Barcelona is a crime-ridden hole, it's basically INFESTED by crime.
Los turistas ya hablan de la peligrosidad de Barcelona.
Is Barcelona that crime-infested? (safe, dangerous, place, train) - Europe - City-Data Forum
The Spanish press writes apocalyptic-like news from Barcelona. Drugs, murders, disappearances. Is it that bad? And what about Girona? I love Spanish culture and plan to visit. If India is a mini continent, Spain is a micro continent. So diverse, so rich in history, architecture and food. Great weather, too.
Well DD had her backpack stolen in Spain, containing almost everything including her passport. When she went to replace it they told her they deal with about 8 stolen passports a day.
DH was a pickpocket target- tall, older, slower-moving, Nikon slung around his neck. This was maybe 2010- in the Barcelona subway the train stopped, a bunch of kids behind him began elbowing and pushing him aggressively to get out and after they got out he discovered that the $50 US in the money clip in his front pants pocket was gone. The money clip itself had been neatly dropped on the floor so the thief didn't have any evidence if caught. DH had been pickpocketed in other cities and wasn't supposed to be carrying cash, but....
A few days later we were walking near Sagrada Familia and suddenly there were drops of whitish liquid all over our clothes. A helpful man approached us, expressed sympathy, offered to help us clean up... at least we had enough street smarts to send him away. We noticed later that (a) he departed in the direction from which he'd come and (b) there were drops on the sidewalk indicating that it had happened there before. Whatever the stuff was, it eventually dried to a harmless powder that could be brushed off.
The Roma in Barcelona are very good at separating you from your valuables on the Metro.
Hard to believe that after all this years, little has been done to get rid of pickpockets
That's the typical tactics of MENA. Underage North Africans. Keep away.
Yes, lots of thefts, pickpockets in and around Barcelona. Too bad, such a lovely place, and where my wife grew up. Many of the problems are caused by etnianos, and illegal immigrants from Africa.
BTW, more than a few years ago, I had my camera bag stolen in Sitges, a town just south of Barcelona, and where my wife has family. The contents was about US 5K worth of camera and lenses... stolen by a girl not older than 4, or 5 years old! Her father put her up to it. And yes, we know who it was and could not stop them after they fled. Who does that to their children?
Anytime you have high unemployment, no matter what country, you will see more crime. That is the problem with Barcelona, and Spain in general. Too many unemployed youth.
But as others have posted, just keep an eye out for sketchy persons, especially at night. Don't flaunt jewelry, or expensive brands, you will be fine.
I'd say 95% of the pickpocketers in Barcelona are foreigners and more specifically from 4 nationalities. The etnianos you say aren't Spanish but from 2 Eastern European countries, the worst areas Barcelona had in the 80s are completely changed thanks to the Gentrification. La Mina was a scary place to talk about in the 80s. Actually in and around La Mina, which used to be the worst ghetto just 30 years ago, there is a massive financial, shopping area with upper middle class buildings all around the place, including many top-notch contemporary buildings and parks, all perfectly built as planned.
The worst areas are now the Ramblas and the old center of the city, just be cautious and don't walk alone at night in the small streets/passageways if you look like a "fool" or like a nerd, but most of the pickpocketers know who to rob and they usually do it with drunk tourists, they know all kinds of scams and distractions. You might ask: why is this not solved? Blame the Spanish law: so lax.
Yes, since Barcelona has 0 home grown mafia. Local junkies can be dangerous if they didn't have their dose for few days, be cautious at night in the Ramblas.
Btw what I wrote few days ago is actually outdated and incorrect, it was my own experience from the last time I went there in 2017 but I just came from the city again and that combined with all kinds of newspaper articles can lead to one thing: Barcelona is a crime-ridden hole, it's basically INFESTED by crime.
Criminal news over the past 24h: various aggravated robberies, a shooting (robbery in a store in a good district), 2 rapes, various rape intents (heavy sensual assaults), a big theft in an Apple Store, 3 stabbings and a couple was mugged just over the past 24h inside the city of Barcelona, petty thefts and pickpockets are not shown as news since it's already "normal" unfortunately.
