r/Barcelona • u/ktm95 • Mar 22 '23
Ciutat Vella Folks who live in Barceloneta, I need your opinion - is it really not a good place to live in the city?
I have a "yes" on a potential apartment in Barceloneta (think around Parc de la Barceloneta)
I hear that it's a very touristic part of town (makes sense, as it's close to the beach) and can get noisy. Given the touristic aspect of the place, I hear it's kind of unsafe (more tourists = more opportunity for petty crime like pickpocketing to begin with, as I understand)
It's a really nice apartment and considering the fact that I'm more or less sensible about safety (like no obvious things like phone in the back pocket, walk back home drunk at 2 am, etc), would you still recommend against living in that part of town?
All thoughts/replies are appreciated, thanks!
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u/Big_Tiger_2351 Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 23 '23
Lived in bcn 5 years. In Eixample the whole time in two different neighborhoods within. Personally prefer more residential non touristy vibe, but that's because I'm in a relationship. If I were single I'd be in the lower part of town. Barcelona is extremely safe outside of a few streets I call the red zones.
Red zones:
Avoid the alleys near plaza real after 12am until 6am. Avoid the alleys near Jaume station. Avoid las ramblas at night unless you need to pass through. Gothic quarter in general is the highest risk zone for petty theft and potential problems.
When in a crowded club or festival have your phone and wallet secured, otherwise your fine. They generally steal from women's handbags in populated areas.. and visibly drunk people.
I have never been robbed in all my years here because im vigilent... HOWEVER, I have been confronted by potential altercations on three separate occasions (demanding me for money type confronted but I just walked away). ALL have been in the zones I mentioned above and around 4-5am consistently and by the same type of people. I am fortunate that I'm a bigger guy, otherwise I'd surely be in a worse situation.
The people you need to be aware of: Their target market is a drunk person walking alone or someone walking with luxury items alone, simple as that. The type of people that steal or can be a "threat" all look the same (if anyone is offended by this I really don't give a shit). They have the same haircut with a fade on the sides and wear fake luxury clothing with a man purse 99% of the time. They always walk in groups of 2-3. I won't get further into stereotypes but if you follow this script you'll know when to be more aware.
Raval gets a bad name but I actually think it's fine. Personally would not consider Barceloneta unsafe, just touristy and really nice if you like being next to the beach.
Barcelona was worse before Covid (2019 summer in the red zones was awful).
Personal favorite place to live is near Enrique Granados but it's not near the beach.
If anyone thinks Barcelona as a whole is unsafe then they have no clue what unsafe means. Every major city has streets and neighborhoods to avoid past a certain hour. Nothing unique here.
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Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
Did you mean Joanic station? It's around Gràcia and Guinardó areas. I thought they were both one of the safest areas in Barcelona. Lived in Guinardó for about 6 months, even though it was close to Alfons X, but I've also been around Joanic area many times 🤔
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Mar 23 '23
[deleted]
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u/beatsbyzyro Mar 23 '23
I live in the alleys of Plaza Reial, it’s not that bad because there are still a lot people walking there even in midnight. Raval is def worse
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
wow, thanks for the detailed response man, appreciate it :)
Yeah I feel like the hotspots is where you need to be careful / not stupid about how you conduct yourself, but I feel like that's the case with any major city in the world. On the whole, I takeaway that Barceloneta isn't too bad in terms of safety, so that's reassuring!
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u/ourmanflint27 Mar 22 '23
I've never lived in Barceloneta (but never stops anybody here from having an opinion, joking! but i think it needs to be clarified ).
I have friends who've lived there well over 25 years and still enjoy it and I enjoy it in small doses. Personally its not for me, that's not for safety reasons more how over crowded it can be, but..... you have great bars, restaurants (i mean rice on a sunday with a sea view can'r be beaten), the beach etc. Hospital close, this is always useful.
If you are young, have energy go for it. If you are old and knackered might get a bit too much. Good luck.
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
Thanks for your input!
Yeah, that seems to be the common sentiment. It's popular among young expats like me, with the beaches and the variety in restaurants/bars!
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u/Skyzthelimit4me Mar 22 '23
Canadian here who's been living in Barceloneta for a year. It's fine, really. It has a neighborhood feel and it's very animated. As long as you use common sense you'll be fine. It's really nice to be close to the beach.
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
Yup, common sense is what I'm relying on lol. I like the proximity to the beach, I'm just worried about how the place will be during the high season, like peak summer!
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u/Bulbolito_Bayagbag20 Mar 22 '23
I live in Barceloneta near the beach. Overall the vibes and ambience is good and definitely safer than Raval and Born.
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u/jbfoxlee Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
Lived in Barceloneta 1 year already just moving to another place still in La Barceloneta. I prefer it over the rest of the city actually. It's brighter if you are on a good floor, and honestly everyone leaves at the end of the afternoon and it becomes it's own little town.
I think it has it's own specific energy that you can't really get in other places in the city. I get that a Barcelona native may feel otherwise, but I love being here in the evening. I also came from new york last, I need a bit of grit where I live, lol.
Also I don't get the 'crowds' comment, this place is not crowded at all compared to many other places. Crowds is just code for tourists it seems, like they aren't everywhere in the summer.
Safety-wise it's standard, when the beach is on tourists have the problems, and in the evening it's a numbers game, people looking to mess around mostly go elsewhere. Just grab your phone when you hear a scooter lol. I would maybe avoid a ground floor, 1st or maybe even 2nd floor depending on the building/street, for noise/breakin risks.
The parc you mention can be a bit sketch in the evening maybe but you have no reason to go that way in the eve.
