Paris I can understand and thought Dublin might have made it as well.
Johnny Angels post is really interesting.
Before I went I had bought a couple of pairs of jeans- pretty cheap but they fitted okay. However the side pockets (front on the hip) were pretty tight and I had trouble getting my wallet in and out. In the end I thought this was probably a blessing as if I couldn’t remove it without a struggle what chance did a pickpocket have? However the post suggests that a good pickpocket could have taken it anyway.
My cousin was in Rome last year, and a pickpocket attempted to steal from him…picked the wrong guy! The guy had his hands on my cousin’s GF’s bag-when he wheeled around , grabbed the guy by the throat, and smashed his head against the seatback. He then pinned the guy to the floor, and yelled at the bus driver to call the cops.
Everybody on the bus cheered.
The carabiniere (cop) who came by complemented him.
I’ve visited all but Buenos Aires, and my Dad’s visited all of them, and the only time we were pickpocketed was in Istanbul, in a rather nifty distraction move.
In Prague, there were warnings everywhere about pickpockets, but I felt completely safe even in the middle of the night. There was also a pretty big police presence on the streets.
I’m off to Barcelona soon, so we’ll see how that goes. But I’m sure it will be fine as long as I don’t act in a way that shouts “idiot tourist”.
Been to three on each list- never been pickpocketed.
I always keep my wallet in an inside pocket though. In places I thought would be higher risk (I actually didn’t feel so vulnerable in most of the European cities, as I have the ‘not a tourist’ walk, people always ask me for directions even if I’ve literally just arrived) like Kuala Lumpur- which isn’t on the list, but had quite a few warnings around, I always kept a small amount of money- say enough for a day’s food, and a bit of shopping, but not enough to ruin the trip if it’s nicked in a pocket, and a skinny money belt with all the rest and my passport/cards in shoved right up under my bra elastic, so it’s totally invisible.
That way you can pay for a drink without showing anyone where your ‘real’ money is, you have some cash to hand to throw as a distraction if you get an attempted mugging, and you can refill your pocket when you get somewhere private.
As I said though, didn’t get pickpocketed, just got money stolen from a hostel ‘safe’, by the manager…
I’ve been to all the European cities listed (8 out of 10). The only city I have had any problems in was Rome where a kid tried to reach into my purse after I told him to go away. I spanked him.
I think that any city with a high concentration of bewildered, over-stimulated tourists is going to have a concentration of pickpockets to match. IMO it is quite foolish to carry a wallet in a pants pocket in these places. Anyone who does so clearly does not understand the environment they are in.
I have been to seven of those cities, several more than once, and in my opinion the best pickpockets are in Italy. They are highly, highly skilled. A friend of mine and I sat outside the duomo in Florence and watched them work for about an hour and a half one day, very fascinating.
My friend had her wallet pickpocketed in Paris. However, the police later recovered her driver’s license and passport so she didn’t have to delay returning home. Coincidence or are the police well-networked so that they don’t have to deal with stranded tourists?
Aren’t these the top 10 best cities for pickpockets? It’s sounds like they’re doing quite well.
I used to work at a public attraction in Chicago and we would get pickpockets with some regularity (meaning once a month or so one would be reported to us). People get to staring at the attractions and forget to watch their surroundings.
Had cash stolen from a money clip in my front pocket on the metro in Madrid. The train car was packed and I could feel a lot of touching going on. I kept a hand on my pocket (on the outside) so my wallet never left, but the bills were pulled free.
My colleague had his entire wallet lifted (from his back pocket (duh)). The theives exited the train, turned and threw him his, now cashless, wallet. At least he retained his credit cards, etc. Polite little bastards.
Another anecdote…I believe it was in London (or thereabouts) where authorities placed signs warning tourists that this particular area was a haven for pickpockets. The rate of pickpocketing skyrocketed after the signs were placed. Apparently whenever anyone saw the sign they would immediately check for their wallet or other valuables…thereby pointing out to the piockpocket exactly where he/she should go for the goods.
The signs were removed.
A former boss of mine once attended a big conference in Barcelona. The major discussion topic each evening was who had been mugged that day. The Secretary General of the organising association had to spend the last days in a wheelchair after having chased a pic-pocket into an alley and over a wall only to discover that there was a deep hole on the other side (which the chasee was aware of and managed to clear).
I’ve been to four of those cities and never had anyone attempt to pick my pocket (although some guy seriously pinched my @ss in Barcelona :eek:). Perhaps I just look intimidating?
