The danger lurking in Barcelona’s cobbled streets: From watch thefts, pickpockets and muggings… the extreme measures some tourists are taking to stay safe

It is famed for its beautiful architecture, stunning beaches and fine cuisine, with 32 million flocking to wander its cobbled streets every year.

But tourists thronging sightseeing hotspots in Barcelona are increasingly taking extreme measures to protect themselves from being preyed upon by muggers and pickpockets operating in the Spanish city.

This week, British Olympic sailor Sir Ben Ainslie revealed that his £16k Rolex watch had been stolen in a robbery at knife-point in Barcelona, illustrating the danger tourists could find themselves in.

The city has recently seen a surge in the number of high-end watch thefts, with thieves particularly targeting wealthy tourists. 

In 2023, crime in Barcelona increased by 8.6 per cent to the year before, according to Catalan News – while London saw a 6.3 per cent rise over the same period. Cases of theft make up for almost half of this increase in crime in the Spanish city. 

A few years ago, the city was so ravaged by pickpockets that local police handed out survival kits – containing clothes and a Metro ticket – to tourists whose belongings were stolen from the beach while they were swimming.

To avoid falling victim to pickpockets, some tourists are now taking extreme measures, like tying their handbags to their legs while sitting in restaurants and leaving all jewellery in the hotel safe.

Barcelona is famed for its beautiful architecture, stunning beaches and fine cuisine with 32 million flocking to wander its cobbled streets every year

Travel content creator Victoria says she takes every precaution like tying your bag around your leg (pictured above) and also recommends carrying your  backpack in front of you to make it harder for pickpockets to grab and putting your handbag strap around your leg in restaurants to keep valuables safe

Las Ramblas (pictured), one of the world’s most famous boulevards, is considered to be a particular hot spot for thieves and locals regularly warn tourists to avoid to area at night

Travel content creator Victoria says she takes every precaution – going as far as carrying a pocket knife – and also recommends carrying your backpack in front of you to make it harder for pickpockets to steal valuables out of, as well as not keeping your phone in your back pocket.

Meanwhile locals urge tourists to simply keep their valuables out of sight, not to take shortcuts in quieter side alleys – the perfect place for thieves to target people undeterred – and to stay away from the metro at peak times when most pickpockets are operating.

The narrow alleyways in the city’s historic centre have attracted pickpockets and muggers for many years.

Las Ramblas, one of the world’s most famous boulevards, is considered to be a particular hot spot for thieves and locals regularly warn tourists to avoid to area at night. 

A British holidaymaker was stabbed in  this area while bravely trying to fight a gang of four violent thugs who snatched his bag in Barcelona in September 2022.

The tourist was having a drink on a terrace in Placa Sant Josep Oriol near Las Ramblas when his bag was grabbed. He ran after the robbers and managed to restrain one of the four, before wrestling over the bag in front of shocked onlookers. 

But the thief then took out a sharp object from his pocket and repeatedly tried to stab him before making contact with the side of his torso.

The Briton did not realise until he saw the blade in front of his face, at which point he let go of the thug who hurriedly scampered away to safety with his accomplices.

One brave passerby tried to halt their escape without success. All four were arrested shortly after. The British man was treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Another popular spot for pickpockets is the beach, where in August 2022, a thief was caught after he appeared in front of a TV camera as a man was giving an interview.

Looking left and right, the man throws what appears to be a jacket off a bag then swiftly picks it up and disappears from view, before the tourist who had been out for a swim, returned to find their belongings missing. 

The thief was later caught by police after they reviewed the TV footage. 

A British tourist was stabbed while bravely trying to fight a gang of four thieves who snatched his bag in Barcelona in September 2022

The holidaymaker was having a drink on a terrace in Placa Sant Josep Oriol near Las Ramblas at around 8pm last night when the bag was snatched

The robber stabbed the Briton in the side of his torso in the ugly scenes in Barcelona

The victim ran after the robbers and managed to restrain him before they started wrestling over the bag in front of shocked onlookers

Looking left and right, the thief throws what appears to be a jacket off the bag and swiftly picks it up and disappears from view, before the tourist who had been out for a swim, returned to find their belongings missing

Some of the most popular targets for muggers are people’s expensive watches, which American millionaire Seth Bernstein, 46, from Florida, had to find out while he was on vacation in Barcelona with his wife and children when he was mugged on June 2, 2022.

CCTV footage released by the Spanish police shows the mugger setting on Mr Bernstein from behind and ripping the watch from his wrist, as four of his five children looked on.

Mr Bernstein claimed the thief had a knife and used it to slash the watch off his wrist before running away.

Spanish police said that Bernstein told them his watch was worth $800,000, but the Swiss watch company said it was valued at $45,000. 

Mr Bernstein told DailyMail.com he had no idea how much it cost, but said $800,000 to give the police a ballpark figure. 

He says he bid for it at a charity auction six years ago for his 40th birthday, then insured it along with his ‘many’ other watches, but that it’s unimportant to him. 

Mr Bernstein said the watch is insured as are all of his pieces, and that he’ll let the insurance company decide what the real value of it is. 

In December 2023, muggers stole a tourist’s £430,000 Richard Mille watch in Barcelona’s most expensive street. 

The thieves used an electric scooter to flee the scene after ripping the designer timepiece off their victim’s wrist.

The shocking crime happened in the Catalan capital’s Paseo de Gracia, one of the city’s major avenues and most important shopping and business areas.

