We follow the same steps for every city and every neighbourhood, so you can check our work.
1. Official sources first
The character of each area and what is nearby come from official tourism offices such as Barcelona Turisme, esMADRID, Visit Lisboa and Visit Porto. Metro, tram and airport connections come from the transport operators. Tourist taxes and rules for holiday apartments come from city councils and regional governments.
2. Downsides included
Every area has trade-offs: hills and stairs, nightlife noise, crowds or distance from the sights. We say what they are and where the information comes from.
3. Live listings instead of made-up prices
Hotel prices change by date, season and demand. We don’t print “rooms from €X” that would be wrong the next day. We link to live searches for each neighbourhood, where you see real prices and verified guest reviews.
4. Date and recheck
Every guide shows the date we last checked it. Tourist taxes and apartment rules change often in Spain and Portugal, so we recheck them regularly.
5. How we decide what to recommend
We match areas to types of trips: first visit, families, nightlife, quiet stays or tight budgets. Whether a booking site pays us a commission plays no part. See our affiliate disclosure.