Is Barcelona Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Barcelona is generally safe for solo female travelers. The crime rates are relatively low, however pickpocketing and bag snatching are common in crowded places and on public transportation. Basic precautions like avoiding deserted areas, not flaunting wealth or valuable possessions, and being vigilant on the street and in the metro, especially after dark, should ensure a safe stay.

Safety rating

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How safe is Barcelona?

Safety at night:Moderate

Barcelona, generally holds a decent level of safety. However, during the night time, especially if you're alone, it is advisable to stick to well-lit, populated areas. Unwanted attentions or pickpocketing incidences can happen, particularly in tourist-centric locations. Public transportation is reliable and often preferred. Overall, maintain awareness of your surroundings and take general precautions as you would in any other city.

Public transportation:Safe

Public transportation in Barcelona is safe, reliable, and well-maintained. It includes a comprehensive network of metro lines, buses, trams, and trains. Furthermore, they run frequently and even late at night. However, caution needs to be exercised, as in any crowded place, against pickpockets and minor thefts. Special attention should be placed on your belongings. Despite this, it still remains a secure and efficient way to move around the city.

Street harassment:Low

Barcelona is generally considered safe for solo female travelers, with locals respectful of personal boundaries. Street harassment is not a rampant issue, with most of the concerns revolving around pickpocketing. That said, it's always important to stay vigilant, especially in crowded tourist areas. However, women should feel relatively comfortable moving around the city, at day or night, without facing significant harassment or discomfort.

Petty crimes:High

Barcelona, despite being a fantastic city with vibrant culture and breathtaking architecture, unfortunately has a comparatively high rate of petty crimes. Tourists often face thefts, pickpocketing, and scams, particularly in crowded areas such as popular tourist sites, beaches, and public transport. Often these crimes are non-violent; however, the frequency can be disconcerting. It's crucial to be cautious, stay vigilant about your belongings, and be aware of your surroundings when exploring the city.

Tap water:Very safe

Tap water in Barcelona, is generally safe to drink. Barcelona's water undergoes rigorous treatment and testing processes to meet European Union water quality standards. However, due to its high mineral content, some travelers find the taste to be a bit off-putting, but it's perfectly safe for consumption.

Travel experiences

4.2 /5

Based on 77 experiences

Solo travel experience

During the day I always felt safe in Barcelona and I highly recommend visiting the city! It's full of life and you never feel alone despite travelling solo. I spent most of my time outside in parks and there are hundreds of sights to visit. After hiking to the top of the Tibidabo, I had a picturesque view! For lunch I usually had really good empanadas for a low price. You should definitely walk along the beach and let your feet get wet although I have to admit the water was a bit cold in April. All in all, it was a wonderful experience!

Posted: March 27, 2024Experienced: March, 2023
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Couple travel experience

We felt pretty safe. But you definitely have to be careful of pickpockets! Keep your belongings close to your body and try to not act like a tourist too bad. We mostly used taxis or Uber. I can recommend it. They have fair prices and it was the easiest for us. The Steak House and Jansana (Gluten free bakery) are our favorite food places. We also visited the popular bar Orient Express Cocktail Bar. It’s been worth a visit and a cocktail. But nothing to spend more than an hour at. We visited the Olympic Parc at sunset. Go for it! It’s so wonderful!😍

Posted: March 25, 2024
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Solo travel experience

Stayed at onefam ramblas. It was a fun and social hostel! Felt safe even with mixed dorms. Food was alright. Your typical Spanish food. Some places were more expensive than others and were not filling. I had a small slice of toast with hummus for €12 or so which I found to be pretty pricy for that price. It wasn’t even filling and this was for breakfast. Streets were dirty. Lots of graffiti and I saw I’d like to imagine, dog poop on some wall. I wasn’t worried about getting pickpocket since I wore a jacket that had an inner pocket where I kept my valuables. If I have my phone in my front pocket, I tend to walk where I’m constantly brushing my hand against my pants to feel my phone.

Posted: March 21, 2024
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Solo travel experience

My phone got stolen on the way to Park Guell, after only two days in Barcelona. After that, I just did not feel safe. I read all the reviews saying how bad the pickpocketing situation is and I felt prepared, but never anticipated they were that bad. For this reason alone, I don’t recommend it. Completely ruined my trip.

