tskobo

Sheryl, Granada too is a safe and beautiful city. There are, of course the usual scams that exist everywhere. The question is this: "will you let your paranoia dictate how you live your life?" Only you can answer that one.

lauralamb

I would have thought that gringos and Europeans would have been more at risk of attack in Spain, simply because there are more of them on vacation there.

artlover

I would encourage you to go. Spain is WONDERFUL!

lincasanova

do not CANCEL any trip anywhere over stories of pickpockets and thieves.
I have lived here for 35 years in spain and never been robbed on street but have shared many stories of friends and students and travellers i know of first hand who have been totally robbed, and it created a very difficult situation for them here.
fortunately they had friends to help them out.

forget about the gypsies.. you can see them coming.
the PROFESSIONAL thieves can be business looking, with brief cases.. in hotel lobbies, waiting for you to check in and get distracted and walk off with anything you have put on floor or that you are not watching.
they are so clever the hotel staff do not even know they are thieves, and many times they have actually been a guest in bar or restaurant earlier.(first hand story for one of my clients). took us hours to redo all thi?ose tickets , etc.

students.. sitting in barcelona sants station.. her knapsack was stolen from at her feet(this happened to student last week visiting me). there were three of them "guarding their own luggage" no one knows when or how this happened.

money and camera stolen out of knapsack on BACK ..while walking near cathedral or looking at postcards?? another "experienced traveller student" visiting us a few months ago.

Madrid..friend of friends robbed on metro from airport to city center. crowded.. and one man kept trying to push past bumping, etc. when friend goes to check pocket.. wallet gone.

need i go on?

usually no violence, but can cause for a very upsetting vacation.

so, be careful: no purses on ground or chair while eating out.. careful in lines, and on transport.
dont carry your life with you.
and spread your money around on your body.

and look like you know where you are going.

you will most likely always look like a tourist, but at least you can have a mission and keep moving forward.( my spanish friends ahve also been robbed, so.. it goes to say it is just happening when everything coincides in the theives' favor)

and never leave anything visible in a car.even jackets. and do not FILL THE TRUNK when you arrive at beach or public place where someone could see you do that.

i have not exaggerated any of my stories and have even told the most gruesome ones, as they are not that common.
but there is defintely a higher percentage of robberies here, and no fear of being put in jail since our judicial system is SLOW and does not punish non-aggressive robberies under thousands of dollars.
so.. this explains it all.

. the judicial system has a lot to blame for a lot of our problems. that is why the police are usually not called, because the thieves go in one door and out the other..literally.
(also know this first hand.)

i, personaly, feel safe here.. and do travel alone at times out of necessity, so.. using extreme common sense and being aware of who is around you, you should have no problem, but it is hard to acquire these skills overnight when you are trying to have a good time. but it will become second nature after awhile.

have a safe trip.

brando

Through a month of travels in spain only had one occasion of a near incident. It was in madrid on a busy street corner and my wife and i had become too comfortable. My wife had our camera in a purse/backback- i turned away and when i looked back i saw a women taking the camera out of the pack, i grabed it from her and she ran off. Moral of the story is- be smart and you'll be incredibly safe- I felt more safe in spain then I do in metro america. enjoy spain and its sangria.

NEDSIRELAND

I am a native New Yorker: I was never 'hit on' in NYC because I don't have the characteristics of a 'mark.' But I did learn that being 'street wise' in NYC doesn't count for much in Spain.

Once, in Barcelona, a pair of gypsies tried to hit on me as we were exiting the Metro at Maria Cristina (where there's a big Corte Ingles Department Store). One bumped me on my left side: I instinctively swung a roundhouse open handed right and caught the 'dip' on the throat. As I did this I called to my son who was walking about 10m ahead. The would be pickpockets beat a hasty retreat.

I have also witnessed some thefts on MetroMadrid. The snatch & grab thieves always seem to work in teams of 2 or 3: one to distract the people by doing something gross or distasteful, the other(s) to steal jewelry or cameras or purses and get out the door of a subway carriage just as it closes.

The worst I ever saw was in Santiago de Compostela: an Italian man had his wallet and passport stolen during the Pilgrims' Mass inside the Basilica on the eve of the Apostle's Feast Day. That same day, at an open air concert a young man with a toddler tried for the cargo pocket on my hiking shorts: I swung a fairly heave camera bag and hit him in the head. I apologized, asking if I had hurt him, of course. The Tuna Universitaria group that was doing the concert was encouraging people to raise their hands and clap along with the music. That leaves one kinda vulnerable

I have heard/read about an increase in violent crime in Madrid, mostly attributable to Moroccans and Algerians who come up thru Spain to France & Germany as migrant farm laborers and who stay on as illegals.

lincasanova

.. and south americans, rumanians, ukrainians, and the delinquent spaniards as well.. we have it all now.. from all over the world.. and since the judicial system is so benevolent here, they are flocking.
dont know how or when this will decrease, but it is just something we need to learn to live with in the meantime by being very very careful and aware of anyone around you..

they even steal mobile phones off cafe tables or pull it out of your hand walking down the street.
i repeat, none of these things has happened to me YET... but all my examples are friends, family or friends of friends.

also.. keep your doors locked and windows mostly up.. in car in city.. they will come at stoplight from behind or on motorcycle, open door and take your purse, bag or jacket off back seat, or floor in front.
(i know THREE people this has happened to).

easy to protect yourself, so do it.

passantd

I really appreciate all the replies. This information is extremely useful and I hope that it stays fresh in my mind while I am seeing this amazing country.

I have also lived in NYC my entire life and have seen plenty of crime but luckily never been part of it.

It really amazes me that the judicial system does not do anything to attempt to slow down these chronic problems.

I cannot imagine Spain being any different than Rome or Paris. I just hope I am not over taken by the beauty of spain and forget that not everyone is as nice as they seem.

