This is convenient, easy to use and affordable. I would strongly recommend purchasing the pass, whether traveling solo or in a group. It saves the trouble of waiting in long lines and you see more sights at a better value!

Madrid was fascinating city.

Good deal, just make sure you have the whole two days to use the 2 day card or it is not quite as good a deal. Worth it, though, when we could totally bypass the hour long lines and walk right into the Prado museum!!!!

I would not recommend getting the cultural card on the web since you have to go to the tourist office in Plaza Mayor to exchange it for a real Madrid card, in which case you could buy it directly from there for 31 euro. So unless there are great savings buying on the web, you can buy the card in Madrid.

It's not a good value because it doesn't include the zoo - 18 euro a person - and most of the museums are free after 6PM anyways. I don't think the full price Madrid Card the blue one is worth it either as it's more efficient to get around on the metro than the hop-on bus. I recommend the tourist pass instead and spending a few Euros to see what you can't see for free. By the way, to pick up either Madrid Card or the Tourist Pass in the airport, you must take a ridiculously long hike from your arrival door to the office in the airport, and a second ridiculously long hike back to somewhere where you can catch a cab.