Maybe moving around Madrid doesn’t seem so easy at a first glance. And of course it can be tricky, especially for visitors who don’t speak a fluent Spanish. However, there is some practical knowledge in this regard that can be quite useful for any visitor, especially from the day you arrive and on.

The most important part is getting downtown

There are few times among the year when you can find a lot of options to fly with a fairly low price to Madrid. A very good advice that can be applied here is to buy the flight ticket in advance. Thus meaning that a trip to Madrid should be planned in advance, so you can save a good amount of money during the travel. It is also true that Madrid often hosts large events that skyrocket flight prices while overwhelming the city’s hotel capacity.

Something to keep in mind is that Madrid’s Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport is about 20km from the city’s downtown. To move from the airport to the center of Madrid you can choose the taxi or VTC, bus, metro or suburban train.

If you take a taxi there is a fixed fare of 30€ from the airport to Madrid’s downtown. However, the time that It takes will vary a lot depending on different aspects such as the day of the week, the hour, and the season. Uber is also an option to keep in mind, and it tends to be cheaper than taking a taxi.

Taking a bus from the airport is also an option. Even though these tend to be available mostly during the daytime, its fairly low price of 5€ makes up for it. It usually takes from 40 to 50 minutes to get to the destination.

Believe it or not, Valencia has a subway station that connects directly with the airport. If you have a  low weight on luggage, this would be the cheapest and most convenient option.

If you don’t want to complicate yourself, you can hire a private transfer service. This alternative, in addition to being comfortable, can be profitable for families or large groups. It is also a very good option for those who got to the destination during early morning hours, as these services tend to serve 24 hours. Madrid transfer services are fairly easy to find, offering plenty of options for different budgets.