Budapest has an undeserved reputation for being a dangerous city. It is actually a bit safer than most other large cities in Europe. However, a few major scandals have caused some concern. While you shouldn’t be paranoid about traveling to this lovely city, you should still be on your guard.
Travel Safety Tips
Tourists that know the city and take proper precautions are less likely to be injured or robbed. Here are some general safety tips that you should follow.
Be Cautious Around Certain Districts
Some districts are known for having a lot more crime than others. According to several travelers on VirtualTourist, the 8th and 9th Pest districts tend to have the highest crime rates. You don’t necessarily need to avoid these areas altogether, but should minimize the amount of time that you spend in them. You should try finding accommodations in a different part of the city if possible.
Be Aware of Tourist Traps
There is a share of legal but unscrupulous business owners in Budapest that try to take advantage of unwitting tourists. You can read about one of these experiences on Trip Advisor. A guy walked into a bar and had a couple of girls flirt with him, asking him to buy them drinks. The total bill was about twenty times what it would otherwise have been.
Some of these tourist traps actually employ cute girls to help unsuspecting men ring their bills up. You need to always check the prices of the drinks beforehand and be cautious about what you are ordering.
You should also be careful when looking for events in Budapest. Do your research and make sure there are no hidden fees first.
Fake Cops
The laws in the Hungary aren’t all that strict, but you still need to be careful about following them. As long as you abide by the laws, you shouldn’t have any problems with the local authorities. The bigger problem is that there are some crooks that pretend to be police officers so that they can extort tourists. You need to pay attention to see if they are doing anything that a regular police officer wouldn’t do.
Pick Pockets
Your garden variety pick pockets are a risk that tourists face in any part of the world. Sadly, Budapest is no exception. Here are some tips to minimize the risk of being pickpocketed:
- You will need to always keep your wallet and purse close to you.
- It’s best to limit the amount of money that you carry.
- Avoid using large purses or purses with drawstrings.
- Keep your wallet in the front of your pants instead of your back pocket.
- Consider placing a small comb sticking out of your wallet so that it will catch on your pants if someone tries to steal it.
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