Hungary : Safety by City
Hungary is located in Central Europe and shares borders with Slovakia to the north, Austria to the west, Slovenia and Croatia to the southwest, Serbia to the south, Romania to the east and Ukraine to the northeast.
Hungary is geographically very diverse: with low mountains in the north-west, the Great Plain in the east, many lakes, and rivers, the most famous of which being Balaton – the largest lake in Central Europe, picturesque little villages and modern, contemporary capital of Budapest, Hungary is definitely a destination worth visiting.
Actually, Budapest is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Even though it’s small in size, Hungary boasts an impressive number of World Heritage Sites and natural gems such as the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz) and the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton).
When it comes to architecture, among Hungary’s landmarks are the largest synagogue in Europe (Great Synagogue), the third-largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica), the second-largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllő), the second oldest metro system in Europe and the third all over the world after New York and London (called Millennium Underground).
Warnings & Dangers in Hungary
OVERALL RISK: LOW
Hungary is very safe to travel to. Your biggest worry, when traveling to Hungary, should be the pickpockets and scammers. If you apply basic precaution rules, that should minimize the risk of something going wrong.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
Transportation and taxis are generally safe and reliable in Hungary, but don't rely on taxi drivers' recommendations of pubs and bars and be careful in public transport, as it's a place where pickpockets operate.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
As in any European top destination, there are pickpockets at popular tourist landmarks. Follow your common sense and remain vigilant at all times, especially in public transportation and at crowded stations.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
Apart from occasional snow storm and flooding in the northeast region of Hungary, there are no threats of natural disasters in Hungary.
MUGGING RISK: LOW
There are low chances of getting mugged or kidnapped in this country, although it is advised to remain cautious and avoid poorly lit and deserted streets and areas. If you find yourself in such a situation, hand over your belongings immediately.
TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
There haven't been any terrorist attacks in Hungary's recent history, but, in the light of recent attacks in this part of Europe, it is best to remain vigilant at all times.
SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
As in any country, especially a top tourist destination, there is risk of getting scammed. Be wary of people trying to distract you or offering you unwanted help, check your change twice and always negotiate every service beforehand.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Hungary is very safe to travel to, if you are a female traveling solo. Apart from a few general precaution rules you should apply, such as not walking alone in poorly lit and deserted areas, not finding yourself in strange company at night, etc, you can relax because Hungary is very safe in this respect.
So... How Safe Is Hungary Really?
Hungary is, generally, a very safe country.
However, there is a considerable rate of petty crime, particularly in Budapest.
The most common form of a crime you’ll probably encounter is pickpocketing or bag snatching.
Violent crimes such as robberies, rape, or assaults are also not an issue in this country, but you might encounter pickpockets in large cities or at events with large crowds.
Avoid crowded places, and apply extreme precaution when in public transportation or on bus or railway stations.
There have also been reports of tourists’ baggage being stolen while they were sleeping on the train, so remain vigilant when in public transport.
Many Hungarians do not pay too much attention to driving safely, which is why 2010 was the year of 739 deaths caused by traffic accidents.
Hungarians can be careless drivers so be very careful when driving, especially at night, or on two-way roads.
Another issue for tourists in Hungary is that, despite the fact that Hungary is not an overly religious nation, and abides by the law protecting same-sex partnerships, many Hungarians have pretty conservative views concerning LGBTQ culture, especially in rural parts of the country.
The situation can be different in Budapest, where a younger and more contemporary and open-minded generation usually nurtures a friendlier attitude towards the gay population.
How Does Hungary Compare?
| Country | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Hungary | 83 |
| Morocco | 54 |
| Germany | 85 |
| Chile | 79 |
| Mongolia | 71 |
| Netherlands | 75 |
| United Arab Emirates | 79 |
| Montenegro | 70 |
| Qatar | 84 |
Useful Information
Visas
Most countries do not need a visa for Hungary, for any stays shorter than 90 days. Any longer than that, you might need to acquire a visa. Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months past your planned date of return. If you are not sure about your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com which will let you know whether or not you need visa based on your nationality and the country you want to visit.
Currency
Forint is the official currency in Hungary. ATMs are widely available throughout the country and credit and debit cards are accepted in many establishments such as hotels and restaurants.
Weather
Hungary has a typical European continental influenced climate characterized by warm, dry summers and fairly cold winters.
