12 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Very safe. Petty theft on the Playa de Palma and in Magaluf at night, and bag snatching in Palma old town, are the whole picture. The Tramuntana roads are narrow with hundreds of cyclists on them from February to April — drive as if one is around every bend, because one is.
Comfortable: Palma Old Town · Sóller · Deià · Alcúdia · Port de Pollença
- Playa de Palma — and Magaluf at night, for drunkenness and petty theft
- Palma Old Town — bag snatching in the narrow streets in high season
- The Tramuntana roads from February to April, when there are hundreds of cyclists on every bend
- Cliff jumping at the coves, which kills someone most summers
Very safe and comfortable at all hours, including the old town at its busiest. The Atlantic here has real currents and the beaches fly flags for a reason — Zurriola in particular is a surf beach, not a swimming one. Rain is the main thing that will change your plans.
Comfortable: Gros · the Parte Vieja · Centro · Antiguo
- Zurriola beach at night — empty, and the sea here has real currents
Very safe and very walkable. The heat is the hazard: forty degrees in the shade is normal in high summer, the old town has no shade at midday, and the sensible hours here are early and late.
Comfortable: the Judería · the Mezquita quarter · San Basilio · the riverside · Centro
- the midday sun in high summer — forty in the shade is normal and the old town has no shade
- the crowds inside the Mezquita in the middle of the day — the free early hour is the civilised way in
- the narrow lanes for cars — they were built for donkeys and a hire car will not fit
Very safe. The old town gets busy and loud on weekend nights in a good-natured way; the usual care with bags in the market and on the metro at rush hour.
Comfortable: the Casco Viejo · Abando · Indautxu · the riverside · Getxo
- the old town on weekend nights — loud and good-natured; the usual care with bags in a crowd
- the coast in a swell — the beaches at Sopelana and Bakio get serious surf
- the Gaztelugatxe steps in wet weather — 241 of them, exposed, and slippery
Very safe, including at night. The real hazard is July and August heat that routinely tops 40C — locals disappear indoors from 14:00 to 19:00 and so should you.
Comfortable: Santa Cruz · Triana · Alameda de Hércules · Nervión
- Plaza de la Encarnación — after the bars close
- Bag snatching from scooters along the river paths
Safe and walkable, with a large student population that keeps the centre busy late. Pickpocketing happens around the cathedral and on the Alhambra minibuses. Book Alhambra tickets weeks ahead — the daily cap sells out, and the people selling "tickets" outside the gate are selling nothing.
Comfortable: Realejo · Albaicín by day · the cathedral quarter · Plaza Nueva
- the Albaicín's upper lanes late at night — poorly lit, steep, and easy to get lost in
- Sacromonte after the flamenco ends — quiet and unlit once the caves empty
Very safe city with a relaxed feel. Standard beach precautions — do not leave bags unattended on Malvarrosa.
Comfortable: Ciutat Vella · Ruzafa · El Carmen · Turia Gardens
- Turia Gardens — after dark, where it is unlit in stretches
- Playa de la Malvarrosa — at night
Very safe, with resort pickpocketing the main nuisance. Two real hazards: the Atlantic surf on the north coast, which drowns people every year at unpatrolled beaches, and Teide itself, where it can be freezing and windy at the summit while the coast is at 25 degrees.
Comfortable: Costa Adeje · Los Cristianos · Puerto de la Cruz · La Laguna · Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- Playa de las Américas — the strip at closing time, for drunkenness and for timeshare touts
- Playa de Benijo — and the north-coast beaches, which have rip currents and no lifeguard
- Hiking Masca or Teide without checking the forecast — the weather here changes in an hour
Comfortable and busy late, with a big student and expat population. Pickpocketing is the common complaint, concentrated on Calle Larios and around the port on cruise days. The beach here is well patrolled; the risk is the sun rather than anything else.
Comfortable: Soho · the historic centre · La Malagueta · Pedregalejo
- Calle Larios and the port on cruise days — for pickpocketing in the crush
- the beach after dark — not unsafe, but bags left on the sand do not stay there
Safe, and the problems here are of excess rather than crime. Drink spiking and drug-related hospital admissions rise sharply in season, balcony falls are a recurring cause of serious injury among young visitors, and scooter accidents peak in August. Taxis are genuinely hard to find at closing time — plan the way back before going out. The island is far quieter and cheaper from November to April, when much of it closes.
Comfortable: Dalt Vila · Santa Eulalia · Santa Gertrudis · the north coast
- the San Antonio strip late at night — heavy drinking, and the commonest place for drinks to be tampered with
- hotel balconies — falls are a recurring cause of serious injury here, almost always alcohol-related
- the roads at closing time — scooter accidents peak in August, and taxis are scarce enough that people ride anyway
Madrid Reasonably safe
One of Europe’s safer capitals. Pickpockets work Sol, Gran Vía and the metro line to the airport. Summer heat above 38C is a genuine risk — plan indoor afternoons.
Comfortable: Salamanca · Chamberí · Retiro · Malasaña
- Puerta del Sol — and Gran Vía, for pickpockets in the crowd
- Lavapiés — late at night — lively rather than threatening, but worth attention
- Metro lines 1 and 5, especially with luggage
Violent crime is rare, but Barcelona has Europe’s worst pickpocketing and it is close to a certainty on La Rambla, the metro and the beach if you are careless. Bags zipped and in front of you, phone never on a restaurant table, nothing in a back pocket. Treat a stranger bumping into you as the distraction it usually is.
Comfortable: Eixample · Gràcia · Sant Antoni · Poblenou · Passeig Marítim
- La Rambla — the densest pickpocketing in Europe, day and night
- Liceu metro station — and the L3 line generally, with a bag or a case
- Barceloneta beach — where bags left on the sand disappear in seconds
- El Raval — west of La Rambla, late at night
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