As for Sheryl and being paranoid, no you are not being paranoid. The gitanos are there and they are slick! I would not let this stop me from going to a country. If they had said they were kidnapping tourist and killing them then I would not go but for the most park pick pockets can be avoided. You must make sure to be aware of your surroundings at ALL times - even at church.

1. When in crowded hold your pants pockets that contain valuables.

2. If you have a shoulder bag, put it around your body and keep the zipper towards the front or just don't carry a bag. If things are less visible you are less of a target.

3. Do not put your bags down on the floor and if you must stop make sure not to let people get behind you and always keep your hands on your bag.

4. Do not wear flashy gold or diamonds. That is asking to be followed, robbed, etc.

5. do not play the shell game or three card monty.

6. If you take a taxi, cab, etc make sure you have the price before hand and if possible get it written on paper. You do not want them to change the price on you. I hear this is a big big scam too.

7. Try not to take your wallet out while walking. There is a good chance someone will try to snatch it from your hand.

8. It is a good idea to have information about credit cards so you can call and cancel a card if it is stolen. You may also want to leave an extra card in the safe in the hotel -- just in case.

From what I have read it appears there is a ton of crime and you must keep on your toes at all time. You do not know who the thiefs are but they are there. It could be an old lady, a guy in a suit or someone pretending to be a tourist travelling with their daughter, neice, etc and trying to tell you a sob story about how they were robbed.

passantd

oh...and have a photo copy of your passport and keep it hidden in place other than the place you keep your passport.

Also make sure to lock up plane and train tickets too.

Put a lock on your luggage and keep it locked at all times.

Do not leave anything out...people will steal them -- shoes, flip flops, keys, shirts, bathing suits, etc, etc. I had a maid in Mexico steal my flip flops...luckily they were not my good pair. I learned my lesson there.

PaulH

The most unusual theft I saw occurred last year in Madris. We were eating at a sidewalk restaurant. The diners at the next table were trying to comfort their friend who had his wallet stolen earlier that day. A woman walking down the sidewalk leaned over, picked up the piece of fish off his plate, and continued down the sidewalk, eating it. nothing is safe in Madrid!

lincasanova

it is also good idea to scan a copy of your passport and send it to your own email account you will be accessing while abroad. this facilitates the quick temp. replacement the embassy can give you.

one more tip.. not about safety, but my niece's credit card stopped working on her second or third purchase after landing in spain.

luckily she was staying with us and we could lend her money.
after numerous calls to her savings and loan, to recorded messages, and to no avail by email, her parents called the bank in US for her to find out what was going on .. they gave them another number for her to call to inform her that since she had not told them she was going AWAY, they were being protective of a possible stolen card..so they froze her visa account.

nice, huh?

now i ask.. if she had been on her own.. in a foreign country with no aunt to help her, not a word of spanish, first trip overseas,.. couldn't this just about given her a nervous breakdown and put her actually in danger?

i never thought to warn my bank i was going away...it certainly could have created the nightmare overseas for someone with no other resources.

artlover

This is very good advise. We always tell our bank we're going away...we've been the victum of credit card fraud twice and it's a pain, so we make sure they know when we are out of the country.

wandrlst

I recently spent two weeks in Spain, one of which was in Madrid. I did not experience any bad luck, which might be from my "training" having grown up in New York City and knowing the importance of being and, most importantly, looking aware. However, an associate had her purse stolen as she sat having coffee at the Starbucks Cafe. Just because it sounds safe and look just like the Starbucks at home, caution should still be expected. She had put the purse on the floor by her feet. It would be smart to wear a purse that has a strap long enough so it can drape from the opposite shoulder. This way it won't be forgetten when enjoying the sights or people watching. Always have your hand on it and don't be afraid to look around at the people near you. Though it's too bad about the thefts, it was nice to see a hotel doorman who was stationed next to an outdoor cafe where I sat having a cold cerveza (beer) go up to a couple sitting at the next table and kindly warning the woman to place her purse in her lap - she had put it on the empty chair next to her and was not watching it. Since I had secured my purse diagonally, it was already on my lap when I sat down. For other bags, place the strap around your leg or put your foot or arm on it if you decide to sit down for a break. Other than that story, which can happen at home, too, I felt very safe.

brando

Get a money belt, problem solved

m_kingdom2

I was in Barcelona and Bilbao, as I'm sure you are aware, and carried on as I do in London, no more precautions. Stop being so neurotic.

rosexmke

My 75 year old mother and 80 year old friend just returned from a 7 day drive around spain, barcelona to the south, up through toledo and back. The are cautious, money belt etc. expeirenced NO problems anywhere. They had no reservations either just slept where they landed so its not like they were only on the beaten path. good luck.

m_kingdom2

That should be an inspiration to us all, 70 plus-year-olds travelling through Spain on their own, free spirits, no problems!

passantd

That is great! Then again most of the gitano's are old ladies so they most likely fit right in.

zippo

passantd - your advice about the shell game etc should not be to avoid playing it - the point is to create a crowd all staring at something (hey look at the stupid tourist playing the shell game) so pickpockets can work the crowd from the back.The person "playing" the game is one of the gang, and will often wave large denomination bills to keep the crowd's attention.
If you see this going on, keep well away.
Enjoy Spain!But take care in Barcelona.

passantd

I usually stay clear of things that look fishy and I never trust large groups/crowds. It is way to easy to grab your stuff and take off without a trace. I actually mentally know this but did not write it in the post.

Thanks for the advice and I will definitely take care in Barcelona.

One important tip that I think most people forgot...don't wear things that make you stand out as an american like the 5 dollar Old Navy American flag t-shirt and you also may want to avoid wearing baseball hats with american sports teams on them. I would avoid it!