Is Spain Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Spain is generally a safe country for solo female travelers. Both urban areas and rural regions have low levels of crime. It is always prudent to take basic precautions, such as avoiding poorly lit and deserted areas late at night, keeping a close eye on personal belongings in crowded places, and not sharing your personal details or itineraries with strangers. Public transportation and taxis are usually safe and reliable. However, like anywhere else, incidents can occur, so staying alert and using common sense is important.

Safety rating

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How safe is Spain?

Safety at night:

Safety at night:Safe

Spain, in general, is known to have a good safety record and this includes safety after dark too. However, like any other place, safety can vary depending on the area and time. Bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona are largely safe but do be cautious in quieter or less lit streets. Also be aware of pickpocketing, especially in crowded areas or tourist hotspots. Overall, basic precautions such as sticking to well-lit areas, not displaying valuables openly, and maintaining a sense of awareness are still advised.
Public transportation:

Public transportation:Safe

Public transportation in Spain is generally safe and reliable. It consists of buses, trains, trams, and metros which effectively connect cities and towns. The services are frequented by local and foreign travelers alike. However, it's important to be conscious of your surroundings, especially in crowded spaces, as pickpocketing incidents have been reported in some areas. Overall, the system is widely used and safety concerns are minimal.
Street harassment:

Street harassment:Low

While cases of street harassment do occur and vary by region, Spain generally has a safe atmosphere. Instances of wolf-whistling, cat-calling, and lewd remarks are not commonplace. Being a solo female traveler, you may occasionally experience unsolicited attention, but typically, locals are respectful and unobtrusive. Nonetheless, maintaining caution in crowded areas or during late hours is advisable. Remember, your experience may vary depending on various factors such as the neighborhood you're in, the time of day, and your general demeanor.
Petty crimes:

Petty crimes:Low

Spain, as a whole, experiences relatively low levels of petty crimes such as pickpocketing, particularly outside of major cities. However, you may encounter higher risk in tourist-heavy areas including major cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where pickpockets might be more common. Always remain alert and keep an eye on personal belongings even in crowded public transports and places. Stay aware of your surroundings, but overall, Spain is considered quite safe for travelers.

Is Spain worth visiting?

Overall rating

4.7 /5

based on 322 experiences from female travelers

Things to do

4.6/5

Safety

4.5/5

Food

4.5/5

Budget-friendly

3.6/5

Barcelona, Solo travel

I felt safe, surprisingly, I heard a lot about the pickpocketing. I stayed for 2 nights in Hostel Grau which was located near the famous street. I liked the homey feel of this hotel. February was a surprisingly good time to visit, I had blue skies and nice temperatures.

Posted: November 15, 2024Experienced: January, 2023
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Ch3rry

Ch3rry

Germany

Granada, Solo travel

I feel so safe as a solo traveler even at night. I do recommend to anyone to visit here. This is my favorite trip so far. You can find a food on your budget. The town is so cute. But please bring a good shoe.

Posted: November 9, 2024
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Prisha

Prisha

United Kingdom

Barcelona, Group travel

It was such a fun experience. We mostly did touristy areas and walked around a lot. To travel, I would definitely recommend using the metro, it was super easy to navigate and pretty cheap, definitely buy the 10 round trip ticket if you're planning to stay for more than 3 or 4 days ( saves money ) Must visit places are: - Sagrada familia: literally the most famous place in Barcelona and really impressive to look at, especially if you're a bit of an architecture and history nerd like me. I wouldn't recommend visiting at night, the lighting coupled with the gothic architecture makes it look more like a haunted place. I went in both the morning and night and my morning pics turned out MUCH better - Las Ramblas: a really busy and crowded street but it's like a major shopping street. There were so many cute little stalls and shops and it was a pretty fun experience walking down it and window shopping. - Boqueria market: it's in las ramblas and was one of my favourite parts of my trip. The whole vibe and different colours and foods was really nice. I didn't buy anything because everything was ridiculously overpriced ( like the exact same things were being sold like 10 steps outside the market section for less than half the price. But if you do want to buy from inside it, go further down, don't just buy it from the entrance because most stalls sold the same things but at cheaper prices at the back than at the front. - Barcelona Cathedral: really pretty and grand. Just don't get scammed by the people who are wearing white/ clown like face paint outside. They come up to you, don't leave you alone until you take a picture and then demand for money. It may not be all of them but definitely be aware. One lady chased my friend around for like 5 minutes. - there are so many more places like Gaudi's house, casa batillo, the art museum, a palace, the gothic quarters ( I didn't go into much detail about this but a definite, just be aware that it's quite crowded so don't expect pics like the ones on Google), park guell etc. ( Don't remember all of their exact names)

Posted: November 6, 2024
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Jette

