Access Madrid is an independent guide to Madrid, written for two readers at once: someone planning a first visit, and someone who lives here and wants a straight answer about how something works.
What we are, and what we are not
We are researchers and writers. We have not visited the places we write about. That sentence is unusual on a travel site and it is the most important one on this page, because the entire genre runs on the opposite claim — the tapas bar only locals know, the view worth getting up for. We do not have those, and we are not going to invent them.
What we can do is explain the city from the public record accurately and in detail: what a collection contains and how it is arranged, why a monument was built and by whom, where a district sits and how it formed, how the fare zones are drawn, what the year does to the opening times. That material is checkable, it stays true between visits, and almost nobody writes it carefully.
How recommendations work here
When we point at something as notable, we say who says so — a Michelin listing, a UNESCO inscription, a national-museum designation, a city or regional tourism body, an award. You get the claim and its source, and you can weigh both. What you will never get is “the best X in Madrid” in our own voice, because we would be making it up, and in a city of millions someone would know within the hour.
Four things we will never publish
- Invented places, or invented detail about real ones. No restaurant, bar or hotel we are not certain exists, and never a description of what being there is like.
- Dated event listings. They are wrong within a week and we have no way to maintain them. We write what recurs and roughly when, and tell you to check the current dates.
- Prices, fares and opening times presented as fact. They change constantly. We explain the shape of a system and send you to the operator for the number.
- Safety ratings, visa guidance, or health and insurance advice. Not our remit. Use your own government’s official guidance.
When we are wrong
Cities change and sources go stale. If something here is out of date or simply incorrect — especially if you live in Madrid and can see it plainly — tell us and we will correct the page rather than quietly delete it.