Madrid Tourist Cards

To find out everything there is to see and do in Madrid, a good option is to buy a tourist card, as these offer discounts on admission to the main attractions, as well as on tours, activities, shops and more.

As for the tours, they include not only guided tours of Madrid, but also trips to destinations such as Toledo, Segovia and El Escorial. In this article, I’ll tell you which are the best tourist passes, how they work, what they include, how to buy them and practical tips so you can make the most of them. The options are:

• Madrid Explorer Pass: from €64
• Madrid All Inclusive Pass: from €69
• Madrid City Card: from €8.40
• Paseo del Arte Card: from €35

With the Madrid Explorer Pass, you can get discounts on 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 activities of your choice in Madrid and the surrounding area. The price of the pass varies depending on the number of activities you include, and the discount increases the more activities you choose. For example, the pass for 3 activities costs around €64 for adults (€21 per activity) and the one for 7 activities costs around €134 for adults (€19 per activity).

The great thing is that you don’t have to decide which attractions you’ll visit when you buy this tourist pass; instead, you can decide as you go along or when you arrive in Madrid. It is a flexible pass, as you have 60 days to visit the attractions or take the guided tours of your choice.

Bear in mind that most activities require advance booking, such as a visit to the Royal Palace, so it is advisable to choose your activities in advance to secure your place, especially if you are staying in Madrid for 3 days or less. You’ll also receive the card in digital format and an app with useful information to make the most of your trip.

This card is convenient because it includes not only admission to attractions but also guided tours of Madrid, allowing you to discover the city’s highlights. The pass also includes activities such as day trips to Toledo from Madrid, one of the most visited nearby cities, renowned for its monuments and historic buildings.

Summary of benefits

• You can choose 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 activities to enjoy within a period of 60 consecutive days.
• Discounts of up to 50% on tickets, tours and the tourist bus.
• Over 17 activities available to choose from.
• App with up-to-date information, tips and itineraries.
• It is activated upon first use and is valid for up to 2 years.
• Cancellation up to 90 days after the date of purchase if you haven’t activated the card.

Some of the activities included in the Madrid Explorer Pass

• Guided tour of the Royal Palace
• Guided tour of the Reina Sofía Museum
• Guided tour of the Prado Museum
• Sightseeing bus tour with hop-on, hop-off stops to see the best of Madrid
• Flamenco show
• Visit to the Lázaro Galdiano Museum
• Visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
• Visit to the Wax Museum
• Visit to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid
• Visit to Toledo
• Visit to Las Ventas
• Tour of the Cibeles Palace and Retiro Park
• Daytime and night-time Segway tours of Madrid
• Bicycle tours of Madrid

Practical information

• Number of activities: 3 to 7 activities.
• Validity of the pass: 60 days, starting from the first use.
• Maximum validity: you can use the card within a maximum of 2 years.
• Price: from €64 for adults and €54 for children.

The Madrid All Inclusive Pass is a tourist card that is purchased by the day rather than by the number of activities, unlike the Explorer Pass. In other words, it allows you to take part in as many activities as you choose for the number of days included in the pass. You can buy a 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-day pass in Madrid.

There are over 20 activities available to enjoy during your stay in the city, with a varied selection to suit all tastes. It’s important to choose them strategically, bearing in mind which activities interest you most, so you can plan an itinerary and make the most of this card.

For example, this card usually includes day trips to Segovia and Toledo, which you’ll need to plan and book in advance. It is also important to bear in mind, for example, the opening hours of the Reina Sofía Museum or the Royal Palace, so you can make the most of your time in Madrid. To help with this, you will have access to an app with up-to-date information, which will make it easier for you to choose your activities.

It is simple to use, as you will have a digital card that you can show at each attraction to gain entry without delay. As for the pass’s validity, it is valid for consecutive days, and the days are counted from the first use, from the morning until midnight. You can activate the card at any time within a maximum period of 2 years, after which the pass expires.

Summary of benefits

• All the activities you choose during the number of days you book, which can be from 1 to 5 days.
• Discounts of up to 50% on tickets, tours and the tourist bus.
• Over 20 activities available to choose from.
• App with up-to-date information, tips and itineraries.
• It is activated upon first use and is valid for up to 2 years.
• You have up to 90 days to cancel the pass if you do not activate it.

Some of the activities included in the Madrid All Inclusive Pass

• Guided tour of the Royal Palace
• Guided tour of the Reina Sofía Museum
• Visit to the Prado Museum
• Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour to see the best of Madrid
• Guided tour of Toledo and Segovia
• Flamenco show
• Visit to the Lázaro Galdiano Museum
• Visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
• Visit to the Wax Museum
• Visit to Las Ventas
• Visit to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid
• Visit to Toledo
• Tour of the Cibeles Palace and Retiro Park
• Daytime and night-time Segway tours of Madrid
• Bike tours of Madrid
• Electric bike tours

Practical information

• Number of activities: unlimited.
• Number of days: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days.
• Price: from €69 for adults and €59 for children.

The Madrid City Card is the official tourist card for the city of Madrid, available for a period of 1 to 5 days. It includes skip-the-line entry to some of the city’s main attractions, such as the Royal Palace, the Atlético de Madrid stadium, the Paseo del Arte, the Cable Car, the Art Museum and the Liria Palace.

It also includes an unlimited travel pass for all forms of transport, such as buses, the Metro and public e-bikes. The travel pass is activated from the first use and is valid for the number of consecutive days you have purchased, whilst the discounts for attractions are valid for one month from the date of purchase. For this reason, it is best to purchase the card close to your travel dates.

