Methodology
A SafeDistricts score is a travel comfort signal, not a crime statistic. It answers one practical question: how predictable and low-friction does a district feel for a visitor staying there?
A district scoring 85/100 means most travelers report calm arrivals, reliable transport, and comfortable evening returns. A district scoring 50/100 means the experience is more variable: some streets and time windows work well, others add friction worth checking before booking.
The score is not a guarantee of safety. It is a structured comparison tool to help you choose a base before verifying the exact street and accommodation.
Score formula
Weighted sum
Overall score = weighted component scores on a 0-100 scale
50%
Safety
reported comfort + crime data
16%
Transport
metro, tram, bus access
14%
Tourist
sights, walkability, ease
10%
Accommodation
stay supply and quality
10%
Night comfort
100 - night risk
Night comfort is inverted before weighting, so a raw night risk of 30 contributes 70 points to this component.
Safety Score × 0.50
The dominant signal. Combines official recorded crime data where available with traveler-reported comfort levels, forum research, and community input. Given the highest weight because safety perception has the strongest effect on whether a stay feels predictable day to day.
Transport Score × 0.16
Metro, tram, and bus coverage around the district. Measured by proximity to reliable transit stops and ease of movement across the city. A district with weak transport adds friction even when it is otherwise safe.
Tourist Score × 0.14
Proximity to main sights, walkability, and ease of movement for visitors who are new to the city. Higher in central districts, lower in residential areas far from attractions.
Accommodation × 0.10
Density and quality of verified stay options in the area. Districts with thin accommodation supply or predominantly low-rated options score lower here.
(100 - Night Risk Score) × 0.10
Inverted night risk score. A district with a raw night risk score of 30 contributes 70 points to this component. Based on reported evening activity patterns, lighting conditions, and traveler accounts of late returns.
Weighting logic
Most travel tools treat safety as one signal among many. SafeDistricts weights it at half the total score because it is the signal that most directly affects the stay decision for a first-time visitor.
Transport and tourist access matter, but a well-connected district with poor safety perception creates a different problem than a quieter district with weak transport. The weighting reflects this priority: safety first, then logistics.
Data sources
We use a three-tier approach depending on what is publicly available for each city.
These cities have government crime data published at the neighbourhood or district level. We use this as the primary input for the safety score.
United Kingdom
Street-level crime data by borough and ward, updated monthly by the Home Office. The most granular open crime dataset in Europe.
Cities covered: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cork, Dublin
Germany
Berlin publishes an interactive Kriminalitätsatlas covering 138 Bezirksregionen. Other German cities publish crime data per Bezirk through their state criminal police offices (Landeskriminalämter).
Cities covered: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Nuremberg, Stuttgart
Netherlands
Crime data per wijk and buurt, the finest geographic breakdown available anywhere in Europe, updated annually.
Cities covered: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven
France
Recorded crime per arrondissement and commune published by the French Ministry of the Interior.
Cities covered: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseille, Toulouse, Strasbourg
Spain
Mossos d'Esquadra publish crime data per districte for Catalonia. The Ministerio del Interior Portal Estadístico de Criminalidad covers other Spanish cities.
Cities covered: Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Bilbao, Seville, Valencia
Sweden
The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention publishes crime data across 941 local police districts, updated annually.
Cities covered: Stockholm, Malmö
Belgium
Crime data per commune and police zone published by the Belgian statistical office.
Cities covered: Brussels, Charleroi
These cities have government crime statistics published at the city or regional level, but not broken down by district. We use the city-level data to calibrate the overall safety baseline, then apply traveler research to differentiate between districts within the city.
| Country | Official source | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | BMI Kriminalstatistik | Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg |
| Switzerland | BFS (Bundesamt für Statistik) | Zurich, Geneva, Basel |
| Czech Republic | Policejní prezidium ČR | Prague, Brno |
| Poland | KGP (Komenda Główna Policji) | Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań, Katowice |
| Denmark | Danmarks Statistik | Copenhagen |
| Finland | Tilastokeskus | Helsinki, Turku |
| Norway | SSB (Statistics Norway) | Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim |
| Portugal | DGAI / Ministério da Administração Interna | Lisbon, Porto, Faro |
| Italy | ISTAT + Ministero dell'Interno | Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, Turin, Venice, Palermo |
| Greece | ΕΛΑΣ (Hellenic Police) | Athens, Thessaloniki |
| Turkey | TÜİK | Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir |
For cities where no usable official crime data exists at any geographic level, district scores are built entirely from structured traveler research. This covers cities in Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Bosnia, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, and Russia.
We systematically analyse discussions on TripAdvisor forums, Reddit, Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, and TravelStack Exchange. Posts are filtered for first-hand accounts of specific districts, focusing on reported comfort levels, incidents, night-time experience, and transport friction.
Forums and groups for expats living in each city provide a longer-term residential perspective on district character that complements short-stay traveler accounts.
District-level content from established travel writers is reviewed for specificity and recency. Generic top-area listicles are excluded; only content with specific street-level or district-level observations is used.
Aggregated guest review patterns from major booking platforms are analysed at the district level. Areas where traveler reviews consistently mention comfort, transport ease, or safety concerns are weighted accordingly.
English and local-language news archives are reviewed for reported incidents, area developments, and changes in district character over the preceding 24 months.
Cities in this tier: Budapest, Bratislava, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split, Ljubljana, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Sarajevo, Tirana, Tallinn, Riga, Moscow
Score interpretation
| Score | Label | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 90+ | Excellent | Strong all-round base. Low friction for arrivals, daily movement, and evening returns. |
| 70-89 | Good | Good base with minor trade-offs. Check the specific transport stop and evening route. |
| 50-69 | Use caution | Workable but requires more checking. Verify the exact street, night comfort, and return route before booking. |
| Below 50 | Avoid | Higher friction. Not automatically a no-go, but the exact address and timing matter significantly more. |
Data quality
Each district profile displays one of three data quality labels so you know exactly what is behind the number.
Safety score incorporates government crime statistics at the district or city level.
Safety score combines city-level official data with structured traveler research to differentiate between districts.
No official data is available for this city. Score is based on structured research from forums, expat communities, travel content, and accommodation signals.
Limits
It is not a crime rate. A high-crime area can score reasonably if the crime is low-impact and the area is well-connected. A low-crime area can score below average if transport is weak or night comfort is poor.
It does not replace checking the exact street. Two accommodations in the same district can have very different practical experiences depending on the block and the nearest transit stop.
It does not account for personal risk tolerance. Solo travelers, families, and experienced city travelers may weight these signals differently.
Updates and scope
Scores are reviewed when new official crime data is released, when significant new traveler reports accumulate for a district, or when a district's character changes materially. The last update date is shown on each district profile.
SafeDistricts was built to answer the question that booking platforms do not: which part of the city should I stay in? Price filters and star ratings do not tell you whether a district is calm at night, whether the nearest metro stop is safe to use after dinner, or whether the area holds up when you arrive late with luggage.
The platform currently covers 87 European cities and over 1,400 districts. It is designed for travelers who want to make the district decision before the accommodation decision and understand exactly how that decision is being scored.