Barcelona is larger than visitors expect and the Gaudi sites are scattered across it, which is why four days works where three feels brisk. How the days divide by district, what the doubled 2026 tourist tax now costs per night, and why booking slots should come before booking flights.
Barcelona is safe in the way that matters most, since violent crime against visitors is rare. What it has instead is one of Europe's highest pickpocketing rates, concentrated in a small number of predictable places. Which areas need care, which do not, and the habits that remove most of the risk.
