{"id":31882,"date":"2025-04-19T03:20:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T03:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/31882\/"},"modified":"2025-04-19T03:20:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T03:20:07","slug":"beautiful-european-country-is-the-worst-for-pickpockets-not-spain-travel-news-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/31882\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Beautiful’ European country is the worst for pickpockets \u2013 not Spain | Travel News | Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spanish hotspots like Barcelona<\/a> experience high levels of pickpocketing due to the sheer number of tourists<\/a>, and it\u2019s considered the biggest crime<\/a> problem in the city. Sly pickpockets operating in areas popular with visitors mean that tourists must be hyper-aware of their belongings, particularly in airports, train stations, the metro, and hotel lobbies.<\/p>\n

The problem is widespread across Europe<\/a> and other continents. But UK-based travel insurance company Quotezone.co.uk<\/a> said last year that it had identified where travellers were most at risk of falling victim to pickpockets, singling out a destination frequented by 3.5 million Brits annually. Greg Wilson, founder and CEO of the business, said: \u201cTheft can happen anywhere, and tourist hotspots are convenient places for criminals to target holidaymakers\u2019 wallets and purses while\u00a0they are busy taking in the sites.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg added: \u201cMany holidaymakers are unaware that some of the most popular destinations for Brits have some of the highest incidents of pickpocketing in Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur research revealed some surprising results with Italy having the most pickpocketing mentions, yet France and Spain have much larger volumes of tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n

To reach their conclusions, the researchers analysed the number of mentions of \u201cpickpocketing\u201d or \u201cstolen\u201d on traveler review websites for Europe\u2019s top destinations against the number of visitors to that country.\u00a0\u00a0The data revealed that Italy was the prime location where tourists are prone to be parted from their possessions by slick-fingered thieves.<\/p>\n

In particular, Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain<\/a> was highlighted as the number one spot, garnering more than 470 references to \u201cpickpockets\u201d on Tripadvisor reviews.<\/p>\n

Tourists visited the review site to share their unfortunate experiences of rampant pickpocketing at famous European landmarks.<\/p>\n

One dismayed Trevi Fountain visitor wrote: “Well worth the visit but please be careful as there seem to be a lot of pickpockets in the area! I would recommend going early in the morning before the rush! Beautiful site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another chimed: \u201cYou could barely walk through and could not get near the fountain. The only time I was concerned about pickpockets. Note: This was before they started the queue.\u201d<\/p>\n

A third commented: \u201cMuch less busy at night. Be careful when it\u2019s busy; my wife\u2019s backpack nearly was pickpocketed.\u201d<\/p>\n

An investigation into Europe’s hotspots for thefts ranks Italy as the top hotspot for pickpockets, closely followed by France, which has its own notorious spots, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.<\/p>\n

One visitor who journeyed to the Eiffel Tower in September 2024 remarked: \u201cOver-hyped, over-sold and quite crowded. Lot’s of pickpockets operating on the property. Honestly, not worth the price and the time waiting on elevators.\u201d<\/p>\n

A woman who travelled with her family warned others to \u201ckeep an eye on\u201d potential thieves and avoid keeping anything hanging or in their pockets. She also urged visitors to \u201cpolitely refuse\u201d if strangers approached them asking to talk or play a game while queuing for the tower.<\/p>\n

Quotezone\u2019s full European pickpocketing index revealed France and Spain were the second and third worst based on mentions of \u201cpickpockets\u201d or \u201cstolen\u201d per million visitors.<\/p>\n

Worst European countries for pickpocketing<\/p>\n