Traveler safety, country by country

Violent crime against tourists is rare and hassle is constant. The genuine dangers are the roads, the Red Sea dive boats and the areas the FCDO tells you to avoid.

Governments advise against travel to several regions and Canada against non-essential travel countrywide. In Addis itself, mugging is rising and the distraction methods are specific.

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Bawku Municipality. Away from that, the risks are ordinary: roads, rip tides, and a short list of laws that surprise people.

The northeast near Somalia is off limits and the tourist circuit is not. In Nairobi, take the mugging risk seriously after dark, and stay away from protests.

Low violent crime, real petty theft, a strict drug regime, and a possession offence most visitors have never heard of.

Violent crime against tourists is rare and Morocco is safer than its reputation. What you will meet instead is a well-practised economy of commission, and four or five moves cover almost all of it.

Large parts of Nigeria carry an FCDO advisory. Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory do not, and that distinction is the whole map.

Low crime with real opportunistic theft in Kigali, a hard line on photographing anything official, and drones that need a permit.

South Africa has a genuinely high crime rate and millions of visitors have an entirely uneventful trip. The difference is a short list of habits: no phone on the street, nothing visible in the car, a car after dark, and no walking between areas.

Bag snatching and express kidnapping in the cities, a dress code in Zanzibar with real fines attached, and roads that are the most dangerous thing in the country.

A real terrorism threat with named regions to avoid, distraction thefts, and a set of laws that catch visitors: photography, alcohol on Fridays, drugs, and same-sex relations.

A low-crime country with two specific places the FCDO says not to go, and a drug law with no medical exemption.

Baku is a low-crime city. The real hazards are mined districts, a camera pointed at the wrong thing, and a drink before driving.

Crime is low, alcohol is legal, and the two things that get visitors arrested are drugs and photographing the wrong building.

One advised-against region, a real terrorist threat, hartals that turn violent, and a specific warning to women travellers.

Cambodia is broadly safe for visitors, with two hard exceptions: bag snatching from passing motorbikes, which injures people, and the Thai border zone, where there is an armed conflict and land mines.

Violent crime against tourists is rare. What operates instead is organised scam crews in the busiest tourist areas - the tea-tasting scam around Wangfujing, Tiananmen and The Bund, plus art-gallery and fake-monk variants. The FCDO names the tea and massage version explicitly.

Very low violent crime and safe to walk at night in the cities. The two real risks are the Tbilisi bar scam aimed at solo men, and the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are a criminal matter, not a border crossing.

Street crime is low and the weather and the law are the real risks: a Signal 8 shuts the city, and the national security laws are drawn very broadly.

The scams are non-violent and built on manufactured chaos, aimed at the first 48 hours. The classic: a driver tells you your hotel has burned down or the road is shut, then delivers you to a fake 'government tourist office'. Delhi has exactly one real one, at 88 Janpath. Insist on your booked address and phone the hotel yourself.

The real risks are not violent crime: they are the roads, counterfeit alcohol, drug raids and money changers. Bali has seen a large increase in fatal moped accidents, methanol poisoning kills, police raid tourist venues and test for drugs, and 68 illegal money changers were shut down in 2025 alone.

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, and the exception is specific and well documented: the FCDO reports drink spiking and credit-card fraud in Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya and Ikebukuro, with most British victims targeted in Kabukicho after following an English-speaking tout into a bar.

Jordan is calm and crime against visitors is rare. The live issues are the Syrian border, an FCDO warning on Aqaba airport and seaport dated 22 July 2026, and the roads.

Violent crime is low, but pickpocketing is a real risk around Zelyony Bazar and the Almaty railway stations. The standard scam is an unofficial airport driver who demands 15,000 to 22,000 KZT for a ride that should cost 3,000 to 5,000.

Very little crime. The risks are alcohol, a camera pointed at the wrong thing, and a bill you left unpaid.

Ordinary crime is manageable. The mountains are not forgiving and rescue is thin.

Violent crime is low, but rented scooters come with a well-practised damage claim on return. Film the machine before you take it with the owner present, and never leave your passport as a deposit - a copy and cash will do.

