I've been to Barcelona a couple of times and never had any problems. But then, it would never occur to me to put my wallet anywhere so stupidly conspicuous as in my back pocket, or to leave a bag or camera lying around loose where someone could pick it up (or mistake it for a bomb), or to assume that a group of strangers approaching me to offer a gold ring or "larking about" with a can of shaving foam simply wanted to be my best friends. Streetwise is streetwise in any city.

The only time I have ever had my pocket picked was on the Barcelona Metro and with the greatest of respect for Patrick I was not "stupid" in terms of where my valuables were kept.

Unlike some posters on the internet, the pickpockets are actually pretty clever and quite good at what they do; of course they do it for a living.

I would never ever tell anyone that Barcelona is either full of thieves or unsafe. I still advise people to at least visit places such as Las Ramblas since to think it isn't as much a part of the city as anywhere else seems a little parochial. You just have to be careful.

We won't even begin to talk about the thieves in the nited States much less in the British Empire since it would be embarrassing to so many of the traveling self-righteous.

Just wear a fanny pack. You won't get robbed and everyone smiles at you.

If say fanny to an Englishman they will think of a different part of the body then perhaps where you mean!

Omg. I meant lower back pack.

A good friend of ours was robbed at the Kentucky derby. He had cash and his license in his front pocket. Not a large wad of anything. I actually saw the thief reach in and take it without the man even knowing it. I grabbed the thief's hand, but then looked at him and wasn't sure all of a sudden. I think I was shocked. I let him go and turned to my friend in the crowd. Sure enough, the money was gone along with his license.
The cops said it was a good thing I let go because some of the petty thieves carry knives. The crowd was very thick.

Moral of that story, it is easy to be robbed without knowing it even taking precautions like carrying your money in the front pocket. I think we should all be aware of our surroundings whether traveling or like this gentleman was in his own hometown!
I have heard about lots of crime in Barcelona in general. Our good friends were robbed twice while visiting. One was actually punched by the robber and then mugged. (He was out getting coffee early in the morning, around 6:30am). The other was stupid and was pulling out large wads of cash at a tourist site. It is no wonder the cash was gone before he realized it.

I think the metros in europe are the most common places for crimes because you can be packed in and if you are obviously a tourist, targeted easily.

Barcelona may not be full of thieves but it does remain, along with Madrid, Europe's street crime capital according to many reports and sources - like the friends who go to Spain a lot and emailed the author a warming to that effect.

Pickpockets are common in many European towns but violent muggings are rare but not so in Madrid - there have been many many threads on Fodor's along where folks say they were mugged or pickpocketed in Barcelona.

I find the OP's thoughts that Barcelona poses no unusual problems to be very bad misinformation - rather one should highlight the dangers awaiting and then, like the newspaper article's author, will take precautions and recognize the problem - knowledge of the problem is the number one way to avoid it.

To be naively told there is no real problem there may cause a traveler to let their defenses down and in Barcelona that could have dire consequences.

And after re-reading the article quickly I do not find where the author debunks that idea of Barcelona have a lot of pickpockets - maybe I missed that and OP can point it out.

Just because one person on one trip has no problems should not be portrayed as saying there is no problem and that is the problem I have with posts like this - just misinformation masking over what remains by most accounts a very serious problem.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/mugged-in-barcelona-trip-cut-short.cfm

http://budgettraveller.org/robbed-in-barcelona-what-i-did-tips-to-beat-the-pickpockets/

this one offers tips to avoid being victimized.

https://www.facebook.com/RobbedInBarcelona?ref=stream

dozens and dozens of stories...

Add me to the list that was robbed on the Barcelona metro. The next day we went back to the same station and within 15 minutes we could see a group of these professionals "at work". They would stand at the end of the platform, identify a target, block the door, snatch and go. So while I don't think you need to be afraid, you should take precautions. Carry as little cash as you can afford to lose / will need for the outing and no more than one credit card. In my case the thieves removed my cash and threw away the rest, including credit card (thank you Lord!) in a nearby trash container.

cold,
if one wears a funny pack, people will not only smile at you - they might laugh out loud.

