Barcelona Annoying Crime

Having been to Barcelona, I have three suggestions.

Don't carry a backpack, have a small bag or crossover purse that you can hold on to.

Always be alert on subway. My family and I looked out for one another and moved if people came near.

Never leave smartphone on table or put bag or purse on chair when eating.

We used these tips and had no problems. If you leave most of your money in your room safe and keep an eye on your surroundings, you will probably be fine. We spent a week on Barcelona, riding the Metro and trains and walking throughout the city and never had an issue.

Barcelona is one place where we felt we had to be alert. Every time we left our hotel, the staff reminded us to be aware of surroundings.
In spite of that, I saw and my spouse felt a hand going into his front pocket. He hit the woman’s arm as we all boarded a metro and she screamed non stop. I was about to hit her arm too. No one on the train paid any attention to her and she got off at the next stop, before we could find a policeman.

We have stayed in Gracia twice now and both times felt safe in the immediate neighbourhood. That said we were careful, used a cross body bag and phone lanyard. It's a very family friendly area, walkable to Plaza Catalunya and a quick metro ride to the sights.

Unfortunately the reports about the recent spike in theft and even violent crime in Barcelona are true, it is a shame, but as they say there is no smoke without the fire. Even as a Barcelona native, I can totally understand your desire to not have to look over your shoulder all the time or feel like you are being constantly stalked by unseen criminals, that is no way to spend a holiday.

To remedy this I have two suggested courses of action:

Plan a non-traditional Barcelona vacation - the recent spike in theft is mainly directed towards tourists, so the logical thing would be to avoid where most tourists conglomerate so...

• Instead of staying in the Ciudad Vieja district, stay in the Eixample or Gracia districts (no less charming but much less overrun).

• Swap out overrated and overtouristed sites, instead of the Block of Discord see Sant Pau Modernista Site, instead of Parc Guell see Parc del Guinardo or Parc del Laberint d'Horta, instead of Tapas in El Born try Tapas in El Poble-sec, instead of Mercat de La Boqueria try Mercat de Sant Antoni.

• Forget the subway/bus, walk or take the taxis, which are safe, plentiful, and cheap in Barcelona.

• Make occasional forays into the more touristy parts, but only to see sites that are really worth it like Barrio Gotico or Sagrada Familia.

alternatively you could...

Visit a nearby less touristy city - if you want to totally wash your hands of the matter and not have to worry at all about pesky pickpockets try these safer cities all within a few hours train of Barcelona, but with equally interesting architecture, history, culture, and food:

• Valencia - a vibrant coastal city known for its unique blend of tradition and modern architecture, rich Valencian culture, and home of delicious paella.

• Girona - a charming, medieval city with well-preserved old town, winding cobbled streets, and colorful houses lining the River, impressive Gothic cathedral and ancient city walls. Good homebase for northern Catalonia exploration.

• Tarragona - an ancient city with a rich Roman heritage. Its impressive Roman ruins, including the amphitheater and city walls, are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city also features lovely beaches and a vibrant local gastronomy scene. Good homebase for southern Catalonia exploration.

• Zaragoza - a hidden gem of a city with the stunning Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar as centerpiece and rich Moorish and Roman architectural heritage. The city's strategic position along the Ebro River made it a significant cultural and economic crossroads, incorporating Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultural heritage.

Hope these ideas help :)

Carlos,
Thank you for the detailed post! We have decided to go toward Girona. We have 6 days. Now we need to decide if we should stay in Girona city or closer to the sea.

• If we choose to stay by the sea are there any towns that won't feel like a resort and be packed with tourists? It may seem odd to be avoiding tourists, but if it were up to me we would be going in the off season. We will be traveling in July because of the schedules of family.
  

-If we stay in Girona, are there neighborhoods or sections of the city that offer walking access to restaurants and bars?

Gracias!

Girona is a small city and you can practically walk anywhere...towns and cities in Spain are very compact, we love to walk anywhere.

If we choose to stay by the sea are there any towns that won't feel like a resort and be packed with tourists?

I don't think it's possible tbh. July is the height of the tourist season on the Costa Brava and very popular with European package-holidaymakers from up north. You could try less charming and more modern coastal towns like Empuriabrava or L'Estartit, but it's no guarantee. If you don't mind the crowds, there are plenty of fun activities (like snorkeling, sea kayaking) and excellent beaches along the Costa Brava. When I was a young boy my family would spend our summer holidays at Tossa de Mar. Alternatively Calella de Palafrugell offers a more intimate beach destination. One can even hike between the Costa Brava towns along the coastal Camino de Ronda.