Posted: March 14, 2024
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Solo travel experience

Barcelona felt very safe, I wasn't scared to walk alone even at 3am. They have a good transportation system but because my hostel was in a good location (more on hostel later) I walked a lot. The weather was so good too! It was mostly sunny but not too hot. I stayed at Yeah Hostel and it was the best! Reasonably priced, very social atmosphere if you're up to it (they host group dinners and bar crawls every night, and walking tours in the morning) and the location is perfect with many restaurants and attractions nearby :) I don't think I would come back though as it seems too.. touristy 😆

Posted: March 7, 2024Experienced: February, 2024
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Maide

Maide

Turkey

Group travel experience

I visited Barcelona in 2019 with my two female friends. It was a beautiful city with great architectural structures and historical view. I felt safe most of the time but one should be careful about snatchers especially while visitimg touristic and crowded areas. Take care of your phone and your purse. We stayed in two different places that we booked through Airbnb. The houses and the hosts were very kind and welcoming. One should try the famous tapas, sea food and wines in Barcelona.

Posted: February 8, 2024
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Solo travel experience

At times I did not feel Incredibly safe but staying in populated areas kept that fine. I met some nice locals and was lucky that a festival was occuring! Transportation was easy to figure out and very organized. I joined a pub crawl but it was quite terrible, I guess it tends to depend on the people you get but I won't lie the guide was clearly tired and overworked

Posted: January 16, 2024Experienced: May, 2023
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Ronja

Ronja (18)

Germany

Solo travel experience

In January 2024 I did a solo trip to Barcelona for an entire week. I stayed in the Hostelle - women only hostel and can highly recommend it. It's not that expensive, it's very cosy and well equipped, the people are awesome and it's safe. Barcelona itself is also very pretty, I've been there for the fourth time now and I love it so much.

Posted: January 15, 2024Experienced: December, 2023
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Solo travel experience

Barceloneta is a lovely beach. There’s part of it that are nude - for instance near the W hotel - so be prepared for a viewing. There are vendors on the beach selling drinks which can by both convenient and annoying. The drinks are cheap though, and the vendors usually can’t get employment legally doing anything else, so it’s their lively hood. The best time to be at the beach is before 12PM. After that it gets extremely packed, so best to go early and secure a good space.

Posted: January 12, 2024
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Solo travel experience

I had an amazing time in Barcelona and I didn't feel unsafe. Many people had warned me about Las Ramblas, but I just made sure to keep an eye on my bag and it was absolutely fine. I had an amazing time.

Posted: December 17, 2023
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Is Barcelona safe for women?

Safety rating

3.3 /5

Based on 6 reviews the women safety index in Barcelona is 3.3/5. On average women living in Barcelona raises moderate concerns about women's safety.

Crime rates rating

1.4 /5

Based on 6 reviews the crime rate index in Barcelona is 1.4/5. On average women living in Barcelona raises low concerns about crime and violence against women

Rating summary

Safety walking alone after dark:

3.3/5
Moderate

Safety using public transport:

4.1/5
Safe

Worries of being sexually harassed:

1.5/5
Not at all worried

Worries of being sexually assaulted or raped:

1/5
Not at all worried

Worries of being physically attacked:

1.2/5
Not at all worried

Worries of home broken and things stolen:

1.5/5
Not at all worried

Worries of being mugged or robbed:

2.6/5
Moderate

Worries of being kidnapped or murdered:

1/5
Not at all worried

I think Barcelona is a pretty safe city. In general the highest risk you run are pickpockets and scams, being + looking like a tourist makes you seem like an easy target. I would say use common sense, be aware of your surroundings and be wary of people that approach you. At night I’ve felt apprehensive coming back home by myself, but I’ve never felt really in danger, even when I was partying a lot and would pass out on the metro home. One thing to note is that in the club, men here don’t respect your personal space and may try to take advantage of you being drunk. I was used to men grabbing me randomly to dance or touching me (you can be rude and even a little aggressive and they leave you alone, but yeah, many countries don’t have this kind of “culture”). Now it doesn’t happen as much but I also don’t drink as much and am older, so I don’t know if the crowds are changing or it’s just that I don’t find myself in those situations anymore. Overall though, I find Barcelona a safe city.

Posted: March 17, 2024
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Anna

Anna

Barcelona is a safe country for women. The only problem is pickpockets. So be very very careful, not only in closed spaces (specifically the underground), but also when you walk around . Also try to avoid some neighborhoods like la Mina after sunset or in general ( it's not Barcelona but next to it). Barcelona is a very open-minded city so you can wear as you want ( just can't be nude walking around the city - unfortunately it was because some kind of tourist had sex or walked without t-shirts or bikinis around the city, even churches or museums). You can find nudist beaches and also you can take your top off in all the beaches. If you're from LGBTQ community, feel free. No one is going to look at you, it's a gay /lesbian friendly city.

