Security

Madrid is quite a safe city, so you don't have to be worry about your safety,  it's not an issue!

Nevertheless as it is in any big city, you must be wary of pickpockets when you visit the busiest tourist spots, when you are at the city centre or either when you travel by subway or bus. Be especially careful at crowded areas, as tricksters are extremely skillful. There are different ways of approaching: attractive woman distracts male victims, couple or groups of gypsy girls asking for your support and signature for different campaigns or just asking you as if they were a tourist too, to localize certain point of Madrid.

You also should be aware of different artful scams. The shell game which is often seen played on the streets on a cardboard box, with a group of shells. You need three shells or cards and a pea or a small ball. Then you would be asked to bet and guess correctly to win back double or lose your money. The fact is that the operator is a skillful con man who hides the ball from your eyes without your noticing and your money is lost!

As a general rule it's better to be safe than sorry: try to avoid empty streets at night; only bring strictly necessary things with you, the use of money belts under clothes is a good option, get a photocopy of your important documents and keep it separated from originals would be a wise tip to follow.

As a conclusion: Enjoy Madrid!