If not, my suggestion would be to base yourself in Girona and make day trips around the region, preferably with a rental car. Girona is a fairly compact city and most places are walking distance. Make sure to visit inland too, in the Pyrenees foothills there are plenty of charming medieval towns and villages that are popular with local Catalan families on their summer holidays. Rupit, Besalú, and Castellfollit de la Roca come to mind, with good hiking in the nearby Vall de Núria.

Carlos,
Thank you for the informative post. Girona seems like a great option. I understand there is a good variety of cafes and restaurants there too!

Perhaps you would be so kind as to offer insight on another option we are considering:
We will be traveling to Nice, France after we leave Barcelona. The train ride is 8-9 hours from Girona, and so we are considering a flight from Barcelona. We would like to see the Sagrada Cathedral and possibly one or two other things in Barcelona so even if we choose Girona we were considering one or two day trips back to Barcelona. If we do opt for a flight we will be making another trip back to Barcelona from Girona.
With all that said, we are considering staying closer to Barcelona if we can find a nice town or location. Are there nice towns closer to Barcelona that will allow us to drop into the city without as much travel time as Girona?

Gracias!

If needing to fly out of Barcelona but wanting to see some sites first, the best would be to actually stay in Barcelona, in Gracia or the Eixample districts.

As for nicer next door towns, I'd suggest Sant Cugat, just on the other side of the hills surrounding Barcelona, a short train ride of 20 min from Plaza Catalunya. Many of my friends and some family members have moved out of Barcelona recently for greener pastures close by, like in Sant Cugat. The town's most prominent attraction is the Monastery of Sant Cugat, a stunning Romanesque structure dating back to the 9th century. The town's pedestrian-friendly streets, numerous parks, and trendy art scene, make Sant Cugat a tranquil respite from the hustle and bustle of Barcelona. Although San Cugat is only a fraction as charming as Girona.

Here is their official tourism website - https://visit.santcugat.cat/en/

Just returned from Barcelona. For what it's worth, we experienced absolutely no trouble at all on the streets. We did avoid late nights, but found the city completely safe in all regards.

Pemuth, Thanks for the report. I'm assuming you took precautions, but can you share what they were. Also, what neighborhood did you stay in?

I have Hotel Lleo booked for 2 nights before our cruise in July. Suggested from Rick’s list. I hope it’s a safe enough area. We are 3 generation family ages 6 to 71. All of us able to walk a mile or 2. I have reserved a 10:45 tour at Sangrada Familia. Is it safe to walk or taxis preferred? I realize it will be hot and crowded! It sounds as metro or buses can be safety concerning? Would also like to see Park Guell? That’s all we can likely do.
We will need to find food also nearby our hotel. Placa de Catalunya seems to offer eateries. We will likely need taxi’s from airport to hotel….and again to cruise port. Safety is more of an issue for me when we have 5 grandkids! They are excited to go!

all2alb the immediate area of that hotel should be safe. The safety issues are mainly in the Ciutat Vella and on the metro. The immediate area of la Sagrada Familia will be full of tourists and pickpockets, but not so much of the violent kind as in that neighborhood they can't disappear so easily.

With only two days and a large group, I'd say use taxis in Barcelona they are plentiful, cheap, clean, and safe.

For food near Plaça de Catalunya look for El Corte Inglés, Spain's upscale department stores. At the bottom floor is a food market at the top floor a fast/casual restaurant with excellent views.

at the top floor a fast/casual restaurant with excellent views.

The views from the El Corte Inglés cafeteria are spectacular and the food quite good.

We loved the view over Placa Catalunya and loved even more not having to worry about eating at a sidewalk restaurant.

So what has been the local government reaction to the situation? Is it perceived as mostly a problem from increased tourism?

So what has been the local government reaction to the situation? Is it perceived as mostly a problem from increased tourism?

To bury their heads in the sand, the crime is mainly targeted to tourists not so much local constituents, so the city government is not too incentivized to tackle the problem, tourists don't vote. As long as the tourist dollars keep coming in they don't care. Many of the local politicians no longer live in the city of Barcelona itself, but rather in nearby posh towns like Sant Cugat or Sabadell, so they don't have to personally worry about security. The politicians are also not tackling the crime problem for fear of looking too "heavy handed" or "authoritative" or "fascist". For example pickpockets in Barcelona face no jail time and minimal fines, even when caught, in one case a pickpocket was caught 87 separate times yet never faced punishment.

Since the city government is not really doing anything about the rampant crime situation, some Barcelona citizens are stepping up to create grassroots vigilantly groups to tackle the rising crime problem. These groups, known as "guerrilla pickpocket hunters," consist of volunteers who patrol busy areas of the city, looking out for suspicious activity and intervening when they see someone trying to steal from tourists. They typically wear bright vests and carry signs warning pickpockets to stay away. Honestly I'm not sure how effective these groups are, it's an uphill battle and the stupid local government just sees them as a nuisance who take the law into their own hands.

