Getting Around

Though Madrid is growing all the time, with new suburbs springing up out of nowhere, finding your way around the city is rendered easy by the well-planned public system of Metro, bus, and train transport. The Metro in particular has undergone a huge expansion and modernization program since 2000, first extending as far as Barajas airport and as far south as Arganda del Rey (29km/18 miles from the center) and today mushrooming even further. Out of a total of 12 lines, all easily identified by their different colors on the underground map, no less than seven (1 to 5, 7, and 11) are being extended; work is due for completion by 2007. Also in that year a new Metronorte line (complementing the 3-year-old Metrosur line linking the southern satellite towns of Mostoles, Fuenlabrada, and Leganes) is scheduled to reach as far as Alcobendas and San Sebastian de los Reyes on the northeasterly outskirts; and a tren ligero (literally, "light train" or jet-age tram similar to the service currently operating in Bilbao and eastern Barcelona) will be running on separate lines to the affluent westerly residential towns of Pozuelo de Alarcón and Boadilla del Monte and new northern suburbs of Sanchinarro and Las Tablas.

Note: Go to www.metromadrid.es, and look at the top right corner to change to the English page. Other outlying new towns are easily reached by the excellent cercanías (suburban line) train service. Buses currently operate a full-time day service and reduced night service with 20 routes operating between midnight and 5am. Taxis are widely available and still remain a good value by international standards. Private transport (car or bike) is best avoided in the city center for reasons given below.

By Subway (Metro)

The Metro system is perfectly straightforward to learn and use and by far the quickest, simplest, and cheapest way to travel about the city. The central converging point is Sol station and trains run every 3 to 5 minutes during the day and every 10 to 15 minutes at night. Services begin at 6am (7am on Sundays) and finish around 1:30 am. It's advisable to avoid rush hours 8 to 10 am, 1 to 2 pm, and 4 to 6 pm. The fare is 1.00€ ($1.25) for a one-way trip on zone A stops (central) and 1.50€ ($1.85) for zone A and B stops (includes trips to Outer Madrid stations such as Arganda del Rey on line 9 and Mostoles on Metrosur). You can save money on public transportation by purchasing a combined ten-in-one metrobus ticket costing 6.15€ ($7.70) from any Metro ticket office counter or vending machine as well as at most estancos (shops selling tobacco and stamps) and in many newspaper kiosks. It covers zone A stops plus trips on red metropolitan buses. For information, call tel. 91-429-31-77. In the past couple of years the Metro facilities have been radically improved. Shiny comfortable modern trains are gradually replacing the older -- barely post Civil War -- stock and stations have been modernized, redecorated in brighter colors, and more warmly lit. Formerly lax no smoking rules are now rigidly enforced and traveling underground is now an altogether more agreeable experience (except, inevitably, during the above-mentioned rush hours).

By Bus

A 150-line network of red-colored buses also services the city and suburbs, with routes clearly shown at each stop on a schematic diagram. The buses, which have the first and last stop on their routes clearly marked, are fast and efficient because they travel along special lanes. Schedules operate generally between 6am and 11:30pm, and the time between buses varies from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the service. The efficient and long-established night service operating half-hourly from midnight to 3am and hourly from 3 to 6am with departure points at Cibeles and Sol was considerably bolstered in May 2006 with the introduction of a quarter-hourly buhometro (literally "night owl" Metro) weekend and fiesta-day bus service, which follows all the routes usually covered by the Metro when it closes down between 1:30am and 6 or 7am. As with the Metro, these bus services charge 1€ ($1.25) per zone A (central) ride and 6.15€ ($7.70) for a 10-trip metrobus ticket. In addition to being available at the above-mentioned Metro counters, vending machines, estancos (tobacconists), and newspaper kiosks, tickets are also sold at Empresa Municipal de Transportes, Alcántara 24 (tel. 91-406-88-00), where you can buy a guide to the bus routes. The office is open daily from 8am to 2pm.

By Cercanías Train

This excellent provincial train service has 10 lines (C-1 to C-10) operating economically and punctually to a variety of key towns radiating outwards from the capital, from Aranjuez to San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The tiniest and most dramatic is the elderly narrow-gauge C-9 train that climbs from Cercedilla -- reached by C-8b from Madrid center -- through towering pine forests to Cotos 5,000 feet up in the Guadarrama mountains. Atocha station (Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V; Metro: Atocha RENFE) is the best departure point for southerly destinations and Chamartín station (Calle Agustín de Foxá; Metro: Chamartín) for northerly ones, though trains run between the two stations and either can, in practice, be used for all destinations. Tickets (one-way or round-trip) can be bought at station ticket offices or from machines on which the destinations are clearly marked.