Aggravated robbery to tourists: https://www.metropoliabierta.com/dis...18021_102.html
Another tourist robbery: https://elcaso.elnacional.cat/es/suc...10278_102.html
Apple Store theft: https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/b...seguridad.html
Airport theft from private cars: https://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos...na-mossos.html
Store robbery with shooting: https://www.elperiodico.com/es/suces...celona-7539921
Rape: https://elpais.com/sociedad/2019/07/...80_952379.html
2nd Rape (commited to an underage girl) : https://www.telecinco.es/informativo...781720297.html
Tourist raped (allegedly) another tourist: https://www.publico.es/sociedad/viol...barcelona.html
Rape intent to a 18 yo girl, her dad came to rescue her and he was brutally stabbed: https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/b...barcelona.html
Another stabbing: https://www.metropoliabierta.com/dis...18026_102.html
Multiple stabbing: https://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos...eo-seo-lv.html
Aggravated sensual assault: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/369...al-canet-rock/
All of these news articles from above are either from 6th or 7th July 2019, you can check them all. Additional news not from the past 24h but recent unheard news:
South Korean Minister dies after being brutally robbed in Barcelona: https://www.elmundo.es/cataluna/2019...6728b45b5.html
Qatar's Royal Family members belongings robbed from their hotel: https://www.mediterraneodigital.com/...barcelona.html
Barcelona is by far, Spain's most dangerous city. It surpasses by more than 3x the Spanish average. The saddest part of all is that violent crimes were raised by 25% compared to 2018
https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/361...-en-barcelona/
https://www.metropoliabierta.com/el-...16489_102.html
https://masportal.net/confirmado-bar...ura-de-espana/
https://www.dolcacatalunya.com/2019/...edia-espanola/
https://elpais.com/ccaa/2019/02/15/c...42_212031.html
Shocking: https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/b...s-policia.html Barcelona registers 20 criminal offenses per hour.
Well, i'll just say the amowing: the city is ran by far-left populists, which at the same time are anti-tourists, and openly pro-illegal immigration.
Crime is 25% higher than in 2018 and they surpass the Spanish average by more than 3x times but the local authorities don't see any problem and don't look for any solutions. A couple of days ago, hundreds of neighbours from a district (where an underage girl was gang raped by 6) made a street protest and the police was called by the local authority, claiming it was a far-right demonstration.
https://www.elmundo.es/cataluna/2019...44b8b4575.html all of the rapists were well-grown men (20 to 26) including one with 39 years old. The girl was 14 years old at the time of the rape.
Barcelona is like any large city and it does have crime - but not as exaggerated as the press makes it out to be. Girona, I was there just over the 4th of July weekend and it is very nice. But, keep in mind that Barcelona & Girona are Catalan, not Spanish (culturally). Although similar, you don't want to make that mistake when you get there and call them Spanish. They are very conscious of their national identity and you will see the Yellow ribbons (representing Catalan Independence) on nearly every tower, window, balcony. In the town of Vic, my wife and I even had a couple of shop owners who refuse to speak Spanish to us. But, they are very friendly people. They are just feeling their national pride.
Barcelona is now waging a war, Many squads of vigilantes, many of which are immigrants, locals and business owners sound a whistle when they spot a pickpocket and harass them out of the subway. The authorities are against them as they protect criminals. Band of MENA, North African minors, attack and steal people in the open, Roma are a very serious issue here, then you have african illegal flea markets, squatted drug apartment and a large etcetera,
Los turistas ya hablan de la peligrosidad de Barcelona.
Is Barcelona that crime-infested? (safe, dangerous, place, train) - Europe - City-Data Forum
The Spanish press writes apocalyptic-like news from Barcelona. Drugs, murders, disappearances. Is it that bad? And what about Girona? I love Spanish culture and plan to visit. If India is a mini continent, Spain is a micro continent. So diverse, so rich in history, architecture and food. Great weather, too.
Well DD had her backpack stolen in Spain, containing almost everything including her passport. When she went to replace it they told her they deal with about 8 stolen passports a day.
DH was a pickpocket target- tall, older, slower-moving, Nikon slung around his neck. This was maybe 2010- in the Barcelona subway the train stopped, a bunch of kids behind him began elbowing and pushing him aggressively to get out and after they got out he discovered that the $50 US in the money clip in his front pants pocket was gone. The money clip itself had been neatly dropped on the floor so the thief didn't have any evidence if caught. DH had been pickpocketed in other cities and wasn't supposed to be carrying cash, but....
A few days later we were walking near Sagrada Familia and suddenly there were drops of whitish liquid all over our clothes. A helpful man approached us, expressed sympathy, offered to help us clean up... at least we had enough street smarts to send him away. We noticed later that (a) he departed in the direction from which he'd come and (b) there were drops on the sidewalk indicating that it had happened there before. Whatever the stuff was, it eventually dried to a harmless powder that could be brushed off.
The Roma in Barcelona are very good at separating you from your valuables on the Metro.
Hard to believe that after all this years, little has been done to get rid of pickpockets
That's the typical tactics of MENA. Underage North Africans. Keep away.
Yes, lots of thefts, pickpockets in and around Barcelona. Too bad, such a lovely place, and where my wife grew up. Many of the problems are caused by etnianos, and illegal immigrants from Africa.
BTW, more than a few years ago, I had my camera bag stolen in Sitges, a town just south of Barcelona, and where my wife has family. The contents was about US 5K worth of camera and lenses... stolen by a girl not older than 4, or 5 years old! Her father put her up to it. And yes, we know who it was and could not stop them after they fled. Who does that to their children?
Anytime you have high unemployment, no matter what country, you will see more crime. That is the problem with Barcelona, and Spain in general. Too many unemployed youth.
But as others have posted, just keep an eye out for sketchy persons, especially at night. Don't flaunt jewelry, or expensive brands, you will be fine.
