A substrate for a recording medium suited for thermally assisted recording methods has a disc shape with a center hole and includes a silicon single-crystal supporting member; an SiO2 film formed on the silicon single-crystal supporting member; a main face having a film thickness of the SiO2 film thereon which is less than 10 nm; a substrate inner periphery end face adjacent to the center hole; a substrate inner periphery chamfer portion adjacent to the main face and to the substrate inner periphery end face; a substrate outer periphery end face positioned on the side of the main face opposite the substrate inner periphery end face; and a substrate outer periphery chamfer portion adjacent to the main face and to the substrate outer periphery end face. A magnetic recording medium includes at least the above substrate and a magnetic recording layer formed on the substrate.