Travel from Madrid Airport to the city of Madrid

the metro is so easy, there's no reason not to do it.

Well, there's a pretty good reason, it's a pain in the butt. The closest metro stop appears to be Sol (Puerto del Sol). There's a flight of stairs up to street level, then a 4-5 minute walk (if you don't get lost). Maybe more or less depending on where in the Plaza Mayor "area" you need to get. From all I can figure out from the metro map, you will have to change trains twice - maybe more stairs. The metros can be pretty crowded, not easy with luggage. One alternative is to take the cercanias (suburban train). Then you'd only have to change trains once to get to Sol and there's an elevator at Sol to street level.

If you want to save money, take the cercanias to Atocha train station and then a taxi for the last couple of kms.

Or take the airport bus to Atocha Station and a taxi from there. That's what I did in my zombified state. The bus makes just one stop before Atocha.

If traveling solo and you think you might fall asleep on the metro take the taxi

I took a taxi. It's a fixed rate of €30, and no tipping is required beyond this.

Obviously, everyone will calculate this differently. For me, arriving tired and jetlagged, not knowing where I was going, the thought of navigating my way from a metro or train station to my hotel, with luggage, was not appealing. So the money for a taxi was well worth it. Once I had stowed my bags, I walked or took the metro and buses everywhere.

If you are thinking of not taking the taxi, do map out the route from Sol to your hotel, so you won't get unduly lost.

I’ve always taken the metro.

I would take the metro to Anton Martin Station. I have stayed in that immediate area twice in Madrid, after a long flight walking a few hundred feet is not going to kill you. Unless you have mobility issues, if you do then by all means take a taxi. Opera or Sol might be slightly closer, use your judgment.

Take the Metro, no doubt about it. Fast, very cheap, clean and convenient.

I just got here. I took an Uber and it was crazy easy. Go out terminal 3, lower level, across the street that's full of taxis. You'll see a small parking area that's painted red and that is where the Ubers pickup. Uber is more convenient for me because I don't speak and everything is done through the app. I found that it cost about the same as taking a taxi.