Well a quick Google of Muggings in Barcelona yields pages and pages of the following: (I tried for cities like Paris and nearly none come up.) Anyone who denies the problem is apparently out of touch with the problem. I'm sure all the reports are exaggerations...

People to Avoid - Barcelona Warnings - VirtualTourist.com
Barcelona is a safe European city in terms of serious crime. However, muggings of tourists involving little or no physical contact are a problem. ...
http://www.virtualtourist.com/.../Ba...void-BR-1.html

Be Aware! - Barcelona Warnings - VirtualTourist.com
barcelona is a very safe city and it's very hard to get into any real trouble there. muggings are quite common but mostly happen in touristy areas so just ...
http://www.virtualtourist.com/.../Sp...ware-BR-3.html - 94k - Cached - Similar pages

Spain Fact Sheet - Travelers DigestMadrid and Barcelona, in particular, report incidents of muggings and violent attacks, and older tourists and Asian Americans seem to be particularly at ...
www.travelersdigest.com/spain_fact_sheet.htm - 31k - Cached - Similar pages

Fodor's Travel Guides | Forums Messages | What is going to ...Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, report incidents of muggings and .... That said, enough said - anyone who wants to google Barcelona Muggings can read ...
http://www.berkeleyguides.com/forums...43&start=0 - 136k - Cached - Similar pages

Barcelona Culture SurvivalBarcelona is one of the safest European cities in terms of serious crime. However, muggings of tourists involving little or no physical contact are a ...
geographyfieldwork.com/Culture.htm - 13k - Cached - Similar pages

Thwarting the PickpocketLas Ramblas in Barcelona: According to Commandant Miguel Lalom Clotet of the ... Mini-muggings occur in some areas, with Rolex watches being particularly ...
www.bobarno.com/bata.htm - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

Muggings - News - Times Topics - The New York TimesHarryette and Stanley Helsel letter on March 31 letter on muggings in Barcelona recalls instance in which rental car tire was punctured in parking lot of ...
topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/muggings/index.html?offset=20& - 56k - Cached - Similar pages

Barcelona Crime - New York TimesTo the Editor: In response to ''Barcelona Crime,'' (Letters on Travel, March 31), a reader's complaint about muggings in Barcelona, the director of the ...
query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9806E6DF1E3DF937A 25757C0A9649C8B63 - 52k - Cached - Similar pages

Barcelona: Mugged! - TelegraphPere Duran, general director of the Barcelona tourist board, said that muggings in the city were being "combated in a decisive way". ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ma...xml&page=2 - 44k - Cached - Similar pages

Barcelona holiday reviews, Spain travel reviews and truth reports ...Barcelona is a wonderfull city except for the muggings. Both I and my friends were robbed by african women. What was amazing was the same women were outside ...
http://www.myholidayreport.com/regio...pain/Barcelona

From your sites Barcelona Field Center:

Barcelona is one of the safest European cities in terms of serious crime.

The NY Times incident was from 1999.

I noted that there are pick pockets but there is little violent crime and some poster mentioned MURDER.

When I was there in May, I prepared. I had a neck pouch for my passport, which i did not wear everyday. And instead of carrying a wallet, I put my credit cards and license in a business card holder and kept in my front pocket.

Maybe becasue I am life long New Yorker and live on the Lower East Side that I understand city life. But, yes, there is petty crime, but just be careful.

<From your sites Barcelona Field Center:

Barcelona is one of the safest European cities in terms of serious crime.>

Do you work for Fox Noise? I see you edited the statement and left off <However, muggings of tourists involving little or no physical contact are a problem>

The full statement reads:

<Barcelona is a safe European city in terms of serious crime. However, muggings of tourists involving little or no physical contact are a problem>

"MUGGINGS ARE A PROBLEM" and you don't have to be physically mugged if the intimidation of being mugged causes the same"

Do i have it right? You spent a few days in Barcelona and can assure folks that muggings are not a problem?

