The Madrid Avenida de América bus station is the second most important one of the city. Fortunately, it is very well connected with the Metro and the airport.
The Avenida de América bus station is located to the east of the city center, on Avenida de América, 6. It was inaugurated in 2000.
This bus station mainly serves north and northeast destinations (Bilbao, San Sebastián, Vitoria, Burgos, Santander, Pamplona, Logroño, Soria).
In addition to this, the bus station is also an intercambiador de transporte, or public transportation hub.
Alternatively, you may be interested in reading about getting to Madrid by bus.
Avenida de América bus station: practical information
The bus station opens Monday to Sunday from 6:00 to 0:00.
Almost all the routes operating from Avenida de América belong to Alsa (the exception being a couple of routes to Pamplona and Logroño).
Additionally, Estación Sur has a Metro station with access to line 4 (brown), line 6 (grey), line 7 (orange) and line 9 (purple).
You can safely leave your stuff at the lockers located in the main long distance routes hall (floor -1). They are available 24/7 while the bus station is open.
You can have a look at a complete map of Estación de Autobuses de Avenida de América bus station.
How to purchase your bus tickets
All companies have tickets offices, and the major ones do offer ticket machines as well.
But the easiest and most comfortable option is to purchase your tickets at the bus companies websites (e.g. Alsa). Alternatively, you can use Movelia, a very useful tool including most of the smaller bus companies.
Getting to/from Avenida de América bus station
The bus station is also an intercambiador de transporte, or public transportation hub. It includes the Metro, city buses, interurban buses, interregional buses and international buses.
Metro
The best way to reach Avenida de América is using Metro station inside the premises, also called Avenida de América, that provides access to line 4 (brown), line 6 (grey), line 7 (orange) and line 9 (purple).
Unfortunately, there are no Metro direct routes from Atocha, Chamartín or Barajas airport. Therefore if you have lots of luggage it might be preferable to use an alternative.
Bus
Obviously, you can also get there taking the Madrid city buses (lines 12, 29, 52, 72, 73, 114, 115, 122, 200, C1, C2, N2, N4).
Car rental
If you are considering renting a car you won’t find any car rental office at the Avenida de América bus station.
However, my favorite choice to get the best cheap car rental rates is to book your rental car from home before setting a foot in Madrid.
Taxi
The cabs are located in front of all the bus station main entrance. You will have to pay a surcharge for travelling from the bus station.
Madrid receives a lot of foreigners every year and taxi drivers know it. Taxis at Avenida de América generally have a very bad reputation.
Please, make sure you know the exact address you are going to. Do some research in advance and spend some time in front of a map to get an idea of your route. If you can, provide some directions to the driver. At the end of the trip check the final fare and the change you receive!
I definitely don’t recommend taking a cab at Avenida de América. Unless you are in a hurry or you have no other means of transport, avoid taking a taxi!
However, in other areas of the city, catching a taxi is fine. Here is some practical advice to avoid bad surprises using the Madrid taxi service.
Your own car
Avenida de América bus station is located in one of the main avenues of the city center so it’s pretty easy to find it.
There is only one car park located below the main building (floor -3).
How to go from Avenida de América bus station to Madrid Airport
Avenida de América is very well connected with Barajas airport.
If you need to go from Avenida de América to Barajas airport you have two options:
- You can take a bus on line 200. This is the fastest option and the bus will drop you at Terminal 1 (T1), Terminal 2 (T2), and Terminal 4 (T4). So it’s regardless of the terminal your flight departs from.
- You could also use the subway, but you need to change lines (line 4, 6 0r 9 > line 8), so it’s not very handy if you are carrying lots of luggage.
For more information, have a look at how to exit the airport and how to get to the airport.
How to go from Avenida de América bus station to Atocha train station
Atocha is the city’s most important train station.
To get there from Avenida de América, the easiest and fastest way is to use the Metro. You need to use line 6 (grey), get off at Pacífico and then use line 1 (light blue).
Alternatively, you can also get there by bus.
Exit Avenida de América bus station and walk to Calle Francisco Silvela. There is a bus stop near the bus station, on the left hand sidewalk. Catching the C1 bus is pretty straightforward.
How to go from Avenida de América bus station to Chamartín train station
Chamartín is the second most important train station of Madrid.
To get there from Avenida de América, the easiest and fastest way is to use the Metro. You need to use line 6 (grey), line 7 (orange) or line 9 (purple) and then use line 1 (light blue).
Although you can also get there by bus, I don’t recommend it because it takes too long.
How to go from Avenida de América bus station to Estación Sur bus station
If you need to go from Avenida de América to Estación Sur use the Metro. Line 6 (grey) links both stations in less than 20 minutes. So it’s a no brainer.
This article is part of a complete tutorial about bus travel to Madrid where you can read all the information you need to organize your bus trip.
Here is a complete summary of all the guide:
1. Getting to Madrid by bus
2. How to purchase Spain bus tickets online
3. Madrid Estación Sur bus station
4. Madrid Avenida de América bus station