Whether you’re moving or buying a home for the very first time, safety is likely a very important priority to you since the pandemic hit. Everyone wants to feel safe and secure in their home and with family, so naturally it can sometimes be the deciding factor when choosing a neighborhood.
There are many factors that contribute to the type and frequency of safety-ness such as healthcare or sanitation as the main factors due to the current event, next is crime in a city, crime rates can vary significantly even from neighborhood to neighborhood, natural disaster and also pollution.
These ratings look back to give a picture of what’s happening now. They can’t give you a safety rating on the future safety of any city throughout the world.
From our partners:
Here are the top 10 cities around the world that we believe will be safest for travelers in 2022:
1. Montreal
Survey Score: 80.2
Overall Score: 78.7
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s the top-rated city in our survey almost across the board, and GeoSure loves it, too.
Can Americans Travel There?
Yep. American citizens who have proof of full vaccination and citizens who recovered from COVID and can produce a recent molecular test result can enter Canada, at which time their only real choice is to head straight for Montreal.
Top Attractions
Old Montreal is the best of France and Canada, the waterfront is delightful, the neighborhoods are explorable, and Mont-Royal is worth the trek to the top. And the smoked meat is the stuff dreams are made of.
2. Amsterdam
Survey Score: 76.7
Overall Score: 75.6
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Amsterdam is a favorite of every measurement and measurer, usually just a tick behind Montreal.
Can Americans Travel There?
Yes, if you’re vaccinated and complete the paperwork.
Top Attractions
Amsterdam is super bike-friendly and super people-friendly, with great beer, canals, parks, tulips – all the stuff you hope for with a trip to the Netherlands.
3. Tokyo
Survey Score: 68.2
Overall Score: 73.8
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Tokyo’s reputation for cleanliness and safety precedes itself. That’s why the city was our top-rated city last year and was only five points away from the top spot this year.
Can Americans Travel There?
No, unfortunately, and it’s not clear when that answer may change.
Top Attractions
There’s the world-famous Ginza shopping district and the blaze and bustle of one of the world’s most dizzyingly fast-paced cities, but there are also spots of exceptional calm and peace that make you marvel that the two can co-exist.
4. Singapore
Survey Score: 71.6
Overall Score: 72.6
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Singapore’s dedication to safety (and rule-following) is well-known. It’s one of the cleanest cities on the planet, and one of the best-policed. That really resonates with our travelers, in addition to GeoSure and Numbeo.
Can Americans Travel There?
According to The New York Times, U.S. travelers with proof of vaccination can enter without having to quarantine, though they have to test negative twice, and are put in isolation until they can produce negative tests.
Top Attractions
Changli Airport is acclaimed as the world’s greatest, and it’s just the start of the architectural marvels to be found in this everchanging city.
READ MORE: THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
5. Sydney
Survey Score: 71.8
Overall Score: 62.1
Why It’s Ranked Highly
People often think of Sydney in terms of postcard shots – the harbor, the opera house, the bridge – but Sydney is really a city of neighborhoods, great restaurants, and beaches that invites exploration. The Sydney Zoo is one of the world’s best, and if you feel like some serious exploration the bush isn’t all that far away.
Can Americans Travel There?
No. To quote the recent article Safest Countries post, “Australia has enacted a travel ban on all non-residents and non-Australian citizens entering Australia.”
Top Attractions
The Opera House, the waterfront – Sydney is a non-stop parade of iconic views. Sydney is also a great city for the arts, and the perfect jumping-off spot for the country’s wild interior.
6. London
Survey Score: 65.2
Overall Score: 65.5
Why It’s Ranked Highly
The fact that the survey score almost matched the overall score hints at the convergence of opinion regarding London. Every score aligns with every other, and every source agrees that this is the appropriate ranking for London.
Can Americans Travel There?
Yes, if you’re not entering the country from a “red-list” country. Also, proof of vaccination is required. Unvaccinated travelers must buy a “travel package” of tests covering an eight-day period.
Top Attractions
London is a walkable, bikeable, and generally easy-to-get-around city. It has no shortage of iconic sites and attractions, from the British Museum to Buckingham Palace – and hey, there are venomous sharks in the Thames! Enjoy that.
7. Barcelona
Survey Score: 58.4
Overall Score: 65.5
Why It’s Ranked Highly
GeoSure and The Economist are big fans. Also, it’s hugely popular with higher-income survey respondents.
Can Americans Travel There?
Tourists from the United States must be vaccinated and have a QR code generated through the Spain Travel Health portal.
Top Attractions
One of the world’s greatest cities architecturally, Barcelona combines cutting-edge modernity with Moorish and European influences to create a cityscape unlike any other.
8. Hong Kong
Survey Score: 52.7
Overall Score: 65.0
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Numbeo considers Hong Kong to be safer than Tokyo and on par, safety-wise, with Reykjavik and Amarillo, Texas (!). Survey results and other measurements disagree.
Can Americans Travel There?
Like anywhere else in China, not yet.
Top Attractions
The glitter and style of China’s chicest city … with a British heritage that still shines through.
9. Berlin
Survey Score: 55.0
Overall Score: 64.5
Why It’s Ranked Highly
The ranking this time is driven by GeoSure, which considers Berlin to be at least as safe as Tokyo or Amsterdam. Numbeo is less impressed.
Can Americans Travel There?
Germany is open to fully vaccinated tourists or those who were infected with COVID in the previous four weeks to six months.
Top Attractions
Art, architecture, and amazing neighborhoods. The people are friendly and the history is amazing. Berlin gives you a lot to take in and think about, if you’re so inclined.
10. Rome
Survey Score: 69.9
Overall Score: 64.5
Why It’s Ranked Highly
High scores from all the other sources help offset a low Numbeo number.
Can Americans Travel There?
Americans can enter Italy without quarantining if they have a negative test performed within 72 hours before arrival, and have either proof of vaccination or a medical certificate confirming recovery from COVID within the previous six months.
Top Attractions
The Coliseum, Vatican City, St. Peter’s Square, the Forum, the Pantheon … there is so much to do and see in the Eternal City of sun and romance.
Methodology
We started with readily available lists of the most popular international and domestic cities for travelers, culled from Expedia, American Express and other sources. That gave us a list of 23 cities for survey respondents to rank.
This year, we took the extra step of asking our survey respondents whether they had actually visited any of these cities, and only travelers who had actually been to the cities ranked them on a variety of safety measures, using their first-hand knowledge as a yardstick.
To the survey ratings it added the most recent safe-cities index from The Economist, city ratings from GeoSure Global, and the Current Crime Index from Numbeo, and weighted everything to get a final result.
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