A flat EUR 5.00 to or from any of its stops, set by the Comunidad de Madrid for 2026. It is the one city bus a season pass does NOT cover — the Abono Transporte is valid on everything "excepto en el Bus Expres Aeropuerto".
Luggage. A city bus with a luggage area; it fills up on a busy arrival.
Metro stations Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4→Puerta del Sol
2 changesLuggage space
€4.50total for 1 adult€4.50 eachBuy ticketOn Metro de Madrid
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Metro stations Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4
EUR 1.50 Zona A single plus the EUR 3.00 airport supplement: EUR 4.50 from T1-T2-T3, EUR 4.70 from T4. One ticket, taken when you exit at Sol — Madrid Metro prices a ride by how many stations it covers in total, so changing lines twice costs no more than staying on one. A first ride also needs the EUR 2.50 Tarjeta Multi card.
Luggage. An ordinary metro carriage; no racks, no hold.
Hours. Daily, including public holidays. Last departure 01:33 from each terminus — the same hours as line 8 alone, since lines 10 and 1 both run later.
EUR 33.00 per ride, day or night, every day of the year, between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30, with no supplement of any kind. Taxis are capped at nine seats including the driver, so one car may legally carry eight passengers at this fare.
Luggage. Included. The fare admits no extras of any kind.
The options are still here — your budget or journey-time filter is drawn tighter than any of them. Widen either one, or reset the filters, to bring them back.
How do I get from Madrid airport to Madrid city center?
For one traveler we recommend the Expres Aeropuerto at €5, 30–40 min: direct, unlike the Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1, for €0.50 more. The cheapest is the Metro to Sol at €4.50, 24–29 min; the fastest the Metro to Sol at €4.50, 24–29 min. From 8 travelers the taxi works out cheaper, because its fare is per vehicle rather than per person. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
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An eSIM for Spain, installed before you fly, works in the arrivals hall: tickets, maps, the driver's messages.
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Arriving late?
Not everything runs around the clock: the Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1 runs 06:05–01:33. Outside those hours, the Expres Aeropuerto and the Taxi, fixed airport fare and the Pre-booked private transfer are what remain. Set the hour you leave arrivals and the board keeps only what is running.
Luggage
A city bus with a luggage area; it fills up on a busy arrival.
Going somewhere specific?
"The center" is not one place, and the answer changes
The Exprés Aeropuerto's stop is on floor 0, the arrivals level, at Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 4 alike — right outside where you land.
Tickets
Pay the driver as you board: cash, a bank card or a mobile wallet, with no card surcharge. The driver gives change for notes up to EUR 20.
The taxi rank
The rank is outside arrivals at every terminal, on floor 0 at T1, T2 and T4. Official cars are white with a red stripe and Madrid's coat of arms on the door; Aena warns against anyone offering a taxi ride inside the terminal itself.
Uber and Bolt
Uber and Bolt both operate at every terminal. Neither has one fixed meeting point: follow the rideshare signs from arrivals, then the exact spot the app shows once you request a ride.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
203 · EMT MadridExpres Aeropuerto
From
Stops outside Terminals 1, 2 and 4
To
Atocha station by day, via Cibeles and O'Donnell
Luggage
A city bus with a luggage area; it fills up on a busy arrival.
Runs
All night
Journey
30–40 min
A flat EUR 5.00 to or from any of its stops, set by the Comunidad de Madrid for 2026. It is the one city bus a season pass does NOT cover — the Abono Transporte is valid on everything "excepto en el Bus Expres Aeropuerto".
At night it does not go to Atocha. The night service is line N27, which terminates at Cibeles — roughly a kilometer and a half short of Atocha station. If you land after the day service ends and your hotel is by Atocha, plan for that gap.
Journey times are 30 minutes to Terminal 1, 35 to Terminal 2 and 40 to Terminal 4, so which terminal you are at changes the answer by ten minutes.
Your season pass does not work on it. The Abono Transporte covers every other city service and this one is the stated exception.
From seven travelers the regulated taxi is cheaper than seven of these tickets.
taxi · Madrid taxis, regulated by the AyuntamientoTaxi, fixed airport fare
From
Taxi ranks outside every terminal
To
Any address inside the M-30
Luggage
Included. The fare admits no extras of any kind.
Runs
All night
Journey
25–50 min
EUR 33.00 per ride, day or night, every day of the year, between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30, with no supplement of any kind. Taxis are capped at nine seats including the driver, so one car may legally carry eight passengers at this fare.
It is EUR 33.00 for the car, not per person, so it beats the Expres from seven travelers and costs EUR 4.13 a head at eight.
Most Madrid taxis seat four. The ordinance permits up to nine seats including the driver, but an ordinary car is not one of those — ask at the rank for a large vehicle rather than assuming one will be waiting.
