My short answer: NO. It's not "That Bad" - depending on your definition of "that bad". You'll always read/hear stories of crimes in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and throughout Spain. Petty crimes like pickpockets and purse snatchers (usually when it's on the floor or hung over the back of your chair) probably account for 99.5% of the "crime" in Madrid and Barcelona. These are crimes which usually take place without your knowledge.

If you're there in December - assuming it's not over the Christmas holiday - most of the petty theives have probably gone south on "vacation" to the Costa del Sol where the distracted tourists are.

In all my visits to Spain (and now that I'm living here) in the last 11 years I have never seen nor been victim of any kind of crime - petty or otherwise. But I have heard plenty of stories. Why is this? Because the vast majority don't write about how SAFE is Spain - they don't bother because they didn't have any problems. You only read from those who've been victims of crime in Spain. For the victims, it's a sad shame this happened to you. Really, I feel for you. It's upsetting, inconvenient, and makes you/me angry. Fortunately, these crimes happen to a small minority of unfortunates/unluckys.

You'll be fine. Enjoy Spain!

Saludos, MadridMan
--
Madrid, Spain, & MORE!

ttt due to kraav's recent Barcelona experience.

crime is as bad here as any other major city, in fact , according to statistic, tthe crime rate is higher in valencia y baleares. not mention seville is notorious en certain areas.l i have lived in madrid for 6 years and nothing has happened to me. lived in granada for 3 years and was mugged twice. i've heard lost of stories of muggings often with violence (friends of mine mugged at knifepoint) but those people admit it was their "fault" for not being aware of their surroundings ( eg, they were obviously drunk walking in a dodgy street). the newspapers make a lot of fuss about street crime. according to statistics scotland is the most violent place n europe, and no, i have never seen anyone run to help anyone else out of trouble there, so, cato, stop knocking the spanish.

My answer to all this is -- leave Spain and come to Greece. Lowest crime rate in Europe; as a Greek-Americn author explained 'petty theft is not part of the greek culture.' Of course, in busy parts of Athens (also the parts most inhabited by illegal Albanian immigrants)caution with handbags/wallets is wise.
But elsewhere, and in the islands, the simple honesty is refreshing. People run down the street to give you the item you didn't know you'd dropped.

I would have never picked Madrid/Barcelona if I had known about high crime rates. This post is really scaring me and makes me want to cancel my whole trip.
I've been to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I had a necklace, given to my mom at the age of 8 (very unnoticeable but very precious) yanked away by a young group of boys who threatened to shoot us. After that I vowed never to take a trip where I will always have to be afraid 24/7... I just want to relax and have fun. =(

This post has gone too far..I'm Spanish, I live in Spain my whole life, and yes , I was pickpocketed once but I noticed it hours later. I know that is more uncomfortable when you are abroad but we have in Spain more than 40 million visitors each year..really, even it is bad and I would like it never happen anymore, it's not as bad. This is not crime central. And leaving to visit any country just because 20 persons in a forum write about petty crime.. I wouldn't do it, really. You lose too much.

do not even think of cancelling/fretting obsessively over a trip over this post. take it as good advice, no matter where you travel to. my husband and i suffered a hair-raising situation in brussels train station, so, it can happen anywhere.

i have lived in spain for more than three decades, but i do take care of my belongings. however, even repeatedly trying to instill this attitude in some of my guests/clients/students, several of them have been targetted and robbed.

if where you come from you can leave a jacket on the seat of a car, and you can leave a purse on a chair while you are eating and not be worried, you need to change your attitude and follow suggestions given here.

it is just a different way of protecting yourself. do as suggested and enjoy your trip. just don't let your stuff get out of sight and you will be fine.

and remember something i posted on this thread earlier.. these people are professional and wake up with a mission everyday.
make it hard for them.

and in answer to someone's wondering "if the locals don't care"..of course they care!

hopefully the laws will be stiffened soon.

I have no regrets about going to Spain and would go again. And all I can offer is my own anecdotal experience. But after four previous trips to Europe, including traveling alone in Italy, the first time I was robbed was in Barcelona. A thief on a moped snatched my purse from my hand--he rode onto the sidewalk to do it.

So very many people warned me about pickpocketing in Spain; a friend of mine who lived in Barcelona for 30-plus years couldn't warn me enough. It's a definite problem there. You just have to be extremely, extremely vigilant!

I just returned from spending 4 days in Barcelona. Since I did not want to accompany my husband on a business trip to Vienna, I decided to travel alone to Barcelona and Paris for a week. I also travelled 4 days alone in New York City where I am very comfortable since I lived there 15 years.

I felt perfectly safe in Barcelona; in fact, I asked 2 professional women why I had heard so much about crime. They both said the problem was not as bad as it had been in the past, but they both emphasized against carrying around a lot of cash and to keep any type of purse close to you, not hanging on a loose strap.

I walked all over the city and never once felt threatened. In the evenings I walked in the Example district and part of La Rambla closest to Placa Catalunya (when asking for directions, distinguish between La Rambla vs. Rambla de Catalunya).

I am wondering if the reason why I never felt threatened is that Barcelona is not crowded at this time of year, so the pickpockets are not such a problem?

