Six out of every 10 tourists visiting Madrid are foreigners and the increase in tourism in the capital breaks records, reaching a 7.6% increase this past August compared to the same month last year, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
In view of this new reality, the capital is launching the new Public Transport Tourist Card, a ticket that allows unlimited travel for only 10 euros a day on the entire Metro network, EMT buses, light rail and Renfe commuter trains. This card, managed by the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid, offers unlimited travel for a period of 1 to 7 consecutive days and can be purchased in two versions: zone A (Madrid capital) and zone T (the whole Community, up to zone E2), allowing the radius of movement to be adjusted to the needs of each traveler.
How the new tourist season ticket works
The tourist season ticket is personal, is activated on the first use and remains valid until 05:00 on the last day of validity, so that the user can squeeze the most out of both daytime transport and night services. Prices range from €10 for one day in zone A to €61 for seven days in zone T, with a 50% discount for children under 11 years old and total gratuity for children under 4 years old.
It can be purchased on the public transport app itself, in Metro vending machines, in CRTM offices and even transferred virtually to the cell phone in certain supports, advancing the goal of eliminating the traditional cardboard ticket in the coming years.
This measure seeks to promote sustainable mobility and the use of public transport as opposed to private vehicles, and also to make more accessible the peripheral districts and attractive municipalities such as Alcalá de Henares, Aranjuez or El Escorial, all of them included in the range of connections of the T zone.