"Madrid City Tours" Hop on/off bus - How are they ?

Hola Edmond!
I used this company when I was in Barcelona.
https://www.viator.com/tours/Madrid/Madrid-City-Hop-on-Hop-off-Tour/d566-2140MADRIDHOPON?pref=02

They work pretty good. Long lines are dependent on season but I really never had issues even when using
the public busses.

Good luck and "Keep on Travelin"!
Jorge

I just suggested them to someone on another thread! I used it on my first visit to Madrid - in February, so the buses were never crowded. There are two routes, historic and modern. The historic route is a good orientation to the center with an overview of the main sights and a lot of dull commentary mostly about when buildings were built and who the architect was, and not timed too well, so sometimes I only saw the building after the commentary. Traffic in the center is often jammed and the bus is a one-way loop, so it's not convenient to use to actually hop on/off, which I found out the hard way. The modern route was very good for me because I saw I side of Madrid I would have missed otherwise. Also, at the start of this ride, I found out that in addition to the very dry, boring commentary, there is a shorter, more interesting commentary in English for kids.

The metro is easy, but take into account how much time you need to walk to/from it, and that you've probably got a flight of stairs between the street and the platform. It will be crowded in rush hour. I only took taxis a couple of times, but without a problem.

The Prado is huge, miles of walking. The audio guide was very good. Plan in advance what you want to see and figure out a route through the museum. On my first visit, I didn't have a plan. There was a pamphlet with the "top 50." I decided that would be my goal. Six hours later, I'd checked off 35. 3-4 were "on vacation" and I was distracted by the many other wonderful paintings (many included in the audio guide). The Thyssen is a lot smaller, with a great collection. One of my Madrid favorites is the Naval Museum (between the Prado and the Thyssen). Lots of info and models of ships from the "golden age of exploration." Take passports for entry.

Do you know about the tarjeta dorada for discounted train travel? Ask for senior discounts at all the sights you visit. The HOHO bus may have it too.

For the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Palacio in Madrid, as well as Barcelona and elsewhere, I always purchased tickets on line where I could withouit ever even looking at Senior Discounts. For us, we would rather pay a little extra for standard tickets, and Skip the lines (especially at Prado), than wait in some long queue to verify my age, -Senior discount eligibility. After reading the 2 favorable responses here about the "Madrid City Tours" Hop on/off. I have a better feeling. I'm still on the fence on whether to take the Metro or Tour bus. As I stated initially, it comes down to the "walking challenge." for us because of health. The 1 "fly in the ointment" though is that the Palacio is the only 1 of the big 3, Palacio, Reina Sofia, and Prado, that requires a specific time. We must do do the 3 in 1 day. I'm thinking scheduling the Palacio for 10 AM (earliest morning time for our date) and then work our way back to the Reina Sofia and Prado which are close to each other (and have no time period restraints). And, then on the Metro at Atocha to Sol, close to our hotel (Plaza Mayor). If the "Madrid City Bus" is not reliable in a morning trip to the Palacio, that won't work because we must be there at 10:00. Or, Iwe can do the Palacio last about 3PM and do the Reina Sofia and Prado in the morning. We start out from Hotel Plaza Mayor either way.

Edmond - I just went to the Madrid Card website and it doesn't appear to be defunct.

http://www.madridcard.com/en/madrid-card

You can get the senior discount on advanced sales for most sights. I just looked at the Prado. There is a "reduced price" that is 50% off. The English translation says "citizens" but the original Spanish is Personas mayores de 65 años which is anyone. I've only seen a couple of places in Spain that limited the discount to Spanish residents and/or citizens and they are very specific about that. You won't see a "senior discount" only a "reduced" price. You have to drill down a bit to find out who's entitled to the reduction. For the Prado, it's a €15 savings for a couple, not to be sneezed at.

I don't even know if you can logistically visit the Palace, the Reina Sofia and the Prado in one day, but it would likely be exhausting (and lots of walking and standing) for someone half your age in good shape. Also, the last two hours at the Prado are usually free entry, which means many crowded galleries.

Dump the bus.. it's not worth it for you. Plan to pay for taxis. That's the only way to do this , but realistically if I am your wife I am stopping at a bar and letting you commit the suicide tour on your on. your wife is challenged doing "self walking tours" and you are doing two HUGE locations and pretty big location that all require a TON of walking in one day?

I am not sure how you plan to do this. You have a 10 Am for the Palace so that's about 3 hours, now it's 1 PM. Let's just assume your wife is going to want lunch. So now it's 2 PM. 20 minutes to get to stop 2 it's 2:20 to 2:30. It took me about an hour to do Renia Sofia and ALL I wanted to see was Guernica. Now it's 3:30. Prado about 4. That does give you until 8 PM in the Prado, but that's a MINIMUM of 6 hours and more likely 8 hours on your feet. And whichever attraction comes last is going to be hated due to exhaustion!

re: The Madrid Card. I just attempted again to purchase, and it comes up with the same repeated errors, "pick a different date, or smaller quantity. I tried 1 card. I also read on another website it is either defunct or not available at this time.

As I suggested, the Senior Discount at the Prado, etc. is great and all,. But, then you can't skip the lines, because you have to show proof of age first. I bought standard tickets so as to skip any lines. Moreover, aren't Thursdays Free Admission for Spanish citizens ? That makes for even more potential lines, I would think. Had I not been required to be in Portugal until 3/27, I would have taken the Rick Steves Spain tour, where I know you don't have to do "lines."

I think the hop-on hop-off bus in Madrid is great! It can't be simpler to use, either. Just get on - you can pay as you enter, and they give you a route map and a set of earphones so that you can hear the narrations in English (or any one of more than a dozen languages). You could take the whole tour once to get an overview, then get off wherever you please, see the area, then get back on. I have been to Madrid four times now and have never seen a crowded bus (though I am not typically there in the height of the tourist season). I have used the same kind of bus tour in Barcelona, but it was packed, and hot (August). The Madrid metro is very easy to use, too, but there are a lot of stairs at some stops and you can't see anything as you travel. Popping up out of the ground at a new location can be disorienting. There are also regular city buses, too. You could always take an Uber to your appointment at the Palacio (or a taxi), then proceed from there. Hotel Plaza Mayor is actually pretty close t the Palacio so it makes sense to do that first. Don't forget to see the armory at the Palacio, by the way - it's a different entrance on the far side of the courtyard, nearest the cathedral.

There are 2 lines at the Prado. One for tickets, another after that for the security check to enter the building. I could be wrong but my understanding that you would be able to print out your tickets at home. Then if they check your ID for age (sometimes they just look at you), it would be at the museum entrance and you would not have to go to the ticket office first. On a free day, I'd expect the security lines to be long. By the way, you cannot take any large bags or backpacks into the galleries, you have to store them at the entrance.