Madrid public transport runs on one fare system set by the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid for Metro de Madrid, EMT city buses, Metro Ligero and Cercanías. A zone A single Metro ticket costs €1.50 to €2.00 depending on how many stations you ride, a bus single €1.50 paid on board, and the Metrobús 10-trip ticket €7.30, valid on Metro, buses and Metro Ligero ML1. Flying in changes the maths: the Consorcio sets a €3.00 airport supplement at the terminal Metro stations, which the Tourist Travel Pass, from €10.30 a day, already includes.
Which transport ticket should I buy in Madrid? Under 5 journeys, a single ticket at €1.50 to €2.00 depending on stations. From 5 journeys, the €7.30 Metrobús covering 10 trips at €0.73 each. If the trip includes the airport in both directions, the one-day Tourist Travel Pass at €10.30, because it absorbs both €3 supplements.
Those three thresholds settle the decision for almost any visit.
The airport decides more than the transfer
The airport supplement is a separate €3 ticket that the Consorcio prices on its own, charged when entering or leaving the terminal Metro stations on a single or 10-trip fare. The Tourist Travel Pass, the 30-day Transport Pass and a Cercanías Renfe ticket to Terminal 4 on line C-1 are all exempt.
On a trip that arrives and departs by public transport that is €6 the pass absorbs. Taken off its €10.30, the effective cost falls to €4.30, which at €0.73 a journey on a Metrobús equals 6 trips. Without the airport in the equation the same pass would need 15. That single variable is why the pass suits almost everyone flying in and almost nobody arriving by train, and it is worked through in the Madrid airport Metro supplement.
The Airport Exprés bus sits outside the system entirely, on a flat €5 fare paid on board that accepts no passes.
Every price in one place
| Ticket | Where it works | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Abono Joven, ages 15 to 25 | Every zone, A through E2 | €10.00 |
| 30-day Transport Pass, zone A | Unlimited travel, needs a personalised card | €32.70 |
| Tourist Travel Pass, 1 day zone A | Unlimited travel, supplement included | €10.30 |
| Metrobús, 10 journeys | Metro zone A, EMT buses and ML1 | €7.30, or €0.73 a trip |
| Combined ticket | Metro and Metro Ligero ML1, ML2, ML3 and TFM | €3.00, or €10.90 for 10 trips |
| Airport supplement | Added to single and 10-trip fares | €3.00 |
| Single Metro ticket, zone A | Metro, expires the day it is bought | €1.50 to €2.00 |
| Single EMT bus ticket | City buses, bought from the driver | €1.50 |
| Airport Exprés bus | 24-hour airport line, no passes | €5.00 |
A single Metro ticket has no fixed price: it costs €1.50 for up to five stations, rises €0.10 per station from the sixth to the ninth, and caps at €2.00 from the tenth. The full ladder is in a Madrid Metro ticket does not have one price.
How many journeys before each ticket pays
The comparison is not made on headline price but on cost per journey, and the ordering changes completely once it is.
A single runs €1.50 to €2.00. In the same table the Consorcio prices the Metrobús at €7.30, which works out at €0.73 a trip, less than half the cheapest single, and breaks even on the fifth journey against a €1.50 fare or the fourth against a €2.00 one. Any two-day stay with normal movement clears that.
The Tourist Travel Pass enters by a different door. Its €10.30 a day looks expensive next to €0.73 until the airport supplements are folded in, at which point the threshold drops from 15 journeys to 6. Where that leaves each kind of trip is set out in when the tourist pass is the wrong buy.
Three points where the fare stops rising
A pattern shows up only when the whole system is laid out, and knowing where it sits saves money.
The single ticket stops getting more expensive at the tenth station, so crossing half the city costs what crossing all of it does. The 30-day pass stops rising at zone B3, where B3, C1 and C2 all cost €49.20. And the Tourist Travel Pass cheapens per day as it lengthens, from €10.30 for one day to €6.17 a day inside the seven-day version.
