The Cercanías train is the way into Madrid for most layovers: about every 15 minutes from the station at Terminal 4, 33 minutes to Atocha, by the Prado and the Reina Sofía. First you clear the border, and if you land at Terminal 1, 2 or 3 you take the free shuttle bus to Terminal 4.
What's the best way from Madrid airport into the city?
For most layovers, take the Cercanías from Terminal 4: a train about every 15 minutes, 33 minutes to Atocha, for under €3. For Sol and the old town, metro line 8 takes about an hour with two changes, and the €10.30 one-day Tourist Travel Pass covers it both ways. Allow about an hour from landing to the train, and leave Atocha 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight.
Getting through the border
Flying in from outside the Schengen area, you go through passport control before you reach the station; from another Schengen country, you just walk out. Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) doesn’t publish queue times, so plan on about an hour from landing to sitting on the Cercanías at Terminal 4, and about 15 minutes more if you land at Terminal 1, 2 or 3.
- Automatic gates or a desk. Madrid has automatic border gates (ABC) as well as staffed desks: if the signs show your passport can use the gates, use them. At the desks, non-EU visitors give fingerprints and a photo under the EU’s Entry/Exit System, which takes longer than a stamp.
- The Satellite. Long-haul flights at Terminal 4 often arrive at its Satellite building. You clear passport control there, then a driverless train takes you to the main building and the baggage hall; the hour allows for it.
- Bags. On one ticket they go through to your next flight. On separate tickets you collect them after passport control, and you can leave them at left luggage in Terminal 1 or 4 (below).
- A long queue shortens your time in town but doesn’t change when you must head back.
Who needs a visa to leave: visa and transit rules.
The options at a glance
| Cercanías | Metro line 8 | Exprés bus | Taxi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | Terminal 4 only | Every terminal | Terminals 1, 2 and 4 | Every terminal |
| To | Atocha, by the museums | Nuevos Ministerios, then two changes to Sol | Cibeles and Atocha | Anywhere |
| Time | 33 minutes to Atocha | About an hour to Sol, with the changes | About 40 minutes from Terminal 4 | About 25 to 40 minutes |
| Single fare | Under €3 | €4.50 to €5, plus a €2.50 card | €5 | €33 fixed inside the M-30 |
| Pay with | Station machines | Multi card, or the €10.30 day pass | Contactless card or cash on board | Pay the driver |
| Hours | 5:46am to 11:19pm on weekdays | 6:05am to about 1:30am | All day and all night | All day and all night |
The metro’s time to Sol and the taxi’s time are our estimates.
Cercanías from Terminal 4: the best option for most layovers
- Finding it. The station is at Terminal 4: follow the signs for the train (Cercanías) from the arrivals hall. From Terminal 1, 2 or 3, take the free shuttle bus to Terminal 4 first (see “Moving between terminals” below).
- Which train. Every train from Terminal 4 runs into town through Chamartín and Nuevos Ministerios to Atocha, and most carry on to Príncipe Pío, so take the first one that comes.
- The ride. 33 minutes to Atocha, Madrid’s big station on the edge of the museum district: the Reina Sofía is five minutes’ walk away, the Prado and the Botanic Garden about ten. By day a train leaves about every 15 minutes, so with the wait allow about 50 minutes from the platform to Atocha. Every Cercanías plan on our itineraries starts there.
- Tickets. Buy a single at the machines or the ticket office in the station before you go through the gates. It costs between €1.70 and €2.60 depending on the zones, so under €3, and it’s valid for one journey within two hours of purchase. Buy another for the way back at Atocha.
First and last trains. These are the weekday times on the regional transport authority’s timetable for November 2026. Weekend times aren’t confirmed, so check them on Renfe’s journey planner on the day.
| Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First train from Terminal 4 | 5:46am | Check on the day | Check on the day |
| Last train back from Atocha | 11:19pm | Check on the day | Check on the day |
The 11:19pm from Atocha reaches Terminal 4 at 11:48pm. The three trains after it end at Chamartín, short of the airport. If you miss the last train, take the Exprés bus, which runs all night, or a taxi, a fixed €33 (both below). Public holidays may run a different timetable, so check your train back on Renfe’s journey planner.
Metro line 8: for Sol and the old town
- Where it goes. Line 8 is the only rail line that serves every terminal: its stations are Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 and Aeropuerto T4. It ends at Nuevos Ministerios, which isn’t the centre. For Sol, Plaza Mayor and the old town, change at Nuevos Ministerios to line 10 for Tribunal, then to line 1 for Sol, two stops on. For Plaza de España and Templo de Debod, stay on line 10 instead: one change.
