Alcobendas sits in the north of the Madrid region, and the train is the fastest way in. From the airport’s Terminal 4, the Cercanías C-1 reaches Chamartín in 15 minutes, where you change to the C-4a for the last 18 minutes to Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes. From Sol in the centre, the C-4a takes 27-28 minutes with no change. Metro line 10 also serves the town, but you change at Tres Olivos and need a 3-euro combined ticket. Alcobendas is in fare zone B1, and the last train back to Sol leaves at 23:34 on weekdays.
How do I get to Alcobendas? By Cercanías C-4a, the fastest option: 18 minutes from Chamartín and 27-28 from Sol to Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes, with a train every 20 minutes at midday. From T4 at the airport, add 15 minutes on the C-1 to Chamartín. By metro, take line 10 and change at Tres Olivos, with a 3-euro combined ticket.
- From the airport: C-1 to Chamartín, then C-4a.
- Metro ticket: combined, 3 euros.
- Zone: B1, so a zone A pass does not reach.
- Last train back: 23:34 on weekdays.
How do you get from the airport to Alcobendas?
There is no direct intercity bus from Madrid-Barajas to Alcobendas, so the train is the way. From Terminal 4, the C-1 runs to Chamartín in 15 minutes; there, catch a C-4a marked Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes, 18 minutes more. Avoid the C-4b, which splits off at Cantoblanco towards Colmenar Viejo; the destination board tells you which is which.
Cercanías single tickets are priced by zone, from 1.70 euros, and are valid for two hours; the Madrid Cercanías ticket zones guide explains the fares, and the airport metro rules are in the Madrid airport metro supplement.
Is the train or the metro faster from central Madrid?
| From | Cercanías C-4a, on board | Change needed |
|---|---|---|
| Chamartín | 18 minutes | No |
| Sol | 27-28 minutes | No |
| Atocha | 32-33 minutes | No |
| Metro line 10 | Varies by stop | Yes, at Tres Olivos |
The train runs 61 times a day on weekdays and 55 at weekends, every 20 minutes at midday. The metro is useful when your destination is closer to a line 10 stop than to the station: north of Tres Olivos, line 10 becomes the MetroNorte section, which is why the ticket changes.
Which stop for which sight?
The town is spread out, so the stop matters. These are walking distances measured on the street network.
Marqués de la Valdavia is the stop for the town centre, 483 metres from Plaza del Pueblo and 645 metres from the MUNCYT science museum; Manuel de Falla, 88 metres from the Valdelasfuentes sports complex and its Monday market; La Moraleja, 820 metres from the bonsai museum. Plaza de la Moraleja is 1,813 metres from Ronda de la Comunicación. The La Moraleja residential area and its shopping centre are more than a kilometre from any stop.
Which ticket covers the trip?
From Madrid you need the combined metro ticket, 3 euros, or the 10-trip combined ticket, 10.90 euros. The 1.50-euro MetroNorte single only covers trips within the section from La Granja to Hospital Infanta Sofía. If you live here, the monthly zone B1 travel pass, 38.20 euros, covers metro, buses and Cercanías across zones A and B1; the zone A pass, 32.70 euros, does not reach Alcobendas.
See Madrid metro ticket prices for the full fare table.
Getting back late, the last Cercanías from Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes to Sol leaves at 23:34 on weekdays and 23:33 at weekends, and the metro closes at 1:30; Madrid metro closing times and night buses covers the N102 night bus. Once there, things to do in Alcobendas and where to eat in Alcobendas plan the day, and next door, how to get to San Sebastián de los Reyes covers the shared station.
Questions about getting to Alcobendas
How do I get from Madrid airport to Alcobendas?
There is no direct intercity bus. From Terminal 4, take the Cercanías C-1 to Chamartín, 15 minutes, and change to the C-4a towards Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes, 18 minutes more. That is 33 minutes on board, plus the wait at Chamartín.
Which metro ticket do I need for Alcobendas?
A combined single ticket, 3 euros, valid across the whole Metro network, or the 10-trip combined ticket, 10.90 euros. The 1.50-euro MetroNorte single only works between La Granja and Hospital Infanta Sofía, and a zone A pass does not cover Alcobendas, which is zone B1.
What is the last train back from Alcobendas to Madrid?
The last Cercanías from Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes to Sol leaves at 23:34 on weekdays and 23:33 at weekends. The metro closes at 1:30, and after that the N102 night bus leaves Plaza de Castilla every hour on the hour from 0:00 to 6:00.
Take the train for speed, and pick the metro stop by where you are going.