Barcelona at night

We wandered all over at night....miles and miles and miles. Just fine. Barcelona is just an absolutely fantastic city. Usual precautions - neck pouches and nothing of value in our pockets.

Show me a big city without graffiti these days

... feeling safe is such an intimate and personal matter that's difficult to give any advice on this. I can, of course, attach statistics to show you that Barcelona is, in comparison with other big cities, one of the safest. We hardly have any major violent crime and what we have in certain areas is mostly pickpocketing, the odd mugging and minor drug dealing. But since I don't see in your profile where you come from, whether is a major city or a peaceful small town, I cannot assess what's your likely level of "street cleverness" thus it's difficult to reply to your question.

In any case, as mentioned earlier, while it "might" seem unsafe, it's probably not, but do observe basic rules as in any city: avoid dark alleys at night, especially if there's no one around, be aware of your surroundings, no wallet or phone sticking out of your back pocket, if carrying a backpack try to keep it in front of you in very crowded places, etc.

The Ciutat Vella district (Old City) -which comprises the neighbourhoods of El Raval, El Gòtic, La Ribera, Santa Caterina and Sant Pere, and La Barceloneta- is home to over 100.000 people, 25% of which of foreign origin, mainly Middle Eastern and North African. Some of the neighbourhoods (ie El Raval) are in the bottom half when it comes to personal income, thus certain streets might appear a bit run down. But this doesn't necessarily mean they're not safe.

If you are going to feel reassured, post the exact address and I can give you a more precise comment -if you state your home town/city, I might be able to tune it for you.

I got lost wandering around by myself in the Barri Gotic and had a great time. Found a few small watering holes and was treated like a celebrity because I was an American novelty. It was fun!

I agree with everyone else - I have been at night and felt fine.

A general note - don't be put off by graffiti. I mean, you don't have to like it but don't see it as a sign of anything bad. In my experience, especially in big cities, even more in Europe than here, it is not an indicator of crime. It's just a fact of life.

By "night" you mean from sunset until say midnight when the streets are relatively populated, then I think you would have no issues. Wandering near deserted streets at 3 AM after some intense partying in clubs, you might be considered more of a target. You probably fall into the former rather than the latter.

I stayed in the Barri Gotic in October and felt perfectly safe. I was out and about at all hours, sometimes alone, and never felt concerned about my safety.

Graffiti is everywhere, in every town throughout Europe and South America. I spent a week wandering all over Barcelona, often by myself, and never had a problem. Like all cities, beware of pick-pockets and your surroundings. Your instincts will let you know if something may be amiss.

I agree with the above comments but want to add that it's important to keep in mind the extremely late Spanish dining hours. The locals do not eat dinner before 10 PM, so there is massive street traffic at least until midnight in any area with restaurants and bars. It's unlikely a tourist would be out later than the local population.

Anyone who asks this type of question can probably find some streets in El Raval that make him uncomfortable, so you may want to focus your time on the Barri Gotic side of Las Ramblas unless heading for a specific sight across the avenue. I'm a small, not-young female and did a lot of walking in El Raval, but I admit that I wasn't there late at night.