Madrid’s night buses are a network of routes called Búho (“owl”), run by the city bus operator EMT, that operate through the hours when the Metro is shut — roughly from just before midnight until the Metro reopens in the morning. They use the same fare system as daytime buses.
What is the Búho network exactly?
Búho is the name EMT Madrid gives to its full set of night routes, distinguished from daytime lines by an “N” prefix on the route number (N1, N2, N3, and so on). According to EMT’s own network information, there are around two dozen of these lines, and together they form the only above-ground public transport covering the city once the Metro has closed for the night.
They are not a separate company or a special tourist service. They are ordinary EMT buses, running ordinary EMT routes, on a schedule built specifically to fill the gap left by the Metro’s overnight closure. Anyone who has read about how the wider EMT bus network works during the day will recognise the same operator, the same vehicles, and largely the same fare rules after dark.
What hours do night buses run?
Búho lines operate through the night, from around midnight until the Metro’s first services resume in the early morning, with EMT’s own timetables the only reliable source for exact start and finish times on any given line, since these can vary slightly by route and are subject to change.
This is the core reason the network exists. Madrid’s Metro does not run 24 hours; it closes overnight and reopens the next morning. Búho buses are timed to cover exactly that window, so that public transport does not disappear from the city entirely between the small hours. Frequency on most lines is lower than during the day — commonly cited as somewhere in the region of every 20 to 35 minutes depending on the line and how late it is — and EMT’s site is the place to confirm current frequency for a specific route before relying on it.
Where do the night bus routes start?
Almost all Búho lines begin from one of three central points: Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta del Sol, or Plaza de España. From there they fan out toward the outer districts, in a hub-and-spoke pattern rather than the crosstown routes some daytime buses run.
This is a deliberate structural choice, not an accident of history. With far fewer buses running and far fewer passengers to justify complex routings, EMT concentrates the network on a small number of interchange points in the historic centre — Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta del Sol, and Plaza de España — and sends lines out radially to the districts, similarly to how a metro network might function if built entirely from one central junction. A passenger travelling between two outer districts overnight will often need to change buses at one of these hubs, even if the equivalent daytime journey would not require it.
How much do night buses cost, and what card do you need?
Búho buses use the same ticketing as daytime EMT buses and the Metro: a single fare validated on a rechargeable transport card, or coverage under a period travel pass. There is no separate night-bus surcharge built into the base fare structure.
Travellers use the same card across day and night services, whether that is a pay-as-you-go card loaded with single or multi-trip fares, or a period pass covering unlimited travel for a set number of days. The distinction between these two card types — and which suits an occasional visitor versus a longer stay — is covered in detail in the explainer on the Multi Card versus the Abono. The underlying zone and fare logic follows the same structure described in the piece on how the Madrid Metro fare system works, since bus and Metro fares in the city are integrated under the same regional transport authority. As with all fares in this system, current prices should be confirmed on EMT’s own site rather than assumed from older figures.
How do night buses differ from daytime EMT buses?
Beyond the hub-and-spoke route shape, Búho buses differ from daytime services mainly in frequency and stop pattern. They run less often, cover more ground per route, and in some cases stop at a reduced set of points compared with the daytime version of a similar corridor.
The daytime EMT network is dense and largely designed around direct routes between residential districts, business areas and transport interchanges, as set out in the guide to how the EMT bus network works. Night services are built for a different demand pattern: far fewer trips overall, concentrated around a small number of departure windows through the night, and passengers who are disproportionately travelling to or from the centre rather than crosstown. That is why almost every route touches Cibeles, Sol or Plaza de España rather than running between two outlying districts directly.
Are night buses useful for visitors, or mainly for residents?
Both, but for different reasons. Visitors typically encounter Búho buses as the practical way back to accommodation after the Metro has closed for the night. Residents rely on them more routinely — for shift work, for late arrivals, or simply as the only transport option available at that hour.
For a visitor staying in or near the historic centre, the network is straightforward: most hotels and short-let accommodation in districts such as La Latina, Malasaña or Chueca sit within walking distance of one of the three main hubs, or on a direct Búho route from one. For someone living further out — in Vallecas, Carabanchel, or Tetuán, for example — the night bus is often the only scheduled public transport option between roughly 1:30am and the Metro’s reopening, which is why understanding the route numbers serving a specific district matters more for residents than for someone passing through for a weekend.
What are the alternatives to a night bus?
Outside Búho hours, the main alternatives are licensed taxis, ride-hailing apps, or walking, since neither the Metro nor Cercanías regional trains run through the full overnight period. Anyone arriving very late or leaving very early, particularly from the airport, should check current schedules directly rather than assume a rail or Metro connection will be running.
This matters in particular for arrivals at Barajas. Flights landing after the Metro has closed cannot rely on the airport Metro line, and the practicalities of moving between the airport and the centre outside normal operating hours are covered separately in the explainer on getting from Barajas Airport into central Madrid. The Metro’s own airport-specific surcharge, which applies regardless of time of day when it applies at all, is a separate matter addressed in the piece on the Madrid Metro airport supplement.
Where night buses fit into the wider network
Night buses are best understood as one component of a transport system rather than a standalone service. On their own, they cover a specific gap — the hours when the Metro is closed — within a city whose broader public transport is built around integrated fares across Metro, Cercanías and EMT buses.
Readers building a wider picture of how the city moves, by day and by night, will find the fuller structure — zones, cards, and how the pieces connect — set out across the Getting Around archive. For context on how the districts these buses serve are organised in the first place, the overview on how Madrid is divided into districts and barrios is a useful starting point, and the Neighbourhoods archive covers each district’s own character and transport needs in more depth.
Access Madrid is an independent guide written from published, checkable sources. We have not visited the places described here and we do not publish personal recommendations or invented ‘local favourites’ — where something is singled out as notable, we say who says so. Opening times, fares, closures and prices change at short notice, so treat everything here as a starting point and confirm with the museum, operator or venue directly before building a day around it. We give no advice on visas, insurance, health or safety; use your own government’s official guidance for those.