One of the safest cities anywhere for street crime. The risks are the casino economy, the national security law and the weather.

Malaysia is stable and safe; the crime that does happen is opportunist. Snatch theft from moving motorcycles is the classic - walk with your bag on the side away from the road. Watch for the currency-display scam, where someone asks to see your home banknotes, and taxi drivers who refuse the meter.

The Maldives is very safe, but watch for airport taxi drivers ignoring the fixed 70–85 MVR fares, fake IMUGA websites charging for the free arrival form, and scooter-rental damage claims on local islands. Book taxis through Avas Ride and avoid political gatherings in Malé.

Violent crime against visitors is rare. The real risks are the roads, the altitude and the monsoon, in that order. Politics can close the roads at short notice.

One of the safest countries in the region. The dangers are the roads, the water and the heat.

Large regions carry an FCDO advisory and the terrorist threat is high countrywide. Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad are outside the advised-against areas.

The U.S. State Department rates the Philippines Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), with Do Not Travel advisories for the Sulu Archipelago and Marawi City, and the FCDO and other foreign ministries warn about parts of Mindanao. The most common tourist scams are taxi overcharging, broken-meter tricks, inflated airport transfers, bad money changers and ATM conversion traps - stick to official ride-share, taxi queues or hotel transfers, and never pay booking deposits outside the platform's payment flow.

Crime is close to nonexistent. The law is what gets visitors arrested: vaping, photographing strangers, swearing, being drunk in the street, and driving.

Crime is very low. The law is where the risk is: alcohol, speech, photography, and an exit ban system that can hold you for years.

One of the safest countries in the world for street crime. The thing most likely to ruin your trip is the law, not a criminal.

Violent crime is rare and theft is the usual complaint. What has grown fast is fraud: reports from foreign nationals nearly quadrupled between 2023 and 2025, most of it K-pop ticket and merchandise scams paid for in advance. On the street, the recurring approach is a friendly English-speaking stranger with a survey.

Violent crime is rare, but organized scams target fresh arrivals: spice-garden and gem-shop pressure sales, the 'closed attraction' tuk-tuk routine, and scooter rentals demanding your passport as a deposit - hand over only a photocopy. In the north, stay on main roads because of leftover minefields from the civil war.

Taiwan is among the safest destinations anywhere - pickpocketing and robbery are rare even late at night. The one scam worth knowing is the taxi meter: near Taipei 101 a driver may claim it is broken and demand a flat NTD 500 for a NTD 180 ride. Photograph the licence on the dashboard and they usually back down.

The scams tourists most often meet in Thailand are airport taxi tricks (approaches outside the official queue, fake luggage fees, manipulated meters), ATM skimming, restaurant overcharging, and scooter/jet-ski rentals that hold passports as deposits and then bill alleged damage. Key rules: use official taxi points, keep your queue slip, never leave your passport as a deposit, and photograph a scooter before riding.

Turkey is safe for ordinary tourism. The two things that genuinely hurt visitors are the Istanbul bar scam and counterfeit spirits containing methanol.

Crime is very low and the law is the hazard. Swearing, a rude gesture, a public kiss or a critical social media post can all end in a police station.

One of the safest countries a traveller can pick, with a heavy police presence that is aimed at reassurance rather than at you. Roads and photography are the two real risks.

Vietnam is relatively safe from violent crime, but petty theft, pickpocketing and bag-snatching are regular in crowded tourist areas. The top current scams are fake Grab/taxi 'helpers' at airports, ATM fee/exchange-rate/DCC overcharges, and scooter-rental damage disputes; UK FCDO advice was last updated 2026-06-26.

Far safer than its reputation; the roads are the genuine hazard.

One of the safest countries in Europe, with two exceptions: pickpockets working Vienna, and men in Mozart costume selling concert tickets that are not what they appear to be.

A safe country with a serious pickpocketing problem concentrated in Brussels stations, the metro at night and the Grand Place.

Landmines from the 1990s war are still in the ground - stay on hard surfaces and marked paths, and this is not a historical footnote.

A safe country whose two real problems are taxi meters and mountain weather.

