Guides
Spain, answered by someone who lives here
The questions every visitor types into a search box, answered the way a Spanish friend would: short, honest, and without a single invented restaurant.
- Madrid
Is Madrid safe at night? A local's honest answer
Yes, Madrid is one of Europe's safest capitals at night. What to actually watch for (pickpockets, not violence), which areas to avoid, and how to get home after the metro closes.
- Madrid
Where to eat near Plaza Mayor without falling into a tourist trap
How locals eat around Plaza Mayor, Madrid: which streets to walk to, how to spot a tourist trap in five seconds, and a handful of famous old-school places that are the real thing.
- Madrid
Madrid nightlife for visitors: La Latina, Lavapiés and Malasaña, the local way
How a night out in Madrid actually works: when to go out, which neighbourhoods young locals use (La Latina, Lavapiés, Malasaña, Chueca), what a drink costs, the one famous club, and how to get home.
- Spain
What time do Spaniards eat? Meal times, siesta and how not to eat alone
Spanish meal times explained by a local: lunch at 14:00-16:00, dinner from 21:00, the kitchen gap in between, what the siesta really is, and how to plan a day so you eat well.
- Spain
Tipping in Spain: what locals actually do
Tipping in Spain is not expected. What Spaniards really leave in restaurants, bars, taxis and hotels, why there is no tip line on the card machine, and when a tip is genuinely appreciated.
- Spain
Pickpockets in Spain: how they work and how not to be the one
The tricks pickpockets use in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville (the spill, the petition, the metro-door grab), the habits that make you invisible to them, and exactly what to do if it happens.
- Spain
Lost your wallet or passport in Spain? Do this, in this order
Step-by-step for a lost or stolen wallet, phone or passport in Spain: block cards, file the police report (denuncia), get an emergency passport from your embassy, and how to recover an item left at an airport or on a train.
Written by people who live here. No restaurant pays to be mentioned; names appear only when we can stand behind them.