A Tourist in Spain During the Barcelona Protests

After I posted some pictures during my trip to Barcelona last week, people have been emailing me with tons of questions about what was going on while I was there since my pictures included burning cars and officers with guns.  People have been wondering if it is safe to visit Barcelona during the protests.  So, I thought I would answer all of the questions I’ve been getting, since it was unlike any trip I’ve ever taken.  Here we go…

WHAT WERE THE PROTESTS ABOUT?

On Monday, October 14, a Spanish court handed down lengthy jail terms to 9 Catalan leaders for their role in a 2017 secession attempt.  People were outraged, so it sparked a week-long protest throughout the streets of Barcelona, the highways, and airport. I had a flight into Barcelona that Wednesday…two days into the protests.

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOUR TRIP TO PREPARE? WERE YOU NERVOUS?

I’m not gonna lie…I came really close to canceling my trip. I was afraid of flying in because I had heard on Monday people were stuck at the airport and many had to either sleep on the floor or walk with their luggage for six miles on the highway to get to the subway since there was no transportation leaving the airport. My husband was already in Barcelona for work, and he wouldn’t tell me to come unless he felt I would be safe, so that helped me feel less anxious.  He also hired me a driver that would be waiting for me at the airport.

I decided I needed to talk directly to tourists that were there, so I went on Instagram and looked up hashtags of tourist locations in Barcelona and messaged them to ask if they felt safe there.  Everyone messaged back that it was completely safe and that I should not worry about it and just get my butt on that plane.  They were all very reassuring and that made up my mind.

DID YOU FEEL SAFE DURING BARCELONA PROTESTS DURING THE DAY?

Absolutely.  The protests were very organized and we mostly stayed away from crowds.  The only time we did go near crowds were if we had a large escape route and felt safe being there.

It was amazing to see how much passion and conviction everyone had towards the cause.  They have such a sense of pride and they all want to make a difference.

DID YOU FEEL SAFE AT NIGHT? DID YOU GO OUT AFTER DARK?

We went out two of the three nights we were there.  The only night I didn’t feel safe going out was Friday, which was predicted to be the worst night since it was the last night of protests.  We watched from our hotel windows as dumpsters were being pulled from the street, brought around the corner, and being lit on fire.  Luckily, our hotel (The Barcelona Edition) was fabulous and had a Cabaret dinner show as well as two fun bars, so we never even realized what was going on outside.  On the nights we did go out we stayed away from crowds and walked down different streets than the ones we heard screaming and chanting.

DID THE BARCELONA PROTESTS MESS UP YOUR ITINERARY?

Not at all.  We had such an awesome time in Barcelona.  It is such a fun city and the people are all warm and welcoming.  We walked the streets, saw the sights, and had more than our fill of sangria and tapas.  I did have to rearrange some things, like having to go back to the marketplace the next day because on the first day most of the booths were closed. I was afraid transportation was going to be a problem, but the hotel helped us get cabs when we needed and most of the things we needed to do was within walking distance.  I’m glad we chose the hotel we did because the location could not have been better.

WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU DIDN’T GET TO DO BECAUSE OF THE PROTESTS?

Honestly, there was only one thing we didn’t do that I had planned. There was a park that I wanted to go to but both days we went, it was closed.  Other than that, we got to see everything.  The number one thing I wanted to see was Sagrada Familia, a famous church designed by Gaudi.  We were in the church for maybe an hour and when we came out, 10,000 people had congregated in front of the church! We’re lucky because they ended up closing the church after we had seen inside.  Even more surprisingly, when we got back, I got an email that said the church refunded our 50 Euros.

WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT THE PROTESTS?

They were so organized! We heard that they use an app to tell people where to go and what to do.  Kinda scary, because I wasn’t sure who was running this app or what they were going to tell them to do, but it ended up being extremely organized.  So, I think this lack of chaos made me comfortable walking in the streets.

I was also surprised at the number of teenagers/young adults that were participating in the protests.  It was nice to see their generation can feel so passionately about a cause and want to make changes.

One of the biggest shocks was on Saturday morning we walked out of our hotel and it was like nothing had ever happened.  The streets were completely clean, transportation was back to normal, and shops were back to business.

WOULD YOU GO BACK TO BARCELONA?

Absolutely!  I can’t wait to go back and bring the girls.  They would love it just as much as we did. I’m so glad I didn’t back out of this trip even though it was during the Barcelona protests.  It’s a fun, vibrant city that I will definitely return to!

Keep an eye out for all of my upcoming posts about what we did in Barcelona…attractions, flamenco dancing show, walking through the winding side streets in the Gothic Quarters, and all of the surprises that Barcelona gave us.   

I’d love to hear what you think.  Drop a comment below… Have you ever felt unsafe while traveling? Have you ever canceled your plans because of safety reasons? What precautions do you take when traveling so you feel safe?