Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Bag snatchers are prolific and very tricky here. I had my bag taken from uner my feet quite literally. Be wary of any distraction tatics from strangers. People asking if you speak English and for directions for example. Another trick is some guy playing 'imaginary' football with no ball.

The area around Arc de Triumf is notorious for Sunday bag thieving sessions.

However, very close by is my favourite area of Barcelona - Sant Pere.

I'm currently paying €16/night for a basic shared dorm hostal with breakfast included. There are bargains here presently. Lots of families using hostal type accommodation, but you may well have to share a dorm with strangers. Not ideal.

If you're up for a carnival, a day trip to Sitges is an easy €3 train ride. Worth a visit if you want a break from the city and extremely safe. No worries about bag snatchers and muggers there. Carnival this weekend.

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Please don't let all the warnings about bag snatchers freak you out though, I have lived here for 6 years and it has happened to me once, in a "dodgy" backstreet (when you live here you need to go down these, but visiting there is no need). Friends have been stung though, mainly by hanging bags on chairs, being really "obvious" by stringing cameras round their necks, putting mobiles on the table, etc. If something, somebody or a street seems "dodgy", it probably is so best back off. If someone seems excessively friendly they are generally not after making a new friend out of you! There are groups of gypsy children who go round with clipboards, they are to be avoided as they use the clipboard (with a supposed survey) to steal what you have underneath it. But don't get paranoid, and have fun! The weather has been very pleasant here the past few days, sunny and a warmish feel to the rays! The blossom is starting to come out on the trees too. How old is your child BTW? Does he (or she) like football? People swear by the Barcelona Football Club stadium museum/tour at Camp Nou as being a great day out, the best football museum in the world they claim.

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Thanks very much everyone for your posts. We have booked an hotel in the La Ramblas for 4 nights and will be spending the rest of the week in Madrid. I hope we can pack everything in!! Definately doing the bus tour and the Gaudi areas.:thumbsup:

Still nervous about pick pockets etc, but forewarned is forearmed. We will lock most things in the hotel safe and only carry the bare minimum. We don't think we will need to use the underground. So that is one less worry.

Looking forward to it now. Will report back!! :thumbsup:

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Fabulous city but watch out for guys with raincoats folded over their forearm.There partner stands behind and slides his hand into your pocket from behind the raincoat,oh ,and never buy a flower from a gypsy.They try to sell you them for one cent claiming it is tradition but then want to help you search for the one cent piece while nicking your note with the little finger.It is very clever the way they can fold a note so small with one finger.

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Ayyyy, the genius of the criminal mind!!

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Hi again, just wanted to report back. We are currently in Madrid after 4 days in Barcelona and wishing that we had spent the whole week in Barcelona as we loved, loved, LOVED it!! Everything cost a fortune and we were very wary of pick pockets etc but had a fabulous time. The weather was lovely - if you were in Barcelona, we were the mad English people walking round in T-shirts saying how warm it was, whilst the locals were wearing coats.:rofl::rofl: We did the bus tour and the cable cars and the boat trip from barcoleneta and walked around La Ramblas and the old medieval quarter and had lots of coffee stops and lots of tapas oh and lots of wine.... :thumbsup:

So a big thanks for the heads up! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Hi! Hope you're not letting your guard down in Madrid - it's not quite as bad as Barcelona for Carteristas (pickpockets), but central areas and train stations are still dodgy. Hope it's not too cold in Madrid! Try to get out to places like Segovia, Avila, or even Alcala de Henares. As for Barcelona being expensive - there are places in Madrid like Plaza Mayor and Plaza Santa Ana that are equally expensive, but away from the centre you should be able to find more economical places where you can order a beer (tercio = 1/3 litre bottle) for around 2 Euros and free tapa (often slice of tortilla, ham canape or whitebait). Keep us all informed - I'm flying out to Madrid mid-week!

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Oh, and by the way. The water in Madrid is some of the best in Spain (it comes from the mountains). No need to buy bottled water - ask for agua del grifo in a bar and they'll give you tap water, which as I say is top-notch. Certainly a lot better than London's recycled stuff (or the stuff you get on the Med).

Re: A week in Barcelona - Advice please
 

Apart from the usual tourist spots in Barcelona, if you want to try something different visit El Born. Which is lots of little streets with original shops and some great restaurants. There is a marvelous wine bar near the church Santa Maria.(A wonderful roman church) Also,close by you have the chocolate factory and the Parque Ciudadela which has a great zoo (I normally don't like zoos). Which has a train ride for children and you can also see the dolphins swimming.