Yes, Barcelona IS full of thieves - statistics are undeniable. Doesn't mean you shouldn't go there, though. Just be really, really careful.

Barcelona is a wonderful city. I'd go again at the drop of the hat--in fact, I undoubtedly will go again.

I've been there four times, and one of those times, my sister's purse was stolen while we were having dinner in La Boqueria. (That was the only time in our travels that my sister had ever given me her debit card and passport to put in my money belt. She lost a camera in that purse, but it could have been a disaster.)

Another time, a woman attempted to steal my purse on the train to Montserrat. I'm not as dumb as I apparently look because I realized what was happening and moved my purse. I may look like I'm out of it, but I had placed my purse between my leg and the train wall, so I was aware of it at all times.

Little did the thief know that I keep money and credit cards in a money belt under my clothes.

Twice (once in Sevilla and once in Málaga)(I have been warned by nice women that I should take better care of my purse. I had my wallet zipped in a pocket in the purse, and besides, I don't keep much in there anyway. It's all in the good old money belt.

Danon - I doubt they are laughing as I put a lot of thought into matching my f_n_y pack with my shorts, t-shirts and baseball caps.

Number of of us who have been visiting Barcelona, Madrid and other Spanish destinations at least once a year( for number of years) do not see Barcelona as a place " full of thieves" , but rather as a glorious city of
several million people in which a reasonably careful traveler has little to worry about.

cold,
it is obvious you have a sense of style rarely displayed by other North Americans.
I' ll consider the " matching" on my next trip to Paris .

As a frequent visitor to Barcelona we've been spared any problems, but have witnessed one would-be thief punched out in the Metro. That's the place to be most careful; move away from the doors if possible, mind your wallet and pocketbook etc.

I agree with Danon that no matter how stylish your fanny pack, you'll instantly be seen as a tourist. I keep valuables in a "man purse" that I bought at Adolfo Dominguez on Passeig de Gracia. On the Metro or elsewhere thieves might prowl I swing it to the front of my body.

I was pickpocketed once - on the Paris Metro. But the thief's timing wasn't good and he didn't make it off the train, so when I approached him he meekly returned my wallet. It was dumb on my part, as he distracted me with a question while he pointed to the subway map above the door as I entered.

In either city, or any city, normal precautions and common sense go a long way.

Have been to Barcelona twice, just got back, and have never had a problem. I am careful and I am watchful of my surroundings, however I didn't see anyone having problems in the time that I was there. Of course, that's not to say that it doesn't go on.

PalenQ you have got my posting all to cock. You have put words in my mouth or on this forum I never have said.
I only posted the link as information. I never agreed or disagreed with its sentiments. You do not know my personal experience of the City either.
But thank you for your input on this subject. It got me thinking that maybe you should register and write your feelings directly in the comments to this article and to the person who wrote this article.

What a beautiful article. Thanks for sharing!

Very nice article. Things HAVE improved in Barcelona, I believe. They have really been making an effort to prevent this petty crime that is/was so rampant.

It did not help me from getting my (not expensive, older) snapshot digital camera picked this September.
In a fully brain-dead moment I had it placed next to me (and to make it even more comfortable for the thief, almost behind me) when taking a rest at the old harbour.
Funny enough, that was not a spot with many people around. But a few minutes later, the camera was gone.
I would not have been as stupidly careless in my hometown with my belongings, but I guess from time to time we need to be reminded that the world is not La-La-Land just because we decide to go on vacation.
Anyway, if that "incident" had ruined my vacation, I should probably stay at home for the rest of life..
but can't wait to get back to BCN in spring.

Fanny pack or not, I can be picked out as an american tourist from a mile away. Some people just don't look european and that is me! I look very american I guess so I try to be extra careful about not carrying too much of anything of value when sightseeing or on public transit.