Same shape in all three cases: past a certain point, distance or duration stop counting. Paying to get closer to a threshold already reached is the commonest way to waste money here.
What to do in the first ten minutes after landing
The decision has to be made at the terminal, with a suitcase, and it comes down to three steps:
- Count the journeys. Under five, buy singles. Over five, buy the €7.30 Metrobús.
- Add the airport twice. If you are returning to the terminal by public transport, the €6 of supplements pushes the Tourist Travel Pass ahead of both.
- Check the zone on the ticket, not the map. Zone A takes in all four terminals and the whole city, and it is what almost every visitor needs; the wider zones are set out in Madrid has eight transport zones and four prices.
Nothing here needs booking in advance, and every ticket is sold from the machines on the terminal platforms. You load it on the €2.50 Multi card, which is not personal and can be topped up at any Metro machine. Day trips beyond zone A, such as Parque Warner in San Martín de la Vega, are covered in Parque Warner from Madrid by train and bus.
Buses, late nights and bikes
City buses take the same Metrobús as the Metro, or a €1.50 single bought from the driver. The EMT also sells a €1.80 TransBus ticket in its app, with unlimited bus changes for 60 minutes.
The Metro runs from 6:00 to 1:30 every day of the year, and after that the EMT night buses take over, as set out in what time the Madrid Metro closes. The 24-hour Airport Exprés bus is the late-arrival option at €5.00.
For short hops in the centre, BiciMAD charges €0.50 for the first half hour, but it sits outside the Consorcio system and no transport ticket works on it. Under-26s staying longer should look at the €10 Abono Joven before anything else.
These prices expire on 31 December 2026
Every figure here rests on extraordinary subsidies the Comunidad de Madrid extended, in force until 31 December 2026. They amount to 50 % off the Abono Joven and 40 % off 30-day passes for ages 26 to 64, 10-trip tickets and the Tarjeta Azul.
Without them the Abono Joven returns to €20 and the rest rises in proportion. It is a price that expires by political decision rather than commercial one, so it is worth re-checking on a trip planned months ahead.
Visitors over 65 pay adult fares; residents get the free senior pass. Left something on a train or a bus? Madrid lost property lists who keeps it and for how long.
Frequently asked questions about Madrid transport tickets
Which transport ticket should I buy in Madrid?
Under 5 journeys, a single ticket at €1.50 to €2.00. From 5 journeys, the €7.30 Metrobús covering 10 trips. If the trip includes the airport in both directions, the one-day Tourist Travel Pass at €10.30, because it absorbs both €3 supplements.
Do I need a ticket for the airport in Madrid?
A €3 airport supplement applies on single and 10-trip Metro tickets, bought separately from the fare. The Tourist Travel Pass, the 30-day pass and a Cercanías ticket to Terminal 4 are all exempt from it.
How much is a bus ticket in Madrid?
A single EMT city bus ticket costs €1.50 on any urban route and is bought from the driver. The €7.30 Metrobús also works on the buses. The Airport Exprés has its own €5.00 fare and runs 24 hours, but takes no passes or 10-trip tickets.
How much is the Metro in Madrid?
A zone A single costs €1.50 for up to 5 stations, rising €0.10 per station to the ninth, and stays at €2.00 from 10 stations onward. The 10-trip Metrobús costs €7.30, which works out at €0.73 a journey.
Which fare zone do I need in Madrid?
Zone A is enough for nearly any visit, since it covers the whole municipality including all four airport terminals. A wider zone is only needed to leave the city, for El Escorial, Aranjuez or Alcalá de Henares.
Do children pay for transport in Madrid?
Under-4s ride free with no ticket. From 4 to 14, and from 65, travel is free too, but according to the Consorcio Regional de Transportes only on a personal card that requires registered residence in the Comunidad de Madrid. A visiting child pays a fare from age 4, and on the Tourist Travel Pass under-11s pay half price.
Five tickets and three thresholds. What decides it is how often you travel and how you enter the city.