FAQ. Is Barcelona safe to visit in 2024?

FAQ. Is Barcelona safe to visit in 2024?


Is it safe to travel to Barcelona in 2024? Is Barcelona safe?

We recommend you visit the US Government page about travelling to Spain which has some good information for visitors regarding safety in Barcelona. In our opinion it is safe to travel to Barcelona in terms of general safety. Normal travel precautions should be taken however. Most areas are considered safe during day and during the evening.  There has been a definite rise in violent crime since 2019.

In August 2019 the US Consulate General in Barcelona issued a Security Alert advising U.S. citizens of 

"an increase in violent crime in the city of Barcelona in the summer of 2019, specifically in popular tourist areas. Local authorities have reported a significant increase in the number of petty theft schemes that have included acts of violence, such as aggressive thefts of jewelry, watches, and purses. In some cases, these incidents have resulted in injury. Authorities indicate they are seeking to address these issues."

This security alert is still in place, so please be aware and take the necessary precautions. 

However, despite a definite rise in crime since 2019, we feel that Barcelona is one of Europe's safer and civil cities to visit and reside in. In our opinion, the only Barcelona area where you need to take a little care and have some safety concerns, is perhaps in the very late and early hours of the day in the lower part of the Raval part of Barcelona's old medieval city near the port, but even here violent crime is quite rare. 

Tourists are able to walk the streets and use public transport in safety, but as in any other big city or tourist destination, crimes with some violence can occur and common sense should be used at all times. Barcelona does have a very big problems with pickpockets at all times of day, so be aware of that.

You risk losing phones, wallets and bags if you do not take precautions, but as we mentioned above, it is still fairly rare that tourists are assaulted or mugged. If you take some simple precautions, then you can avoid becoming a victim of pickpocket crime. 

Read more about Barcelona pickpockets and how they operate and tips on how to safeguard your belongings.

Terrorist threat


Regarding terrorist threats to Barcelona, as long term residents of Barcelona our opinion is that Barcelona is as safe as, if not safer, than many other major European cities.

However, no major western city in the world is completely safe from terror, as we experienced in Barcelona in 2017, but Barcelona and Spain have well trained security forces deployed throughout the city.

Spanish security forces have long experience from past times when internal national terrorism was a threat in Spain, so Spanish security forces are experienced and well positioned to deal with threats of this nature.

Spain is a modern European country with high level security awareness, so as mentioned, in our opinion, Barcelona is still a very safe city to visit.


Regarding political tension in Barcelona in 2022

There is little political tension at the moment and we are confident that all autonomous communities in Spain, including Catalonia, will be able to have an exchange of ideas or opinions on the issue of the future political ambitions of Catalonian nationalist parties without violence. Both the nationalist movement of Catalonia, which comprises around 44% of Catalan voters in recent polls, and the rest of Spain's 16 communities have always expressed interest in peaceful dialogue, so we are sure peaceful and democratic solutions can always be found.

For tourists there is little danger during political demonstrations, in our opinion, as both sides have declared an their interest in peaceful solutions. There might be occasional disruptions to traffic caused by peaceful demonstrations.


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Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 10:15
 
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