Safety in Spain
In Seville, everything is later. People usually go out after dinner around midnight and things don’t pick up until 2 in the morning. That being said Seville was a very safe city because there’s always people in the street or at bars and restaurants. Still I was nervous when I had to walk home alone at night. My homestay was in a small street inaccessible to cars so my taxis often dropped me at the end of a long pedestrian road. It’s a good thing the conversation about safety came up in my Spanish class because my teacher said she’s never had a problem as long as she’s walked on main roads that were lighted. So instead of going the short way through the deserted pedestrian road I walked the long way on busy roads where there were outside restaurants and bars. I felt much safer that way.
Another tip is to always get a receipt from your taxi driver. Sometimes you might lose things or maybe they charged you the wrong amount but if you have the receipt, you have the drivers information and license plate as well as the taxi company’s contact information. It’s also a good way to keep track of your money.
In both Barcelona and Sevilla (but especially Barcelona) there is the problem of pickpockets. Besides the commonly known tips to keep your purse close to you and to keep your purse on your lap at restaurants, there are other things to watch out for. Sometimes pickpockets will dress like tourists and pretend to ask for directions while their partners steal your wallet. Not every lost tourist is a pickpocket but distraction is a huge tactic so always be aware.