Thank you Synapse for posting and a BIG thank you to CARLOS for your suggestions!

i would love advice for a woman traveling alone. I'll post my itinerary below but I still have unplanned timed and would like suggestions. After my first week and a half, I can stay in Spain or go to another country in Europe, within reason as I do have a budget.
Is women's only lodging, a thing? I'm open to joining groups, tours, alternative ideas...

True confessions, I'm an indecisive, poor travel planner AND a scared bunny but I WON'T let that stop me. I have traveled to Costa Rica several times, alone. I have stayed with a host family with a language school and ventured out on my own. I always listen to the warnings like not staying out past 9PM but it does get a bit lonesome.
Most times when I ventured out on my own, the host family has advised me where to go and at times, had someone they knew meet me when I got there and helped me along.
In Barcelona, I will be staying withe a friend initially but I'll be traveling alone more often than I have in the past.

My travel dates are Wednesday April 19- Saturday May 13th though I may be able to extend for a week. (flying in and out of BCN)
4/19-4/28 I will be staying with a friend (ex-pat) until approx Sat April 29th. During that time, from 4/24-4/28, I'll be attending language school at Camino Barcelona Calle Comte d’Urgell 78, 08011 Barcelona.
4/28 - 5/13 unplanned. I can stay in Spain or travel elsewhere.
Thank you for your help!

You are very helpful Carlos. Pays to be an informed and aware tourist from a local resident’s perspective….Thank you!

Synapse: We stayed in the Eixample neigborhood (Hotel Granvia). And we chose not to embrace the local late-night dining customs so were back at the hotel by around 7 or 8 pm. Like most careful travelers, we simply don't carry mucb except a credit card, passport and a little cash (and our phones, of course). One other note that may sound party-poopish: we never drink much alcohol when traveling abroad. Being impaired may not be real conducive to safety.

This may be “beating a dead horse”…but I mentioned the concern of crime in Barcelona to our son ystrdy. I have replied/posted before that we are a 3 generation family of 11….6 adults..5 kids…ages 6-12. In July….I know…crazy time to go!? We are staying 2 nights at Hotel Lleo. We have booked Sangrada Familia the day after our flight arrivals for their first opening of the day for group tours (over 9 people) at 10:45. Now looking also at Park Guell. Since it’s an hour tour at the cathedral….kids will be rather done. To make an reservation at Park Guell…it would likely be 1:00? We know it will be hot!!!! Just a walk through….no tour. Then back to hotel that has a roof top pool!

We have family group travelled before. National parks 2 yrs ago and last year Seattle and Vancouver before Alaskan cruise. Took Ubers and buses. Was hot there too then! These kids are fairly tolerant and thankfully interested in art, history and do well site seeing. And we know to have very low expectations and doing few big things! Especially when it’s hot! This is all prior to a Med cruise out Barcelona.
But our son wondered…. if as a family group that sticks well together as we do….could we do Metro as a group…without being as….“targeted”?? It is just alittle harder doing taxis as we have to have 3 to get around! Our son lived in San Paulo and daughter-in-law in Germany for 2 yrs. Of course Brazil has more theft concerns than Germany. But both wonder if we would be ok on mass transit? I know Carlos might still caution us. And I respect him and local’s advise! As I have stated…better safe than sorry! Especially with children! Any thoughts….? Thanks!
We are thrilled and so blessed to travel….and all very excited!

I think being part of a big family group attracts more attention, but also you can watch each others' backs in case things go down.

I'll mention that I've taken the metro in Barcelona plenty of times and have only been attempted to be pickpocketed once, that's when I went "undercover as a tourist", so to speak. I was wearing a very vibrant Hawaiian shirt an American friend gifted to me, almost immediately a group of shady Romanians approached me to ask for "directions" in English, they must I thought I was a foreigner, as soon as I opened my mouth and spoke in Catalan they immediately ran away, didn't even wait for my directions lol. I guess the moral of the story is keeping a low profile is the best defense against pickpockets. I never wore that shirt again on the metro and never had the same issue, though I have witnessed a few more robberies since then.

Honestly I feel safer on the city bus than on the metro in Barcelona. But since you are only there for 2 days chances are nothing so bad will happen to you or your family.

I traveled with my parents and it was apparent that we were tourists even though we "blended in". We rode all over and except for a couple people who scanned us, no one bugged us. But then we had everything zipped tight, our phones in our bags and no jewelry. Maybe we looked poor but no one bugged us.

