What Are The Negatives Of Traveling To Barcelona?

Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe, where millions of tourists come every year to see the unique architecture, to feel the warm atmosphere, taste delicious food. Nevertheless, every large-scale tourist attraction has its drawbacks, and Barcelona is no exception, although they are not severe enough to overshadow all the advantages of this city.

Over-Tourism

This is perhaps Barcelona’s biggest problem today: overtourism. This has led to emergence of issues such as congestion, noise, pressure on facilities, and deterioration of ancient structures. The major attractions such as La Rambla, Park Guell, and La Boqueria Market are overcrowded with tourists during the summer time mainly in July and August. This detracts from the experience, and diminishes the pleasure of sightseeing. It also causes congestion that raises incidences of theft such as pick pocketing and conning of tourists.

The citizens of Barcelona have begun protesting against rampant tourism in the past few years. It is an eternal conflict of interest between getting more tourists’ money versus preserving the city’s lifestyle. It can be seen that tourists should be careful about the problem of over-tourism while choosing a destination.

Increased Prices

The rapid development of tourism has led to the increase of prices in Barcelona over the past decade. From the hotel charges to the price of meals in restaurants to ticket prices for attractions, everything is more expensive. What used to be considered an affordable destination in Europe is now almost as expensive as London or Paris. Despite the fact that Barcelona is not the cheapest destination in Spain, tourists who are on a tight budget may find it hard to manage their money as compared to when they are in other cities in Spain. The price of food, shelter, and transport is usually higher than a normal average price.

Risk of Theft & Scams

There is also a high prevalence of pickpockets, fraudsters, and thieves who aim at capitalizing on the many tourists that visit the park. It has been widely reported that Barcelona houses the most professional pickpocketing rings in Europe. Purses, phones, or wallets get snatched right off the tourist’s hand by pick pockets in full view and during the day. There are also several tricks that are specifically aimed at tourists for example the ‘bird droppings scam’ whereby some individuals will throw something over a tourist and then demand to be paid to clean the ‘droppings’. Tourists should be more careful with their belongings when in the sightseeing areas.

Difficulty Getting Reservations

Since Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world, it can be very challenging to secure a table at a popular restaurant or even a visit to a popular tourist attraction. Some of the tourist attractions such as Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, and some of the Michelin starred restaurants may be fully booked for months in advance. Tourists who wait to the last minute have no chance of getting into these places or else they are charged exorbitant prices by touts. To increase the chances of accessing the most important sites in Barcelona, it is advisable to plan as early as possible.

Language Barrier

In the tourist zones there are some people who know English however, the majority of the population of Barcelona speak both Catalan and Spanish. This language barrier may make it hard for the tourists that cannot speak Spanish to get around the city. It can be quite challenging to engage in communication with the waiter, shop owners, taxi drivers and other people in the community. It is always wise to have a translation dictionary application nearby. It’s helpful to know a few words of Catalan or Spanish to avoid getting lost when you venture out of the tourist zone.

Risk of Petty Crime

Apart from violent crimes such as theft with violence and fraud, Barcelona also faces problems with other types of criminal activity. There are issues such as sheer walls being graffitied, breaking into rented cars, snatch theft where tourists lose their phones as someone swiftly pulls it from their hands, slashing of purses in public transport, and random cases of people getting into fights when drunk at night. Although violent crime incidence is low, visitors should be cautious regarding petty crime rates as well. Perils are minimized by securing one’s belongings and staying away from dangerous neighborhoods during nighttime.

Difficulty Using Public Transit

Barcelona has a very extensive public transport system including Metro, buses, trams, trains, funiculars and much more. There is a lack of user friendliness and interactivity for the tourist when compared to other European cities. Getting around, purchasing tickets, checking passes etc. can be quite complicated for first-time tourists who may not be well conversant with the Barcelona transit system. This may deter one from exploring or even result in an unexpected fine because one does not have a validated ticket. It is useful to familiarize yourself with the transit maps before you travel, but even then, there is a learning curve.

Noise & Disruptions

Due to the high population density of the gothic quarter area and the frequent presence and occurrence of festivals, parades, events, and nightlife, noise transfer is a common problem, particularly for accommodations in older buildings with poor sound proofing. New construction projects near such sites as La Sagrada Familia also produce relatively high levels of disruptive noise. Light sleepers would have a problem with the regular disturbances, garbage collection trucks at early morning, noisy pedestrians or noisy plazas depending on the location. Where to stay is probably the most important decision that one has to make.

As you can see, there are numerous potential negative effects when visiting Barcelona, including over-tourism, petty crime, high prices, having to make reservations, language barriers, and public transportation. But knowing these things and how to protect oneself from these problems makes it possible for one to have a lot of fun in Barcelona. By avoiding areas with large crowds, being protective of personal items, preparing for the language barrier and constant construction, a visitor can make the best out of their Barcelona experience despite the mentioned drawbacks.

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