Is budapest safe?

If you are planning on travelling to Budapest on your own you might wonder ‘Is Budapest Safe?’ The short answer is: yes Budapest is safe indeed. You don’t have to worry for your safety when travelling to the Hungarian capital. But just like a visit to any other big city you should always pay attention. So keep you eye on your belongings, don’t walk through small alleys after dark and don’t trust everyone.

In general you don’t have to worry about your safety in Budapest. But despite that you will find some general advice on this page on what you should pay attention to.

Table of Contents

Taking a taxi

The thing you should be most carefull with when in Budapest is taking a taxi. Drivers can be quite rude or will try and make a big detour to trick out some extra money. If you want to take a taxi it’s best not jump into one on the street, but either let your hotel order one for you or install the Taxify app and order one via this app. Read more about how to drive a taxi in Budapest safely.

What to pay attention to

Apart from taxis you should be most aware of pickpockets. Especially when travelling with public transport, train/subway stations, and on markets you should be cautious and extra careful with your bags. But again: this goes for all big cities. This doesnt have anything to do with Budapest not being a safe destination for tourists.

Safety woman alone in Budapest

If you are a woman alone wanting to travel to Budapest: go ahead. Budapest is a safe city for women travelling along. There are no reports of harassmant or attacks on women in particular. Offcourse also here applies: just be aware and don’t do things you wouldn’t do at home either. Use your common sense. Don’t go walking on your own through the streets in the middle of the night.

Is Budapest safe for a man alone?

You might expect that women alone should be more careful than men alone, but in Budapest men are more often target of scams. A famous trick in Budapest is women seducing men and then getting robed. Avoid stripclubs and be carefull when you are walking the streets and you are approached by a woman alone. Worst case scenario you will end up in front of an ATM machine in between two strong guys holding you. Now that you are aware of this seduction trick use your common sense and you wille have a nice and safe trip to Budapest.

Tips to stay safe in budapest

Always where a copy of your passport with you and keep this separate from your real passport.
Don’t cary to much cash. And don’t put your wallet in the backpocket or pockets of your pants. The safest option is to put your cash in a money belt.
Never ask taxidrivers to give you tips on where to eat or drink.
Always buy your own drinks and make sure you keep them in eyesight all the time.
Always be on guard with people you don’t know.

Districts where you should pay more attention

Again, Budapest is a safe city. So there is nothing to worry about. There is one district in the center you should pay a bit extra attention. That’s District VIII and District IX. But don’t worry it’s still safe in these areas. Just be a bit more carefull during nighttime and don’t go wandering around this neighbourhood too much. And the closer you stay to the adjacent districts – the jewish area and the innercity – the better it is.

Looking for a hotel?
Check out my two personal favourites: TG Design suites Aparthotel & Hotel Rum (which is Buda-side of the city). Other hotels which are popular, have good ratings and are located very well are Roombach Hotel and AnVa House.

Interesting to read

Questions?

If you have a question please let me know in the comments below. I will come back to you as soon as possible. Be aware you will not get an e-mail so you have to come back to this page to check the answer.