As every year, Madrid dresses up in lights and colours to celebrate the most magical season: Christmas. From November 29 2024 to January 6 2025 the Naviluz experience returns, the famous Christmas bus that travels through the illuminated streets of the city.
We bring you all the information for you to take advantage of it and a summary of our experience!
Inaugurated in 2012 and originally known as ‘’the Christmas Bus‘’, Naviluz breaks records every year for the number of attendees and lights to enjoy. For the Festivities 2024-2025, the city council deployed 12 million LED lights at 230 locations across Madrid.
One of the biggest surprises this year is that the lights include designs created by first and second grade children, who won a competition promoted by the city council. In addition, the iconic illuminated tree at Puerta del Sol will have a new design, 37 metres high and 245,000 points of light.
🚌 What is the tour like?
The route of the Christmas Bus has only one stop, in Calle Felipe IV, on the side of the Prado Museum (just behind the statue of Goya in front of the Prado Museum). At the end of the circuit, the bus drops off a few metres away, at Plaza Cánovas del Castillo. The approximate duration of the journey varies between 45 and 50 minutes, depending on traffic.
The Naviluz 2024 runs through some of the most emblematic areas of Madrid. The districts along the route are Retiro, Salamanca, Chamberí and Centro, passing through important points such as Serrano, Velázquez, Gran Vía, Alcalá and Cibeles.
Thanks to the open-air roof, you will enjoy the lights from a privileged perspective. The festive atmosphere makes Naviluz an experience to go with family, friends or as a couple; it is a unique opportunity to feel the Christmas season in all its splendour.
🎟️ How do I get tickets?
Tickets for Naviluz 2024 have been available since 15 November on an official website set up by the Madrid City Council and tend to sell out quickly. Here is a mini tutorial:
Book online: Go to the website (click here) and select date and time.
Prices: Tickets vary according to the time before or after 9pm. Adults pay 10 or 8 euros; seniors over 65, children up to 11 years old or people with disabilities pay 5 or 4 euros; while children under 7 years old can enjoy the ride for free.
Pro tip: If you can't find tickets for a bus you are interested in, we suggest you look for other buses for the exact same time (there may be three buses leaving every ten minutes!) or try another schedule. The number of seats occupied can vary considerably depending on the day and time you choose.
🌟 Our take
Naviluz is, beyond any doubt, one of the must-see plans in Madrid during Christmas. It combines the best of the monuments and points of interest with an original experience. If you are a tourist, you can get to know the city with a dazzling first look. If you are a resident, you can see Madrid in a new light that will make you fall in love with it.
In previous editions they had put carols on the loudspeakers of the bus and gave it an extra touch, but unfortunately this year there were none. We advise you to take some extra warm clothes if you are going upstairs, because of the extra wind when the vehicle is in motion.
On this occasion there was a group of six of us and we were in the first seats on the top deck of the bus, we had a lovely time and took lots of photos, video calls and filming! Our opinion
To give you a better idea of what Naviluz is all about, here is a video with a summary of the highlights of our experience this year:
🎫 Have you got your tickets yet? Hurry up, because they're selling fast. And remember, if you found this content useful, like, subscribe and join us on our next cultural trip!
Questions for our readers:
Have you ever done the Naviluz and how was your experience?
Do you know of any Christmas light tours elsewhere that you would recommend?
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