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Original poster

Is Barcelona that terrible for crime?

29 replies

TravellingSpoon · 26/06/2022 10:12

I have a few days off in October, and a ryanair voucher to use up.

I wanted to take the DC's ( 15 and 13) to Barcelona, but so many people have told me ita horrible for crime, especially pickpockets. I've only been once before, and that was about 15 years ago and I had a great time.

OP posts:
zafferana · 26/06/2022 10:18

It's been awful for pickpockets for a lot longer than 15 years OP. It is bad, so is Madrid, so is Rome and Paris and many other European cities that attract millions of tourists. Just be careful, have your wits about you, be aware of any kind of drama on the street, which is often a tactic to distract you while they pick your pocket/steal your bag/phone. If Barcelona is where you want to go, do it, but have your wits about you at all times.

darlingdodo · 26/06/2022 10:25

DH had his wallet stolen in Barcelona a few years ago - guy walked a few steps beside him, chatting. We knew exactly what he was up to, tried to avoid without causing escalation. When he ran off, DH shouted at him and he threw the wallet back at us Grin

DH actually carries a 'decoy' wallet so the thief only got away with 20euro and a duff IKEA family card, but it was an unnerving experience.

gabagoulghost · 26/06/2022 10:43

I absolutely love Barcelona, we've been several times and we're going back this year.

There's very little violent crime, but it's really bad for pick pockets. You have to be super careful.

Don't have wallets or phones in pockets, don't have a thin handled bag that can be quickly snipped with scissors, and be careful using cash machines.

elizabethdraper · 26/06/2022 10:48

Been to Barcelona loads.
Never seen crime or pickpockets

But we are sensible, no wallets (decoy or not), phones in pockets

No handbags/bags with pockets worn on back,

Just sensible things people should be doing anyway

HerTableLaid · 26/06/2022 10:51

Only really pickpocketing on the Ramblas and public transport. Take the usual precautions.

kittythames · 26/06/2022 10:53

We went for a weekend in April. Also travelling with a teen so not a drinking/party trip. We had a great time. I think it's like anywhere there are people willing to take advantage of you lower your defences get falling down drunk too much.
We just took usual sensible precautions was others have mentioned. Would go back any time 🙂

whenwillthemadnessend · 26/06/2022 10:56

I have been twice never had any problems as long as you're sensible and take reasonable safety precautions like any tourist you should be fine

PlanetNormal · 26/06/2022 11:01

We have been to Barcelona a few times over the years and never had any problems. We always take sensible precautions, though. Leave our nice watches at home, don’t walk round with your bag open or your phone sticking out of your back pocket, just obvious stuff. Pickpockets are opportunistic, so don’t be the easy target.

Changechangychange · 26/06/2022 11:01

It’s mostly just around Las Ramblas. And yes it is bad for pickpocketing. But then so is Leicester Square, or anywhere that large groups of naive tourists congregate (in Las Ramblas they are often people off a tour boat for a couple of hours, so no knowledge of the city at all).

We went annually for about twelve years before DS was born, and never had any problems whatsoever.

Dajeeling · 26/06/2022 11:09

I’ve only been 3 times (I love the place) but just be smart and behave as you would anywhere dodgy… no backpacks or putting things in back pockets. If you have a hotel safe then use it and keep the bulk of your things in it. I used to go out with a maximum of 100 euros and one of my bank cards.

Pretzerella · 26/06/2022 11:10

My DC has just been with a friend. PIL scared the living daylights out of them before they went about pick pockets.
DC was imagining them descending on them like flocks of birds every time they set foot outside.
They made sure not to put their things in pockets and googled popular scams and had no issues at all.

Justthisonceharold · 26/06/2022 11:13

DH was mugged there. He'd taken everything out with him 🤦‍♀️ so had to go to the consulate to get an emergency passport. The place was heaving with other people who'd had the same thing happen.

