🚇 Getting around Madrid: metro, bus and what it costs

First thing: the card

Single paper tickets barely exist any more. You need a Tarjeta Multi — a plastic card costing about €2.50 from any metro station machine, which you then load with tickets. One card per person for season passes; a Multi loaded with single tickets can be shared between people travelling together.

Machines have an English option. You can pay by card.

The zones

Madrid is zoned A (the city), B1, B2, B3 and C (further out). Almost everything a visitor does is in Zone A.

What things cost, roughly

• Metro single, Zone A: €1.50–2.00 depending on how many stations
• Ten-trip Metrobús ticket: around €12.20, usable on metro and bus in Zone A, shareable
• EMT city bus single: €1.50, pay the driver in cash if you must
• Airport supplement: €3 extra on top of any metro ticket to or from Barajas. It catches everyone. The 203 Exprés Aeropuerto bus from Atocha avoids it and costs €5 flat.
• Abono mensual (monthly pass): varies by zone; the Abono Joven for under-26s is a famous bargain at around €20/month for all zones.

Practical

• The metro runs roughly 06:00–01:30. There is no night metro; night buses ("búhos") run from Cibeles.
• Cercanías is the suburban rail — separate from the metro, useful for Atocha–Chamartín, El Escorial and Toledo.
• Contactless bank cards work directly on some lines now, but not universally. The Multi card is still the reliable answer.
• Walking beats the metro for anything under about four stops in the centre.
• BiciMAD is the electric bike share; you can pay per ride with a card.

Fares are reviewed regularly. Check CRTM or Metro de Madrid before relying on a number here.