# Going to Barcelona, and preparing to be robbed... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598 "2013-04-24T16:01:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/21 "2013-04-25T09:45:04Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I never really worried about being pickpocketed in Barcelona. I think it might depend on what time of year you’re there - high season is probably when it’s most rampant. > > There are locker facilities around the city where you could store your luggage for the day, if you wanted to do so. > > You just have to use common sense. Don’t use bags that can be easily snatched off your shoulder. Don’t put your bag down where it could be snatched up. If you put it on the ground, secure the strap around your leg or a chair leg. Just always be aware of your bag. I had a friend who was pickpocketed in Paris - she was at a vending machine, and she had one of those bags that you sling across your body, so it hung kind of low, and while she was getting a drink from the machine someone stole her passport from her bag. (Although that was stupid of her to have her passport in her bag - we always lock ours up in a safe wherever we’re staying.) I second all this. Especially the suggestion to put your bags in a luggage locker - I’d use the one at the station. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/22 "2013-04-25T11:26:57Z")
> [@Parthol](#): > > Thanks, everyone, for the advice. We’re leaving tomorrow, and will be as on-our-guards as is possible! > > The only problem now is that for our five day walk along the coast between France and Spain, it’s supposed to be wet, windy and chilly every day! Meanwhile, here in New England, the weather will be positively Mediterranean! :smack: Ah! So the unseasonal rain is your fault! You sent your weather ahead so you wouldn’t get homesick! _glares_ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/23 "2013-04-25T11:43:03Z")
Another thing to watch out for is scammers - they’ll make some excuse to stop you and talk (“are you English? American?”), then give you some bullshit story about needing money, or try to sell you some bit of tat - anything to get you to stop and put your hand in your pocket. Once you’ve stopped, it’s hard to get away unscathed - and anything could happen - including grab and run or a fast-change routine. If anyone approaches and tries to talk to you, just keep walking. Be prepared to tell them to fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/24 "2013-04-25T12:28:02Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Why are there so many pickpockets in Barcelona? It’s a major cruise ship line port of call so there are many people who are only there for a day before they have to leave. From a pickpockets perspective its great, new marks everyday and they have to leave town right away or miss out on their vacation. The La Rambla is basically the street that leads to the cruise ships, so it is packed with bars, restaurants, an open market, street vendors, painters, street performers and a flea market on the weekends. Then throw in a few shell game hustlers, three card Monte games, pick pockets and the occasional prostitute and you have a very festive and active atmosphere. It’s great. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/25 "2013-04-25T12:37:45Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > It’s a major cruise ship line port of call so there are many people who are only there for a day before they have to leave. From a pickpockets perspective its great, new marks everyday and they have to leave town right away or miss out on their vacation. The La Rambla is basically the street that leads to the cruise ships, so it is packed with bars, restaurants, an open market, street vendors, painters, street performers and a flea market on the weekends. Then throw in a few shell game hustlers, three card Monte games, pick pockets and the occasional prostitute and you have a very festive and active atmosphere. It’s great. The street performers are all gone now and the whole atmosphere is different. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/26 "2013-04-25T12:51:25Z")
It depends a lot on when you go there, but the street performers are most definitely not gone. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/27 "2013-04-25T13:57:53Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It depends a lot on when you go there, but the street performers are most definitely not gone. They were last Summer (August). They were banned. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/28 "2013-04-25T17:56:33Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > They were last Summer (August). They were banned. When I was there in November 2012, they had the human statue people and that was it. (Not sure if there was more than that.) ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/29 "2013-04-25T18:34:33Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I spent three days in Barcelona once. Spent the whole time walking around gawking like a tourist. No problems with pickpockets or any other low-lifes. Unless you count street performers. > > Re: blending in. Just remember to call it BarTHelona. Catalans pronounce it Barcelona, if you really want to fit in. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/30 "2013-04-26T01:17:26Z")
I’ve heard you should also beware of “Beware of Pickpocket” signs. I forget where it was, but I’ve read of one municipality that ended up taking them down, because they actually helped the pickpockets. People would see the sign and automatically touch the pocket where their wallet was just to make sure it was still there, and the thieves were watching to see which pocket was touched. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/31 "2013-04-26T02:12:23Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > There are pickpockets all over Europe, concentrated in the large and/or heavily-touristed cities. I found Italy especially bad. Florence is hilarious with it. I didn’t have any problems when I was in Italy. Then again, I tend to be pretty paranoid anyway. > [@Mangetout](#): > > Another thing to watch out for is scammers - they’ll make some excuse to stop you and talk (“are you English? American?”), then give you some bullshit story about needing money, or try to sell you some bit of tat - anything to get you to stop and put your hand in your pocket. > > Once you’ve stopped, it’s hard to get away unscathed - and anything could happen - including grab and run or a fast-change routine. If anyone approaches and tries to talk to you, just keep walking. **Be prepared to tell them to fuck off.** I’ve lived in New York for the past ten years. That’s not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Parthol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/32 "2013-05-13T15:48:42Z")
Just wanted to pop back in here, now that we’ve returned from our trip, and report, happily, that we experienced not a whiff of difficulty in Barcelona, or anywhere in Spain/France that we visited. The wife and I used common sense, left the passports back at the hotel along with most of our other valuable stuff, and my backpack was looped around at least one limb at all times. 🙂 Barcelona was fantastic; in our 2 days there we saw the Sagrada Familia, the Batllo House (also designed by Gaudi), and took a trip to hike around Montserrat. We also consumed an unhealthy quantity of tapas and _churros y chocolate_, wandered around La Boqueria, and ate at a seafood restaurant at Barceloneta. Muy bueno! ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/33 "2013-05-15T01:45:35Z")
Good to hear you enjoyed the experience and it was incident free. It’s a great city to visit, some of the architecture is completely unique. I stayed in Barcelona for six weeks (in 2007) and theft was rife; most of the people I met were robbed, some violently (I needed a trip to the ER) but most just had bags, wallets, phones and camera picked when they weren’t careful. I always carry just enough money for the day and a cheap phone when I’m out so they didn’t get much, but they really didn’t need to hurl me to the ground and then pin me there while they went through my pockets. The few euros and a cheapo phone really wasn’t worth the torn ligaments in my knee. I still use the same precautions as it’s the only city I’ve been robbed in, I guess there were some real desperados out that night :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/34 "2013-05-15T02:53:53Z")
Pick-pocketing is not robbery. Thievery, yes. Robbery, no. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/35 "2013-05-15T04:48:21Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Another thing to watch out for is scammers - they’ll make some excuse to stop you and talk (“are you English? American?”), then give you some bullshit story about needing money, or try to sell you some bit of tat - anything to get you to stop and put your hand in your pocket. Some Canadian girls I hooked up with for a while when I was backpacking about in Spain had a standard tactic for this, which I believe they said came from a TV skitshow. It amused them no end. They would simply reply “I’m sorry, we speak no English”. If the scammer persisted, they would continue to explain, with increasing eloquence and in more and more detail (in English), with totally straight and very serious and apologetic faces, how they were really very sorry and would like to speak to them but that unfortunately they couldn’t speak English. It left behind them some bemused scammers. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598/36 "2013-05-15T06:42:14Z")
> [@Parthol](#): > > We also consumed an unhealthy quantity of tapas and _churros y chocolate_, wandered around La Boqueria, and ate at a seafood restaurant at Barceloneta. > > Muy bueno! Chocolate con churros and tapas are in unhealthy quantities only if you still have room for more 😃 Glad you enjoyed the trip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-barcelona-and-preparing-to-be-robbed/656598.md?page=1)