Madrid Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

Walking around Madrid is a delight, but walking certain distances can be tiring (and in summer, the heat must be added to the fatigue). Fortunately, there are tricks to get around Madrid and one of them is the tourist bus.

Many companies offer guided tours by bus to comfortably tour the capital while explaining things about its main points of interest. I tell you the best ones.

It is the official tourist bus of the city of Madrid and also the cheapest option. It follows the methodology that you have seen in many other cities: you buy a ticket for a day or two and during that time you can ride the bus as many times as you want and get off and on at any of its stops.

All of these buses are double-decker and air-conditioned as they are prepared for increased use during the summer. In addition to the ticket that will allow you access to the bus, you will be given a discount booklet that you will have available in different places in the capital that you can go during your visit (from museum tickets to restaurants or stores).

How it works

You can use this bus to move around the city as if it were a subway or a regular bus with the difference that the stops of the two routes that make up its route are designed for those who are getting to know the city as tourists.

However, if you are going to buy a ticket for one or two days to use the tourist bus I recommend that you do the entire route (or routes) at least once because I guarantee that it can be a very pleasant ride during which, in addition, you will have available an audio guide in 12 languages. If you have the possibility to do it also at night, go ahead; it is worth seeing the city illuminated and the atmosphere of its streets at night.

Itinerary

In Madrid, the tourist bus has 37 stops distributed along two different and circular routes connected to each other. During these routes (of one hour and one hour and twenty minutes of duration) you will cover almost all the points of interest of the Spanish capital:

Some stops on Route 1

Some stops on Route 2

If you are thinking of seeing the Royal Palace of Madrid without waiting in line and on a guided tour, this package combines the bus tour of Madrid with a tour of the Royal Palace (something highly recommended to give context to everything you'll find inside). It lasts approximately four hours, is available in English and Spanish and throughout the tour you will be accompanied by an expert guide who will tell you the secrets of the city.

The Royal Palace of Madrid, in Italian Baroque style, was the former home of the Spanish royal family. Today it is one of the most visited in Europe and also one of the best preserved; in addition to its collection of clocks, weapons, tapestries and other objects, inside there are works by Goya and Velázquez. If you want to know more about the Royal Palace you can read this other article: Madrid Royal Palace Tours.

Itinerary

of the bus

Another interesting option to combine the bus tour of Madrid, is to visit the Prado Museum, the most important museum in Spain and one of the most prominent worldwide.

This bus tour of Madrid with a visit to the Prado Museum lasts about 4 hours and a half. During the tour, you will always be accompanied by a local guide who will put in context all the points of interest that you will visit in Madrid and then you will have free access to the museum, to explore it at your leisure, until closing time.

Enjoy a pleasant tour of the most important points of the city and then take the time to explore the Prado Museum and complete a day with the best attractions of Madrid.

Some of the bus stops

A bus tour in Madrid gives you the possibility to explore more areas and less time than you would do if you visit the city exclusively on foot. In Madrid there are many places that deserve an exclusive visit to recreate yourself in them as the Royal Palace, the Prado Museum, Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor...

They are places that either you have to enter to visit them or have a special atmosphere that forces you to stroll through the streets and stop in their corners. However, in Madrid there are monuments like Cibeles or the fountain of Neptune that you can see comfortably from the bus (they are in the middle of Paseo de la Castellana, a great avenue).

Madrid has many neighborhoods, each with a different atmosphere; if you are going to spend a short time in the city it will be difficult to visit them all, but not to visit them all by bus. In short, seeing Madrid from the tourist bus does not mean not living the city, but having an overview of it that otherwise would require more time and effort.

Some areas are better on foot

If you are going to hire the hop on hop off bus pass for one or two days with free stops, I recommend alternating the tour with walks through certain areas of the capital. For example, the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and Gran Via are relatively close so you can visit them more closely on foot and then use the bus to reach more distant areas.

Any of the tourist bus tours usually have departures almost daily, so you can hire them at the time that suits you. If you are traveling with children, this is an ideal option for them as not only will they not get tired, but they will also enjoy the panoramic views.

During the bus tour you will get a lot of information about the city of Madrid as the routes are commented either by audio guide or local guide. It's up to you to decide which stories you want to delve into, but my recommendation is that you do not miss visiting:

The Royal Palace

One of the bus tour options includes this visit, but you can also do it on your own. The Royal Palace is along with the Almudena Cathedral (the latter of free access) one of the most imposing buildings in Madrid. Visiting it individually is worth it. Consult this article on Madrid Royal Palace Tours to organize your visit.

The Prado Museum

One of the largest art collections in Europe, it gathers works of art by the great Spanish painters from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch, Las Meninas by Velazquez... Whether you are interested in art or not, visiting the Prado Museum is almost mandatory if you visit Madrid. See how in my guide on Madrid Prado Tickets.

The Reina Sofia Museum

Picasso, Dalí or Juan Gris flood this museum with their avant-garde works including, of course, the Guernica. If you are interested in learning more about how to visit this museum, I recommend you my article on Museum Madrid Reina Sofia Tickets.

The center of Madrid

Sometimes we pay less attention to those works or monuments that are outdoors and yet there are places that have much to tell. The Puerta del Sol, the Temple of Debod, the Plaza Mayor .... All these areas have been the scene of revolts, conflicts and historical moments.

The real history of Madrid is hidden in its squares and statues and there is a way to discover it: through a guided tour of the city center or some of its neighborhoods. You have a multitude of options but with a walking tour you will undoubtedly go deeper into all those corners.