Is Spain safe at this time for travel

I agree that it's safe and that you can simply avoid any demonstrations that you might encounter accidentally, especially because they're always held in all the old familiar places, like Puerta del Sol in Madrid. We happened upon a large demonstration in PdS one evening back in late 2009. Thousands of people and hundreds of police, but it was peaceful enough. We watched for a while from a distance and then headed back to our hotel. These things have the potential for some violence I suppose, so you might just want to get going and not hang around like we did. In Barcelona that same night, the demonstrations were violent (as in people getting clubbed by police on TV news). The issue then was proposed privatization of some aspects of the social security system. You'll be fine, though. It's not like you're going to Libya. Spain is wonderful and safe for tourists...enjoy the trip!

It's absolutely safe! There is a current thread in the To the West section on the same topic, so you can get some opinions there, too. I was there this summer and found the people to be absolutely friendly and welcoming. They need your tourist euros, and you will find great deals on food, housing, and shopping due to the recession. In Madrid, I encountered a small demonstration one day, but it was easily avoided. It was orderly, with plenty of police presence in case of trouble (there was none). Have a great time!

Hello Nancy and Ralph - Thank You for your quick replies! We are looking forward to 2 weeks in Spain!!

I too am planning a trip to Barcelona and Madrid shortly. Not so much worried about protests - but general strike. Any feedback on experiences with that type of situation?

I wouldn't worry about it. Protests and even what the media calls "riots" tend to affect extremely small areas and they aren't protesting against you or anything related to you. For example, during the height of the Greece crisis when there were reports of protests and "riots" in Athens. I was there and didn't see anything outside of Syntagma Square where there were a couple dozen people hanging out with signs. In Spain, I would expect it to be just the same: You'll have to go looking for it in order to find it.

I was also in Athens when the 'riots' were all over the US news...one time our bus had to take a detour to avoid the protestors, but otherwise we would have never known anything was going on. If you see something going on and don't think its a street act, just avoid it and go the other way. Have a great time.

I was in Madrid 2 days ago when they were gearing up for the demonstrations. The police and army are there and ready to control crowd problems. Just stay away from the problem areas. your hotel can guide you. If you end up uneasy just stay outside city ie. Toledo. We are in Codoba now and there is absolutely no prob here.

Hello Rick, just spoke to our daughter traveling throughout Spain with two girl friends. The protests are not a problem but the rains were a couple of days ago. A few roads washed out and they had to change routes due to a bridge being damaged and closed caused by the storms. She was in Madrid, Seville, Granada, Marbella and now in Barcelona. She feels very safe. Enjoy your trip.

Hello Emma - Thank You for your post! We very much appreciate your comments. And Thank You to ALL who responded!! Your feedback has made us very excited about our upcoming trip!