Everything you need to ride Spain's two biggest metro systems with confidence — ticket types, the Tarjeta Multi and T-Mobilitat smart cards, the official apps, zones, accessibility, night service and the right tourist passes.
Madrid and Barcelona have two of Europe's best urban transport networks — but for new arrivals the ticket choices, plastic cards, mobile apps and zone systems can feel like a language of their own.
This guide explains everything an expat needs: how to buy a single ticket, when to switch to a 10-trip T-Casual, why a monthly Abono Transportes or T-Usual will probably save you hundreds of euros a year, how to get a Tarjeta Multi in Madrid or a T-Mobilitat in Barcelona, which official apps to install (Metro de Madrid and TMB), how zones work, accessibility for wheelchair users and pushchairs, the all-night Búho bus network, and which tourist passes are worth it for visiting friends and family.
Spain's two biggest cities both have excellent metros, but the ticketing, zones and apps are completely separate systems. Coming from London, New York, Sydney or Dublin, here's what you need to know up front.
The Metro de Madrid network has 12 numbered lines plus the ML light-rail metro, with over 300 km of track and around 300 stations — the second-longest in the EU. It's managed by the regional transport authority, the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM), which sets prices and integrates metro, bus, Cercanías commuter rail and light rail under one Abono Transportes monthly pass.
Barcelona's metro is operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) alongside the city's bus network, while the suburban FGC lines are run by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat. All transport across Catalonia's main metropolitan area is coordinated and ticketed by the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM), with a six-zone fare system that includes RENFE Cercanías commuter trains.
Three things to know up front:
Six fundamentals every expat needs before tapping in for the first time.
Madrid uses the rechargeable Tarjeta Multi (€2.50, valid 10 years, sold at metro vending machines and tobacconists). Barcelona has rolled out the T-Mobilitat — a personal or anonymous chip card that replaced the old T-10 paper tickets.
A single Madrid metro ride (Sencillo) is €1.50–€2.00 depending on how many stops, plus a €0.50 supplement to and from the airport. A Barcelona single (Bitllet Senzill) is €2.65 for one zone — single fares are deliberately expensive to push you toward T-Casual or T-Usual.
The Barcelona T-Casual gives 10 single trips for €12.55 (zone 1) — by far the best deal for occasional users. Madrid's equivalent is the Metrobús 10-trip ticket at €12.20, valid on Metro Madrid (zone A) and EMT buses.
Madrid's Abono Transportes is €54.60/month for zone A — and just €20/month for under-26s and €6.30 for over-65s. Barcelona's T-Usual gives unlimited zone-1 travel for €21.35/month under heavy public subsidy.
Install Metro de Madrid (route planner, live status, station info, accessibility) and the TMB app for Barcelona (journey planning, T-Mobilitat top-up, real-time bus arrivals). Both are free, in English, and far better than Google Maps for service alerts.
Madrid's Metro closes around 01:30 and reopens at 06:00 — bridged by the Búho ("owl") night bus network. Barcelona has the NitBus network running 22:40–06:00. Both accept the same monthly pass as the metro.
Whether you've just moved to Malasaña or Gràcia, or you're heading back to Spain after years away, this guide is built for you.
Visiting family flying in to use the metro with you? Make sure they have travel insurance before they board.
Get a Travel Insurance Quote →The single biggest decision is whether to pay per ride, buy a 10-trip Metrobús, or commit to a monthly Abono Transportes. For most expats living in Madrid, the Abono wins by a long way.
The CRTM sets prices for the entire Madrid public transport system. Here are the products an expat will actually use, all loaded onto a Tarjeta Multi contactless card or — for monthly passes — onto the personalised Tarjeta Transporte Público (TTP).
| Ticket | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Sencillo Metro (1–5 stops) | €1.50 | One metro trip in zone A |
| Sencillo Metro (6–9 stops) | €1.50–€2.00 | Sliding scale per extra stop |
| Sencillo Combinado Metro | €2.00 | One trip including longer journeys |
| Suplemento Aeropuerto | €3.00 | Added to any ticket using T4 or T1–T3 stations |
| Metrobús 10 viajes | €12.20 | 10 trips on Metro (zone A) + EMT buses |
| Abono Transportes Mensual A | €54.60 | Unlimited metro, bus, Cercanías and ML in zone A |
| Abono Joven (under 26) | €20.00 | All zones, all modes — the single best deal in Spain |
| Abono Tercera Edad (over 65) | €6.30 | All zones, all modes |
| Tourist Travel Pass (1–7 days) | €8.40–€70.80 | Unlimited, including airport supplement |
Two cards underpin all of this:
If you ride more than 8 times a week, the monthly Abono A is already cheaper than buying Sencillos. If you're under 26 the maths is even more brutal — €20/month buys unlimited travel across the whole region, including the airport, every Cercanías line and intercity buses to Alcalá or Aranjuez.