The fare stops at the M-30. For an address outside the ring road the meter runs instead, and no price is given for that here.
No authority publishes a taxi journey time. The figure here is the road journey the Expres makes over the same ground, and traffic decides the rest.
Metro stations Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4
To
Nuevos Ministerios, the line's own terminus
Luggage
An ordinary metro carriage; no racks, no hold.
Runs
06:05–01:33
Journey
17–21 min
EUR 1.50 Zona A single plus the EUR 3.00 airport supplement, taken when you exit at either airport station: EUR 4.50 from T1-T2-T3. From T4, two stations further, the single rises a band to EUR 1.70, so EUR 4.70. A first ride also needs the EUR 2.50 Tarjeta Multi card, since Madrid Metro sells no paper single.
The EUR 3.00 airport supplement is twice the ordinary fare, and it is charged on your way OUT, not in — a EUR 1.50 single bought at the airport machine is not enough on its own.
From Terminal 4 the single ticket costs EUR 1.70 rather than EUR 1.50, one station-band up: EUR 4.70 with the supplement, not EUR 4.50.
The two airport stations are not next to each other — Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 and Aeropuerto T4 sit either side of Barajas village, six minutes apart by train.
Bus 200 leaves the same terminals for EUR 1.50 with no supplement at all, but no journey time is published for it, so it is not ranked here.
For Puerta del Sol itself, ride lines 10 and 1 onward from here on the same ticket, or take the direct chain option instead.
Daily, including public holidays. Last departure 01:33 from each terminus.
Madrid Chamartín-Clara Campoamor, the terminus almost every C1 train actually reaches
Luggage
An ordinary Cercanías carriage; no racks, no hold.
Runs
05:57–23:27
Journey
15–16 min
Renfe's one-or-two-zone single, EUR 1.70: Aeropuerto T4 and Chamartín both sit in fare zone A. CRTM's own line diagram flags T4 with a "Tarifa especial Aeropuerto" that no page prices, so this figure is the ordinary zone fare rather than a confirmed airport-specific one — worth checking at the station machine.
It is a shuttle for all but a couple of early departures: Aeropuerto T4 to Chamartín and back, and nowhere else. For Atocha or the centre proper, change at Chamartín onto another Cercanías line.
The EUR 1.70 fare is reasoned from the line's own zone data, not stated outright for this route — CRTM's diagram marks T4 with an unpriced "special airport fare" that may yet turn out to differ.
Aena's own page still describes C1 running through to Príncipe Pío and Atocha. It is not wrong, only describing the rare pattern: 60 of 4,320 scheduled trips in Renfe's own September 2026 timetable go that far: the rest turn back at Chamartín.
For Puerta del Sol itself, this only gets you as far as Chamartín — change there for the metro or another Cercanías line, or take the direct metro chain instead.
Every 15 minutes from 05:57 to 23:27. One further departure most nights at 00:10 — an outlier rather than the start of a night service, since nothing else runs between it and 05:57.
L8→L10→L1 · Metro de MadridMetro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1
From
Metro stations Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4
To
Puerta del Sol, changing at Nuevos Ministerios and at Tribunal
Luggage
An ordinary metro carriage; no racks, no hold.
Runs
06:05–01:33
Journey
24–29 min
EUR 1.50 Zona A single plus the EUR 3.00 airport supplement: EUR 4.50 from T1-T2-T3, EUR 4.70 from T4. One ticket, taken when you exit at Sol — Madrid Metro prices a ride by how many stations it covers in total, so changing lines twice costs no more than staying on one. A first ride also needs the EUR 2.50 Tarjeta Multi card.
Two changes: line 8 to line 10 at Nuevos Ministerios, then line 10 to line 1 at Tribunal. The ride time above is the three trains only — finding the platform at each change is not counted.
From Terminal 4 the single ticket costs EUR 1.70 rather than EUR 1.50, one station-band up: EUR 4.70 with the supplement, not EUR 4.50.
The EUR 3.00 airport supplement is charged on your way OUT at Sol, not when you board — a plain EUR 1.50-1.70 single bought at the airport machine is not enough on its own.
The other way to Nuevos Ministerios, via line 6 to Cuatro Caminos then line 1, is about three minutes slower — this route is quicker.
Daily, including public holidays. Last departure 01:33 from each terminus — the same hours as line 8 alone, since lines 10 and 1 both run later.
transfer · Welcome PickupsPre-booked private transfer
From
Driver meets you in arrivals with a name board
To
Any address
Luggage
Stated when booking; choose the vehicle by luggage as well as seats.
Runs
All night
Journey
25–50 min
Indicative. Price is fixed when you book, so it does not move with traffic.
Unlike the official taxi’s regulated flat fare, this price is indicative: the operator sets it, and it moves with vehicle size and luggage. Confirm the total at the time you book.
