Safety of an area of a Barcelona cooking class.

10 pm is when locals go out to eat dinner. Barcelona (and the area where you will be walking) will be lively. If you are still uncomfortable about it, I suggest you do a reconnaissance trip and walk to/from your hotel and the cooking class during daylight to get acquainted withe the area.

That's good advice! Thank you!

Compared to East of Ramblas the Raval is more “gritty”, but we have never encountered an unsafe environment. The area is filled with students, workers and everyday folks whom you do not often encounter in the tourist zones. We enjoy eating in the Ravel and one of our favorite non-English speaking restaurants is located across from the main market. A good idea to pre-walk the area, but do so with an open eye to experiencing the area. Tip: within Raval we found three small shops creating the leather wares and jewelry being sold in the tourist areas.

Good idea to know where you are. What about having someone go with you or a quick ride? I don't know think I'd be that comfortable.

While it is true El Raval is one of the more dangerous parts of Barcelona, theft, prostitution, narco trafficking, etc especially when the sun goes down, the area you will go is just on the outskirts of the bad part, just behind La Boqueria, so well known. Chances are nothing bad will happen, but I would not linger or wander around after the class.

What is more strange to me is that you are eating Paella for dinner lol! Only tourists eat Paella for dinner, we locals strictly eat Paella at lunch time, around 2 pm. Paella is too heavy a dish to be eaten at night. Maybe you can get a class closer to 2 pm, then you solve both your problems at once? In terms of safety and having a more local experience 😉

Perhaps you could ask fellow attendees at the class to walk back with you?

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and input! I'm going to be on a RS tour, so I can't change the time of the class as I will be with the group during the day. :) I'm going to find the cooking school during the day and make sure I know exactly how to walk back to my hotel. If I'm feeling unsafe, I'll have the cooking school call me a taxi. Or maybe I'll meet some nice people at the school who will walk me back. Thanks again, everyone!

Hi there! My husband and I did The Paella Club cooking class a couple years ago and LOVED it! It was a wonderful experience! I do not remember feeling uncomfortable at all when we walked around this area. We arrived a little early so we actually walked further around the class location and explored while we waited. I know I was with my husband which makes it different than going alone, but FWIW, neither of us were uncomfortable. We made friends with other people in our class and all went out for a fun night on the town following the class. Didn't get back to our hotel until around 3am! Not our typical travel style but it was such a good time. Maybe you'll make some friends in your class, too. Another option - I'm sure they would be more than happy to call you a taxi if you want a ride back to your hotel.

Thank you, Julie, for your comments about the class and location safety!

My wife and I did a sesh at The Paella Club this past June. I didn't know personal safety was a concern for that area... And I didn't feel unsafe there. The advice to walk with some other classmates afterwards is good advice, particularly if your concerned. FYI, they are generous with their pours to, perhaps, encourage festivity... If safety is a concern, go slow when drinking, if at all, and imbibe when you get back to a place where you feel safe.

I travel solo on some of my trips, so I understand your concern. If it was me, I would email the class instructor and also mention it when you arrive that you would like a taxi called when the class is finishing.

How you feel about a location can be much different between day & evening, and you want to fully enjoy your class experience.