What should I avoid in Barcelona?

La Rambla itself is worth walking once — the plane trees, the flower stalls near Liceu metro, the Miró mosaic set into the pavement near Pla de la Boqueria. But every restaurant lining it is a trap. The photo menus, the waiters standing outside calling to you in four languages, the €18 sangria that tastes like Fanta with a splash of box wine. Walk two minutes east into the Barri Gòtic or west into El Raval and the same meal costs half. For paella, the tourist-facing places on La Rambla microwave pre-made batches — the rice comes out sticky and wet instead of dry with that crackling socarrat on the bottom. Can Paixano on Carrer de la Reina Cristina does cava and tapas at honest prices; for proper paella, head to Barceloneta and try Can Ros, where the rice arrives golden and you can smell the saffron and fish stock from the kitchen door.

Barcelona has a pickpocketing problem and pretending otherwise does nobody a favor. Metro lines L3 and L1 between Plaça Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia are the worst stretches — teams of two or three work the doors during boarding rush, one blocking, one lifting. La Rambla, the Boqueria market entrance, and the area around Sagrada Família are the other hot spots. The technique is usually distraction: someone bumps into you, someone asks you to sign a petition, someone points at something on your jacket. Phone in your front pocket, zip your bag, and you'll likely be fine — this isn't violent crime, it's opportunistic. If someone approaches with a clipboard or a sprig of rosemary near the Cathedral, keep walking. Don't stop to engage.

The fake-police scam still circulates, though it seems less common now than five years ago. Someone approaches claiming to be plainclothes police, asks to see your wallet to check for counterfeit bills. Real police in Spain carry formal ID and will never ask to handle your cash on the street. Walk away. The bird-poop variant — someone squirts something on your jacket, a helpful stranger appears with a napkin while a third person lifts your bag — tends to happen around Plaça de Catalunya and the top of La Rambla. At the airport, skip the unofficial taxi touts inside the arrivals hall and head to the official rank outside Terminal 1. The Aerobus to Plaça Catalunya runs about €7.75 and takes 35 minutes; a taxi should come to roughly €39 on the meter with the airport surcharge. If a driver quotes €50 flat, find another cab.

Flamenco shows marketed on La Rambla with glossy flyers are overpriced dinner-theater packages — €65 for a set menu and performers going through the motions. Mind you, flamenco isn't even Catalan; it's Andalusian. If you want the real thing, Tablao Flamenco Cordobés has been running since 1970 and the performers are serious, or check JazzSí Club in El Raval on Thursday nights for a rawer, cheaper session. Park Güell now requires timed tickets at €10, and the free zone outside the monumental core is where the better city views are anyway. Sagrada Família sells out weeks ahead in high season — show up without a ticket and you're staring at the fence. Book online, pick a morning slot before 10am, and you'll have the nave almost to yourself with the eastern light streaming through the warm-toned stained glass. Worth the early alarm.

Summer in Barcelona runs hotter and stickier than most visitors expect — July and August hit 33°C with humidity that makes the narrow Barri Gòtic streets feel airless. The beaches get so packed by noon you're laying your towel against someone else's shoulder. Late afternoon thunderstorms blow through in September and October without much warning, turning the Eixample's flat grid into ankle-deep puddles because the drainage can't keep up. Right now it's sitting around 11°C with light rain, and the sea breeze off the port cuts through cotton layers fast — bring a proper jacket if you're visiting before May. That said, April through early June and October are the sweet spot: crowds thin out, temperatures sit around 20°C, and restaurant terraces feel comfortable past sunset.