We heard the same scary stories and were vigilant. Honestly, it's not as bad as people make it out. You could be on the NYC subway and have it happen yet I don't hear people saying not to take the subway.

It's really not as scary as people make it out here. Yes, it's a big problem but it shouldn't keep you from coming to Barcelona. JMO.

Thank you Carlos and Heather. I love your Hawaiian shirt trial run!! Fortunately we make a point of blending in. I can spot US tourist a mile away! I saw a man in Rome on the infamous bus 61 going through his wad of cash and sticking it in his pocket. I just wondered how that worked out? We wear European made boots and shoes. I follow local clothing trends….It’s part of the fashion fun for me! We’ve travelled enough and have even had locals come up to ask us questions. Oh…and…We keep rather quiet while independently out touring too. But…that all being said…with 5 kiddos who are chatty….likely we look and act obvious we are tourists!!
Carlos…..I think maybe a bus is a good alternative to taxi? Maybe helpful that our son speaks Spanish…also Portuguese (Brazilian version) And very travel savvy…

I typically use the bus over the metro when I'm back in Barcelona, so maybe a good alternative for you too. I should mention though that they can get quite busy so with 11 people in your family there may not be enough room in the bus even to stand during the most popular times of the day. You'll probably want to buy a few t familiar cards to share between the family, they work for both the bus and metro. When all else fails Barcelona is quite the walkable city. Most of the time I'm actually on foot.

We have just returned from 4 nights/5 days in Barcelona and experienced zero issues with crime and never once felt threatened, and never felt uncomfortable at all. I would even say Las Ramblas was far more pleasant than it was last time we visited about 9 years ago.

We stayed in in the Barri Gotic at a newer hotel and spent most evenings walking and wandering and eating around the old city. We visited all of the tourist attractions and walked to most, though rode subway and buses when necessary. I think we logged over 15,000 steps per day through heavily tourist / traffic areas on average with no issues.

We certainly took the precautions mentioned here: No wallets, no backpacks, just a couple of credit cards and a small bit of cash, and phones in cross body bags.

We certainly took the precautions mentioned here: No wallets, no backpacks, just a couple of credit cards and a small bit of cash, and phones in cross body bags.

Glad you had a good time in Barcelona! If you take the precautions like you mentioned, be aware of your surroundings, and know the no-go zones then odds are nothing bad will happen. The criminals will go for lower hanging fruit.

PS it also helps that you went during the off season, when pickpocket activity is less intense. June through September can be a madhouse in Barcelona.

Also, try to avoid the plague of locusts.

Yep…saw this article this morning….

Yes the cruise ship tourism is one of the those contributing factors to the deterioration of Barcelona in recent years, along with airbnb, pickpockets, overwhelming trash, narco trafficking, incompetent city government, and occasional bouts of political violence.

The issue is more those cruise ship tourists who only spend a few hours in the city and then leave, not so much the ones who stay a few nights before or after their cruise.

It’s all very unfortunate. My wife and I visited Barcelona about 15 years ago, with friends, and we loved it. On that trip, we chased off someone who was reaching into my friend’s backpack, and we’ve had similar “close encounters” in the past in Rome and Paris. No big deal. We consider ourselves to be travel savvy, we keep a low profile, wear money belts in big cities, and now no backpacks. But I’m in my 70’s now, I want to minimize the risk of having something (e.g., my iPhone) get ripped from my hands, or worse. I’m going to cancel my September hotel reservation near Rambla and book a place in Eixample instead.

I can understand how the influx of a mega ship for a few hours causes serious issues to these ports and surroundings! We do appreciate how cruising gets us to numerous wonderful places. I prefer and choose smaller ships and glad to always spend more days before and after a cruise. With larger and larger ships I am thinking ports will likely need to limit the amount of ships and their passengers as the article suggests. It will be interesting how this all plays out. This year of post Covid travel will show the impact of tourists everywhere! I am trying not to fret over the crowds and heat we will experience in Barcelona and Rome! All the more reason we will need to carry less and hide more! Just thinking now to get the kids and us crossbody water bottle holders?

All the more reason we will need to carry less and hide more! Just thinking now to get the kids and us crossbody water bottle holders?

I don't think it's necessary, Barcelona is a major city, if you need water you will find it. Bars, restaurants, markets, supers, there are even several public drinking fountains scattered throughout Barcelona. The city has a long history of providing public access to drinking water. The best known is the belle epoque style fountain at the top of las Ramblas, where traditionally Barça fans converge to celebrate, but there are many others. The water is free and safe to drink.

Again thank you Carlos! I know Rome has potable water in fountains everywhere. Glad to hear Barcelona has accessible water also! That helps immensly!