space in the reasonably priced car parks.

By Train
Trains arriving from abroad and from the south, east, and west of Spain, including the high-speed AVE trains, arrive at the station shown here, Atocha railway station (metro Atocha Renfe).

Trains to and from the north arrive at Chamartín train station (metro Chamartín). Many trains stop at both stations.

The railways in Spain are run by the state company RENFE.

By Bus
Buses are generally the cheapest form of transportation in Spain.

The main bus station for international and long distance travel is the Estación Sur de autobuses, located south of the city center. Continental Auto, which runs buses to the north of Spain, departs from a separate terminal located near the Nuevos Ministerios metro and cercanías station.

See our page on bus terminal addresses for more information on companies providing bus service to the various parts of Spain and their respective terminals.

By Car or Private Transport
Madrid has 6 principal highways entering and leaving the city; the N-I to N-VI. It also has two major (and almost complete) ring roads, the inner-one is known as the M30, the outer one know as the M40.

The N-I (Burgos Highway)
Also known as the 'Autovia del Norte', this highway connects Madrid to Burgos and Santander, to the cities of the Basque regions (Vitoria, Bilbao, San Sabastián), to France via Irún, and to the ferries from the British Isles.

N-II (Barcelona Highway)
This is a direct highway to Barcelona and the costa Brava, via Guadalajara, Zaragoza, through the Monegros desert, and Lérida. Also connects to southern France via Portbou.

N-III (Valencia Highway)
Used for travelling to and from Cuenca, Albacete, Murcia, and the following Mediterranen cities/costal areas: Alicante (Costa Blanca), Valencia, and Castellon (Costa del Azahar).

N-IV (Andalucia Highway)
This is the route to and from the following cities: Cuidad Real, Jaén, Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, Almería, Malaga, Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera (sherry), Tarifa, the resorts on the Costal del Sol and the Costa Cálida, Gibraltar, and the ferries to Morocco.

N-V (Extremadura Highway)
Highway to Talavera, Trujillo, Cáceres, Mérida, Badajoz, and Lisbon and southern Portugal. Also, an alternative route to western Andalucía.

N-VI (A Coruña Highway)
Leads to: El Escorial, Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, Valladolid, Zamora, León, the cities of Galicia and Asturias, and northern Portugal.