Barcelona
 

As per my previous posting I am off to Barcelona for Christmas. I am a 67-year-old male and consider myself well-travelled :-) However, I have been hearing some horror stories about Barcelona and it's safety - now it could be that my mates are just taking the Mikey out of me, but I thought it better be safe than sorry.

Question is - Is Barcelona safe to go out at night as a single male or if one takes all the normal sensible precautions is it OK? or is the place full of pick pockets, drug pushers and prostitutes? Are there any areas of the City that should be avoided?

Last question what is a must see in the city - there for 7 days over Christmas - planned to do a winery cruise on Boxing Day but will most places be open or shut during the break.

Being a major city do things tend to be expensive there?


Thanks in advance



Pat

Maybe you should start spending less time at the pub.

There is petty crime in every city. Barcelona was really bad for a while, maybe your mates last visited in 1999. It was getting better but post-covid I know there is a bit of a resurgence of petty crimes. However this should not affect you if you keep your wits about you, don't get hammered and try to pick up any women, don't flash cash, etc. If someone squirts something on you, they are trying to distract you. If anyone is trying to distract you, watch out.

I am sure you can do some research on your own and see what there is in Barcelona for you to see. Plenty here on these forums, just do a search. Barcelona can be more expensive than other cities but there is good value in food and wine there.

We visited Barcelona in 2010 with our young adult children and we felt perfectly safe wherever we went. I know that Las Ramblas is known for pickpockets and we did stroll down Las Ramblas but we didn't have any problems. Just be cautious of people near you on Las Ramblas. And as rialtogirl says, "don't get hammered". Then you are an easy target. And this goes for any destination, don't flash money around.

What to see all depends on your interests. We loved the Gaudi architecture. Some favorites: La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila, Parc Guell. We had a guided tour of the Palau de la Musica. Enjoyed wandering around the different neighborhoods especially Gracias, Sarria, Eixample, Bari Gotic, etc.

Ditto to the above----leave valuables in the hotel safe, keep alert and not distracted by human statues and games when walking down the Ramblas and avoid the lower Raval at night and some dark, narrow streets of Sant Pere in the Old City late at night (personal experience there).

Here's a list of monuments open during the Christmas holidays. The Gaudí sites are privately run so don´t close down as do the state-run museums.

Sagrada Familia is open on Dec. 25 and 26 from 9 am-2 pm.

Parc Güell is open year-round, every day.

Casa Batlló is open year-round, every day.

Casa Milá (La Pedrera) is only closed on Dec. 25.

Casa Amattler is closed on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26

Picasso Museum is closed on Dec. 25. On Dec. 24 it’s open from 10 am-2 pm

There will be both Christmas eve (Gran Gala Flamenco) Christmas day and Boxing Day (Dec. 26) concerts at the gorgeous Palau de la Música Catalana, if you´re interested.
https://www.palaumusica.cat/en/progr...ubset=upcoming

The main thing I've heard is that it has gotten so much more crowded now. I always hated Las Ramblas anyway, because there were always these vendors selling these horrible loud noisemakers that sound like a duck. That is the only city I've ever been in where that was a "thing." It was really annoying. And I've been there multiple times, that was always there. I am even more cautious there about pickpockets than in some other Eur cities. I think it is a bit disingenuous to act like every city is the same in Europe or the world, because it isn't. There are certain areas with higher crime rates and certain cities where certain types of crime or more common. LIke pickpocketing, for example.

I have no idea about the prostitutes, but I think it is ok if you folloow normal precaustions and don't go to certain reas and don't roam around really late at night at all. I mean like after midnight.

Crime is increasing though just because there are more tourists now than during peak COVID years, of course, as a lot of crime is against them.

here's one article that sounds reasonable
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022...pital-of-spain

or this
https://www.thelocal.es/20220816/how...ty-of-thieves/

That one says Barcelona is particularly known for petty theft more than some other cities, even in Spain.

<<As per my previous posting I am off to Barcelona for Christmas. I am a 67-year-old male and consider myself well-travelled https://www.fodors.com/community/ima...ted/smiley.gifHowever, I have been hearing some horror stories about Barcelona and it's safety - now it could be that my mates are just taking the Mikey out of me, but I thought it better be safe than sorry.>>

I absolutely understand your concerns Pat, and please take no notice of those who pour scorn on your worries. I remember that we found ourselves wandering down a very sketchy street that we suddenly found ourselves on, but fortunately it was in daylight and there were two of us. That said, i think that you will be pleasantly surprised so long as you stick to well lit areas and don't wave your cash around. And never have your wallet in your back or even front trousers pocket. A money belt is much safer.

In Barcelona there is currently a kind of anti-safe city propaganda that I don't know who benefits, honestly. I'm a woman and I've lived in the lower Raval. I've gone alone at any time of night and day and nothing has ever happened to me. Having said that, I never walk along the Ramblas and I avoid streets full of tourists because, indeed, that is where there are more pickpockets. I also don't leave anything unchecked (purses alone on the table or on a chair). But I take these precautions in any city in the world. And then things that are common sense. It is not necessary to walk through the middle of a tourist area with a 200k watch, an expensive brand bag and leave the latest iPhone model unchecked on the restaurant table. If you want to do this, I recommend visiting towns in the interior of Girona :lol:

La Sagrada Familia - this church touched my soul. Be sure to go on a sunny day so you can take advantage of the genius placement of the colorful stained glass. It is not necessary to go up in the towers IMO. There is a neat museum in the basement that shows Gaudi's original work methods and also the ongoing work. We also enjoyed a night time roof top jazz concert at La Pedrera, Gaudi's unique apartment house. Not sure if they'll be doing that at Christmas time, but the apartment/museum is worth seeing. Also, if you're up for it, renta bike and go up and down the beachfront promenade - it's a few miles long so this is a good way to see it all.

We visited in 2018. We had carryon luggage, upon arrival we took the Airport bus to the center of Barcelona, Plaça de Catalunya. We were unsure where to walk to find our Air bnb, but when we disembarked the bus at the giant traffic circle, there were policemen everywhere. We felt very safe finding a spot out of the sun to consult our directions. We had a terrace apt in the old town, and remarked how orderly and peaceful the almost nightly demonstrations were. Not what we were used to. There were alot of tents/homeless in the squares, but they too were peaceful. We are your age.

Have fun!