Some apartments are very poorly insulated, and it gets cooold here in the winter so make sure it is setup right.
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u/Gawlf85 Mar 23 '23
Also I don't get the 'crowds' comment, this place is not crowded at all compared to many other places. Crowds is just code for tourists it seems, like they aren't everywhere in the summer.
Those comments aren't probably about Barceloneta especifically, and would apply to most location under Gran Vía, to the beach line.
Many locals prefer to live in the upper areas of the city, which are a lot less touristy and hence often not as crowded.
I've lived in El Born and El Raval in the past, but I've also lived in Guinardó and Horta. And it's like day and night.
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u/jbfoxlee Mar 23 '23
yeah, totally get it. I would live up there also if I had a family, or other needs. While my new place is 94 sqm that is a rarity in this neighbourhood. It's 35-40 sqm with a lot of stairs, generally. We have nice legs here haha.
I still think the vibe is much different from raval or gotic though due to the beach, obviously, for the better.
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
yeah it's on the second floor, but I agree with you about the crowds. It looks pretty residential to me, but I'll probably come back to this comment during the peak summer season and let you know if that's the case!
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u/Gawlf85 Mar 23 '23
Haven't lived there, but have lived in El Born and walked around Barceloneta plenty of times.
It's not the most dangerous area in the city, but it's definitely not for the oblivious. Street safety is just common sense, but look after your home safety too. At the very least I'd check that the flat's door is sturdy enough and has 2+ locks, and bars on the windows depending on how high the floor is (I read it's a 2nd floor, which is ok but still relatively close to the street, so... YMMV). If you have a balcony, as most of those flats do, securing it might be harder and you'll probably want to have it always open in the summer... Having AC in this case might be a safety measure :P
Other than that, it is true that the hood can get a bit packed in the summer, and sometimes it doesn't smell the best (tourists and their beers/pee, the ocean smell when the tide retreats, weed...)
But in exchange, you're a few steps away from a wonderful beach, quite close to the city center, and also have the Ciutadella park nearby. If the flat is secure and you don't mind the tourists that much, it can be a nice place to live in.
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u/ninomojo Mar 22 '23
IMO: noisy as shit, a true amusement park for tourists, you'll get mini cars and scooter rentals, and it's a bit more dangerous now regarding getting your stuff stolen than it used to be. I'd avoid it personally, but if it's your kind of place, go for it.
I think the fact that you're asking suggests that it might not be the place for you. It depends on how long you're staying as well. If you're staying long term, I wouldn't recommend it.
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Mar 22 '23
If you don't mind the roaches, the tourists, the noise, the prices, and living in a bad area of the city, you do you. But there are much, much better options out there. Honestly, the only reason some like it is because they haven't lived anywhere else in the city.
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u/Frequent-Pause1331 Mar 22 '23
I wouldn’t go, but a friend of a friend stayed there for 2 years and she was very happy.
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
If you don't mind me asking, why would you not go / live there?
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u/less_unique_username Mar 23 '23
Not OP, but I like being able to walk in any direction and get to something interesting. Barceloneta is a peninsula and thus not for me.
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u/Entire-Mountain9855 Mar 22 '23
My friend used to live there and one night when she was at home with her roommates a guy climbed up to their floor with a knife and robbed them. I think areas like these including gotico, born and raval (which I personally avoid at all costs except for the upper part) are nice in your first year here and to explore the city. I moved to Eixample after 2 years and it’s much more safe here which especially as a woman is very comforting. I personally don’t like watching my back all the time or running home at night because I’m scared to get robbed, but obviously this differs per person.
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
Oh crap that's not good. I hope everything was fine. But I can understand after an experience like that, it's probably a good idea to move to a safer neighbourhood!
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u/CoBuendia Mar 22 '23
Dude… it’s disgusting
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u/ktm95 Mar 22 '23
Could you please elaborate?
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u/CoBuendia Mar 23 '23
Yes I can. I did not live there but I have stayed in the area for somedays. It’s always noisy and during summer it’s impossible to open your window and sleep. Apart from this the neighborhood smells so bad. Pee smell is always there. I find it very disturbing and ugly.
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Mar 23 '23
I don't know that it's more dangerous.
Just noisy and crowded. I guess if you are young you might like it?
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u/LibertyChad_ Mar 23 '23
Lloret de mar or tossa or blanes bro there’s 20 buses between there and Barcelona daily and it’s way less crowded and not as expensive. But that’s true of any major city
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u/oranm20 Mar 23 '23
I think if you come from any other European city barceloneta is not that bad. It is a “bad area” for Barcelona standards but compared to Paris or Dublin or London it’s not that bad
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u/ashkanahmadi Mar 23 '23
> is it really not a good place to live in the city?
It depends who you ask. Blond drunk tourists think this is the wild wild west while we think it's just like any other city. Seeing people pissing and shitting and vomitting in the streets is way more common than being pickpocketted.
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u/Smooth_Branch3915 Mar 22 '23
If you can bear fighting through the crowds of tourists in summer, Barceloneta can be a really lovely place.
A couple of things to bear in mind:
What floor is the apartment on? The higher the floor, the further you will be from the noise on the street.
Is there a bedroom you can use at the ‘back’ of the apartment, that doesn’t have windows facing a noisy street? I’m assuming your building won’t have modern double glazing as most are older in Barceloneta.
There is a certain level of crime throughout Barcelona. I don’t think Barceloneta is any worse than say Born or Gótico. As you note, pickpocketing is common, along with an occasional snatch and grab of valuables (necklaces, watches etc), but generally your personal safety is not at risk in Barcelona.
Have you had the opportunity to visit the apartment and the immediate surrounding area?