I'd say 95% of the pickpocketers in Barcelona are foreigners and more specifically from 4 nationalities. The etnianos you say aren't Spanish but from 2 Eastern European countries, the worst areas Barcelona had in the 80s are completely changed thanks to the Gentrification. La Mina was a scary place to talk about in the 80s. Actually in and around La Mina, which used to be the worst ghetto just 30 years ago, there is a massive financial, shopping area with upper middle class buildings all around the place, including many top-notch contemporary buildings and parks, all perfectly built as planned.
The worst areas are now the Ramblas and the old center of the city, just be cautious and don't walk alone at night in the small streets/passageways if you look like a "fool" or like a nerd, but most of the pickpocketers know who to rob and they usually do it with drunk tourists, they know all kinds of scams and distractions. You might ask: why is this not solved? Blame the Spanish law: so lax.
Yes, since Barcelona has 0 home grown mafia. Local junkies can be dangerous if they didn't have their dose for few days, be cautious at night in the Ramblas.
Btw what I wrote few days ago is actually outdated and incorrect, it was my own experience from the last time I went there in 2017 but I just came from the city again and that combined with all kinds of newspaper articles can lead to one thing: Barcelona is a crime-ridden hole, it's basically INFESTED by crime.
Criminal news over the past 24h: various aggravated robberies, a shooting (robbery in a store in a good district), 2 rapes, various rape intents (heavy sensual assaults), a big theft in an Apple Store, 3 stabbings and a couple was mugged just over the past 24h inside the city of Barcelona, petty thefts and pickpockets are not shown as news since it's already "normal" unfortunately.
Aggravated robbery to tourists: https://www.metropoliabierta.com/dis...18021_102.html
Another tourist robbery: https://elcaso.elnacional.cat/es/suc...10278_102.html
Apple Store theft: https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/b...seguridad.html
Airport theft from private cars: https://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos...na-mossos.html
Store robbery with shooting: https://www.elperiodico.com/es/suces...celona-7539921
Rape: https://elpais.com/sociedad/2019/07/...80_952379.html
2nd Rape (commited to an underage girl) : https://www.telecinco.es/informativo...781720297.html
Tourist raped (allegedly) another tourist: https://www.publico.es/sociedad/viol...barcelona.html
Rape intent to a 18 yo girl, her dad came to rescue her and he was brutally stabbed: https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/b...barcelona.html
Another stabbing: https://www.metropoliabierta.com/dis...18026_102.html
Multiple stabbing: https://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos...eo-seo-lv.html
Aggravated sensual assault: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/369...al-canet-rock/
All of these news articles from above are either from 6th or 7th July 2019, you can check them all. Additional news not from the past 24h but recent unheard news:
South Korean Minister dies after being brutally robbed in Barcelona: https://www.elmundo.es/cataluna/2019...6728b45b5.html
Qatar's Royal Family members belongings robbed from their hotel: https://www.mediterraneodigital.com/...barcelona.html
Barcelona is by far, Spain's most dangerous city. It surpasses by more than 3x the Spanish average. The saddest part of all is that violent crimes were raised by 25% compared to 2018
https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/361...-en-barcelona/
https://www.metropoliabierta.com/el-...16489_102.html
https://masportal.net/confirmado-bar...ura-de-espana/
https://www.dolcacatalunya.com/2019/...edia-espanola/
https://elpais.com/ccaa/2019/02/15/c...42_212031.html
Shocking: https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/b...s-policia.html Barcelona registers 20 criminal offenses per hour.
Well, i'll just say the amowing: the city is ran by far-left populists, which at the same time are anti-tourists, and openly pro-illegal immigration.
Crime is 25% higher than in 2018 and they surpass the Spanish average by more than 3x times but the local authorities don't see any problem and don't look for any solutions. A couple of days ago, hundreds of neighbours from a district (where an underage girl was gang raped by 6) made a street protest and the police was called by the local authority, claiming it was a far-right demonstration.
https://www.elmundo.es/cataluna/2019...44b8b4575.html all of the rapists were well-grown men (20 to 26) including one with 39 years old. The girl was 14 years old at the time of the rape.
Barcelona is like any large city and it does have crime - but not as exaggerated as the press makes it out to be. Girona, I was there just over the 4th of July weekend and it is very nice. But, keep in mind that Barcelona & Girona are Catalan, not Spanish (culturally). Although similar, you don't want to make that mistake when you get there and call them Spanish. They are very conscious of their national identity and you will see the Yellow ribbons (representing Catalan Independence) on nearly every tower, window, balcony. In the town of Vic, my wife and I even had a couple of shop owners who refuse to speak Spanish to us. But, they are very friendly people. They are just feeling their national pride.
Barcelona is now waging a war, Many squads of vigilantes, many of which are immigrants, locals and business owners sound a whistle when they spot a pickpocket and harass them out of the subway. The authorities are against them as they protect criminals. Band of MENA, North African minors, attack and steal people in the open, Roma are a very serious issue here, then you have african illegal flea markets, squatted drug apartment and a large etcetera,