Crime is low and Croatia finished demining on 1 March 2026 and declared itself mine-free on the 9th. The thing most likely to cost you money is a public order fine for something you did not know was an offence.

A very safe island; the buffer zone, the heat and the roads are the things to respect.

Czechia is among the safest countries in the world and violent crime is rare. The two things that actually catch tourists are the "our card machine is broken, pay in euros" trick in central restaurants and taxis hailed on the street without an app.

One of the safest countries in the world, with two real risks for visitors: pickpockets in central Copenhagen, and drug laws that are far harsher than Christiania makes them look.

A very safe country. The two things that actually catch visitors are ticks in the forest and satellite navigation that stops working.

Crime is not the thing to plan around. Ice, cold, thin lake ice and ticks are, and all four hurt people who assumed a rich country was a safe environment.

Violent crime against visitors is rare; pickpocketing around the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Gare du Nord is routine. Learn the gold ring, the clipboard petition and the friendship bracelet before you meet them.

Violent crime is rare; pickpocketing at Hauptbahnhof stations and on tourist squares is not. Cannabis is legal to possess but not to buy, and jaywalking is an actual fine.

Violent crime is rare; the realistic risks are pickpockets on the airport metro line and at Syntagma, Monastiraki and Omonia, and taxi drivers who ignore the airport flat fare. In July and August, 112 sends wildfire evacuation alerts in English and they are binding.

Hungary is a safe country with one industrial-scale exception: bars that lure tourists in and present a bill for hundreds of euros with men on the door to make sure it gets paid.

Crime is not the risk here - weather, water and roads are. Sneaker waves at Reynisfjara kill tourists, wind rips car doors off their hinges, and the Reykjanes volcanic zone closes without notice. Drug laws are strict and enforced.

Ireland is among the safest countries in the world for a visitor, and Dublin has a genuine phone-snatching and pickpocketing problem in a small, well-defined set of streets. Both things are true.

While violent crime in Italy is rare, opportunistic petty theft is common in high-traffic tourist zones.

A safe country where the actual hazards are an inflated bar bill, a tick, and satellite navigation that quietly stops working.

A safe country. The practical hazards are a phone that cannot find itself, ticks in the forest, and a Belarus border that is not a route.

One of the safest countries in the world; the station district is the only place anyone mentions.

One of the safest countries in Europe; the sea and the roads are the real risks.

Safe for ordinary travel, with Transnistria and the Ukrainian border as the two real considerations.

Safe for visitors; the roads and the sea are the actual risks.

Serious crime is rare and the most likely way to get hurt is stepping onto a cycle path. The red-brick lane beside the pavement is a road, and the bikes on it are fast and legally in the right.

A safe country; the roads and the winter air in Skopje are the real problems.

Norway is one of the safest countries in the world and its mountains kill people every year anyway. The risk here is not crime, it is weather, water and overconfidence on a route that looked easy in a photograph.

Violent crime is very low. The one serious trap is the strip-club scam around Warsaw's and Kraków's main squares, where promoters offering free entry precede spiked drinks and card charges running to thousands of złoty.

Portugal has one of the lowest rates of serious crime in Europe. The street dealers around Rossio and Cais do Sodré are selling oregano and crushed chalk, not drugs; the genuine risk is pickpocketing on crowded trams and transport.

A safe country where the real risks are the roads, the bears and a taxi meter - not crime.

A safe country for visitors where the sensitive ground is political, not criminal.

Slovakia is a low-crime country where the real risk is the mountains: a rescue costs up to EUR 1,000, ordinary travel insurance does not cover it, and the high trails are legally shut from 1 November to 15 June.

One of the safest countries in Europe; the mountains are the only real hazard.

Madrid and Barcelona have Europe's densest pickpocketing scenes: watch for the rosemary 'blessing', petition girls, the bird-poop cleaning trick and organized luggage thieves at airports and ticket machines. Wear cross-body bags with zips forward and ignore strangers who initiate contact on the street.

One of the safest countries in the world for a visitor. The real dangers here are the weather, the water and the winter roads, not people.

