Females - Eixample vs. El Born - lively and safe area for hotel

Hello, if you are looking for a lively, hip, bohemian area then I think that H10 Port Vell close to El Born will be more "up your alley". In relative terms both areas are safe i.e. you are not in any physical danger going out at night.

Remember that "late at night" is more late in Spain than it is in the States. Still at midnight you will see many people up and about going to bars/hanging out with friends, even with kids. Late at night in Barcelona would be around 4:00 am.

Mid-50s single woman traveller here. I stayed in El Born and loved it. It felt very safe as it’s full of restaurants with seating out on the streets. Lots of bustle and activity - a really great area to stay.

We stayed near the cathedral when we were in Barcelona - a few blocks from Las Ramblas - and loved it. Yes, heed the comments about the different conception of "late." Many locals don't go out to dinner until 9:00 or 10:00 at night. Lots of folks - including families - out very late, strolling.

I appreciate the great feedback!

Does anyone happen to know if the H10 Port Vell is close to EL Born- in safe walking distance. It looks close on a map but not sure what streets you would walk to get there

Many thanks!!
Amber

Hi, from what I see on Google Maps, H10 Port Vell is adjacent to Restaurante 7 Portes, a venerable establishment. From there all you have to do is cross the street passeig de Colon and you're in El Born, maybe 100 meters, very close indeed.

El Born is not a defined neighborhood per say, but rather a collection of winding streets centered around Mercado del Born. As per safety, the only thing is to look both ways when crossing passeig de Colon, which is a wide street, drivers can be relatively aggressive in Barcelona.

H10 Port Vell is also pretty close to one of my favorite tapas bars, Bar Celta Pulperia. It's a Galician style seafood tapas bar that specializes in Galician Octopus (Pulpo a la Gallega). Another specialty is their Pimientos de Padron, which are apparently one of Rick Steves' favorite tapas (mine too!). They are sauteed green peppers that are usually mild, but every so often you get a spicy pepper. Bar Celta is a little more old school than the newer tapas bars, but it is still pretty popular with locals.

I have never felt unsafe walking in a European city. Even alone, after dark.

Hi Amber... just for peace of mind: in general terms, Barcelona is a safe city, compared to other cities, especially some notorious ones in the States. But again, safe doesn't mean crime-free of course. In Barcelona, you need to look at your surroundings as you would in any city, but you don't need to walk "in fear" of being assaulted at every corner.

Worth mentioning that, obviously, some parts of the city (or rather, some parts AT certain times of the day) might be a bit seedy, even best avoided, but not "dangerous" per se. Needless to say that the usual advice applies: no dark alleys, avoid empty areas, be alert, avoid public drunkness, don't be naive, and so on and so forth, but coming from another city you already know this. Generally speaking, locals are kind and gentle to others, and also to visitors (if you're respectful, that is!)

If anything, pickpocketing might be your "worst concern" (if any). Not going now to enter one of those endless arguments in the forums about this issue, Barcelona is not "the capital of pickpocketing" as some uninformed people claim, but due to the large influx of visitors (under 2 million inhabitants and nearly 18 million tourists+othervisitors each year), statistically the number of pickpocket-related crimes is higher than in other cities, but at similar levels (in %) than Paris or Rome for example.

Rick's Barcelona book has specific comments about the subjects you ask about.
I was just in parts of those areas in the last two days. Parts of the Ramblas late at night might make two women a bit uncomfortable, but not sure because I'm a geezer.
But Barcelona is a wonderful city and my wife and I were comfortable at 10 or 11 but we heeded ricks advice about safety.

I'm a man in my upper-20s who recently stayed in El Born as part of a solo trip.

I didn't feel remotely unsafe at any moment, day or night. I also saw a lot of fellow solo travelers in El Born, both men and women.

El Born is gritty while Eixample is relatively upscale, so El Born may feel a little more seedy after dark, but they both seem completely safe to me.

The only part of Barcelona that I found somewhat sketchy was the southern part of the Gothic Quarter, near the waterfront. I didn't feel particularly threatened or anything, but there were some leering glances and twitchy fingers, if you get what I'm saying. I'd keep a tight grip on your valuables.

Rick Steves also says El Raval can be a bit rough, but it looked like a lot of people were filtering in and out of there. Perhaps it's gentrified?

Honestly, Barcelona is very safe. Just keep an eye (and a hand) on your belongings because I did see pickpockets lurking.