Madrid launches tourist bus routes with explanations in 10 languages

Madrid City Council has presented the new routes and timetables for the city’s tourist buses. Three main routes and a special Christmas route will allow visitors to discover Madrid in 10 different languages. The selected operators must meet a minimum timetable of 10:00 to 18:00, extendable from 9:30 to 20:30, with frequencies of between 15 and 60 minutes for each route and company.

The first route will focus on historic Madrid, departing from Plaza de Neptuno and making 14 stops over 14 kilometres, with an estimated journey time of 85 minutes in normal traffic conditions.

The second route will cover modern Madrid, from Plaza de Neptuno to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. This route, 11 kilometres long with 10 stops, will take around 70 minutes.

The third route will show today’s Madrid, connecting Alcalá with Plaza de Toros. The route covers 12 kilometres, includes around ten stops and lasts approximately 75 minutes.

At Christmas, a special non-stop route will be added, covering in one hour the journey from Calle Alfonso XII to Avenida de Ciudad de Barcelona, passing landmark points such as Carlos V, Paseo del Prado, Gran Vía, Cibeles, Velázquez and Serrano, before returning to Alfonso XII.

The Official Gazette of the Comunidad de Madrid has published the decree regulating these authorisations. The companies Autocares Casanz, Big Bus Madrid and Viajes Alsa-Julià Travel will be responsible for operating the capital’s new tourist services.