At night the sedan is €43 and the minivan €73; the page does not say when night begins.
What is the best way from Madrid airport to Madrid city center?
For one traveler, the Expres Aeropuerto at €5, 30–40 min. Direct, unlike the Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1, for €0.50 more. From 5 travelers we recommend the Taxi, fixed airport fare instead: direct, unlike the Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1, for €10.50 more for 5. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from Madrid airport to Madrid city center?
For one traveler, the Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1 at €4.50. From 8 travelers the cheapest option changes to the taxi, fixed airport fare, because per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not.
How do I get from Madrid airport to Madrid city center by metro?
One metro reaches Puerta del Sol: the Metro to Sol, €4.50 for one traveler, 24–29 min. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into Madrid by any means. From 8 travelers the Taxi at €33 works out cheaper than any metro, because its fare is per vehicle. See every option by metro
How do I get from Madrid airport to Madrid city center by bus?
One bus reaches Puerta del Sol: the Expres Aeropuerto, €5 for one traveler, 30–40 min, to Atocha station by day. It is not the cheapest way in: the Metro to Sol at €4.50 is. From 7 travelers the Taxi at €33 works out cheaper than any bus, because its fare is per vehicle. See every option by bus
How do I get from Madrid airport to Madrid city center by taxi?
For one traveler the cheapest taxi is the Taxi at €33, 25–50 min, and it is also the fastest. It is not the cheapest way in: the Metro to Sol at €4.50 is. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from Madrid airport to Madrid city center?
Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1: 24–29 min. Expres Aeropuerto: 30–40 min. Taxi, fixed airport fare: 25–50 min. Pre-booked private transfer: 25–50 min
How far is Madrid airport from the city center?
Madrid Airport does not publish a distance to the city. By time: the fastest way in, the Metro to Sol, takes 24–29 min.
How much is a taxi from Madrid airport to Madrid city center?
€33 as a regulated flat fare, not a metered one. EUR 33.00 per ride, day or night, every day of the year, between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30, with no supplement of any kind. Taxis are capped at nine seats including the driver, so one car may legally carry eight passengers at this fare. Journey time 25–50 min.
Is there Uber or Bolt at Madrid airport?
Uber and Bolt both operate at every terminal. Neither has one fixed meeting point: follow the rideshare signs from arrivals, then the exact spot the app shows once you request a ride.
Where do I catch the Metro to Sol at Madrid airport?
Metro stations Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4. Follow the signs from arrivals. It leaves you at Puerta del Sol, changing at Nuevos Ministerios and at Tribunal.
Is there a train from Madrid airport to Madrid at night?
The Metro to Sol, lines 8, 10 and 1 runs 06:05–01:33. Outside those hours the Expres Aeropuerto and the taxi, fixed airport fare and the pre-booked private transfer are what remain; the Expres Aeropuerto is €5 for one traveler. Daily, including public holidays. Last departure 01:33 from each terminus — the same hours as line 8 alone, since lines 10 and 1 both run later.
Does the Metro line 8 go to Puerta del Sol and the old town, inside the M-30?
This ends at Nuevos Ministerios, an interchange north of the centre, not Puerta del Sol or the old town. The metro continues on lines 10 and 1 to Sol, on the same ticket and fare.
Does the Cercanías C1 go to Puerta del Sol and the old town, inside the M-30?
This ends at Chamartín, the northern mainline station, not Puerta del Sol or the old town. From there, another Cercanías line or the metro reaches Sol, on a separate ticket.
Worth knowing
At seven or more travelers, take a taxi. The regulated fare is EUR 33.00 for the whole car (up to eight passengers, since taxis may seat nine including the driver): seven pay EUR 35.00 on the Expres against EUR 33.00 in one taxi, eight pay EUR 40.00 against the same EUR 33.00. Most Madrid taxis seat four, so a large party should ask at the rank for a nine-seater.
The fixed EUR 33.00 fare admits no supplement: no luggage extra, no night rate, no per-passenger charge. Even the EUR 7.00 surcharge for 24 and 31 December is excluded from it. It covers any street inside the M-30.
Line 8 metro charges a EUR 3.00 airport supplement on top of the EUR 1.50 ticket, taken when you exit — to Nuevos Ministerios, its own terminus, direct. Bus 200 leaves the same terminals for EUR 1.50 with no supplement, but is still not listed here: no journey time is published for it.
At night the Expres becomes a different route: by day it runs to Atocha, but overnight line N27 turns short at Cibeles, about a kilometer and a half away. Anyone landing in the small hours for a hotel near Atocha is set down short of it.
The Cercanias C1 train also serves Terminal 4, EUR 1.70, every 15 minutes. Almost every departure is a shuttle to Chamartin and no further — only a couple of trains a day carry on to Atocha, whatever the airport's own page implies about the line.
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