Posted: March 14, 2024
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Barcelona is a Spanish city therefore is overall really safe. It’s also very touristy and crowded at all times, including night time, which means that there are always someone nearby to what you out and to whom you can reach out for help. I’m originally from Madrid and I feel safe in Barcelona, and even less catcalled than in Madrid.

Posted: March 14, 2024
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María

María

Main risk in Barcelona is pit pocketing, but other than that it's quite a safe city. I wouldn't recommend being alone in Raval in the middle of the night, but other areas are totally fine, always keep an eye out like you would do anywhere.

Posted: March 5, 2024
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Overall, I have always felt safe. basic common sense applies but it s one of the places where I feel more safe in the public transport and taking into account I mostly move in safe residential neighbourhoods.

Posted: February 29, 2024
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Rebecca

Rebecca

As everyone already knows, Barcelona is not the safest place, but avoiding dangerous neiborhoods and situations, having some good intuition can simply keep you out of trouble. Try not to show too much if you're drunk and don't behave like the most idiot tourist and you'll be fine ;)

Posted: February 22, 2024
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Is Barcelona safe right now?

Before your visit to Barcelona, it's essential to check travel advisories for Spain, including your home country's official travel advisory. These advisories can provide up-to-date information on safety, health, and any specific considerations for travelers.
🇺🇸

United States Travel AdvisoryExercise a high degree of caution

The United States Government advises exercising increased caution in Spain due to terrorism and civil unrest. Check the full travel advisory.
Last updated: July 26, 2023
🇨🇦

Canada's Travel AdvisoryExercise a high degree of caution

The Canadian Government advises exercising a high degree of caution in Spain due to the potential threat of terrorism. Check the full travel advisory.
Last updated: March 17, 2024
🇦🇺

Australia's Travel AdvisoryTake normal security precautions

The Australian Government advises exercising normal safety precautions in Spain. Check the full travel advisory.
Last updated: March 15, 2024

Is Barcelona worth visiting?

Overall rating

4.5 /5

based on 77 experiences

Rating summary

Things to do

4.6/5

Safety

4.2/5

Food

4.5/5

Budget-friendly

3.4/5

Group travel experience

Most people don't speak English but if need a help they will try to explain you in Spanish))))A friend of mine lost her bag, Mobile phone so people should be more careful with their stuff in metro or beach.

Posted: March 24, 2024Experienced: July, 2023
Things to do: 5/5Food: 4/5Budget-friendly: 3/5Safety: 2/5
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Emily

Emily

Italy

Group travel experience

It's a beautiful city, and the people are sunny and generous. The food isn't bad; the paella is very good. I'm staying here for 5 days and I haven't seen everything in Barcelona. Regarding transport, the metro is fantastic. The pullman and the train for the airport are also great.

Posted: March 5, 2024
Things to do: 5/5Food: 5/5Budget-friendly: 5/5Safety: 5/5
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Meet locals in Barcelona

Meet local women in Barcelona who are open to meet up for a coffee or a drink, show you around, give local advice or practice a language with.
Judit

Judit

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Hey :-) I'm open, easy-going and curious. I like old things in general, nature, good food, being in the sun, walking around. Here to connect with people!

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Anna

Anna

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Hi! It's Anna here. I'm a history teacher but a job doesn't define you. I love to learn, I'm very curious: languages, cultures, everything!! I truly believe that knowing new people enriches yourself and the other person. In this moment of my life I want to travel around this amazing world and learn from their people.

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Stay with locals in Barcelona

Stay with local women in Barcelona who offer free accommodation as part of cultural exchange. Couch surfing is a great way to meet new people, learn more about new cultures and experience destinations like a local.
Anna

Anna

Barcelona

Can host for:

3 days

About me

Hi! It's Anna here. I'm a history teacher but a job doesn't define you. I love to learn, I'm very curious: languages, cultures, everything!! I truly believe that knowing new people enriches yourself and the other person. In this moment of my life I want to travel around this amazing world and learn from their people.

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Judit

Judit

Barcelona

Can host for:

3 days

About me

Hey :-) I'm open, easy-going and curious. I like old things in general, nature, good food, being in the sun, walking around. Here to connect with people!

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Upcoming visitors to Barcelona

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Anni

Anni

About Me

Hello, my name is Annie. I‘m 24 years old and I love to travel. :)

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Monica

Monica

About Me

Hello! I’m Monica. My wife and I love visiting new cities, learning about new cultures and making new friends. She’s from Texas and I’m Colombian. We currently live in a small town in France and want to see as much of the world as we can.

Speaking

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Safety in Spain