- The ride. Line 8 takes 12 minutes from Terminals 1 to 3 to Nuevos Ministerios and under 20 from Terminal 4. With the two changes and the waits, allow about an hour from the airport platform to Sol.
- Hours. From 6:05am to about 1:30am, every day. Trains run every 3.5 to 6.5 minutes at the busiest times and every 15 minutes after midnight.
- Tickets. You need a contactless Multi card, €2.50 from the machines, loaded with a ticket. A single costs €4.50 to €5: a zone A fare of €1.50 to €2 plus a €3 airport supplement, which you pay at the airport station each way. Some gates also take a contactless bank card, where signposted.
- The day pass. On a metro plan, buy the one-day Tourist Travel Pass for zone A instead: €10.30 covers the airport supplement both ways and any metro or blue city bus in town, and the card comes free with it. Two singles and the card come to €11.50 to €12.50. Look for the machines with a red “MULTI” sticker at the airport metro stations. It doesn’t cover the Exprés bus.
Exprés bus: all night, and nothing to buy in advance
- Route. The yellow Exprés Aeropuerto bus stops at Terminals 4, 2 and 1 (not 3), then runs into town to Cibeles and, by day, to Atocha.
- The ride. About 40 minutes from Terminal 4 to Atocha and about 30 from Terminal 1, more in heavy traffic. By day buses leave every 15 to 20 minutes.
- All night. It’s the only public transport that runs 24 hours. At night it runs every 35 minutes, and its city stop is Cibeles rather than Atocha, about 15 minutes’ walk apart along the Paseo del Prado.
- Tickets. €5, paid on board by contactless card or phone, or in cash with change given up to €20. There are also ticket machines outside the terminal exits.
- When to choose it. From Terminal 1 or 2 to Atocha, it’s as quick as the shuttle bus and the train, with no change. It’s also the easy answer after the last train, or with luggage.
Taxis: a fixed €33 into town
Every terminal has a taxi rank outside arrivals. Between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30 ring road, which takes in the whole centre, the fare is a fixed €33, day or night, with no supplements for bags or the airport. The ride takes about 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, by our estimate.
A taxi is the simplest way back late at night, and good value shared: four people pay about €8 each, against €5 each on the Exprés bus. On your own by day, the train is quicker to Atocha and costs about a tenth as much.
Pre-booked transfers
A pre-booked transfer gives you a fixed price and a driver waiting in arrivals. With Madrid’s fixed taxi fare, it’s worth it mainly for a large group, a child seat, or a landing in the small hours when you’d rather not queue.
Storing bags
Left luggage (Safe Bag) has desks in Terminals 1 and 4, open 5am to 11pm, and in Terminal 2, open 7am to 10pm. It charges by the item: €10 for up to 2 hours, €17 for up to 24 hours and €34 for 48. Oversized items cost €18 for 2 hours or €25 for a day. Leave suitcases there: the Reina Sofía doesn’t accept them, and the Royal Palace asks you not to bring large bags.
Moving between terminals
The Cercanías is at Terminal 4, and Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are a separate group about 10 minutes away by road.
- The free shuttle bus links Terminals 1, 2 and 4 around the clock: every 5 minutes from 6am to 10pm and every 20 minutes from 10pm to 6am. Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 takes about 10 minutes, Terminal 2 to Terminal 4 about 8. Terminal 3 has no stop, but Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are joined on foot, so walk to Terminal 2 for it.
- The Satellite. Terminal 4’s Satellite building (T4S) is linked to the main building by a driverless train past security, about 5 minutes, with trains every 4 to 12 minutes.
Our times are from Terminal 4. Landing at or flying from Terminal 1, 2 or 3, add about 15 minutes each way for the shuttle bus on a Cercanías plan. Metro line 8 stops at Terminals 1 to 3 itself, so its plans need no shuttle.
Timing your return
Be back at Madrid airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. With your boarding pass already issued and no bag to drop, that’s time for security, passport control if your flight leaves Schengen, and the train to the Satellite if it leaves from the S gates. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer: Iberia advises arriving 4 hours before flights to the Americas and 2.5 hours before others when you check in.
In practice, leave Atocha 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight, or 15 minutes earlier if it leaves from Terminal 1, 2 or 3. On the metro plans, leave Sol 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight, whichever terminal.
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 6 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 6.5 hours | About 2 hours |
| 7 hours | About 2.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |
The table counts an hour from landing until you’re on the Cercanías at Terminal 4, 50 minutes to Atocha including the wait, 70 minutes from Atocha back to the terminal, and the 90 minutes at the airport before your flight, the same allowances as the itineraries. With 6.5 hours, the metro plan through Old Madrid also fits.