I think even the most savvy traveler can be a victim anywhere. That would not deter me from visiting Barcelona though. Now if there is a lot of violence due to war or government unrest, then, I check that country off the list for a while...

Very nice article. Things HAVE improved in Barcelona, I believe. They have really been making an effort to prevent this petty crime that is/was so rampant.>

Well that is good news and about time - wonder why it took so long and hopefully things will stay better - Barcelona is such a wonderful wonderful city in every other way - let's hope local officials are finally tackling what has been an embarrassing IMO lapse of duty.

I will keep tuned to developments and will change my future comments if so.

Thanks for your insider input on that.

Lots of good information here, and I am happy to see that Spanish officials are beginning to take the problem seriously. My own two cents is that after living in Spain or Portugal for a total of 6 years off and on over the past four decades, and going to both countries every year for 8-9 weeks, I finally had to realize that it was time to give up on the idea that I would ever be able to acquire the inner alert system that most Spaniards and Portuguese have when it comes to pickpockets.

No matter how hard I try I inevitably lapse into carelessness or unawareness, and I have had a couple of close calls along with one or two successful pickpocket "hits" on family members while in Madrid, Barcelona, or Lisbon.

So my solution has been to find a Plan B, which has served me well. My unbending rule is that when I'm in a big city on the Iberian peninsula, I never carry anything in a purse whose loss would ruin my vacation. All the important stuff is either left at hotel/apt. or under my clothes in a pouch. I carry only a xerox copy of my passport. This is dorky perhaps, it is inconvenient perhaps, but it relieves me of having to worry about the onsequences of my inevitable carelessness. All it means is that when it's time to pay for something, I have to duck into a restroom to retrieve what I need.

I know there are many frequent travelers who have developed those antennae that keep you alert at all times, but no matter how hard I try, I can't. So my solution has meant I don't have to worry and it takes a lot of unnecessary anxiety out of the trip.

PalenQ.. I assume more police and undercover officers have been put into place. Store keepers and market stall owners have been complaining for YEARs, not only about the thievery but also the sexual acts taking place just outside their areas almost in broad daylight. It is all well known.. but unfortunately the judicial system does not have the capability of dealing with this very quickly or efficiently. What is considered "crime for jail sentence" here is none of what tourists or shopkeepers suffer apparently.
It is quite disturbing.

Hopefully that will change one day.

If you are in any doubt, just stand on the Ramblas and watch the scams go on in front of your eyes. The police could do this, but they ignore it.

"The Ramblas" are one full kilometer full of tourists floating up and down. How many cops would you need to seriously survey that many people on such a long stretch of street?
I'd say that Barcelona already has a massive amount of city cops and mossos all over town at the tourist hotspots.

At the end of the day, taking care of tourists is ONE but probably not THE most important job of law enforcement. They also have other (and more important) jobs to do than to cover my butt so I won't lose a camera or €50 in cash.

After all, when it comes to serious crime, Barcelona is so safe that I never had an awkward moment roaming the city by metro or on foot at 2 or 4 in the morning, have met far less drunk weirdos as in Munich, and much less obscure elements as in Brussels..

Last Oct. I stayed near Ramblas and noticed a lot more police presence than earlier years
Same in and around. the Metro.
As Cowboy said, don't expect to be " protected" at all times wherever
you
travel or, for that matter, live.

When I was in Soain, the TV news had a segment on how Barcelona's crime rate was rising. Not especially for tourists but drugs, prostitution, etc. I wouldn't NOT visit but be very aware of your surroundings.

It seems to me that what this article is about is the paranoia the writer had before she went and the actual experience she had. I think it is what a lot of people experience - I know that the first time I was planning a trip to Spain, I had many of the same thoughts from all the tales on the internet. Once I got there I soon realized there were not roving gangs of thugs all over Madrid and Barcelona. It's a personal story of how she worried too much and needlessly. On my first trip I did run into a woman I had read about on the internet (in Sevilla) which was kind of amusing... nothing like "I read about you on the internet" to get rid of a scammer, and fast. But she was an English lady trying to get money with some tale of woe and not a shady pickpocket.