Discounts on attraction tickets range from 10% to 50%. If you wish to visit the Prado Museum, it offers free entry during the last two hours of opening every day. It also offers discounts on activities, audio guides, shows and shops, and even some tastings at selected establishments.

Although the discounts on admission tickets are smaller than those offered by other cards, and it does not include discounts for some of the main attractions or for tours of Madrid and the surrounding area, it costs much less. Please note that you can purchase this card online, but you will need to collect the physical card from the airport or at authorised outlets. You can also buy it at authorised shops once you arrive in Madrid.

Summary of benefits

• Discounts of 10–50% on tickets to selected attractions.
• Over 17 attractions available in the city of Madrid.
• Fast pass: skip-the-queue access to included attractions.
• Discounts on shops, shows, audio guides and tastings, valid for one month from the date of purchase.
• Unlimited travel on public transport, including electric bikes, which is activated upon first use for the number of days purchased.

What’s included in the Madrid City Card

The Madrid City Card includes discounts of 10–50% at the following attractions in the city:

• Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
• Mirador Madrid at the Palacio de Cibeles
• Moncloa Lighthouse
• Audio guide and shop discounts at the Almudena Cathedral
• Discount on admission to Las Ventas
• Nomad Immersive Museum
• Madrid Zoo Aquarium
• Lázaro Galdiano Museum
• Museum of Illusions
• Wind Tunnel
• Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando
• Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
• Circle of Fine Arts
• Atlético de Madrid Stadium
• Madrid Amusement Park
• Liria Palace
• Caixaforum Madrid

Practical information

• Number of attractions: over 17.
• Duration: 1 to 5 consecutive days.
• Price: from €8.40 for adults and €4 for children.

The Paseo del Arte Card offers you entry to the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum – the Art Triangle – at a promotional price. It’s ideal if you’re interested in visiting these three museums, which are considered among the best in Madrid. The tickets are skip-the-line, so you can enjoy these three venues without delay.

With these discounted tickets, you can explore the permanent and some temporary collections of the Prado Museum and the Reina Sofía Museum, as well as the permanent collections of the Thyssen Museum. It’s ideal if you have a special interest in art and don’t want to miss out on visiting these museums located on the Paseo del Arte, a site designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The pass is valid for one year from the first use, giving you plenty of time to visit the museums at your own pace. However, it is best to purchase the pass once you have decided to visit these museums, as it is non-refundable and cannot be cancelled. It also does not offer a promotional price for children, teenagers or senior citizens, but the museums themselves offer discounts of up to 50%.

On the other hand, if you’re particularly keen to explore more museums in Madrid and the surrounding area, you can purchase the Annual State Museums Card, which includes entry to around 10 museums in Madrid and around 8 in other cities. It’s a convenient option for longer stays or if, for example, you’d like to travel from Madrid to Segovia or Toledo to explore the museums in those cities.

Summary of benefits

• Skip-the-line entry to the Prado Museum: permanent collection and some temporary exhibitions.
• Skip-the-line entry to the Reina Sofía Museum: permanent collection and some temporary exhibitions.
• Skip-the-line entry to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: permanent collection.

What to see in the Art Triangle

The Prado Museum is one of the most important in the world, where you can see works by leading artists such as Bosch, Velázquez, Rembrandt, El Greco, Rubens, Ribera, Goya and Raphael, amongst others. Some of the finest paintings on display at the Prado Museum include Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son, Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights triptych.

As for the Reina Sofía Museum, it is one of the world’s most important museums of contemporary and 20th-century art, with over 18,000 works of art. Among the finest paintings in the Reina Sofía Museum are Picasso’s Guernica, Joan Miró’s The House with the Palm Tree and Dalí’s Girl at the Window.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is another of Madrid’s key museums, where you can see works by Gauguin, Van Gogh, El Greco, Rubens, Caravaggio, Degas and Manet, amongst others. Some of the standout paintings on display at this museum include El Greco’s The Annunciation, Van Gogh’s Les Vessenots at Auvers and Degas’s Dancer Balancing.

Practical information

• Number of attractions: Prado Museum, Reina Sofía Museum and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.
• Validity: 1 year from first use.
• Price: from €35 per person.
• Notes: non-cancellable and non-refundable.

Alternative: guided tours of two museums

If you’re interested in visiting the Reina Sofía Museum and the Prado Museum and getting to know them in depth, you can take a tour with an expert guide who will show you the highlights of each museum so you don’t miss a thing. They’ll also provide interesting information about the works and the artists, which will undoubtedly enrich your visit.

These are guided tours that generally include skip-the-line entry to both museums and are conducted in small groups, so you’ll be able to ask as many questions as you like. If you don’t know much about art and are keen to learn more, these are the guided tours of Madrid you simply can’t miss.

In the Spanish capital, there are other ways to save money during your stay, such as tourist bus passes, which are a convenient way to get around the city and see its main attractions.

The best tourist buses in Madrid offer free stops at major attractions, such as the Prado Museum, Almudena Cathedral, the Cibeles Fountain and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. They also feature audio guides and Wi-Fi on board, so you can find out about the places of interest you can visit. Buses run every 30–40 minutes.

You can purchase a sightseeing bus pass for a stay of at least 1 or 2 days in Madrid, but this is a separate purchase. If you book a 2-day pass, you’ll get a bigger discount, as the cost for 1 day is around €25 for adults and for 2 days it’s around €30 for adults.

Practical information

• Number of stops: Historic Madrid route (16 stops), Extended Historic Madrid route (22 stops), Modern Madrid route (16 stops) and Extended Modern Madrid route (20 stops).
• Duration: 1 or 2 days. It can be booked for more days as a separate purchase.
• Price: from €25 for adults and €11 for children and senior citizens.