Welcome Apartments

Safety Tips When Traveling in Barcelona

Offering accommodations and travel services means that we spend a good part of our day talking with guests, making suggestions, and assisting wherever possible. One of the main topics that we make sure to cover is Safety in Barcelona. Most of the team at Welcome Apartments has lived in Barcelona for a fair amount of time, and we all agree that Barcelona is a relatively safe city to live in and visit. However, petty crime such as pick pocketing does occur repeatedly and it can happen to the most sensible of travelers and locals. That being said, we suggest you review the suggestions and things to consider which we have outlined so at the very least, it may lessen the risk that it might happen to you. As we become aware of new info as to what’s happening out on the streets, we will continue to refresh our safety tips, doing our part to ensure your travel is safe, and trouble free.

Take a few minutes to read the following suggestions and of course, your feedback will add to the success of this safety tool.

Some tips to follow:

1. Be aware of your surroundings at all times by making eye contact with people so that they see that you are paying attention.
2. Have a good hold on your belongings at all times, especially when sitting at cafes, restaurants, in bars or on street benches.
3. Something to consider is to not carry valuable items with you and if you do need to, don’t have them all in one place. You are better off carrying money in secure front pockets. (Do not carry your passport with you: instead, carry a photocopy of the significant pages stamped by your accommodation, which will be acknowledged as a valid id for most practical purposes.)
4. Pay particular attention to your belongings in busy areas. Here are some locations identified as high risk: Las Ramblas, the Gothic Quarter, the Metro or Train Station, the Airport, Internet Cafés, in and around Plaza Catalunya (particularly when you are getting off the Aerobus), in and around most tourist attractions.
5. Your appearance plays a large part as to whether you are a likely target for theft. It’s important to be subtle in your appearance as a visitor to the city. Keep your camera in a bag, or pocket, and don’t carry travel books or maps so that they are obvious. The less you look like you are a foreigner, the better.
6. Carry your backpack over your front chest as opposed to your back and try to avoid fanny packs as they generate attention.
7. Do not pay attention to people attempting to distract you. Keep moving and maintain your personal space. (Some common distractions are untied shoelaces, something sprayed on you that soils your clothing, street performances that are interactive, beggars selling items.)
8. Determine your route in advance so that there is less chance of getting lost. It’s also better to look
   like you know where you are going and that if you need to refer to your map, you do so in a café or store (and not in the streets where it draws attention).
9. At night, always walk on well-lit streets where there is a constant flow of traffic. You are also less of a target if you are not walking around alone in the late evening, as statistics show, thieves work in groups.

Remember: These tips are important to follow almost everywhere as a traveler.

Enjoy Barcelona; just practicing common sense is normally protection enough.

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