How to test a commute before you sign a lease

Key rules

• Both directions: Test the morning trip and the return trip, not just one of them.
• Door to door: Time the whole journey from your front door, including walking and waiting.
• Several days: Repeat the trip on different days and hours before you trust the result.
• August: August timetables are reduced, so a trial then looks better than normal life will be.

Do the real trip before you sign

Make the journey you will make every day, at the hours you will make it, before you commit to a lease. A map app gives you a best-case time. A trial run shows what the trip is really like.

Do it twice a day: once in the morning to your work or school, and once on the way back. The checklist below lists what to measure and when to go.

Pick the right hours

In Madrid and Barcelona, weekday mornings are busiest from about 7:30 to 9:30, with the peak around 8:00 to 9:00. Evenings are busiest from about 17:30 to 20:00, with the peak around 18:00 to 19:30. Leave when the crowd is at its worst, not just before it. Peak windows differ a little by line, and other cities follow similar patterns.

Test what the trip is actually like

Time the trip from your front door to your destination's door. Then look at more than the clock:

• Transfers and waiting. Every change adds a wait. At peak, metro in Madrid and Barcelona typically comes every 2 to 5 minutes. Cercanías (the suburban commuter trains) typically runs every 10 to 30 minutes depending on the line, so missing one costs you.
• Crowding. Note whether you can get on, and whether you get a seat.
• Walking. Measure the walk at both ends and how much of it is outdoors.
• Cost. Add up the full fare, including transfers.
• Variation. Repeat the trip on different days and hours. Note delays and cancellations.

Also check that the trip works at your real start and finish times, not only at the best hour.

Check the return and the evening

Service is thinner outside rush hour. Metro typically runs every 6 to 10 minutes or more in the evening and on Sundays. Cercanías is less frequent too, especially on Sundays and holidays. If you will come home late or go out at weekends, test that as well.

Last services are approximate. Madrid Metro runs until about 1:30 every day. Barcelona Metro closes around midnight on weekdays and Sundays, about 2:00 on Fridays, and runs all night on Saturdays. Metrovalencia runs until roughly 23:00 to midnight, later on Fridays and Saturdays. Cercanías last trains typically leave around 22:30 to midnight. Check the operator's current timetable for your line.

Test in realistic conditions

If you are viewing in August, expect an unrepresentative result. Operators run reduced summer timetables with longer gaps, especially on Cercanías and buses, and many people are away, so trains are emptier. Ask what the service is like in September to June, and check the regular timetable.

For summer, also try the trip at the hottest hours, especially afternoons in July and August. Temperatures in cities such as Seville, Madrid and Valencia can pass 35°C. Check whether the walk to the stop has shade, whether stops have shelter, and whether the vehicles have working air conditioning. Think about how you will arrive after a hot, crowded trip.

Decide

Compare your real door-to-door time and cost with what you can accept every day. If the trip fails at rush hour or on the return, keep looking. The questions below cover August, late service and summer heat.

Commute trial-run checklist

• Do the trip on a weekday morning between 7:30 and 9:30, ideally leaving when the busiest time starts, around 8:00 to 9:00.

• Do the return trip on a weekday evening between 17:30 and 20:00, with the busiest time around 18:00 to 19:30.

• Time the whole trip from your front door to your destination, not just the time on the train or metro.

• Count the transfers and the waiting time at each one.

• Note how crowded the carriage is and whether you can get a seat.

• Measure the walking distance at each end and how much of it is outdoors.

• Add up the full cost of the trip, including any transfers.

• Repeat the trip on at least two or three different days and hours, and note any delays or cancellations.

• Try the trip on a Sunday and look up the Sunday timetable. Metro can run every 6 to 10 minutes or more, and Cercanías (the commuter rail) has fewer trains.

• Check the last metro or train home. Madrid Metro runs until about 1:30, Barcelona Metro closes around midnight on weekdays and Sundays, and Cercanías last trains leave around 22:30 to 0:00.

• Look up the August timetable, because reduced summer service means longer waits, especially on Cercanías and buses.

• Try the trip in rain or heat if you can, and note how the weather changes the walk and the wait.

Frequently asked questions

Does a trial commute in August give a realistic picture?

Not fully, because in August operators run reduced summer timetables with longer gaps between services, especially on Cercanías (suburban trains) and buses. If you will commute year-round, test again in September, or allow extra time to your August result. Metro is less affected, but still check the current timetable.

How much less often do trains and metros run in the evening and on Sundays?

Metro in Madrid and Barcelona typically runs every 2 to 5 minutes at peak, but every 6 to 10 minutes or more in the evening and on Sundays. Cercanías typically runs every 10 to 30 minutes depending on the line, and less often in the evening and on Sundays and holidays. Plan your return trip and weekend trips with those longer waits in mind.

What time does the last metro or train leave?

Madrid Metro runs from about 6:00 to 1:30 every day. Barcelona Metro closes around 0:00 on weekdays and Sundays, about 2:00 on Fridays, and runs all night on Saturdays. Valencia's metro runs until roughly 23:00 to midnight, later on Fridays and Saturdays, and Cercanías last trains typically leave around 22:30 to 0:00.

How should I test a commute in summer heat?

Test it at the hottest relevant hours, especially afternoon trips in July and August, when cities such as Seville, Madrid and Valencia can pass 35°C. Check whether the walk to the stop has shade, whether stops have shelter, and whether vehicles have working air conditioning. Notice how you feel on arrival, since sweat and clothing matter if you go straight to work.