Is travelling in Central Europe safe?
At "SCHINDL Local Services & Day Tours" We are a Coop of licensed Austria Guides (equivalent to Britain’s Blue Badge Guides) – and every season we are confronted with that question.
Be happy all you Travel Counselors that sell Central Europe this year. Despite singular incidents, Continental Europe and Australia are still the safest continents to live at.
By the annual "Global Peace Index" (GPI) the Central and Northern European countries are the most peaceful in the world with Iceland taking the lead, followed by Denmark and Austria. Also found in the top 20 are Slovenia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland, as well as the Republic of Ireland and Portugal.
Outside Europe only a handful of countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore make it into the top 20.
Great Britain’s ranking at # 47 and the USA at # 103 shed a slightly different light at safety concerns.
What does that mean for the traveler?
This global ranking does not fully reflect the situation for tourist, though.
- Petty crime like pickpocketing and different scams are found everywhere in Europe’s mayor tourist destinations.
- Also, organized begging is an annoyance – and we should not support it by giving.
- In past years, some of my guest were facing theft in night trains, even on inner-Austrian routs. As a consequence, railroad authorities stepped up security in Germany, Austria and the rest of Central Europe.
In all, safety concerns should not keep our guests away from travelling Central Europe this summer.