Barcelona reformed its fare system in 2020. The old T-10 paper ticket is gone, replaced by the T-Casual on the T-Mobilitat smart card.
Fares are set by the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) and apply across metro, urban bus, tram, FGC and RENFE Cercanías within the six-zone region. Here are the main products for an expat living in Barcelona, loaded onto the T-Mobilitat chip card.
| Ticket | Price (zone 1) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Bitllet Senzill | €2.65 | One trip, no transfers between modes |
| T-Casual | €12.55 | 10 trips with 75-minute transfers |
| T-Usual (30 days) | €21.35 | Unlimited monthly travel, zone 1 |
| T-Familiar (8 trips/30 days) | €10.70 | Shareable across a family group |
| T-Jove (under 30, 90 days) | €40.00 | Unlimited travel across all 6 zones |
| T-70/90 (over 65 or low income) | Heavily reduced | 70 trips over 90 days |
| T-Grup (70 trips) | €67.40 | Multi-user, all transferable |
| Hola Barcelona Travel Card | €18.10–€48.50 | Unlimited 48h–120h including airport |
The two card formats:
One "trip" on T-Casual, T-Usual or T-Familiar means up to 75 minutes of travel with unlimited transfers between metro, bus, tram, FGC and RENFE Cercanías — as long as you don't repeat the same mode. Tap on every bus and at every metro gate to keep the transfer alive.
Both cities use concentric fare zones. Get the zone wrong and your ticket simply won't open the gate at your destination.
Madrid CRTM zones:
Barcelona ATM zones:
The Barcelona–El Prat airport is a special case — neither standard zone-1 tickets nor T-Casual are valid to or from the airport metro stations (T1 and T2 on L9 Sud). You need either a dedicated single airport ticket (€5.70) or the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, which does include the airport. The Madrid airport supplement of €3.00 applies the same way to and from Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 and Aeropuerto T4 stations on Line 8.
Travelling on the metro is statistically very safe — but pickpocketing happens. Travel insurance covers theft, illness and lost documents.
Get a Travel Insurance Quote →Skip Google Maps for metro planning. The two official apps know about strikes, lift outages and weekend works that Google misses.
Metro de Madrid app (iOS and Android, free, English available). Features:
Download it from the Metro Madrid website at metromadrid.es.
TMB app (iOS and Android, free, English available). Features:
Download from tmb.cat or the App Store / Google Play.
Both apps integrate with their respective city bike-share schemes (BiciMAD in Madrid, Bicing in Barcelona) and with RENFE for Cercanías. Push notifications about strikes or weekend closures alone make them worth installing.
Both systems have invested heavily in accessibility, but coverage is far from universal — especially on the older lines.
Madrid Metro accessibility: around 75% of stations are step-free with lifts from street to platform, but Lines 1, 2, 4 and 5 (built in the 1920s–50s) still have many inaccessible stations. The Metro Madrid app has an "accessible route" filter that excludes any step. Wheelchair users, parents with prams and travellers with heavy luggage can also request free assistance at any larger station — find a member of staff or use the intercom.
Barcelona Metro accessibility: TMB reports over 92% of stations as step-free. All trains are level-boarding. The TMB app has a real-time lift availability layer — essential if you depend on lifts, because Barcelona's older stations sometimes have only one route step-free and a broken lift can mean a 20-minute detour. The new L9/L10 line is fully accessible end-to-end. Both metros have reserved seating, audio announcements and tactile-paving guidance for visually impaired riders.
Children and prams ride free in both cities up to age 4 in Madrid and up to age 4 in Barcelona — and folded prams are allowed at all times. Open prams are fine outside of peak hours but stations get crowded at 08:00–09:30 and 18:00–20:00.
Before you travel, check lift status on the Metro de Madrid or TMB app. Both publish a daily list of stations with non-operational lifts. RENFE Cercanías also offers free Atendo assistance — book 24 hours ahead via the RENFE Cercanías portal or by calling 91 232 03 20.
Both metros shut overnight. The night bus networks fill the gap — and accept the same monthly pass.
Madrid's Búho ("owl") network takes over when the Metro de Madrid closes around 01:30. Around 26 night-bus lines, all radiating out from Plaza de Cibeles and Alonso Martínez, run roughly every 15–35 minutes until 06:00 when the metro reopens. The Abono Transportes, Metrobús, Sencillo and Tourist Travel Pass all work on Búho buses — no separate ticket needed.
Barcelona's NitBus network covers 17 radial routes through the night, plus dedicated airport night routes (N17 to T2, N16 to Castelldefels). Most NitBus routes pass through Plaça de Catalunya. They run 22:40–06:00, every 20 minutes. T-Casual, T-Usual and T-Mobilitat products all work as normal. There is also Friday and Saturday all-night metro service on most lines — check the TMB app for the current schedule.
