Madrid’s public transport with Sarah Willats – Trains, Tickets, Tips & Trips

When in Spain

Sarah Willats joins me to talk about Madrid’s public transport network, how to get the best out of it, tickets, passes and trips whether visiting for a holiday, business or making the Spanish capital your home.

Sarah, aka Sarah la Viajera (check out her Spain travel blog!) has recently published her book, The Ultimate Guide to Madrid’s Transportation Networks which she spent two years researching and which involved riding every Madrid Metro line, many of the city’s buses, commuter trains and bike and scooter sharing schemes. Sarah is an expert on Madrid’s public transport system after spending five years riding it and painstakingly testing and researching the network to make life easier for anyone visiting the Spanish capital.

In the episode we talk about the transport network’s different systems and the differences and pros can cons of each one. Sarah walks us through some facts and figures about the Madrid Metro and some curious history, including its ‘ghost stations’. We also share our favourite journeys using Madrid’s public transportation and run through some suggestions for day trips out of the city without using a car. Then it’s onto practicalities. Sarah guides us through the different tickets and passes and how to buy them and how to get to the centre of Madrid from Barajas Airport and onwards to Atocha train station.