Stories & guides
Barcelona pickpocket stories
I have been pickpocketed in Barcelona more times than I am comfortable admitting in public. Eventually you have two options: get really good at holding your phone, or build a video game about the people who keep taking it. I chose the game.
These guides are what I learned along the way: where it happens, which tricks are real, and what to do in the first hour after your wallet goes missing. They are free, and so is the game.
Barcelona safety guides
How to avoid pickpockets in Barcelona (from someone who didn’t)
How to avoid pickpockets in Barcelona: how thieves work in teams, where to carry things, the metro and beach rules, and exactly what to do if it happens to you.
Barcelona safety · HotspotsBarcelona pickpocket hotspots, place by place and hour by hour
Barcelona pickpocket hotspots backed by police data: La Rambla, the old town, the metro, Barceloneta at night and the airport, with the hours that matter.
Barcelona safety · Tricks and scamsBarcelona pickpocket tricks, by the names the police use
Barcelona pickpocket tricks by their police names: the stain, the tapón, the muleta, the tirón, fake police and the café map trick, and how to shut each down.
Barcelona safety · MetroBarcelona metro pickpockets: the 2026 picture, line by line
Barcelona metro pickpockets in 2026: which lines are the worst, where in the station thefts happen, the tricks at the doors, and what Pla Kanpai changed.
Barcelona safety · BeachBarcelona beach theft: how to swim without losing your shorts
Barcelona beach theft: when it happens at Barceloneta, how to keep your things safe while you swim, and where to get help and spare clothes if they vanish.
Barcelona safety · OverviewIs Barcelona safe for tourists? The honest answer from a man with no phone
Is Barcelona safe for tourists? Official 2023 to 2026 crime figures, theft versus violent crime, which areas need extra care, and why the city rankings mislead.
Barcelona safety · After a theftWhat to do if you get pickpocketed in Barcelona: the checklist I wish I’d had
Pickpocketed in Barcelona? Lock your phone, block cards, then report it: why the online report no longer works for tourists, where to go, what to bring.
Barcelona safety · PlacesLa Rambla pickpockets: a walk down Barcelona’s most famous street, pockets zipped
La Rambla pickpockets explained: Ciutat Vella’s crime figures, the 2027 building works, the risky stops from Canaletes to Colom, and the police on the street.
Barcelona safety · PhonesPhone stolen from a Barcelona terrace? How it happens and what to do
Why phones vanish from Barcelona café tables, the paper-over-the-phone trick, theft versus robbery, where stolen phones go, and how to get yours back.
Barcelona safety · What to carryAnti-theft bags for Barcelona: what actually works, and where to keep your wallet
Do you need an anti-theft bag for Barcelona? What a zip, a crossbody bag and a money belt stop, where to keep your wallet, your passport question, and RFID.
Inside the game
Barcelona streets and streamer chases
Explore how Barcelona Pickpocket turns neighborhood streets into a chase: corners break sight, crowds raise the stakes, and the route home protects your loot.
Game guide · Solo storyHow to play Barcelona Pickpocket
Learn Barcelona Pickpocket’s solo story: time your first lift, escape pursuing streamers, bank your cash and buy upgrades. A beginner’s guide to the browser game.
The YouTube videos that taught me how it works
Getting robbed teaches you that it happened, not how. These creators filmed how pickpockets actually work, and I learned a lot from them. Credit where it is due:
- I Pickpocketed A Pickpocket · Zac Alsop
- 9 Levels of Pickpocketing: Easy to Complex · WIRED
Now see it from the other side. Free, in your browser.
Play Barcelona Pickpocket ↗