Weekend metro hours are extended in both cities — Madrid trains run until 02:30 on Friday and Saturday nights, and Barcelona's metro is open continuously from Saturday morning straight through to Sunday night.
If friends and family come to visit, the question is always: do they need a tourist pass or just a T-Casual?
Madrid Tourist Travel Pass — sold at metro vending machines, on the app and at travel agents. Unlimited rides on Metro, EMT buses, Cercanías and the airport line for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days. Prices range from €8.40 (1 day, zone A) to €70.80 (7 days, zone T including all suburbs). Worth it if you'll use the airport plus take 3+ rides a day.
Hola Barcelona Travel Card — TMB's tourist product, available for 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours. Unlimited travel on TMB metro, urban bus, tram and FGC within zone 1, plus the airport metro. Prices: €18.10 (48h), €26.50 (72h), €34.50 (96h), €42.50 (120h). The only easy way to use the metro to and from El Prat without buying separate airport tickets.
Barcelona Card — a different, broader product (sold by Turisme de Barcelona, not TMB) that adds free museum entry. Worth it for tourists doing 3+ museums a day; otherwise the Hola Barcelona is better value for pure transport.
For visitors staying more than 5 days who'll mostly walk and only ride occasionally, a regular T-Casual on an anonymous T-Mobilitat (€12.55 + €0.50 card fee for 10 trips) is almost always the cheapest option — and they can leave the card with you when they fly home, in case the next guest needs it.
After helping thousands of expats get to grips with Spanish city transport, here are the six errors we see most often.
The questions expats ask us most often about using the Madrid and Barcelona metros.
Not yet on the Madrid or Barcelona metros. Both networks are trialling open-loop contactless on certain bus lines and at selected metro gates, but as of now you still need a Tarjeta Multi, TTP or T-Mobilitat for normal use. The TMB app does let Android users tap to ride directly from their phone via a virtual T-Mobilitat.
Children under 4 ride free in both Madrid and Barcelona, accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. From 4 onwards they need their own ticket — though discounted family products like Barcelona's T-Familiar and Madrid's free Abono Infantil (under 7) substantially reduce the cost.
If you already have an Abono Transportes valid for zone A, just add the airport supplement at any vending machine for €3.00. Cercanías line C-1 from T4 to Chamartín or Atocha costs only €2.60 and takes 25 minutes, but Metro Line 8 with a €5.00 Sencillo+supplement is faster door-to-door for most central locations.
Any tobacconist (estanco) with the official "Tarjeta Multi" sign — there are over 800 across Madrid. They can sell you the card and load Sencillos or a Metrobús. For the personalised TTP, you can only apply online or at one of the CRTM customer service points listed on crtm.es.
One personal T-Mobilitat per person; it can exist as a physical chip card, as an entry on the TMB app (Android NFC only), or both — but only one form can be active at a time. You can pause your physical card and use the phone, or vice versa, via the T-Mobilitat portal.
Yes — and this is one of the biggest hidden values. A zone A Abono covers all Cercanías journeys within Madrid city. A zone B1 or higher Abono includes Cercanías to your zone, meaning Pozuelo, Las Rozas or Alcalá commuters travel unlimited for one monthly fee. Just tap in at the Cercanías barriers as you would the metro.
Both networks are statistically very safe with CCTV in every station, station staff and frequent police patrols. The main risk is pickpocketing on crowded lines and at tourist-heavy stations (Sol, Atocha, Catalunya, Liceu). Keep wallets and phones in front pockets, watch out for "distraction" theft, and report incidents to the Policía Nacional on 091.
Yes — comprehensive travel and expat health insurance covers medical treatment after a fall, mugging or accident on public transport. Theft of personal belongings (phones, wallets, monthly passes) is covered by most policies, usually with a per-item limit. Always file a denuncia at the nearest Policía Nacional within 24 hours; the insurer will need the police report number.
Whether you're commuting across Madrid, exploring Barcelona's barrios or hopping the AVE to Seville, travel and health insurance from a Spanish-regulated insurer means you're covered for medical care, theft and accidents in Spain, in Spanish, under Spanish law. 247 Expat Insurance arranges DGSFP-regulated cover for British, Irish, American and Australian expats living in or visiting Spain.
Get a Travel Insurance QuoteLiving in Spain longer-term? Private health insurance gives you direct access to clinics — no waiting lists.
Get a Health Insurance Quote →We arrange Spanish home, health, car, travel and life insurance for British, Irish, American, Australian, Canadian and South African expats living in Spain. Every policy is issued by an insurer regulated by the Dirección General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones — Spain's national insurance regulator — so claims are paid under Spanish law, in Spain, by a Spanish entity. No grey-area UK policies that may not respond to a Spanish loss.
