A Hop on Hop off Bus Tour in Madrid is one of the easiest and most comfortable ways to get to know the city. It’s as easy as purchasing a ticket, valid for one or two days depending on the fare chosen, getting on the bus, putting on your headphones to follow the audio guide and enjoy the streets, monuments and many points of interest, with the option of getting off wherever you feel like it and getting back on as many times as you wish.
There are many different Hop on Hop off tours in Madrid, but the ones I will mention now I have found to be the nest and most professional, but without going on too much, here are a list of the best Hop on Hop off Madrid tours.
1 – Madrid City Tour Hop-On Hop-Off
Depending on the option you choose, on this Hop on Hop off bus tour of Madrid you will have the option to use two separate routes. One of which takes you around the more historical areas of the city, and another that loops around the more modern parts of the city, but your tickets are valid for both routes so you can change between the two as you like.
You can stay on the bus for the entire duration of the tour and listen to the audio guide, or you can hop off at any time you like if you want to explore any of the sites a little more, and simply hop back on once you are finished and carry on the tour.
Route 1 (Blue Route) – This route will take you around the more historical quarters of Madrid. The ability to hop on and off the bus is really handy on this route, because a lot of the sights are relatively close together so you can do a quick bit of exploring and jump right back on a bus. You will see things like Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral, and the Prado Museum, or admire the Gran Vía, Madrid’s main thoroughfare.
The stops along the way of the Blue Route are as follows:
Museo Del Prado > Puerta De Alcala > Salamanca > Plaza de Colon > Ciebeles > Calle Gran Via > Plaza de España > Templo De Debod > Teatro Real > Palacio Real > Puerta de Toledo > Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía > Real Jardín Botánico > Museo Del Prado
Route 2 (Green Route) – This route of the Hop on Hop off Madrid tour will focus more on the 19th and 20th century. You will go past the aptly named 4 towers, the resident skyscrapers here in Madrid. You will also go past the legendary Santiago Bernebeu stadium, home to the Real Madrid football team.
The stops along the way of the Green Route are as follows:
Neptune Fountain > Ciebeles > Plaza de Colon > Museo Arte Publico > Natural Science Museum > Nuevos Ministerios > Santiago Bernebeu > Investigaciones Científicas sede central > Museo Lazardo Galdiano > Serrano > Archeological Museum > Puerta de Alcala > Puerta del Sol > Plaza de las Cortes > Neptune Fountain
What Is Included:
- A Tour Map/Guide Book you get to keep
- Multilingual audio system
- Food and Drinks
- 1- or 2-day hop-on hop-off bus tour (depending on option selected)
- Air-conditioned/heated double-decker open top motor-coaches.
2 – Madrid City Tour Hop-On Hop-Off and visit Bernabeu Stadium
Similar to the previous Hop on Hop of tour of Madrid, but there is the added bonus of being able to visit the Santiago Bernebeu stadium without having to wait in a queue.
Even if you are not the biggest football fan, standing in the stadium and looking around, getting a feeling for how large these stadiums really are is quite the experience.
You get to travel around the city at your own pace, as once you have bought your ticket, you can hop on and off the busses along the route as many times as you like throughout the day.
As with most hop on hop off bus tours in Madrid, there are two routes you can interchange using the same ticket.
Route 1 (Blue): Historical Madrid Museo del Prado, Puerta de Alcalá, Barrio de Salamanca, Plaza de Colón, Plaza de Cibeles, Gran Via, Plaza de España, Templo de Debod, Teatro Real, Palacio Real, Puerta de Toledo, San Francisco El Grande, Catedral Almudena, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Círculo Bellas Artes, Museo Thyssen, Museo Reina Sofía, Jardín Botánico and Museo del Prado.
Route nº 2 (Green): Modern Madrid Plaza Neptuno, Plaza de Cibeles, Plaza de Colón, Museo Esculturas, Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Nuevos Ministerios, Santiago Bernabéu, C.S.I. Científicas, Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Serrano, Museo Arqueológico, Puerta de Alcalá, Alcalá, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de las Cortes and Plaza de Neptuno.
Depending on if you purchased the option for the tour and to enter the Real Madrid Stadium, you will get off where the Santiago Bernebeu stadium is located and get to skip the line and go straight in.
You get to see the stadium, then go up top to get a panoramic view and take in all the history of the stadium where Real Madrid has been putting on a display with some of the worlds most well know players for 75 years.
What Is Included:
- Skip the line entrance to Bernabéu Tour
- Guided tour with 14 audio guide languages
- Air-conditioned / heated double-decker open top motor-coaches
- Bernabéu Tour Audioguide
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3 – Madrid Panoramic Tour by Double-Decker bus
This bus tour of Madrid is a little different to the Hop on Hop off tours in that it lasts 1 hour and 30 mins appx, and you cannot get on and off at will. If you are pushed for time, and want to get a quick view of the city, this is a good option.
The bus is also open topped, so you get a great panoramic view of the city, and you can take some really great pictures of the city. The tour starts at the Paseo de Prado, and you will see among a number of landmarks such as Puerta del Sol, Gran Vía, Plaza de la Cibeles, Paseo del Arte, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and more.
It is a little difficult to hear the audio system over the sounds of the city as you are on an open top bus after all, so if you are really in to audio guides then the hop on hop odd Madrid tours are the better option, but if you just want a quick tour around the city to get some cool shots, then this is a great option.
It is a little different in that you can not get on and off the bus as you like, but its a good way to map out the city if you want to do a little more exploring later.
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How long does a Madrid Hop on Hop off tour last
If you were to stay on the bus for the entire tour, both of the mentioned tours will last app 60 – 80 minutes. You could make the tour last the whole day though if you choose to get off the bus to explore a little.
How to get the best out of a Hop on Hop off tour in Madrid
My advice to get the most out of the tour, is to jump on the bus early, and first go through the whole route without getting off. Make notes of the places you would like to explore a little more, then hop back on the bus and make your way to the stops you have marked.
This is the good thing about being able to get on and off these busses through the day as much as you like, it gives you the freedom to tour the city, and it makes the transport a lit easier than if you were to try and navigate the public transport system.