These are Europe's safest cities
Where in Europe do travelers not need to worry about their safety? The answer is provided by the so-called 'Safety Index,' which evaluates European cities based on categories such as crime rates or perceived safety.
When going on vacation, nobody wants to worry about their safety. This is why safety plays a significant role in the travel planning of many people. Of course, the perception of what situations or cities are deemed unsafe varies from person to person, but surveys and statistics can be a good guide when choosing a travel destination. Numbeo's Safety Index is based on the perceptions of travelers and locals in the cities.
Included categories are the perception of crime rates, perceived safety during the day and at night, concerns about crimes like assault, robbery, car theft, physical attacks, public harassment, and incidents motivated by prejudice. Additionally, perceptions of property crimes (burglary, theft, vandalism) and violent crimes (bodily harm, murder, sexual offenses) are included. We present the safest and least safe cities in Europe - Germany is represented once in the top 10.
Where your vacation in Europe is the safest
If you want to worry as little as possible about crime during a city trip, consider traveling to the Netherlands. Topping Numbeo's Safety Index in 2025 is The Hague. Besides safety, The Hague offers plenty of art, culture, Dutch flair without the tourist crowds, and even a beach, as it is located directly by the sea, even though it is the seat of the Dutch government and not usually on the radar of most city travelers.
In fourth place is Eindhoven, another Dutch city, while Tampere in Finland and Trondheim in Norway take second and third places. These are also cities not on every Scandinavian traveler's list. Here too, one can avoid mass tourism.
Munich is first among German cities in the ranking of Europe's safest cities, coming in fifth. The fear of crime in the city is generally rated as very low, with most people feeling safe even when alone at night. The only negative aspect mentioned is the perception that the crime rate in Munich has increased over the last five years.
The top ten is completed by Lugano in Switzerland in sixth place, Zagreb in Croatia in seventh, Tartu in Estonia in eighth, and Utrecht (Netherlands) and Tallinn (Estonia) in ninth and tenth places respectively. This means two cities from Estonia and even three from the Netherlands made it into Europe's ten safest cities.
The following table shows the perception of safety in 151 larger European cities, and the ranking is searchable. For better readability, only 20 cities per page of the table are listed.
The least safe cities in Europe
At the other end of the ranking, unsurprisingly, is Marseille, known as one of Europe's most criminal cities. Drug trade and gang wars lead to a high murder rate, and crimes affecting tourists, such as pickpocketing, are widespread. Which neighborhoods travelers should avoid and why it's still worth visiting Marseille are explained in this article.
Next in the ranking are three cities in England: Bradford, Coventry, and Birmingham, all perceived as having high crime rates by locals and travelers.
Naples and Grenoble also do not fare well on the Safety Index. Generally, many cities in France and England are found at the lower end of the rankings. In Germany, Bremen (ranked 113) is considered the least safe - even ahead of Frankfurt (ranked 102) or Berlin (ranked 98).
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