Barcelona tips?
 

My good friend, a young single woman, will be traveling to Barcelona by herself for a week in June before my husband and I meet up with her for a cruise. How worried should I be or is Barcleona relatively safe? Also- any thoughts on nice hotels or things to definitely see in or around Barcelona are appreciated. Thanks!

There is a fair amount of information on this forum about Barcelona; a search would help your friend. <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Gran Via--nice old place with a great location. You can walk to the Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter and the airport bus is around the corner. <BR>The room was small, clean, and quiet. The staff was helpful. <BR> <BR>Barcelona is almost free of violent crime. Pickpockets, however, abound. (even my Spanish friends warned me about them.) So exercise caution and if it happens, don't dwell on it. ( I had my traveler's checks stolen. I spent a lot of time on the phone with American Express, but I did get a refund.)Barcelona is a splendid city. She will have a great time. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

There is a fair amount of information on this forum about Barcelona; a search would help your friend. <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Gran Via--nice old place with a great location. You can walk to the Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter and the airport bus is around the corner. <BR>The room was small, clean, and quiet. The staff was helpful. <BR> <BR>Barcelona is almost free of violent crime. Pickpockets, however, abound. (even my Spanish friends warned me about them.) So exercise caution and if it happens, don't dwell on it. ( I had my traveler's checks stolen. I spent a lot of time on the phone with American Express, but I did get a refund.)Barcelona is a splendid city. She will have a great time. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Barcelona doesn't have much violent crime, but after a pickpocket attempt and other unpleasant incidents, I'm uncomfortable there. In case your friend feels the same way, there are two wonderful smaller towns nearby-- Tarregona and Girona. Girona, especially, seemed welcoming and "small town," which is amazing, considering its magnificent architecture. The beach resorts of the Costa Brava are also convenient to Barcelona. So there are plenty of terrific alternatives if your friend thinks Barcelona itself might be a bit too much. She can take a day trip into Barcelona for any sights she wants to see in the big city.

<BR>As Michele above says there are already many posts about Barcelona here on the forum.....just enter the word Barcelona and Spain and you will see a ton of info. I have already mentioned this before, but just in case you do not go back into the archives here for Barcelona info let me say that <BR>1) Barcelona has incrediable architecture and is well worth seeing <BR>2) it's notorious for pickpockets. It's a toss up whether Rome or Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of the world...but I would vote for Barcelona on that one. Be *very careful*. <BR>