I put my wallet in a snug front pants pocket or in a little Tous pack with an inch wide strap that hangs just in front of my chest. I decided to buy this at the department store (el corte ingles) where the Aeroport bus drops passengers. Incidentally, the Aeroport bus is perfect! I didn't even need exact change--now 3.75 euros.

Enjoy your trip!

Laclaire has wonderful advice.

Living in Paris has toughened me up but the boldness of the common thieves in Barcelona was amazing!

Two days ago we were returning on the metro from dinner Agut to our hotel on Gran via (2 stops only but I had -- and still have -- bad blisters) when a group of 3 tried to pick my DH's back pocket on the escalator. One man ahead of DH and 2 behind him and then me. My DH's escape was blocked and luckily he felt someone touching his bottom and turned around and stepped down a step; the man doing the touching asked if I wanted to go ahead of him ...
I refused even though he kept insisting. We stopped at the landing and placed our backs to the wall to observe them; they turned around and headed back into the subway...

It appears that being a little alert to what's happening around you is a key anywhere. It seemed to work for me when I was in Barcelona a month ago.BS

My husband and I very much enjoyed our 2 1/2 weeks in Barcelona in September 2004. I had also read that there was pickpocketing, so we made sure we wore moneybelts under our clothes, with our credit cards in there, too. We also made copies of our passports to carry with us.
We are in our sixties, prime targets they say, but were careful, and had no bad experiences, or even close calls. We rented a flat in El Born, near the Picasso Museum. This area, and the other parts of the old cities which we enjoyed exploring, has many old winding streets and alleys. We were cautious when we felt any "bad vibes" and, as others advised, turned around.
Barcelona is a brilliant, vibrant place. I hope you get beyond the concern about crime so you can relax and ehjoy your visit.
I'll also add that we were in town for the huge festival of La Merce, which we enjoyed so much we're returning for it in 2007. We were packed in crowds for the nightime running of the devils and dragons, I was snapping away with my digital camera, like many others, and had a great time, marching with the young drummers along Via Laietana.
All cities have crime. Just be smart and cautious, and don't let worry spoil your visit to an amazing artful place, with great people.

Last street crime I ever witnessed was on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, in the good old USA. I observed a young local boy lift a Japanese tourist's fanny pack from where it lay on the ground, next to a towel. The tourist in question was swimming.

The moral of the story is...a little common sense goes a long way. Of what on earth was the man thinking, to just leave his valuables laying on a public beach? Perhaps it's a cultural thing...Japanese society has the reputation of being almost crime free, so perhaps the man's misfortune was a failure to consider local conditions. See that YOU take those into account.

Amusing sidebar. When talking to the cops who were taking statements, one of Honolulu's finest commented to the other:

"Hey, we can treat this as a 'crime against tourist!"

Me: "You mean that you prosecute crimes against tourists more vigorously that crimes against locals?"

"Sure do."

"In that case I'd like to talk to you about the place that's charging me $12 per night to park eight blocks from my hotel".

ttt for the Barcelona pickpocketing question

Watch out for Rome--
I went to Rome with a group of puertoricans, so we didn't stick out too much in comparison to blondes or asians...we didn't look too touristy.
One girl got her wallet filled with money and medical information stolen and another boy had his rolex taken right off his wrist!
watch out...
I was fine because i always hugged by bag to my side under my arm and held it tight in crowds.

i wound up not cancelling my trip to spain but was almost approached twice in barcelona! i was extra cautious because of this forum so i wound up avoiding both situation.

when i was walking along the sidewalk, i notice two men walking towards us from a far. then i see them hiding behind a huge columnade. they were waiting for us to come around so they can attack us. but i had noticed them earlier so i made my friend crossed the street with me.
another instance, i was in the subway and notice two young men looking at me. i was in the crowded platform but they kept approaching me. we made eye contact for several seconds and then i realized that something might happen to me so i started walking swiftly to the other side of the platform. luckily, the train has just come so i jumped into the car furthest away from them as possible.
i was quite shaken up from both encounters that i wound up taking cabs all over barcelona and stopped going out after dinner time.
besides rio, i feel like barcelona is the most unsafest european city i've been to.

We parked at a city park and spent the day in Cordoba. When we returned to our car, some Gypsies tried to shake us down for parking fees. I asked them in Spanish to show me the signs displaying a fee, and said I would call the police! They cursed me but could not point to any fee sign. We peeled off and I called out to them that they were thieves, and to be careful, as some Americans speak Spanish! I yelled, "Verguenza!" (Shame on you!) looked like deer in the headlights, haha!

I spent a month in Madrid in January, 2001, and once or twice had very minor problems with people I assume were gypsies. However, I never felt at all threatened, despite walking all over the city center every day for a month.

When I was recognized as a tourist, I believe it was because I was carrying a cloth bag from Elliot Bay Book Store in Seattle. I have learned not to wear anything with English writing on it, so I reluctantly have exchanged that bag for one that has a pattern but no words.

I live in a city (Spokane) which doesn't have a great deal of street crime, so I don't have those big-city smarts people mention. I'm just generally paranoid when I am in a country which has a reputation for crimes that prey on tourists.