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Madrid City Tour: The Tourist Bus

Madrid City Tour

The Madrid City Council thought that making a route with a tourist bus would be the ideal way to get to know the city and this is the birthplace of Madrid City Tour. It is one of the most comfortable and quickest ways to go all over the capital as well as easy. We will have to buy the ticket depending on the days we are going to use this service and the routes we want to do.

As for the bus itself, is very comfortablehas two floors where you will find your headphones with audio-guided tour in different languages. Among them we can mention Spanish, Italian, French, English, German and others. In addition, during peak hours of the summer season, the City Council usually puts a couple of guides on this tourist bus to explain to visitors all the areas of the Spanish capital.

Surely you have seen in your city a bus identical to this one, they are all very similar. The only difference is that they have the top floor uncovered so that the users of this service can enjoy all possible views of the city. sites and monuments most interesting places in Madrid.

The Official Tourist Bus of Madrid with its Routes and Stops

Madrid City Tour is ideal for both Madrid residents and visitors, although it focuses more on the latter. It has two routes main "Historic Madrid" y "Modern Madrid". In addition, in summer they also make the "Night Route".thus forming three itineraries totally different.

However, through the official website of Madrid City Tours you will see more offers that vary as well as their routes. We will be able to purchase more trips, such as the panoramic tour of Madrid in the morning, getting to know Toledo in the morning and in the afternoon. It also offers a tour of Avila, Segovia or the Valley of the FallenThe site is a place where those killed in the catastrophe of the Spanish Civil War rest in peace.

Also with Madrid City Tour you can go up and down as many times as you want provided you have a ticket, this is known as "Hop-on Hop-off".

As you might guess, the first route mentioned above takes you through those areas of the city that have some history in the city: parks, gardens, the Royal Palace, the Puerta de Alcalá, the Puerta del Sol. The second focuses more on business district, city skyscrapers, museums, museums, etc. and one of the most important for soccer fans and non-football fans alike is the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

Madrid City Tour Historical Route

Route 1 - MCT

The complete route lasts about 90 minutes but it will depend on the traffic density at the time.

The itinerary starts at Felipe IV street which is next to the Prado Museum and then will take us to Puerta de Alcalá, Barrio de Salamanca and Plaza de Colón. From there we will go to Plaza de Cibeles, parts of Gran Via, Plaza de España, Temple of DebodTeatro Real, Royal Palace. Continuing the route we will continue through the Puerta de Toledo, San Francisco el Grande, Almudena Cathedral, Plaza Mayor. To finish this tour we will visit the Puerta del SolCírculo de Bellas Artes, Thyssen Museum, Museum Queen Sofia and the Botanical Garden.

If this is not enough for you, we can opt for a more extensive version which takes place twice a day and even three times a day in summer. This option will also take us through the area of Moncloa where the Air Force is located, as well as to Madrid Río. The latter is the city's urban park where you can have a picnic or visit its artificial beach to cool off. It also passes by very visited places such as the Liria Palace or the Moncloa Lighthouse.

Madrid City Tour and its Modern Route

Route 2 - MCT

This route is shorter than the historicalIt lasts approximately 65 minutes, depending on the number of cars.

Like the previous one, it starts next to the Prado Museum but the bus takes the direction of Paseo de la Castellana, the Paseo del Prado and its surrounding streets. It passes in front of the Cibeles Palace which is the current headquarters of the City Hall, a very beautiful and spectacular building for its dimensions. It will also take us to visit business areas such as the AZCA shopping complex or the very same Santiago Bernabéu stadium. This soccer stadium has a capacity to hold more than 80,000 people, impressive to be there inside and out. The same route will continue through the Puerta de Alcalá y Puerta del Sol ending at the Plaza de las Cortes.

It is performed twice a day and we can also opt for its more extended version which will allow us to visit and get to know the tallest buildings in the city. We will also visit the Cuatro Torres Business Area complex, the Plaza de Toros, the Casón del Buen Retiro or the Atocha Station.

Madrid City Tour offers several rates When opting for their services, at the end of the article we will show some of them.

The Night Route, Another Option

The feeling of visiting Madrid at night is wonderful, to see the capital with other colors than we are used to when the sun goes down. Also, being able to see the stars shining in the sky makes the tour something special. The lights that illuminate the tallest buildings in the city, makes the tourist attractions of Madrid stand out in a great way. In the same way, admiring the most characteristic monuments such as the Debod Temple is something you can't miss.

This route is only possible from the first half of June in mid-September. The only drawback is that we will not be able to get off and on whenever we wish. It will take us from the Art Triangle, directly to the Royal Palace and from Plaza Cibeles to Puerta de Toledo.

There is no doubt that it is a completely different route, it is a totally different route.

Madrid City Tour rates

With respect to prices, Madrid City Tour offers two rates where you can choose to ride their bus for one day or for two consecutive days:

For one day:

  • Adult (from 16 to 64 years old): 22€
  • Junior (from 7 to 15 years old): 10 €
  • Child (from 1 to 6 years old): Free
  • Senior (over 65 years old): 10€
  • Family (2 adults and 2 juniors): 55€

For two consecutive days:

  • Adult (from 16 to 64 years old): 26€
  • Junior (from 7 to 15 years old): 13 €
  • Child (from 1 to 6 years old): Free
  • Senior (over 65 years old): 13€
  • Family (2 adults and 2 juniors): 75€

To learn more about all the existing options, you can visit the official website of Madrid City Tours.

Remember that to know Madrid you can also do using other means of transport such as the metro, for this reason I invite you to read the following article: Everything You Need to Know About Madrid Metro.

I hope this information will be of great use to you and that you will be able to plan the route you are going to choose, or why not? to travel all of them.

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Miguel Rodríguez, a passionate Madrileño, has been sharing his love for the city for years. Discover the best of Madrid through his enthusiastic and expert eye.

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