© Jorge Fernández Salas・Unsplash License

Spain

Madrid

Spain's capital of grand museums and a royal palace. One of Europe's largest metro networks covers the city.

Cercanías Madrid

Tap a contactless card or phone at the gate; keep to one card and singles drop 40% from your fifth trip of the calendar month. The trap is the exit: fail to tap out and you are billed the top fare for the whole network.

Updated 17 days ago

  • Until Sep 6, 2026

    C-3 and C-4 turn back on the weekends of 29-30 Aug and 5-6 Sep

    The same works close the Sol tunnel between Atocha and Nuevos Ministerios on two weekends - 29-30 August and 5-6 September. That hits C-3 and C-4, the two lines through the city centre - temporary termini are set up at Atocha for both of them, and at Nuevos Ministerios for the C-4. If your trip on those lines crosses Atocha on either weekend, check the day's service information first.

How to ride

  1. 1
    Decide on card or ticket before you go
    Decide first whether to ride straight in with a contactless bank card or to buy a ticket at a counter or machine.
  2. 2
    If buying, buy for the zones you cross
    At a counter or machine, buy for the number of zones your trip crosses, then start the trip within two hours.
  3. 3
    Tap in at the gate or the free-standing reader
    Card or ticket, always tap at the gate or the free-standing validator before you go through.
  4. 4
    Tap out with the same thing at your destination
    Tap again on the way out. Miss it and a card is charged the network's top fare; a ticket stops being valid.
  5. 5
    Show the card you tapped in with
    If a conductor checks tickets, show the same card or phone you tapped in with.

Fares

Single fares1

Cercanías single ticket (by zones)
Set by how many zones you cross; tapping in with a bank card costs the same.
1.7〜5.5 EUR ≈ $2–6

Passes & multi-ride1

Tourist ticket, zone T (1-7 days)
Covers the whole Cercanías network; for the city alone, zone A costs 10.30-43.20 EUR.
15.4〜62.8 EUR ≈ $18–73

Estimates use exchange rates as of September 5, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride The gates and free-standing validators of Cercanías Madrid
Not available at Móstoles-El Soto, Santa Eugenia or Ramón y Cajal
VISAMastercardDiscoverDinersJCBAmex銀聯
It only buys single fares, and you must tap both in and out.
Phone wallet
The same three unequipped stations apply
The same card virtualised on a phone taps in exactly the same way.
Card payment at machines Unverified
Machines take credit cards; whether contactless works is unstated.
IC card
At the gates: Load a CRTM tourist ticket or travel pass onto a TTP card and tap through.
App tickets
Cercanías RenfeMi Tarjeta Transporte
Paper tickets
At machines: Sold at counters and machines; start the trip within two hours of buying.
Cash
At machines: Depends on the machine - some take coins and notes, others are card only.

Quick facts

Fares from
1.7 EUR+

Heads-up

  • The C-9 into the Guadarrama mountains is closed

    The C-9, which climbs from Cercedilla via Puerto de Navacerrada to Cotos, has been closed for track renewal since 5 May 2024 and no trains run. Five replacement coaches a day run instead, but you must reserve a seat in advance at a station counter or ticket machine and hold a ticket valid to zone C2. Bicycles and pets are not carried on the replacement coaches.

  • No e-scooters on board - bicycles are fine

    Electric scooters, monowheels and other battery-powered personal mobility devices are not allowed on board - Renfe bans them in its own conditions of carriage on safety grounds. Wheelchairs and other mobility vehicles are exempt, as are pedal-assist e-bikes, and an ordinary bicycle travels free on suburban trains without folding it or reserving anything.

Timetable

Typical duration Links Atocha, Chamartín and Nuevos Ministerios underground, then runs straight out to the towns beyond
Check the official site for the latest times and service status