Jette

Germany

Spain, Solo travel

I've had nothing but good experiences so far. I started working on a farm with lots of animals and now travel from Airbnb to Airbnb, which are unfortunately very expensive. I can highly recommend Tarragona. Madrid is a great place to meet people and I'm now in Seville

Posted: November 3, 2024
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Jacqueline

Jacqueline

Germany

Majorca, Solo travel

It was the first time I traveled alone and it was one of the best vacations I've ever had!! I felt very safe. I slept in a hotel near the beach in Cala Rajada. The food was very tasty. I was there for five days and spent around €700 including flights and food. If you have never traveled alone, I can definitely recommend Mallorca as a travel destination.🥰

Posted: October 30, 2024Experienced: September, 2024
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Majorca, Solo travel

in Majorca, I stayed in an all-inclusive hotel, the food was delicious considering that the hotel is 3 stars, very good service, good rooms and entertainment every evening, but I think that it is a hotel for older people the hotel has a name «Nordeste Playa» I felt safe the whole trip and even visited several places of interest, beautiful island

Posted: October 29, 2024Experienced: September, 2024
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Ali

Ali

Germany

Spain, Group travel

Spain was great but for vegan a little bit difficult sometimes. I was there with a friend of mine and visited Valencia and Barcelona. They are both really nice but I prefer Valencia because it's not so big but you can do a lot of things.

Posted: October 16, 2024Experienced: August, 2022
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Simona

Simona

Slovakia

Almeria, Solo travel

I spent a month at the coast of Copacabana which is relatively close to the city centre of Almeria but pretty calm and surrounded by little houses and couple of restaurants. If you have a car I definitely recommend going to el Cabo de gata playas and natural park. All along the coast there are a lot of little cities with typical architecture and also lot of expats. You can eat local and have many pleasant encounters. I recommend at least basic command in Spanish ;)

Posted: October 16, 2024
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Lloret De Mar, Group travel

Lloret de mar is excellent city for summer holidays, sunny beautiful place with beaches, clubs, shops and delicious food. I recommend to try seafood paella and fresh shrimps. My favourite club there is disco tropics.

Posted: October 14, 2024
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Spain, Solo travel

I felt safe and people were welcoming and love to have fun at night. I studied and travelled around europe and it was a smooth experience. I stayed with a host family that was so accommodating and helpful during my stay

Posted: October 10, 2024
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Is Spain safe for women?

Safety index

4.3 /5

Based on 158 local experiences

Crime index

1.8 /5

Based on 158 local experiences

Madrid

Madrid is a very safe city. I live alone as a young woman and have never felt unsafe as a woman going out at night, walking alone etc. only thing would be a slight risk of pick pockets in crowded touristy areas, but not on the level of many other European cities

Posted: November 15, 2024
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife

I think is safe enough. As in everywhere else, you have to be careful where you go as there’s more dangerous and there’s safer places. You might get yelled at by the homeless locals, or you may get catcalled by men, but thats all. You have to be very unlucky to get robed or attacked. Even less probably murdered or kidnapped. I think the most touristic areas of the south can be dangerous if you go by yourself, but they can be okay if you go with a friend, even if you’re all girls.

Posted: November 15, 2024
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Meet locals in Spain

Ana

Ana

About Me

Hi, I'm Ana. I was a sociologist and a Spanish teacher until COVID, the pandemic came with a completely different job which I would have never applied for if I had better options. Surprisingly, I like it a lot and it gives me exactly what I've been longing for: time and enough money to travel. I work in England but live in Granada, Spain. So between working and traveling at the end I only spend like 4 month per year in Granada. But while I'm there I will be available for anything you need: hosting, meeting up, showing you around...

Speaking

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Elena

Elena

About Me

Hi, my name is Elena. I'm ukrainian, and have been living close to Madrid for 2 years now. I love travelling, dancing, reading, football and language exchange.

Speaking

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Stay with locals in Spain

Ana

Ana

Granada

Can host for:

5 days

About me

Hi, I'm Ana. I was a sociologist and a Spanish teacher until COVID, the pandemic came with a completely different job which I would have never applied for if I had better options. Surprisingly, I like it a lot and it gives me exactly what I've been longing for: time and enough money to travel. I work in England but live in Granada, Spain. So between working and traveling at the end I only spend like 4 month per year in Granada. But while I'm there I will be available for anything you need: hosting, meeting up, showing you around...

Speaking

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Elena

Elena

Alcala de Henares

Can host for:

3 days

About me

Hi, my name is Elena. I'm ukrainian, and have been living close to Madrid for 2 years now. I love travelling, dancing, reading, football and language exchange.

Speaking

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Upcoming visitors to Spain

Josh

Josh

About Me

Hello im Chinese, im an international student currently study and live in Deggendorf, Germany. I would like to travel around europe in the following years.

Speaking

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Jo

Jo

About Me

22 years old - American - Exploring Europe!

Speaking

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Safety in Spain