Madrid City Tour

Madrid City Tour is one of the easiest and most comfortable ways of discovering the city. All you have to do is buy your one- or two-day ticket, hop on the bus, put on your earphones, listen to the recorded commentaries and enjoy the streets, monuments and places of interest you pass by. You can hop off wherever you want, as many times as you like.

Say on the same day you want to visit the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace. With Madrid City Tour, you can get to them all quickly and easily, without having to know the local bus routes or change lines on the underground. The buses are equipped with audio guides in 14 languages (Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, Arabic, Catalan, Basque and Galician).

ROUTE 1: HISTORICAL MADRID

The first route starts off from Calle Felipe IV, next to the Prado Museum, and then goes on to Puerta de Alcalá and the Prado-Recoletos thoroughfare – where you can find the Neptuno and Cibeles Fountains –, followed by Gran Vía. The bus continues along this central avenue to Plaza de España and then, after passing the Debod Temple, enters the old part of the city, where you’ll discover the Royal Palace, La Almudena Cathedral and Puerta del Sol. The last part of the journey takes you back along Paseo del Prado and past the Royal Botanical Gardens, and the Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museums before coming to the Prado Museum.

The extended route is available twice a day (at 10.05am and 8.40pm) and takes you all the way to Madrid Río, the city’s new urban park and beach. It also goes to the area around Moncloa, taking in the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force Base), the Faro de Moncloa viewpoint tower and Arco de la Victoria (Victory Arch). There’s also a night tour in the summer months, with two departures starting at 10pm.

ROUTE 2: MODERN MADRID

The second route offered by Madrid City Tour also starts off next to the Prado Museum, but then continues along some of the city’s main thoroughfares, such as Castellana, Prado and Recoletos, and their side streets. The route sets out from Plaza de Neptuno and continues to Plaza de Cibeles, where you can see Cibeles Palace, the current seat of the City Council. It's one of the most spectacular buildings along the route, which also offers views of the Palace of the Marquis of Salamanca, the Nuevos Ministerios government buildings, the AZCA business complex and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The bus also passes through Barrio de Salamanca, with its luxury brand shops and museums like the Lázaro Galdiano Museum. Towards the end of the route we pass the Puerta de Alcalá gate and Puerta del Sol, before ending up in Plaza de las Cortes.

The extended version of this route is also available twice a day (at 12.15pm and 4.05pm), going all the way to the new high-rise Cuatro Torres Business Area and Las Ventas Bullring.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Times:

• November to February: 10am to 6pm (passing by every 14-15 minutes)
• March to October: 9am to 10pm (passing by every 8-9 minutes)

Tickets available in:

• Calle Felipe IV (no number, next to the Prado Museum)
• Julià Travel, C/ San Nicolás, 15
• Madrid City Tour buses
• Travel agencies
• www.madridcitytour.es
• Plaza Mayor Tourist Information Centre
• Plaza de Callao Tourist Information Point
• Tourist Information Point Paseo del Prado

With a ticket valid for either one or two consecutive days, you can hop on the bus at any stop, provided that there’re free seats.

Prices:

• Adults: €21 (one day) and €25 (two consecutive days).
• Kids (ages 7-15) and over-65s: €9 (one day) and €12 (two consecutive days).
• Families (two adults and two kids): €53 (one day).
• Children (under 6): free.

More information available from:

www.madridcitytour.es, MCT information centre (C/ Felipe IV, next to the Museo del Prado), Julià Travel office (C/ San Nicolás, 15), by phone (+34) 902 02 47 58 (24 hours)