Barcelona Travel Guide

Last years Barcelona was ranked as the pickpocket capital of the world. It was followed by Rome, Prague, Madrid, Paris, Florence, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Athens and Hanoi in Vietnam, according to reviews website TripAdvisor.com.
Well, You have to be cautious and use some common sense in Barcelona, London, Paris or New York, it doesn’t matter where you are. The back pockets of your trousers are fine for keep tissues, but not a wallet, also keep the wads of cash in the hotel safe.

All my life I have seen or heard about pickpockets in Barcelona, and some deserve a prize because they are true professionals and experts of their work.

In general I recommend “discretion”. Especially in the tourist areas, if you have the latest mobile phone or an expensive camera, better not go bragging about it.

Be careful in crowd places, underground (metro), beggars selling newspapers while carrying babies.

Also think what you pack in your holidays, do you need to travel with your Rolex, diamond necklaces, etc?

When I sometimes go for a walk in the center I am surprised to see tourists with open backpacks, etc.. I can not say certainty if there are many pickpockets in Barcelona or not, but I don’t think there are many or that Barcelona has a problem with them however maybe we are used to them & we know how to adapt them.

And most important, “look like a local”. So the Hawaiian shorts, sandals with socks and tank tops & British football T-shirts forget it.