The best advice about local transportation, metro passes, taxis, etc.
Transportation
Testimony 1
“You should get a transport pass (abono) soon after arriving. To purchase your abono in Spain, you go to a Tabaco store (found everywhere with yellow and brown signs). If you are under 23, you will need to apply for the abono and wait 2 weeks for it. If you are older than 22, you can get the abono immediately. Remember to bring your passport and small photos when getting it. With the abono, you can purchase a combined bus and subway pass for unlimited rides for each month. For those under 23 years old, in Madrid for example, it costs 35 € per per month and for those over 22, it costs 54,60 € per month. Barcelona is slightly cheaper. The subways run from about 6am until 1:30am, approximately.
Taxis in Madrid are easy to spot, as all official taxis are white, with a red diagonal stripe across the front door. They are also easy to get hold of, although it might be difficult on weekends and certain holidays, and when it’s raining.
Madrid has very few taxi stands; you just hail them from the pavement by waving your hand. You can tell which cabs are available, by a green light on the roof, and a green sign in the front window that says “libre”. Most taxicabs will accept four passengers.
Madrid taxi fares have surcharges for mostly everything. You pay extra for each luggage item, to be picked up at the airport, to be dropped off at the train station, etc. Even so, taking a taxi in Madrid is still a quite economical choice, compared to other European capitals and for this reason they are a good, safe way to get home late at night. Be sure that the taxidriver has the taximeter turned on. To avoid getting ripped off you can ask for an approximate price and tell the driver you will need a receipts. Sometimes they can give you a receipt without the taxi number on it which makes it useless, so be sure to write down the number which is on a sign in the passenger´s section of the taxi. Then you will have the receipt and the taxi number, if there is any problem.
The minimum taxi fee depends on the time of day, but is in the range €1.95-2.95. After that you pay about €1.10 per kilometer. The fare to Barajas Airport from and to centric Madrid is around 30 or 35€
Bike riding is quite rare in Madrid and I would not recommend purchasing one unless you are accustomed to navigating small, crowded streets and heavy traffic. In Barcelona you see more bike riders.”
Testimony 2
“Buy a month-long unlimited Metro pass immediately if you are arriving at the beginning of a month or a ten-pass if you arrive at the end of a month. You need to first bring a passport-size photo and your passport to a tobacco store to receive your “Abono” card. Once you receive this you can buy the actual Metro ticket at any Metro stop within the area it is valid. So for example, if you need a B1 ticket, you have to buy it at a tobacco shop in the B1 area of the city. If you are 23 or over you can receive the adult abono right away, but if you are under 23 you must wait 1-2 weeks to receive your ID (so do it right away!).
Once you receive this you can buy the actual Metro ticket. This must be bought at a tobacco shop within the area it is valid.
Taxis are fairly priced, especially if you share them and Metro passes also work for the bus system if you can figure out what bus you need to take.”
Testimony 3
“Regarding public transportation, I usually only used my Metro pass, which also works for the buses to get around the city. The public transportation system in Madrid is amazing! It is really efficient and relatively cheap. An “abono” can be purchased for only 54 Euros a month and it allows you unlimited use of the Metro and the buses for the month. If you are under 23 years old, you get a discount.
Nobody I know purchased a bike, but one German guy had his girlfriend bring his to Madrid, so he biked around all the time.
Taxis are a viable option when coming home late at night after the Metro has stopped running. Usually a cab only cost me about 5 Euros, even less if I carpooled.”
Testimony 4
“ABONO: is the monthly Metro + bus pass, this can save you if you will use it frequently to get to school and around town, but forcing yourself to walk was a nice change. For my last month I did not buy one.”
“The Metro is very efficient. It runs from 06:00-01:45ish daily. If you use it everyday to go to your internship, it’s definitely worth it to buy an abono. I hardly ever saw anyone in Madrid with a bike. Most people walk. As the seasons progress, it becomes very easy to walk four or five Metro stops on foot. Taxis aren’t too expensive. My friends had abonos so we always took the Metro. The abono can also be used on the bus.”
