Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Beware In Barcelona

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)

- - Beware In Barcelona (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/beware-in-barcelona-158048/)

Capo, thanks for your response. I have read in some guidebooks suggesting that the Gothic Quarter is not too safe at night. Is that true? I guess I will look for hotels in the E'iample neighborhood. Will that area also have something to do at night? Ger, I agree with what you said. We just have to be careful and watch our back. I have traveled to numerous places by myself and I am very alert and never encounter any major problem. My girlfriend and I (also a girl) are more concerned this time because of all these negative posts we found on the message board. Also, we speak no Spanish so we feel pretty helpless. I called the Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago this morning and asked if they can tell me which neighborhood I shoud avoid and the guy told me there is no unsafe area in the whole city. Ha! Wendy

You're very welcome, Wendy. Gothic Quarter not too safe at night? "Not too safe" is a subjective assessment. When my girlfriend & I were there we spent at least part of every evening walking through the Gothic Quarter -- because it's so atmospheric -- and never felt unsafe. (Prior to going, we'd read warnings in numerous guidebooks too and were, admittedly, a little concerned but, like I said, we had no problems whatsoever.) Now, this is not to say that if you walk through the Gothic Quarter in the evening that you'll be 100% guaranteed nothing will happen to you. I'd bet some people get pickpocketed -- and perhaps mugged -- there every day, but you have to weigh that against how many people visit it every day. Anyway, I'd minimize any potential risk by staying on streets with more people (it's not like the Gothic Quarter is deserted at night.) Yes, the Eixample also has things to do at night (I presume you mean things like restaurants?), especially along the main street, the Passieg de Gracia, and around the Plaça de Catalunya. If you're interested in a nice low-to-mid-range priced hotel, check out the Hotel Gran Via. It has an excellent location, only about two blocks from the centrally-located the Plaça de Catalunya...which kind of divides the Gothic Quarter from the Eixample, so you're close to both. You can find info for the Gran Via at this website: http://www.concierge.com/features/in...rc_hotels.html Good luck!

Capo, thanks for your advice again. I don't know exactly what it means by "not too safe" either. If it is only pickpocketers, I probably can handle that by being cautious. Mugging is another story. And also, I don't know exactly what they meant by "at night" either. 7 pm, 9 pm, or 2 am? I plan to go to the Waterfront and then walk back to E'ixample. Should be okay? I have seen other people recommended Hotel Gran Via before, so I will definitely check that out. Have you also heard of Hotel Lleo? I also am not sure if I should stay at the hostals instead. Also looking for a hotel to stay in Madrid. Any suggestions? How about the neighborhood of Plaza Mayor? Thanks! Wendy

Oh no! Capo's taken already!? "When my girlfriend & I..." siggghhhh...

Yep. And so am I:) So we have fun virtually:)

Haven't been to Madrid (yet) Wendy, so I can't help you out there. Also, sorry, not familiar with the Hotel Lleo. Back to safety... like I said, "not too safe" is a subjective, and relative, assessment. I'm sure the Gothic Quarter is much more dangerous than, say, a place like Interlaken (Switzerland) but, on the other hand, it's much more safe than the South Bronx. Are there crimes committed in the Gothic Quarter? Absolutely (though I'm sure the vast majority are petty, non-violent, crimes like pickpocketing.) But one must weigh the number of crimes against the number of people -- both tourists and locals -- that frequent the Gothic Quarter every day and evening. It's hardly as if everyone who ventures into it becomes prey for the bad guys. I think a good rule of thumb in general, anywhere, is "safety in numbers", at least as far as violent crime is concerned (crowds can be worse as far as pickpocketing is concerned.) Therefore, walking around at, say, 2:00 am, when there wouldn't be nearly as many people on the street as at, say, 10:00 pm, would undoubtedly be riskier. You ask whether or not it would be "okay" to walk from the waterfront back to the E'ixample. Again, that's subjective. I think it would be okay, whereas others -- especially others who may have been victims of crime -- may not. Yes, Barcelona has crime. But it also has thousands of tourists every year, the vast majority of whom, I'm sure, have no brush with crime. It's important to keep some perspective. I think you'll really love Barcelona. We did.

Dear Wen- The guide books do not lie. My mugging occured right near the Cathedral in the Bari Gotique (or however it's spelled)at 11:00pm. The next day a neighbor in the building where I was mugged told me, "In this area you must be very careful. The rest of Barcelona is fine, but not here."Straight from the mouth of someone who LIVES there.

Bedi, I'm sorry you got mugged and I, for one, am not claiming the guidebooks "lie." I just keep repeating that it's important to keep some perspective. Many people get killed in car accidents -- some very horrible -- every year, yet most people don't. Planes crash (I knew a woman who was on the Swissair flight that crashed a few years ago, killing everyone aboard) yet most planes don't. Perspective, that's all.

I was walking on a street in Barcelona, and a man approached me with a street map in his hand, asking for directions. The man was in his fifties, with white hair, and I did not perceive him as a threat, so I stopped to help him. At this point two younger men approached, and identified themselves as police; they had an official-looking card in a little leather case, but no badge. They advised me that the older man who first approached me was a known criminal, a seller of drugs and black-market currency. They asked me if the first man had sold me any drugs or currency. I answered no, that he had only asked directions. They asked to see my passport and my money. I complied; they examined my passport and money, returned both to me, and told me I was free to leave. During this interview, they generally treated the first man like a suspect, telling him to shut up, keep his hands in the open, etc. When I got back to the hotel and looked in my wallet, I was 15,000 pesetas short--they had apparently taken the bills without my knowledge. It was a scam, and the three men were accomplices. I think tourists to Barcelona should be warned about this very sophisticated and clever scam.

TO THE TOP FOR THE BARCELONA QUESTION ON SAFETY