barcelona spain

Just use your common sense and a moneybelt. Barcelona definitely has its share of cons and pickpockets, but if you are aware of your surroundings and use the proper precautions, you'll be fine. We visited Barcelona for the second time this spring and had no troubles. It's one of my favorite cities in the world.

Barcelona is not what you have read!! Been there, had a great stay of several days, never had any problem. Just use common sense, keep your billfold in your breast pocket (guys) and ladies, hold on to your purse. Enjoy the sites of the "Paris" of Spain!!! A fabulous city for sure...

I stayed in Barcelona a couple of years back and had no hassle. There may be a slightly higher risk than some cities, I don't know, but keep your wits about you and you should be OK. The only specific thing I've heard is to not stand directly behind somebody else on a metro escalator, apparently the local speciality is to trip someone up at the end of an escalator and then go through their pockets/bag while they're on the floor.

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/56338/safe-in-spain.html This is a link to a lenghty thread about security in Spain. It's from a recent post to this forum. Consensus is (we recently spent two weeks in Spain including Barc) it's very safe. We avoided the areas that RS said are shadey, and we had no trouble at all. Never felt the least bit threatened or unsafe. I can't say enough good things about Barc.

Four visits and no problem. Our last visit was Oct 09 and the police presents was very high. Never saw it that high before.

Jim - you need to read different travel books! Truly - if you take the same precautions as you should in other European cities there is no problem. Unless you are wandering seedy areas late at night drunk, you will not be mugged. Wear money belts and don't stuff a fat wallet in your back pocket or ladies don't throw a purse behind you over your shoulder and you'll be fine.

We were there in April and only saw one incident, a person running with someone's day pack outside of Parc Guell, a few shouts and he dropped the bag and kept on running!! Our friend's son passed out and slept in a park! Not something I would do but he was unharmed and lived to tell the story.....Oh, to be young again and that carefree! Hasta la Vista!

This graffiti wall is the best thing I've found on the web in three years. Thank you Rick. Thank you all for your responses advice and good thoughts. jim pz

We just returned from a month in Spain and Portugal. Although Rick says in his book that Las Ramblas is the most likely place to be pickpocketed than anywhere else in Europe, we were in the Barri Gotic and I literally caught a young woman with her hands on my husband's shouldar bag that he had slung towards his back. She was watching us change dollars for euros pretending to be looking at a tourist map, but she was really trying to see where he put the cash in his bag. She followed us out of the money change office and in a tapas crowd lifted the flap of his bag with two hands. As he moved forward, her hands were still on the bag and I stepped between him and her. She fled. Close call!

Nothing of much value was really in the bag as we wore money belts. Also the bag was a Pac-Safe bag which locked multiple ways and had a steel cable to prevent the handle from being cut.

We watched careless tourists all throughout Spain and Portugal. Some were lucky and some were not (a Lisbon tourist lost his wallet on the #28 tram-we had spotted the pickpocket and hung on to our bags) Be careful in crowds!

I just returned from Barcelona on Monday, great city. I never witnessed any issues. Just take normal precautions and you will be fine.

Use a hidden money belt and limit the use of shoulder bags.

I never take anything on vacation that can't be replaced or that I am unwilling to lose.

just watch out for groups of young girls soliciting for "donations" to charity they want you to sign something while one tries to get your money just be smart like in any other place you would travel

no worries jim. was there for a week in march. my favorite city in all of spain. very clean, friendly people, never felt unsafe even late at night. went to a football game at nou camp and the fans were very accomodating. the metro is awesome in barcelona and madrid. probably the best in the world. have fun, be safe.

I have been staying at a 3 star hotel where many people stay before and after cruising. I spoke with a couple today who told a story of another couple who just outside the hotel had an incident where someone spilled something on someone and porceded to help them out and evidently helped them back to their room and porceded to rob them of everything. As I watch these large groups of mostly elderly looking wealthy Americans it appears to me they are sitting ducks dressed in fine clothes with diamonds and jewels galore. I have traveled as a single over 50 women for several years and never wear jewerly and dress down so as not to atrack any thiefs or predators. It has worked. I have never had any problems. I walk late a night in well traveled and lighted areas.

I have been staying at a 3 star hotel where many people stay before and after cruising. I spoke with a couple today who told a story of another couple who just outside the hotel had an incident where someone spilled something on someone and proceded to help them out and evidently helped them back to their room and robbed them of everything. As I watch these large groups of mostly elderly wealthy looking Americans it appears to me they are sitting ducks dressed in fine clothes with diamonds and jewels galore. I have traveled as a single over 50 women for several years and never wear jewerly and dress down so as not to atrack any thiefs or predators. It has worked. I have never had any problems.

The OP posted this 2 years ago.