One of the safest countries anywhere. The real hazard is the mountains, and the second one is the size of the bill if they go wrong.

The UK is safe and the threat level was raised to SEVERE in April 2026. The crime you are actually likely to meet is someone taking your phone out of your hand.

The Vatican itself is one of the safest places in Europe; the queues outside it are among the most worked.

One of the highest murder rates in the world, concentrated almost entirely in one part of one city - and diving that has killed tourists.

Canada is genuinely safe by any measure and the real dangers are environmental rather than criminal. The scams that work here are aimed at your phone and your immigration status.

The ocean is the real danger. Rip currents kill more visitors than crime touches, and almost no beach has a lifeguard. After that it is car break-ins and beach theft, not violence.

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Cuba. Crime is low by regional standards; it is the shortages that decide how the trip goes.

Resort areas are heavily policed and mostly uneventful. Elsewhere the crime rate is high, and the specific pattern is thieves on motorcycles.

Crime fell dramatically and the country is genuinely safer. The mechanism was a suspension of legal protections that is still in force.

One of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America, volcanoes with no rescue service, and a rule about photographing children that is not about manners.

One of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America, and it very rarely touches tourists - but the roads and the buses genuinely do.

Jamaica has a high homicide rate and it is concentrated in places tourists do not go. The risks that actually reach visitors are robbery, roads and the sea.

The tourist states are Level 2, but six states carry Do Not Travel advisories - where you go matters more than what you do. Use apps instead of street taxis, and never accept a demand for a cash bribe without asking for the written ticket.

Political activity by foreigners is illegal and broadly defined, and there is no British embassy in the country to help if it goes wrong.

Ordinary street crime in specific neighbourhoods, taxis the FCDO tells you not to hail, and roadblocks that close highways without notice.

No FCDO advisory anywhere, but real violent crime in Nassau and Freeport, an unregulated water sports industry, and a shark warning worth reading twice.

The realistic risks are road traffic, car break-ins and the cost of an ambulance. Violent crime is concentrated in places visitors rarely go.

Violent crime against tourists is rare; street theft is not. Motorcycle snatch thefts, distraction teams in the Microcentro and counterfeit change are the three things to plan around.

Level 2 for crime and civil unrest. The scam to know is the fake plainclothes policeman asking to inspect your passport or money - real Bolivian police never do this, and you are entitled to insist on walking to a station.

Street crime is the real risk and the rule is simple: never resist an armed robber. Do not walk into a favela, including on a tour, and keep your phone out of your hand on the pavement.

Phone snatching in Santiago is the thing that actually happens. Protests cluster on known dates, and on the coast a long earthquake means walk uphill without waiting for a siren.

The honest version: the cities tourists visit are fine with ordinary care, whole departments are not, and the specific thing killing foreign visitors right now is being drugged after meeting someone on an app.

A state of emergency, most of the coast under an FCDO advisory, express kidnapping and drugged drinks. This is not the country it was five years ago and the advice has changed with it.

Level 2 for opportunistic crime and demonstrations. The specific risks are unlicensed taxis, the mustard-spill distraction, and counterfeit notes. Coca tea is legal in Peru and illegal to take home.

Opportunistic theft is the real risk. Cannabis is legal for residents and illegal for you.

Australia is very safe physically; the 2026 risks are scams - fake Linkt toll SMS phishing, hacked Booking.com hotel chats, unlicensed airport drivers - plus the critical rule of never driving at dusk or night outside cities because of kangaroo collisions excluded from rental insurance.

Serious crime is rare, the sea is the bigger risk, marijuana carries a mandatory three-month sentence, and the cyclone season runs November to April.

Violent crime is very low and the real risk is theft from parked vehicles at trailheads, beaches and lookouts. Leave nothing visible in a car or campervan, and ignore the unlicensed drivers touting in the Auckland arrivals hall.

This is the one country in this guide where the safety advice shapes the whole trip. Australian and British missions advise against walking in Port Moresby and Lae after dark, and city journeys should be made in a locked vehicle with a driver you know.

Safe for visitors, with two exceptions: the northern municipalities and unexploded ordnance off marked paths.