Madrid hop-on hop-off bus 2026: Big Bus or Madrid City Tour

Madrid has two double-decker hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses: Big Bus Madrid and Madrid City Tour. Both leave from the Neptune Fountain, both run three routes and both have the same list prices. So which one? It comes down to three things: whether you want the night tour, which language you want the audio guide in, and where you prefer to buy the ticket. Here is the comparison with the figures both operators publish in October 2026.

A note on transparency: at Trip Tours we sell Big Bus Madrid tickets. Even so, the comparison below sticks to what each official website states, so you can decide with the facts in front of you.

The two operators in 2026

Madrid City Tour is the city's sightseeing bus concession, run by Grupo Julià and Alsa. Big Bus Madrid belongs to Big Bus Tours, the brand present in London, Paris, New York or Rome, with a visitor centre at San Bernardo 5, next to Gran Vía. They are the two reference operators; at Christmas, Alsa also runs the lights bus (Naviluz), a separate seasonal product.

What stands out is how alike they are: three routes with 13, 10 and 10 stops, departures from Neptuno and identical list prices for the one-day and two-day tickets. The differences lie in the extras, and that is what the rest of this article is about.

2026 prices

24-hour ticket: €33 adult, €18 child and €28 senior (65+) with both operators. 48-hour ticket: €44 adult, €23 child and €39 senior with both. The age bands differ: Madrid City Tour counts a child as 4 to 12 and an adult from 13; Big Bus counts a child as 5 to 15 and under-4s ride free on a lap when the bus is full.

Family packs (2 adults + 2 children): Big Bus €84 for 24 hours and €111 for 48 hours; Madrid City Tour €90 and €120. Discounts: Madrid City Tour applies 10 % when you buy on its website; Big Bus publishes occasional promotions that our booking calendar applies automatically when active, so the price you see at checkout is the real one.

You can see the three Big Bus tickets, with prices and inclusions, on our Madrid sightseeing bus page.

Routes and stops

The three routes are equivalent with both operators. The Historic route (13 stops) covers the Neptuno, Cibeles, Gran Vía, Plaza de España, Temple of Debod, Royal Palace, Puerta de Toledo, Plaza Mayor and Barrio de las Letras axis. The Modern route (10 stops) goes up the Castellana to the Santiago Bernabéu, Nuevos Ministerios and the Sorolla Museum and comes back along Serrano and the Puerta de Alcalá. The Contemporary route (10 stops) links the Retiro, Puerta de Alcalá, Las Ventas, Malasaña and Callao.

Two practical notes as of October 2026: Madrid City Tour's Royal Palace stop is out of service because of works (the bus goes from stop 10 to stop 12), and from 30 September to 19 October its Neptuno departure is moved to Calle Felipe IV, between the Prado and the Ritz. Big Bus keeps stop 1 at the Neptune Fountain. The Bernabéu is on the Modern route of both.

Big Bus stops, route by route, are listed on our sightseeing bus page; Madrid City Tour's are on its official website.

Hours and frequency

Madrid City Tour publishes seasonal timetables: in high season (1 April to 15 October and Holy Week) the Historic route runs from Neptuno 9:34 to 19:42, the Modern 9:53 to 19:36 and the Contemporary 9:30 to 18:52; in mid season (15 to 31 March and 16 to 31 October) all routes start at 10:00 and finish between 18:13 and 18:55; in low season (November to 14 March) they start at 10:00 and finish between 17:05 and 17:45. Frequencies are 15 to 40 minutes on the Historic route and 25 to 35 on the other two; a full loop takes 85, 70 and 75 minutes.

Big Bus publishes indicative hours with no seasonal split: Historic 9:30 to 18:30 every 30 minutes (loop of 75 to 85 minutes), Modern 10:00 to 18:10 (about 70 minutes) and Contemporary 10:00 to 18:00 (about 75 minutes). In practice, since the routes are equivalent, check the day's timetable in each operator's app: in winter the last bus passes before 18:00.

Audio guide, Wi-Fi and app

This is a real difference. Madrid City Tour offers the audio guide in 14 languages (Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, Arabic, Catalan, Basque and Galician) plus two children's channels in Spanish and English. Big Bus offers 10 (Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Arabic). If you travel with small children or need Russian, Dutch or the co-official languages, Madrid City Tour has the edge; if you need Korean, Big Bus.

Both have free Wi-Fi on board and their own app with buses tracked in real time. Madrid City Tour also includes discounts at attractions and a guided walk after registering; Big Bus does not advertise that extra, although anyone booking with us gets their own guided walk around Madrid included.

The night tour: only Big Bus

Madrid City Tour does not sell a night tour. Big Bus does: a single loop of about 75 minutes along the Historic route with the monuments lit up, from the top deck, with audio guide and Wi-Fi. It leaves daily from the Neptune Fountain at 21:00 according to the booking calendar (Big Bus's website advertises 20:30; the exact time is always the one shown when booking). It costs €26 adult, €20 child and €23 senior, it is not hop-on hop-off and it is booked for a fixed date. It is the number one reason to choose Big Bus if your plan is to see Madrid by night.

You have the full page at Big Bus Madrid: night tour.

Changes, cancellation and accessibility

Big Bus: 24 and 48-hour tickets allow a free date change and, when booked with us, free cancellation up to 24 hours before; the night tour is for the booked date. Madrid City Tour: full refund if you cancel up to 24 hours before the date of use, with a flexible travel date. In both cases the ticket activates on first use and counts consecutive hours (24 or 48), not calendar days.

Accessibility: both operators state their buses are adapted. Madrid City Tour details a rear-door ramp and a wheelchair space of up to 120 by 70 centimetres; Big Bus mentions accessible seating. If you travel in a wheelchair, confirm with the staff at the Neptuno stop before boarding. Pushchairs travel folded on the lower deck with both.

Which one to choose

Choose Big Bus if you want the night tour, if you prefer booking with support on WhatsApp and free cancellation, or if you need the Korean audio guide. Choose Madrid City Tour if you need one of its 14 languages or the children's channels, or if its registered walking tour appeals to you. For everything else (routes, stops, price, frequency, Wi-Fi and app) they are equivalent, and the sensible decision is to buy the ticket where you get the most guarantees.

And one tip that applies to both: the 24-hour ticket is enough to see the essentials in one long day; the 48-hour ticket pays off if you want to ride all three routes at leisure or combine the bus with a Toledo day trip the next day.