islandmom,
I have posted almost the same question myself about three weeks ago and got very similar responses from some of the same people that you have.
I have returned from Barcelona only this afternoon and this is my experience. First I would like to say that all of the advice these users give you is very good, all valid points some based on personal experience some I think maybe not and I'm forever grateful for all of it. Listen to all the advice and act on it!!
We found Las Ramblas to be very busy (but not as busy as expected) and full of every sort of person (and yes that includes people that looked wasted) and every race and colour under the sun.
I was told to be on my guard, only take what you need, avoid Gypsy's and get a get a money belt, I did all of these things and to be honest I was a bit paranoid without good need I think.
My wife and I walked up and down Las Ramblas about a dozen times both day and night and we never had any problems, the vision of gangs of robbers roaming Barcelona simply did not exsist, don't misunderstand me I'm sure people get robbed but not on scale you think. We even saw one old lady about 70 with a walking stick in one hand and purse in the other and nobody and I mean nobody even gave her a second glance and we must have followed her for 10 mins, I probably looked more suspect watching her every move in case somthing happened!!!
We saw nothing more shocking than a few derro's sleeping of too much of somthing in the odd doorway, in fact the only time I felt threatend in any way was when three p**sed up English tourists walk passed us shouting and being English whilst we waited for a taxi. We never even saw a Gypsy, what we did see were children out (with parents) until late at night and loads of uniformed police.
The bottom line is this, do all the things like get a money belt and keep your guard up and don't get involved in the sea shells game, but don't let it spoil it for you because it really isn't that bad. Go and make sure you visit the gothic quater, it's superb.
I feel more uneasy walking around my home town of Manchester and that is the truth.
If you want more advice or experiences of mine then feel free to email me. [email protected]

PalenQ, you should have lived some years in Barcelona then...and that's why you "assure folks that muggings are a problem".

There are muggins in Barcelona ? yes
You have to be careful of your belongings ? yes
It is Barcelona a safe city ? yes

An independent observor will realize that muggings are a problem there - Google it yourself there are literally pages and pages and pages

not so for any other city, except Madrid

yes that my lovely sister-in-law was violently mugged early on a Sunday morning influences me to warn others and i've had reliable reports from many others with similar fates.

sorry but that's my take and i don't have to live there to realize that.

It's a crime itself that local authorities don't do something about it.

My objection to the original comment was her assuring folks that muggings were rare - well they may be for the average citizen but not for naive tourists it seems.

Read the threads i refer to on Fodor's and some locals who do live there concur in my assessment.

Are American cities more dangerous - yes a thousand times more and it's a national disgrace.

Just in Barcelona read the warnings and take precautions and you will have a nice trip in one of the world's finest finest cities.

But anyone who says it is not a problem i believe is not giving the true story.

I may be wrong but that's what my investigations tell me.

PalenQ
I'm sure there are pickpockets and such, but from what I've seen in the last two days it's nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be.

You are right. I have only been Barcelona three times once for a month and the other two for a week each.

I did not go through all your sites but I suspected that the incidents were spread out over a period of time. In May I was an apartment in El Raval. Your site Barcelona Field Study calls the El Raval Urban Regeneration.

I am not denying their is street crime I am only trying to minimize the anxiety of violent crime.

Yes, of course it is a problem. And of course every local will want to get rid of the problem...just the same as I suppose every local doesn't like such kind of things happen in his place. And of course..you can't be so naive to ignore it and go walking any city as if you were walking in the countryside.
But PalenQ, I think you really are putting things a bit out of context. I mean, there are millions of visitors in Barcelona (tourists and spaniards from other places ) and even if you find 20,000 articles on the net about it...it's still a little number.
Crime exists of course, but fortunately is not the usual thing that happens to you when you travel to Barcelona.

kenderina
Well said, and as for the powers that be not doing anything about it, from the amount of police I saw they are!!!

