Public transport

Alright, so you got to Madrid and you can see all those monuments and crowds and you already found a place to stay. The next thing you want to do is to get your Public Transport Card. There are also other ways of getting around, like bikes and taxis that are white and have a red line and perhaps you are in the center where you can use your feet to transpoer you around. But public transport in Madrid is very well organized and especially if you are a student under 26 years old and already have a bit of that spanish spirit so you would rather use metro than your feet, it is an option of choice as it will cost you 20€ per month .

So: where can you get this card? You can check the official webpage: http://www.crtm.es/ for more information, where you can also find the location of the Public Transport Card offices, such as the one in the picture below. You can order your card on the internet, but in order to do that you have to use the spanish address and it takes them around 2 weeks. But you can simply show up in one of the offices and they will give you the free date for getting it. One thing to consider is that the central office in Sol is very busy so the further from it you get, the better options for getting your card fast you have. But it also depends of luck - I got it the same afternoon, some can do it at the same moment they get there or you can also wait up to one week in the busiest days.

Where to get your card. Source: https://www.metromadrid.es/comun/imagenes/Fotos_notas_de_prensa/espanol/2014/4oficinasttp/oficina_04.jpg

The card is red on one side and white with your picture on the other and it will cost you 4€. You can bring the form already filled with you or fill it out in in the office. In case you (still) do not have the spanish phone number you can write the one from Erasmus Madrid community as nobody checks it. You also have to have an official ID document, such as ID card with you. On the webpage you can read that you also need your photo, but they usually take a picture of you right there in the office with a special camera so yeah - if you wait for your turn outside for hours like I did, you can imagine how you will look on the card. But anyways, it is just for getting around.

Public transport card. Source: http://www.planometromadrid.org/mapas-metro/plano-metro-madrid-accesible-2016-02.png

When you already have your card, you can fill it in special machines - so in the office you will get the card without monthly validation. You can use it for all the public transport options: metro, bus and cercanias renfe without limitations. So you can travel along all the lines in the metro plan which you can download on your phone. Using metro is easy  You have to press the button with two arrows or in older metros turn the hook to open the door. All the lines are well marked so you will be able to use it like a local soon. Metros depart every few minutes so there is no worries if you miss one as the next one often shows up 5 minutes later. What will take you more time is using the stairs to get in/out so you should consider that in your estimated travel time. And you can also get to the airport using metro without having to pay extra.

Metro. Source: http://8www.ecestaticos.com/imagestatic/clipping/da8/52f/da852fe478d94e020b6f3507f738716f/los-maquinistas-del-metro-de-madrid-van-a-la-huelga-porque-quieren-librar-14-dias-mas.jpg?mtime=1463600293

Besides metro you can also use cercanias renfe - fast trains that can get you to more distant places. The use is the same as in metros - you put your card on the detector and the doors open. The marcations of the tracks might confuse you at first so it is good to know which line and direction you want to use before going there. There is a map of cercanias you can use.

The last but not least is the use of public buses. The ones going around the city are blue and the one going to nearby places are green. They are slower than metros but you save some time not having to drop and lift to get to it. It is good to know that green buses can take you to as far as Alcala de Henares and Toledo. Oftentimes, cercanias can take you to the same places as buses so which one is better to use? It depends of the station as cercanias are faster but they can have the station quite far from the center, when buses always take you to the center so that is something good to check before.

City bus. Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qqpJr1TZTnQ/Tw3AjrdTgiI/AAAAAAAAfeI/BV0Is-beniU/s1600/100E0990_Custom.JPG

To conclude, owning Public Transport Card has many benefits and it can take you to many places. So if you do Erasmus in Madrid it is a great option to make a daily trip to Aranjuez, Toledo from there. It can also take you to many great places in the city that are not in the center, such as parks, places to watch sunset etc.

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