Why your taxi driver matters in your first hours in a new city

Your first hours in a new city decide whether the trip starts on the right foot or with stress. What helps most is having the transfer from the airport to your accommodation sorted before you land, arriving by official transport at a known price and using that first journey to get your bearings. That is why the taxi driver matters so much: they are the first local person you talk to, the one who takes you the right way and the one who can give you your first tips about the city.

After a flight you arrive tired, with luggage and often without mobile data or without speaking the language. In that state, any complication feels twice as bad: finding transport, making sense of a metro map or wondering whether you are being charged fairly. A transfer that is already sorted removes all those worries at a stroke. And a friendly welcome, from someone who knows the streets and the traffic, makes you feel oriented from the very first minute.

If you want to be met at the terminal, our airport pickup works with your flight number: we check the terminal and confirm where to meet. And if you are not sure which terminal you are landing at, our guide on which Barajas terminal you need will help.

In Madrid, official taxis are white with a red stripe on the front doors, display their licence number, have an illuminated sign on the roof and a meter. They pick up passengers at signposted ranks, or at the agreed point if you have booked. Be wary of anyone who comes up to offer you a car inside the terminal: that is the practice of the fake taxis we describe in unlicensed taxi drivers at Barajas.

Another advantage of booking is knowing in advance what you will pay. With us, the journey between the airport and inside the M-30 has a fixed price of €33, and each area of Madrid and the wider region has its own fare, which you can check in airport fares.

Taxi drivers cross the city every day and know details that do not appear in guidebooks. Some useful questions, if you feel like chatting:

• What is the easiest way to get around from where I am staying?
• Is there anywhere nearby you would recommend for a meal?
• Which area is worth it for a first stroll?
• Are there any roadworks, closures or events these days that I should know about?

We talk more about this knowledge in the wisdom of the taxi driver.

• Adjust your body clock to Spanish hours. In Spain people have lunch and dinner later than in much of Europe; many restaurants open their kitchens late for dinner.
• Do not overfill your schedule. A walk around the neighbourhood and a first easy visit are enough on the day you arrive; to plan the rest, see what to see in Madrid.
• Keep an eye on your belongings in the busiest areas, as in any big city.
• Save the taxi's contact details for the trip back to the airport: booking it in good time saves you a rush on the day you leave.