Car burglaries, thefts + more--where are the crime hot spots?

Which "major German cities?" In the west or the east?

Whereabouts in California are you from? Are there any parts that you won't drive because you're far more likely to be a victim of carjacking in California than you are in Spain?

What have you experienced in Berlin and other major German cities that causes you to consider pickpocketing is worse in those places than Barcelona?

How do the car thieves usually look!!!

I'm afraid you're blowing things way out of proportion and worrying yourself needlessly.

Cologne and Berlin: very bad. These folks aren't just pickpockets, but ruthless purse snatchers. They act in teams by surrounding and isolating their victims. Very similar to the way mass sexual assaults happened in Cologne two years ago during New Year's Eve.

I traveled to Germany from time to time for the past 20+ years. Never had I observed so much crime in-person in public areas.

About California: of course, there are neighborhoods that I don't dare entering. This is why I posted this topic. Nobody wants to be a crime victim. Though no place in the world is totally crime free, there are parts to avoid.

Never heard of or saw such events in Berlin and I have been traveling in Germany since 1971...24 trips in 47 years in major cities and towns....Cologne, Munich, Neustelitz, Aachen, Berlin, Frankfurt an der Oder, Koblenz, Bonn, Butzbach/Hessen, Magdeburg, Lübeck, Eutin/Holstein, Regensburg, Heidelberg, Meissen, Potsdam, Stuttgart, Münster, Hamm, Weimar, Kiel, Dresden, Cuxhaven, Soest, Frankfurt, Duisburg, etc, etc,...only pickpocketed once.

That New Year Eve event happened in other towns as well, not only in Cologne, eg, in Bielefeld.

Crime has gone up in Germany since the fall of the Wall, that's obvious, but still Kindergarten compared to here.

Thanks for the warning: tomorrow I get on the train for a few days Berlin.
But seriously: my experiences in Germany are the same as Fred's, minus his pickpocketing incident. I have seen a lot of corners in Germany, and I can't remember having felt unsafe anywhere.

Given you will be in Spain, most thieves will speak Spanish and usually look from business men to young girls and boys. Best thing you can do with your car is much the same as California. Not leave luggage or anything valuable in plain sight, lock all the doors, etc and if you are bumped from behind don't stop.

I do think you are overthinking this especially if you think German cities have more pickpockets then Barcelona.

Car burglaries can happen anywhere if you leave an invitation to an opportunist thief, maybe even in your own town.

I used to live in Cologne and often return. I've neither seen nor heard of what you are worried about there, or in any other German town or city - and I've been in a bunch of them. Just returned from a trip, 8 days ago.

I will say, however, that I have not yet visited Berlin nor the vicinity of Berlin, so I have nothing to say about that part of the country.

Is this Fox News type worries?

Do you really want to use "a few blog posts" and random anecdotal evidence to drive your itinerary? Neither will tell you anything substantive about the actual incidence of crime using a standard metric, you need actual crime data to determine that (which you don't have). Your post uses such emotional and alarmist language ("blatant", "ruthless", hideous", etc) that I think it may be worthwhile to step back, take a breather, and get some emotional detachment before making any major decisions. You may be overly swayed by a few negative things you read and it's coloring your judgment. I don't think you'll be any more successful profiling criminals than pinpointing the next "crime spot". The best strategy is to use common sense with your valuables (minimize risk), have adequate car insurance, and go about your trip.

I don't watch Fox News and can't care less about it.

I just want to ask for safety advice. I see similar questions in travel forums about Europe, Asia, and the Americas all the time. Mine is no different.

While on average, crime rates are high in the US, most crime is NOT targeted at tourists. On the other hand, we hear about safety warnings for Europe-bound foreign tourists all the time. A lot of such crime is reported to the police by the victims, but it doesn't mean that the local police bother to keep such statistics. Of course, the same can happen in the US too.

Because I was personally attacked in Cologne and Berlin (and even Zurich), my perspective has changed permanently.

If you’re that concerned about crime, don’t go. I can guarantee you it’s worse in any major U.S. city than over there. Other than my wife getting an old IPod pickpocketed at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, we’ve never had a crime against person or vehicle anywhere in Europe, or S. America for that matter.

True there are some pretty gritty streets near the Frankfurt Hbf, such as Mosel Str. which reminds me of the Tenderloin in SF. which is a drug battle area, ie, which group has which turf. I checked this street out last summer...intentionally... when I had time at the Hbf. This was told to me by a long time hotel employee at a Frankfurt hotel across from the train station.

It is commonly known that train stations in Germany are hang -outs for punk wanna be types and places for trouble erupting, certain stations have that reputation, ie, Duisburg, Dortmund, Hannover, maybe Nürnberg. You develop a feel for this when you're there.

If I could, I would be flying back to Germany as soon as I could before the Sept is out and hitting the big cities. They're always on the itinerary, as well as small towns. This past trip I went to Cologne since it has been years I was there, and of course, Berlin

"While on average, crime rates are high in the US, most crime is NOT targeted at tourists."

Most crime in Europe isn't targeted at tourists either. It's just, quite reasonably, that is the crime you are more likely to read about on travellers' blogs and forums.

Undeserved or not, Barcelona has a reputation for petty crime and in Spain more generally theft from cars is hardly unknown. But you can help protect yourself by taking reasonable precautions - both to reduce likelihood and consequences, such as the advice already posted.

But crime levels are certainly not such they should be leading you to change your plans, like not driving in Costa Brava.

Being able to identify a potential criminal by looks or language won't help often. Pickpockets (at least the efficient ones), work by taking your stuff and being off before you know it. Those breaking into cars will only appear after you've left the car park. Keep things hidden to reduce your attractiveness as a target.

I claim no expertise, but I'd be surprised if anywhere in Galicia or Asturias is a crime hotspot so far as tourists are concerned. Galicia (& elsewhere) still has it's big & violent "mafia" drug smuggler gangs, but they're unlikely to be interested in you or any tourist.

I am so sorry you experienced violence in Berlin, Cologne and possibly Zurich. That certainly impacts ones outlook. We were pickpocketed (also New year's eve) in Barcelona. It was very upsetting. BUT, we weren't injured in any way and after we put it all it perspective, Barcelona became a delightful trip. I was with my daughters, and my husband's comment was, "don't let stupid stuff and stupid people" ruin your trip. I actually had never heard of Germany as a place of particular concern. I have been to Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne and other small cities and never had an issue. Another way to look at the crime issue is that it is more likely you will get physically harmed in more cities in the U.S. than Europe. And I would argue tourists ARE often targeted in the U.S. Florida had a huge problem with crimes against tourists. When I rent a car in the U.S. I make sure that the car is not identifiable as a rental car. When terrorism became a concern some years back, I decided that I will not let those people affect my life. I'm careful, but life goes on. I think travel is one of the best ways to make the world a kinder, smaller place.