It is regarded as the most expensive street in Barcelona and in Spain and home to boutiques belonging to national and international fashion houses like Loewe and Chanel as well are Zara and Mango.

Police sources said the one of the muggers snatched the watch and passed it on to the accomplice on an electric scooter.

American millionaire Seth Bernstein, 46, from Florida, was mugged while he was on vacation in Barcelona with his wife and children on June 2, 2022. CCTV footage released by the Spanish police shows the mugger setting on Mr Bernstein from behind and ripping the watch from his wrist, as four of his five children looked on 

Bernstein said his four kids who witnessed the mugging were traumatised and didn’t stopped crying on the holiday

Police are hunting muggers who stole a tourist’s £430,000 Richard Mille watch in Barcelona’s most expensive street

Another watch theft, back in June 2020, saw a gang of thugs brutally beating a man in the middle of a Barcelona street before making off with his timepiece.

The victim, a foreigner who lived in the city in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, was surrounded by four men who suddenly launched a vicious attack, causing the man’s girlfriend to scream as he is punched and dragged to the ground.

The victim lost both his shoes and the attackers pulled at his T-shirt while hitting and kicking him as he desperately clung on to his watch during the brutal assault. 

At one point the victim managed to push one attacker to the ground but the group still made off with his watch, while bystanders watched on. 

The man suffered minor injuries in the attack and his watch, albeit damaged, was reportedly recovered by police and returned to him.

As the recent mugging of Sir Ben Ainslie shows, celebrities are not immune to being robbed in Barcelona.  

The 47-year-old British yachtsman was confronted by an armed mob wielding knives and robbed of his luxury Rolex watch worth £16k on Saturday, Spanish police said.  

The five-time Olympic medal winning sailor is in the city to lead the UK’s Ineos Britannia team in the America’s Cup and reported the theft on Monday. 

Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski experienced a similar theft two years ago outside the Ciutat Esportiva training ground in August 2022. 

The watch, worth a reported £59,000, was snatched as the 36-year-old greeted fans ahead of an evening training session with his team.

The thief is said to have opened Lewandowski’s car door and taken the watch as the Polish international signed autographs, before attempting to run after the thief himself. 

The victim, a foreigner who lived in the city in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, was surrounded by four men who suddenly launched a vicious attack in June 2020

The victim’s girlfriend can be heard screaming in the background of two videos taken of the assault

As the recent mugging of Sir Ben Ainslie (pictured with Georgie Ainslie at Wimbledon last year) shows, celebrities are not immune to being robbed in Barcelona

Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski experienced a similar theft two years ago outside the Ciutat Esportiva training ground in August 2022 

Earlier this year, a group of off-duty British police officers on a stag do in Barcelona apprehended a thief as he stole several electronics in a restaurant 

Police quickly arrested a suspect and the footballer got his watch back. 

While high-end watches are an attractive item for thieves to steal, some opt for comparatively cheaper electrical goods like phones, tablets or laptops.

Earlier this year, a group of off-duty British police officers on a stag do in Barcelona apprehended a thief as he stole several electronics in a restaurant. 

Sergeant Eren Emin, 30, said he was on his stag do in the Spanish city with four other police officers when a man jumped over the restaurant counter and began grabbing electrical items.

The thief took iPads, iPhones and other goods before sprinting out of the restaurant. 

The officers chased down the man before detaining him with the stolen items in his possession and waiting for Spanish police to arrive.

Another tourist visiting Barcelona also managed to snatch back his phone after an opportunistic thief tried to make off with it in November 2023. 

Christian Camilo Horta, believed to be from the US, had been posing candidly next to the city’s Arc de Triomf and had set and propped up his phone to capture a video.

But, the shot was soon disrupted by an unexpected addition – a thief riding a bicycle who swiftly closes in to snatch the phone, but is caught red handed as the footage continued recording. 

Christian, who works as a nurse, said the occurred at the historic landmark on the Passeig de Lluís Companys promenade.

A tourist visiting Barcelona fell victim to a brazen pickpocketer (pictured) who attempted to snatch their phone while it was recording a memorable moment next to a famous landmark 

Christian Camilo Horta (pictured) had been posing candidly next to the Arc de Triomf. But the shot was soon disrupted an opportunist thief riding a bicycle who swiftly closes in to snatch the phone

Footage taken in June 2023 shows a man in a baseball cap spitting on a woman buying her ticket in a metro station in Barcelona

The footage he captured begins with Christian standing some meters away from his phone, which had been set up to record the healthcare worker posing by the Arc. 

Within seconds, a man is seen pulling up on his mint green bicycle in the shot and stretches his hand out to swipe the phone from its position. 

Unclear footage ensues as the phone is tussled around after Christian quickly spots the thief and the two appear to grapple over it.

Some seconds later, Christian is captured holding the phone, and records his flabbergasted reaction, laughing nervously, as he strolls away from the scene.

One disgusting pickpocketing tactic sees thieves spitting on tourists and offering to help them clean up before stealing their valuables.

Footage taken in June 2023 shows a man in a baseball cap spitting on a woman buying her ticket in a metro station in Barcelona.

He quickly turned his back to his victim as the woman turned around after noticing the liquid.

The thief then offered to help the woman clean herself up in an attempt to distract her – while his accomplice snatched the woman’s bag. Both men made a swift exit before the victim even realised that her belongings had been stolen.

This tactic is similar to the ‘bird poo’ scams, which see a pickpocket spraying a liquid on a tourist to make them believe a bird had just excreted on them. 

When victims are distracted with wiping off the apparent poo, the thief takes items from their pockets.