Read about the available options to ride a Madrid hop-on hop-off bus

In the last few years, tourist buses (also known as hop-on, hop-off buses) have seen a surge in popularity and have become part of every major destination’s tourist landscape. Such a boom is easy to explain, as these buses are usually a convenient option to explore the city and its highlights in a comfortable way.

This is so true that, in some cities (including Madrid), there are different hop-on, hop-off companies offering very similar tickets, making it confusing for visitors to make a decision on what bus to take. Which is why we’re writing this post!

In Madrid, there are currently three different companies operating hop-on, hop-off buses. In this post, The Touring Pandas put together some basics to understand each option. We’ve made the research, so read ahead and make an informed decision about what Madrid hop-on hop-off bus you should take.

1. Madrid City Tour, the first Madrid Hop-on Hop-off Bus

One aspect that makes your life easier in other cities is that different buses have different colors. But in Madrid, this is not the case and two of them are red! So be ready to make an extra effort to focus on the titles of each bus. The first option we’re presenting is the Madrid City Tour, the oldest of the three (and one of the red).

This is the original Madrid hop-on hop-off bus and it’s run by Julià Travel, one of Spain’s largest tourism groups. It’s been running for decades and its reputation is out of question even if you may have not heard of the company before.

The Madrid City Tour offers two different routes. Route 1 is called Historical Madrid and it spans 16 stops covering all the major highlights in the historic center of Madrid. This 1h 30min itinerary has departures every 20-30 minutes and it stops at major landmarks like the Royal Palace, the Puerta de Alcalá, and the Prado Museum.

Route 2 is called Modern Madrid. This is a more off-the-beaten-track circuit that runs through the new part of the city, covering some interesting museums like the National Archaeology Museum and the world-famous Bernabéu Stadium, home of the Real Madrid football club. Route 2 also has a stop at Puerta del Sol, so it’s conveniently linked to the city center. There are 16 stops in this route as well, with departures every 20-30 minutes and a total duration of 1h 10min if you’d stay on the bus.

In addition, each of the routes has an extended version covering some extra landmarks in a non-stop loop, that is to say, without the hop-on, hop-off feature. Each extended route takes 1h 45min to complete and they depart twice a day.

The services available onboard include maps of the routes, an audioguide in 14 languages (Spanish, English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, Arabic, Catalan, Basque, and Galician), free Wi-Fi, and a downloadable APP with real time information about next departures. All buses have ramps for wheelchair users and sliding roofs to provide shelter from the rain and the sun.

Regarding pricing, there are three options available:
-24 hours ticket: 25,00€ adults / 11,00€ children and seniors
-48 hours ticket: 30,00€ adults / 15,00€ children and seniors

If you’d like to get your tickets in advance, you can purchase them on the Madrid City Tour official website with a 10% online discount. You can also find interesting options like the Tiqets Madrid City Pass, combining the bus with top highlights like the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace.

2. City Sightseeing’s Madrid Hop-on Hop-off Bus

The next option in line is also red, and it is run by the global operator City Sightseeing. Although it’s been on Madrid’s roads only since January 2024, City Sightseeing’s reputation and worldwide presence make this a completely fair competitor.

City Sightseeing’s bet on Madrid offers one single route covering most of what the average visitor to the city wants to see. A full itinerary lasts roughly 1h 30min with the possibility to hop on and off the bus at 16 stops, covering all the major landmarks in the city (except the Bernabéu Stadium, which is not part of the route). Buses depart every 20 minutes.

As additional services, City Sightseeing buses offer city maps with the itinerary, an audioguide in 8 languages (Spanish, English, Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Arabic), sliding roofs and, as a nice extra feature, you can participate in two free walking tours.

These are the prices for City Sightseeings’ Madrid Hop-on Hop-off Bus:
-24 hours ticket: 25,00€ adults / 11,00€ children and seniors
-48 hours ticket: 30,00€ adults / 15,00€ children and seniors

If you’d like to get your tickets in advance, you can purchase them on the City Sightseeing official website.

3. Big Bus Madrid Tour (not hop-on, hop-off)

Last, but not least (and not red), is the Big Bus option, also a global operator present in many of the world’s greatest capitals. Just as City Sightseeing, Big Bus has been operating in Madrid for a short time (since September 2023), but that doesn’t mean it’s less reliable or not recommended. Big Bus has a large experience as an operator of bus tours. Please take into account that this option is NOT a hop-on, hop-off bus, but we still find it an interesting candidate.

Similarly to the previous option, Big Bus offers a single tour to visit Madrid’s major highlights without having to worry about which route to take. Just like City Sightseeing, Big Bus does not cover the Bernabéu Stadium. But unlike any of the other options, this one goes a bit more into the East of the city to see Madrid’s bullring, Las Ventas. A full loop takes 80 minutes and there are daily departures every 45 minutes. Big Bus buses are not wheelchair accessible.

There are two main features that differentiate this bus from the other two. First, Big Bus is not a hop-on, hop-off company. In this case, the bus offers a closed route of roughly 1h 20min. Second, instead of audioguides, Big Bus has a live guide onboard to tell you about the city while you enjoy the views of the landmarks. Live comment is provided in English and Spanish. Big Bus also offers a night route to enjoy the city with the evening lights, although at an extra cost.

Big Bus pricing, both for day and night, is as follows:
-Adults: 21,00€ / Children: 17€ / Seniors: 19€

If you’d like to get your tickets in advance, you can purchase them online with Tiqets.

Overview and our preferred option (yes, we have one!)

Knowing that all the above information may be a bit difficult to digest, we’ve prepared a table with an overview of each bus to help you compare the options and choose the one that best suits you.

And our favorite Madrid Hop-on Hop-off Bus is…

Although the three options offer a good service and they may adapt more or less to different needs, our clear favorite is the Madrid City Tour.

City Sightseeing has some nice differentiators like the free walking tours, and the Korean language (which is incredible if you’re Korean). The Big Bus option is a bit more affordable and it’s a very good choice if you’re not planning to hop-on, hop-off, but still want to get an overview of the city in a short time. Also, it is recommended if you’d like to hear live comment instead of listening to an audioguide.

But to be fair, the difference in stops and area covered is quite significant when you compare the Madrid City Tour to its competitors. The Bernabéu Stadium is the best example of not only area, but also significance, given the importance of the Real Madrid to the city. Other big pluses are free Wi-Fi, a wide range of audioguide languages, and guaranteed wheelchair accessibility on every bus.

So, all this said, you know our favorite, but you may have yours!

Look for other posts or book your tours with us!

We hope this post about the Madrid Hop-on Hop-off Bus will help you plan your trip to Spain’s capital. If you’re looking for other things to do in Madrid, we offer our own guided tours in Madrid in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. As a reader of our blog, you can use the discount coupon PANDABLOG during checkout to get a 10% discount. And don’t forget to also check our tours in Barcelona and Seville if you’re visiting these cities.

Book online now!