Airports
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport formerly referred to as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, and sometimes colloquially called just Ferihegy, is the international airport in Budapest. It is also by far the largest of Hungary's four commercial airports. It is located 16 km southeast of the center of Budapest.
Travel Insurance
Just like anywhere else, we recommend getting travel insurance when traveling to Hungary, since it covers not only medical problems, but also theft and loss of valuables.
Hungary Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 2 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 4 |
| Low °C | -4 | -3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 1 | -2 |
| High °F | 36 | 39 | 50 | 61 | 70 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 46 | 39 |
| Low °F | 25 | 27 | 34 | 41 | 50 | 55 | 59 | 57 | 50 | 41 | 34 | 28 |
Hungary - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Budapest | 76 |
Great experience. Want to go back ASAP
Nice. Good and important information. I like it. Thanks for lot.
What is this medium terrorism level in Hungary??? Never happened anything like to France or England!!!!
Safe country!
Miss understood it Robert.
The THREAT of terrorism is medium due to the terrorist attacks in the rest of Europe. ie London Paris and …..
However, no terrorist attacks were reported in recent history.
I agree with you Robert. I don’t understand that Austria has the “TERRORISM RISK : LOW” with the following explanation:
“There was one terrorist attack prevented in Vienna, in 2016. The threat of terrorists trying to execute an attack in Austria exists, but is relatively low.” I think, also Hungary should have the “TERRORISM RISK : LOW”.
Look out for pickpockets and always ask for the price first, otherwise you're golden
Yep, Terrorism Risk should be “LOW”: the last terrorist attack was in 1991, committed by Palestinians against a bus carrying Soviet Jews. So that’s almost 30 years ago. Nothing since.
Average temperature is much higher in summer about 25-30 in May June July August. Terrorism risk is very low and I think having party alone as a girl is not that safe as it is said. Never go partying alone as a girl in the day you dont have to worry about anything. I also have been living in Budapest for 10 years now and nobody never stole anything from me. But they found my phone twice at the supermarket my Credit card at a party place and my wallet on the street.
Hello, do you live in Hungary now?
Hungary has a repressive, frightening, dictatorial, power-drunk government.
The biggest problem in Hungary is the mentality of the majority of people, which is divisive, envious, critical, informative, petty, crying, complaining.
Hungary is not among the top 50 countries. You can check.
It can be a much better country to see your own mistakes and not blame others for your own destiny, for example: Europa unio, the West, the Jews, the Arabs, Trianon, and so on.
Terrorism is a very interesting thing. Who is really behind them? Who is wise enough to know the answer …. 🙂
Opinion on Hungary
I am really confused by what you are saying.
1. Hungary’s government is not frightnening, and repressive. It is simply the same as the formal MSZP (leftist) government was. Actually the leftists were even worse, as they openly lied to people and stated that they have been stealing from the state
2. Mentality of the people? I am not sure how many times you have been in Hungary, but most people are friendly, open and curious. There is an exeption to Muslims , due to the growing number of terrorist attacks between 2014- 2020 in West Europe (also our history consists fighting agains Ottomans)
3. Hungary is not among the top 50 countries? In which sense? We are really safe. Safer than France, Germany or Austria. Many westeners come to live here
4. Blaming others? Trianon was indeed an awful historical event, and in today’s sense, it would most probably not be accepted by anyone. We are blaming the Arabs? When ? How? For what? I think you are totally mislead by someone
5. “Terrorism is a very interesting thing , who is behind them you say? Who is wise enough to know the answer? “….. Are you reading the news ? All terrorist attacks were commited by extreme Islamitic groups and people . But not in Hungary. Attacks were done by extreme islamitics in : England, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria, Germany
Know your facts “the truth”..
I have to agree with “Mulat”…. The “the truth” is out of line in many aspects!
Agree
Well stated…
As a Hungarian, i have to agree about the people’s mentality with”the truth”. We aren’t that kind persons, we dont like tourists, neither other hungarians, its the sad true. The center of budapest is safe, the only risk is, that we technically dont have health care(no joke). If you has some illnes, or suffering an accident, that would be lethal without medical help, well you probably will die. :):
CAN'T WAIT TO VISIT HUNGARY AGAIN!Y AGAIN
To “The Truth”: What hallucinogens are you on, LOL? Either that or you are pathologically malicious and bitter. Did perchance your bad behavior cause you to be less than popular in Hungary? As an American executive I had to travel on business ten months a year for 15 years to 45 countries and 34 American states. I found the majority of Hungarians to be exceptionally educated, cultured as well as multi-lingual (including English) in Budapest. In rural areas I found them to be very intelligent and endowed with eneormous common sense, although not as many spoke English.