TheChosenTwo · 26/06/2022 11:15

My in-laws, then sil and her family, and then dh and I all went over the course of a month. Different trips but three groups of us went to Barcelona in a short space of time.
Mil was targeted (sprayed with a bottle of white stuff then approached by a local offering to help clean her off but take bag off etc, thankfully they ignored their instructions). Sil had a bag stolen off the coach transfer, bags were put on the street and by the time they got off the coach, 2 of their bags had been taken. Then bil had his wallet taken out of his jacket pocket.
When dh and I went, my purse was taken out of my bag under the table. Luckily there was only a very small amount of cash in it, it was a cheap purse and as I always do when I travel, I use a purse that literally has no cards etc in, just a small bit of cash.
So from my experience and knowledge of others who have been I would say it’s rife but that won’t be everyone’s experience! Petty, not violent or threatening crime but still unpleasant.
I’ve never had my purse stolen in London!

AnnaKar · 26/06/2022 11:21

Yes, I lived nearby and even though I know to be careful….

Once was in the airport when we arrived back after a visit home, taking quite a large amount of cash from my bag. Another, in the city, a purse taken from my handbag.

Carry the absolute minimum for each day.

BlackForestCake · 26/06/2022 11:36

This is not specific to Barcelona, but with the number of people who walk around with a £800 phone sticking out of their back pocket, I am amazed that pickpockets still bother with handbags or wallets.

EvelynParker · 26/06/2022 11:38

When I was in Barcelona in May someone offered DH some weed but we managed to avoid pickpockets

MultiBird · 26/06/2022 11:39

My Dad was pickpocketed in Barcelona c. 1985, its not new, but it's a problem in most tourist cities. You need to be aware and split things up so if you lose something from one pocket/bag you haven't lost everything iyswim.

elQuintoConyo · 26/06/2022 11:46

Don't display stuff. Keep your hands on your bags and pockets. Don't hang things off the backs of chairs or put on the floor.

Be savvy, basically.

I lived there 5 years, saw some stuff, never happened to me or friends or people who visited me. Pur luck/chance, possibly. It was 2001-6, and pickpocketing was rife, huge problem. It got better, then worse. There's high unemployment, high cost of living, scuzzy opportunists, people on holiday = easy pickings with decent money/phones/cameras/passports. Easy to see why it happens.

Avoid Las Ramblas (fuck all there but tourists), and Placa de Rei (off the rambla), pretty square, but full of arseholes.

PlanetNormal · 26/06/2022 11:49

BlackForestCake · 26/06/2022 11:36

This is not specific to Barcelona, but with the number of people who walk around with a £800 phone sticking out of their back pocket, I am amazed that pickpockets still bother with handbags or wallets.

Quite.

Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 26/06/2022 11:59

Someone tried to steal my phone in Barcelona, thankfully my friend was there and we got it back. It's a beautiful place though but pick pockets are rife.

Primatrying · 26/06/2022 12:00

When I was there, I saw what looked like a local woman have her handbag wrenched off her in broad, daylight. The thief ran away but she started screaming and yelling and a guy in a side alley thumped him and got it back.

My friend had her rucksack stolen when she was at the beach.

My friend's boyfriend was stabbed outside a nightclub.

The only other place I've experienced crime like it wasn't in Europe. Tbh, it's not my favourite place. But you can certainly minimise the risk by having a decoy wallet / using a moneybelt / researching common scams.

BippityBobbityBoo · 26/06/2022 12:13

I had a flimsy cross body handbag torn off me, it happened in a split second and really shook me up. Take all the precautions.

user1471423151 · 26/06/2022 15:23

Just back from 2 weeks in Barcelona, our fourth time there, one was a fortnight with our then mid teens daughters. Never once felt threatened or at risk, on the contrary we always feel very relaxed there. That said we have all lived centrally in a large UK city all our lives and walk most places at all times of day and night, so are pretty streetwise.

Don't be put off, it's a lovely city, but use common sense and don't have any valuables / cash on display.

Sunnysal · 26/06/2022 15:43

I live nearby and I don'think it's any worse than other big tourist places. Be very aware all the time as you arrive with bags etc. Don't be afraid to push and elbow to stay with your cases. Wear any wallets etc in a small cross body bag UNDER your top. I keep about 20 euros in change in a pocket. You should have a photo ID with you so copy your passport and take the copy with you. I always back copies of everything up to the cloud so can retrieve stuff from any connected computer.

gingersplodgecat · 26/06/2022 15:50

The one and only time I've ever known anyone to be the victim of a pickpocket was my mum. In Harrods. Shock

It happens everywhere there's a crowd. You just need to keep your wits about you.