All these posts are surely putting islandmom off going to Barcelona full stop. If you travel to any city there is a risk of getting mugged. That is the state of the world right now. You just need to be aware and streetwise when travelling anywhere. Rome, Naples, London, Paris, New York - need I go on ... If we all research and worry before travelling we'd never go anywhere. Stop googling everything in life and just go with an open mind - you will love the city and the culture and especially the architecture. Less research and more spontaneity and you will be pleasantly surprised. Armed with all these negative responses you wouldn't want to leave your home for fear of muggings. Google your hometown and I'm sure "muggings" will have happened at some stage. Enjoy life and take a chance on a new destination.

Well..the powers try...I too think that they should go a step futher into this..because most of this problem has another roots (illegal inmigration, mafia groups which came from ex soviet countries...) and this can develop into a big problem which the least important part..would be a tourist losing his passport.

If the OP is put off from going to Barcelona by these posts that is unfortunate and there is little some of us can do except to voice our own ideas based on personal experience.

The OP said she was "reading about people getting nervous..."

Some people "get nervous" about any and everything.

I am sorry but I do NOt think the area around the opera house is "seedy" and as I said in my OP, the definition of seedy as well as what that really means can be highly variable.

There may be some people who actually think the area I live in with its multi-million dollar homes is "seedy" so after a while replies to posts which utilize highly variable definitions begin having lower and lower rates of return.

Since the OP has failed to respond, even to voice a "thank you" I'll leave the remainder to others and move on.

<This is just misleading. Violent crime is almost non-existent.>

this is all i was objecting to - i think indeed that statement is mid-leading

and i'd say yes to islandmom - go the chances are you will have a lovely time - but leave the expensive Rolex or jewels around the neck at home.

I understand the problem of overhyping the situation and as i said perhaps i'm still angered at my sweet tiny sister-in-law being dragged into a gutter and for about two minutes the attacker struggled to get her daypack off and she struggled to get it off too to give to him but could not.

Nearby shopkeepers stood by and did nothing - not even call 911 or whatever.

I admit that may cause me to over react but indeed there are many other similar cases and i've never heard of any in other cities.

In fairness my sis-law was attacked in Madrid but i think it's a similar situation.

I've said what i said and i'll leave it to you all to say there is no problem.

Oh, I don't have anything exciting to steal. I was more worried about exposing my kids to anything. It is a high-end hotel. I'm also looking at a resort location 40 miles out for a couple of days.

I have to agree with Palenque. To say that Barcelona is like "any other big city" is an understatement. Sorry, but its is. I was in Barcelona last year. I wasn't mugged but in the space of a couple of hours, I talked with 2 different persons that had been! Statistically, what are the chances of that???

Has PalenQ been to Barcelona?

This post is dividing nicely into people who are savvy, well-travelled and open minded, as well as being realistic about big cities anywhere (chances of being mugged remote but keep your wits about you) and those that have persuaded themselves it's a bad place and nothing anyone can say will budge them from their pre-conceived prejudice.

The bottom line, of course, is that it's too dangerous for you then don't go. Stay at home amidst the daily shootings.

So you have read the postings and taken everything in to account. As people have said it can be a bit iffy, and a lot of big tourists cities have iffy bits. It does not look like you will be wandering around late at night when the bars kick out, as you have 2 little ones with you. ( before someone says pick pockets operate any time of the day I am referring to the ladies of the night looking for punters).
To quote islandmom " I was more worried about exposing my kids to anything. It is a high-end hotel." As long as you do not mind maybe having a room over a very busy place and have no problem sleeping throught it then you should be fine.

hi ya,
myself and my gilfriend went to barcalona in september last year, on speaking to the locals we were adviced that violent crime was nearly none existent, however we were advised to watch are belongings as that was supposed to be the most common crime.
not at any point did either of us feel intimidated, even at night. we were advised that there is a "china town" area and this was worth a miss!!
to be honest i think it was no worse than anywere else i have been, you just simply need to remember to pack your brain, things like dont leave your camera on the table when eating, and keep your bag safe.
the actual Ramblas was fantastic, packed with street artists and flower sellers, also packed with places to eat. it is a really busy place and never seems to go to sleep.
hope this helps and you enjoy your holiday.

LL

tt