Tourist Safety in Spain?

This may be true, although I have not heard this or read about it. I do know that many consider Barcelona to be a mecca for pickpockets etc. We have only ever taken the usual precautions you take in any city, with the possible exception of the Las Ramblas area which is frequented by tourists and therefore a potential target. The Spanish are not in general, violent or aggressive people. The main evidence of the unemployment we see is the increased number of people begging, and business closures.

Thanks very much! I was very surprised to hear this rumor, because I have long heard that, while thievery is common not only in Spain but throughout Europe, it usually does NOT involve either violence or even personal confrontation. (My own experience of person-to-person thievery, in Rome 15 years ago, was with fake tourist police who palmed $30 worth of lira while pretending to check if my cash was counterfeit. I've always been impressed with how professional and surprisingly ungreedy these thieves were! They took only enough for lunch and left most of the cash so we wouldn't suspect until they'd disappeared.) Hard times can reduce people to street crime, and I'm sure tourists who obviously have dollars to travel on would be prime targets. Moneybelts keep money hard to pickpocket, and I guess one just has to be careful to stay where there are plenty of people -- but not so many that they brush up against you!

I've seen the stories too. We were in Barcelona in April and it didn't feel unsafe at all. Even walking to tapas bars on side streets at night. There may be more muggings, but it may be Eastern Europeans doing the mugging. I would expect, even if it's horrible by European standards, it's still considerably safer than a weekend in downtown Baltimore - let alone DC. As always use common sense about where (and when) you choose to go, just as you would here. I'm sure you will be fine. Meanwhile, the economic crisis is serious in Spain. With an unemployment rate of 25% (50% for young adults), virtually every family is affected.

Thanks!