Madrid eSIM guide: Barajas airport, the Metro and day trips

Our Spain plans connect to Orange or Movistar, with 5G where the network and your phone support it. Their internet address is outside Spain, so a few Spanish sites may treat you as being in France, the Netherlands or the UK.

The Comunidad de Madrid reported on April 29, 2026 that 5G now covers 99.6% of the region, up from 92% at the start of its term. (source)

Movistar listed Madrid among the first 11 Spanish cities on its 5G standalone network in July 2023. (source)

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas handled 68,178,927 passengers in 2025. Which terminal you land in matters more here than at most airports, because the SIM desks and the train are not in every terminal. (source)

SimLocal InMotion has desks in the public arrivals area, Floor 0, of Terminal 1 and Terminal 4, open 6:00 to 22:00. Aena notes the hours can change in holiday periods. (source)

Aena's listing says SimLocal sells SIM cards and eSIMs from MásMóvil, Cube, Lyca and Lebara. Out of about 100 shops in Aena's list for the airport, it is the only SIM seller, and there is no desk listed in Terminal 2 or Terminal 3. (sources 1, 2)

The free network is Airport Free Wifi Aena, with an email sign-in. (source)

Metro Line 8 runs from Nuevos Ministerios to stations at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and at Terminal 4, from 6:05 to 2:00. Zone A tickets pay a €3 airport supplement. (source)

The Cercanías C1 train to Príncipe Pío, Atocha and Chamartín stops only at Terminal 4, on Floor -1. It is free for passengers with AVE tickets connecting with a flight. (source)

Madrid taxis charge a fixed €33 between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30 ring road, at any hour. Official taxis are white with a red stripe. (source)

Uber, Bolt and Cabify pick up in the P1 car park, the Terminal 2 arrivals express car park, and P4, Module D, Floor 4. Uber says it runs in Madrid around the clock and can book Madrid taxis in the app too. (sources 1, 2, 3)

Orange's network was the first with 5G in the Madrid Metro, starting at Sol in January 2026, with Nuevos Ministerios, Moncloa, Plaza Castilla and Plaza España named next. Movistar's 5G was due at Sol later that month, according to Xataka Móvil. (source)

The underground network is built by Metrocall, owned 60% by Cellnex and 40% by Metro de Madrid, one station at a time, starting with the busiest. Sol had 21,958,808 riders in 2025, more than any other station. (source)

We found no source confirming that 5G now covers the whole Metro, so expect 5G at some central stations and 4G elsewhere. (source)

Telefónica sent seven of its 109 summer 2026 mobile 5G units to the Madrid Formula 1 Grand Prix. It also tested very fast 26 GHz 5G at the Movistar Arena in May 2026, as a pilot for crowded events, not a service your phone can use today. (sources 1, 2)

Segovia is about 25 minutes from Madrid by high-speed train, from Chamartín, according to OUIGO. Segovia-Guiomar station is on the edge of town, and city buses 11 and 12 reach the centre in about 20 minutes, passing the Aqueduct after about 10. (sources 1, 2)

Segovia and Ávila were among Movistar's first 11 cities on its 5G standalone network in 2023, along with Madrid. (source)

Renfe's free PlayRenfe Wi-Fi is on its AVE and Avlo trains, with a sign-in using your ticket number. Its page does not list Avant, the regional high-speed trains used on some short routes, so do not count on Wi-Fi there. (source)

Spanish law requires operators to record the identity of every prepaid SIM buyer, including the number and type of ID, so the airport desk or a city shop will ask for your passport. (source)

On October 14, 2026 Movistar's prepaid page listed Prepago Plus at €10 for 28 days with 60 GB, Prepago Premium at €15 with 240 GB and Prepago Total at €20 with 300 GB, sold in any Movistar store. That is the way to get a Spanish number; our eSIM has none. (source)