In the United States you’ll find that very few Americans speak a foreign language–if they do, badly accented and with poor grammar. As for rural American areas, many speak their own language ungrammatically and almost no one speaks a foreign language. I’ve seldom encountered a country where so many people had a terrific sense of humor, including hilarious political jokes, despite all the sorrow they went through under Communist domination. The Hungarian warmth, hospitality, love of family, song, and dance is legendary. Regarding pickpockets, where in the world does one not find them? Among many large cities I used to live in New York, LOL. A photographer friend of mine put her portfolio under her seat at a lunch counter and it was stolen. In Washington, D.C. I was sitting at Union Station talking to someone on my left while I had a Washingtonian magazine under my right elbow. I felt a tug and saw a kid run away with it. (They sell anything and everything for drugs.)
The cuisine in Hungary is scrumptious as are the desserts. I don’t drink any alcohol so I can only repeat the world-famous reputation of Hungarian wines and barack palinka (apricot brandy)–there should be an accent aigu over the “a” in “palinka but my computer doesn’t have it. By the way, the now world-famous California wine industry was started by the Hungarian Agoston de Haraszthy with grape cuttings fron Hungary. so that ought to tell you something.
Drivers in Hungary–as I found in Yugoslavia, Italy, Romania, and many other places–are reckless. (I’ve never in my life found safer or more courteous drivers than in Corsica. I had the pleasure of driving 3/4 of the way around Corsica.) Anyhow, I can’t wait to go back to Hungary.
Would like to go
I’ve never been but I would like to go there. My grandparents and great grandparents immigrated from there to the usa
I am very happy to get valuable detail which might be helpful during the visit to hungry. But I have one question . Why people don’t like Muslims and assosiate any terroristic attack with Muslims? In fact Muslims are good hearted and God fearing. Around the world Muslims are suffering like in India, Kashmir, Burma , Iraq etc. If Muslims are terrorists then they should attack on such nation’s where they suffer why in hungry or any other europian country ? What do you think of it?
When thinking this way is why they are dangerous.Read the quaran look at how many humans they have killed in name of the quaran.. you are extremely uninformed as too the mandates.. they approve of slavery women and children property to be sold,killed, cannibalized,and necrophilia. Beastiality. Their goal on earth is too make every human under control of Mohammed. If you cannot convert,a infidel, then enslave or kill. Ithe quaran is the only how to manual of a cult that says if you disagree with it’s mandates, you are dead.
Is working in Hungary safe
Nice city, grumpy locals
I first visited Hungary seven years ago when I was studying in Bucharest. If you’re on a tight budget add this country on your list. Everything is more than decently priced and you’ll never run out of things to do. As a downside I would mention the fact that Hungarians aren’t that friendly; they either mumble something under their breath when asked for directions or straight up ignore you.
Hungary is safe and beautyful
Hungary is a very safe country.
As a local, I can say I have never been robbed or pickpocketed. Petty crimes are concentrated mostly in bigger cities I think, but if you are not careless, there won’t be any problem. I live in the countryside, in a relatively small city and there is absolutely no crime around (at least nothing people should worry about in general).
Working in Hungary (not hungry!) is also very safe. I have got a lot of foreign colleagues and they are enjoying their time here.
It is not a perfect place to live, but no country can be perfect enough I think (depends on your needs of course). Terrorism: Yes, there were some attacks in Europe, but nothing in Hungary. I don’t understand the medium lvl for this one…
Landscapes and the overall natural beauty of the country however are fantastic.
LGBTQ thing is true however, we are not the champions of acceptance.
Beautiful country, so-so people
Hungary is definitely a beautiful country with a lot of varied places to visit, a beautiful culture, and many things to do. But several of the posts written here about the people are true. I have relatives in several cities and villages in Hungary and unfortunately, they are anti-Muslim (they equate them to Roma and don’t use a very nice word for both), anti-gay, anti-Semitic, jealous of Westerners’ “wealth” no matter how hard we’ve worked for it, etc. etc. There’s a reason Hungarians have been on the wrong side of history again and again…
One of the most beautiful areas in Hungary is the eastern region, but it is also the most dangerous. There are fewer problems in Budapest, but when you arrive in the eastern region, different types of people live there. You shouldn’t get tough or get drunk, because the largest group of criminal organizations is here.