General information about how to move in Madrid

Urban buses

Although buses tend to take longer to reach their destination than the metro, they have some advantages: they cover a larger area of the city and you get to see where you're going. Most bus stops have detailed city maps posted (useful even if you're not planning to take a bus) which include the various bus routes. In terms of accessibility, most urban buses nowadays have a special ramp for elderly and disabled people; and (quite importantly) they're air-conditioned in the summer.
At the website of Madrid Transport Consortium you can get information about the different lines, the best paths between two points of the city, fares, timetables, etc.
Single tickets can be bought at the bus. Usefully, there are ten journey tickets (Metrobus) valid for both buses and underground which can be shared by more than one person on a journey, these, you buy in any metro station either at the machines or at the ticket office. There are also special tourist passes for 1, 2, 3, 4 , 5 and 7 days which you can also buy at the metro stations, at tourist offices and also online. Monthly passes, which are also valid on the metro, can also be purchased in some Estancos where you'll need your DNI card (for Spaniards) or your passport (for non-Spaniards) and a passport-sized photo. The buses run from 6:00 am to 23.30 pm, after which you will have to rely on night-buses (called 'buhos', meaning owl -see below) or taxis.

Suburban buses

Madrid has become an extended metropolis. About 6 million people live in its far reaching metropolitan area. Suburban buses connect the city with 176 municipalities in its sorroundings. Some of them have cercanias trains or metro service, but definitely buses are still the main system of transport for these areas. There are hundreds of lines run by Madrid City Transport Consortium which cover all the suburban area. In their web you can get exhaustive information about the routes, timetables, fares and the best path to get from one place to another. In the website of the company autoperiferia there's also information of the lines going west: to Parque Empresarial, Las Rozas, Brunete, Las Matas, Villanueva de la Cañada and others.
For bus destinations outside Madrid, see our long distance buses section, below.

Night buses: 'buhos'

If you need a lift after 23.30 pm you'll have to rely on either the taxis or the 'buhos' -Madrid night buses. There are over 20 'buhos' bus lines. All start at Plaza de Cibeles (on map C2-[d4]), at 24.00 pm leaving on weekdays every 35 minutes until 3.20 am and then every 70 minutes all night long. At weekends and Fridays they run all night long every 20 minutes.
There is also a 'Metrobuho' service at weekends and Fridays, bus lines that follow the metro lines paths and have the same frecuency as the 'buhos'.

Long Distance buses

Buses are no doubt the cheapest way to travel round Spain, and they also have the advantage that they can take you to the most remote towns and villages, where rail does not get at all. There are many bus companies in Madrid, and many destinations are served by more than one company. That's why you can easily get muddled up when trying to arrange your trip. We can help you at this task with some basic information:
The biggest bus station where most companies depart from is the 'Estacion sur de autobuses' (South Bus Station), but there are some companies which have their own terminal and there are also departures from some of Madrid's transport hubs called 'intercambiadores'.

Destination	Company	Destination	Destination
Alicante Albacete Murcia	Alsa (Movelia)	León Palencia Valladolid	Alsa Auto Res
Almería	Almeraya	Málaga	Daibus
Avila	La Sepulvedana Auto Res	Orense Pontevedra	Auto-Res
Badajoz Cáceres	Auto Res	Oviedo (Asturias)	Alsa
Barcelona	Alsa Auto Res	Pamplona	Continental Auto
Bilbao	Continental Auto (Movelia)	Salamanca Zamora	Auto-Res
Burgos	Continental Auto	San Sebastián Vitoria	Continental Auto
Cádiz Córdoba Huelva Sevilla	Secorbus	Santander	Continental Auto
Cuenca Castellón	Auto Res	Segovia	La Sepulvedana, Auto Res
Ciudad Real	Automnibus, Samar	Soria	Continental Auto
Guadalajara	Continental Auto	Tarragona Zaragoza	Alsa Samar
Granada	Continental Auto	Teruel	Samar
Jaén	La Sepulvedana, Continental Auto	Toledo	Continental Auto, Samar, Auto Res
La Coruña Lugo	Alsa	Valencia	Auto-Res

Madrid bus stations:

Long distance buses depart from different points in the city. Most companies have departures from the big 'Estación Sur' but often, they also have lines leaving from other stations or stops, like the 'intercambiadores' which are big transport hubs. Here you have some information on the main departure points:

Estación de Autobuses Sur (Intercambiador Méndez Alvaro)
Tel. 91 468 42 00
Metro: Méndez Alvaro (línea 6)

This is the main bus station in Madrid for long and medium distance travel. It is also called Méndez Alvaro as it is connected to the metro and train station with that name. Together they make a huge transport center. Most long distance bus operators have departures at this station, but specially those travelling southwards.
At the website of the station you can check all their departures: www.estaciondeautobuses.com

Intercambiador Avenida de América
Metro: Avenida de América (líneas 4, 6, 7 y 9)

A usual departure point for companies travelling northwards, such as Alsa and Continental Auto both of the Movelia group. They also have departures from other stations in the city.

Intercambiador Plaza de Castilla
Metro: Plaza de Castilla (lineas 1, 9 y 10)
Some departures of the Movelia group --Continental Auto, etc

Intercambiador Principe Pío
Metro: Príncipe Pío (líneas 6, 10 y cercanías)

it is the main terminal of the La Sepulvedana company, connecting with Segovia, Avila and some towns in the Guadarrama Mountains area. They also have departures from Sur Bus Station (Méndez Álvaro) and from Moncloa.