By Taxi

Cab fares are pretty reasonable, and Madrid city cabs are easy to identify. They're white with a red band and a small insignia of a bear and madroño tree, symbols of Madrid, on the side. You can either hail them in the street or pick them up at taxi stands, located all over the city. If they're free (libre), a green light on the roof indicates this. When you flag down a taxi, the meter should register 1.35€ ($1.70); for every kilometer thereafter, the fare increases by .65€ (81¢).

A supplement is charged for trips to the railway station or the bullring, as well as for rides on Sunday and holidays. The ride to and from Barajas Airport carries a 4€ ($5) surcharge, and there is a 2€ ($2.50) supplement from railway stations. A 1.35€ ($1.70) supplement is charged on Sunday and holidays; and a .80€ ($1) supplement is tacked on at night (after 11pm). You may also be charged a fee for each suitcase handled by the driver. It's customary to tip at least 10% of the fare.

Instead of a regular taxi, you can take an AeroCITY shuttle service (tel. 91-747-75-70), transporting you in an air-conditioned minivan to your doorstep in Madrid. This service is sometimes less expensive than a regular taxi, depending on the number of people traveling in the vehicle at one time. Service is 24 hours daily.

Warning: Make sure the meter is turned on when you get into a taxi. Otherwise, a driver will have to assess the cost of the ride off the top of his head, and his assessment, you can be sure, will involve higher mathematics.

You may also encounter unmetered taxis that hire out for the day or the afternoon. These are legitimate, but some drivers operate as gypsy cabs. Since they're not metered, they often charge high rates. These unmetered cabs are easy to avoid -- always take either a black taxi with horizontal red bands or a white one with diagonal red bands.

Note: If you take a taxi outside the city limits, the driver is entitled to charge you twice the rate shown on the meter.

To call a taxi, dial tel. 91-447-51-80.

By Car

You may have indeed gotten to Madrid by car, but you won't need a car once you get there; driving in Madrid is a nightmare. If you drive into Madrid from another city, ask at your hotel for the nearest garage or parking possibility and leave your vehicle there until you're ready to leave.

If you decide you want to rent a car while in Madrid to explore its environs or even to move on, you have several choices. In addition to its office at Barajas Airport (tel. 91-393-72-22), Avis has a main office in the city center at Gran Vía 60 (tel. 91-547-20-48). Hertz, too, has an office at Barajas Airport (tel. 91-393-72-28) and another in the heart of Madrid in the Edificio España, Gran Vía 88 (tel. 91-542-58-03). Budget Rent-a-Car (known in Spain as Interrent) maintains its headquarters at Barajas Airport (tel. 91-393-72-16).

By Bicycle

The twin dangers of inhaling polluted air and getting knocked off your vehicle by hordes of impatient car drivers make riding a bike in the city center a dicey proposition. But some parts of the capital are ideal for enjoying a spin on two wheels, such as the wooded parklands of the Casa del Campo and Dehesa de la Villa, both of which are full of easily navigable trails. In addition, some city streets (Calle Fuencarral, for example, between the Bilbao and Quevedo roundabouts) are closed to traffic on Sunday from 11am to 2pm, giving you a brief hassle-free opportunity to explore urban areas on two wheels.

You can rent a bike from the following two companies at reasonable prices. KaracoSpor (Calle Tortosa 8; tel. 91-539-96-33; www.karacol.com; open daily 10:30am-3pm and 5-8pm; Metro: Atocha) rents bicycles for 15€ ($19) per day. A cash deposit of 50€ ($63) and photocopy of your passport are required. Its offices are conveniently located near the Atocha railway station, making it easy to put the bike on the train and journey in relaxed style to such amenable places as Aranjuez, where the terrain is flat and you can explore parks and riverside trails.

At Bicimanía (Calle Palencia 20; tel. 91-533-11-89; www.bicimania.com; open Mon-Sat 10:30am-2pm and 5-8:30pm; Metro: Alvarado), located in the western Tetuan district, you can rent bike for both all-day or weeklong excursions. It costs you 15€ ($19) for a single weekday, 24€ ($30) for a whole weekend or 80€ ($100) for the week, and a cash deposit of 150€ ($188) is required (500€/$625 for bikes with back suspension). You'll also need to bring a copy of your passport.