And it is not only tourists that are targeted - locals can be targeted too. I bet that there are plenty of locals that get their wallets lifted at La Boqueria in Barcelona, or at the big Sunday flea market in Madrid.

I've just posted the first installment (yeah, I get wordy!) of a trip report about our November 2012 trip to Spain that included some time in Barcelona. We were not pickpocketed, BUT we had decided ahead of time to not use the Metro or bus system. We opted to have the extra expense of taxis which worked great for us. We were accosted a bit by a beggar who kept poking my husband with his cane (the beggar's, not DH's!) as we waited in line at Sagrada Familia, but that was just annoying. We wore our important stuff and almost all cash in under-clothing Jack Wolfskin pouches, but we had DSLR's around our necks and backpacks on our backs (with snacks and extra clothing mostly)--so obviously tourists. But no big issues. All this to say that for us, our vigilence and pre-trip decisions worked to help insure a safe trip this time. See my Trip Report if you are interested in more details.

We've been to barcelona many times in the last few years and only had a couple of problems. On our last trip in September, my wife went to the toilet in the baggage hall and put her handbag (purse) on the floor. A hand came under the dividing wall looking for the strap but managed to find the strap on her shoes. We reported it, but the Police in Barcelona are less than interested.

The only other time was a few years ago on an escalator in the metro. There were a couple of thieves, one in front and one behind (as it turned out). The one in front pretended to stumble as he got off and the one behind went for a bag as we were bumping into each other. We saw him and he lost out.

So ladies tiake care, watch out on the escalators and be ultra careful round ATM's.

I find it pleasing that a lot of you have read the article rather, than just post a gut reaction to the title.
for those women that but Purses(handbags) on the floor. Did you know here in Spain that is considered to be a way that it is bad luck, because the money can run out of it.

A hand under the dividing wall when going to the toilet would really freak me out. Is nowhere safe!!!??

We went to Barcelona and wore jackets - it was December. Although there were days in the 50s there were also afternoons where it hit 80! Go at a "cool" temps time and carrying your wallet underneath your jacket will be helpful. My husband does that. I carry a shoulder bag/pocketbook and hold it close to my body. But I may be just more aware - I am from NYC.

A hand under the dividing wall when going to the toilet would really freak me out. Is nowhere safe!!!??>>

micheline - that's an old, old trick. I remember hearing about it 30-40 years ago. wherever I am, i automatically look to see if there is a gap under the wall before I put my handbag on the floor. anyway, it's more hygienic to hang it up!

as is our wont, we found some pretty dodgy places in Barcelona, [we don't do it deliberately, it just seems to happen] but nothing happened except on the metro, when some girls tried to dip DH's wallet. He caught them at it and they moved away.

The only other time was a few years ago on an escalator in the metro. There were a couple of thieves, one in front and one behind (as it turned out). The one in front pretended to stumble as he got off and the one behind went for a bag as we were bumping into each other. We saw him and he lost out.

That's what happened to us. They only got an empty glass case which they promptly gave back to us having "seen" it on the ground--my wife must have dropped it, so they claimed.

We recently spent a week in Barcelona with no problems at all. My parents spent two weeks there with no problems either. I think if you hang out on the bottom part of Las Ramblas - which we thought was a horrible place to visit you are more likely to be pick pocketed. Everywhere else seemed fine just common sense vigilance required.

I've heard about Barcelona's bad fame in regards with pick pocketers. For this reason, I'm particularly careful when I'm around the very touristic places, like the previously mentioned Las Ramblas. So far, everything has gone smooth for me and no problems with thieves.

Exactly IMO knowledge that a problem does indeed exist - in Barcelona's case a big problem - knowledge of it will make tourists take precautions and greatly lessen the chances of it happening.