Austria

Is Austria safe to visit?

Yes, and for most visitors it is about as safe as Europe gets. UNODC recorded 0.88 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2023, and Austria's Federal Criminal Police Office counted 74 completed murder victims in 2025, about 0.8 per 100,000. The country ranks 6th of 163 on the 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary, and the US State Department keeps it at Level 1, its lowest. We score it 88.

The catch is outdoors, not in the cities. Hundreds of people die in Austria's mountains every year, road deaths rose sharply in 2025, and the UK government rates the terrorism threat higher than for Czechia or Hungary.

Violent crime and the Graz shooting

Most killings in Austria happen between people who know each other. In 70.7% of completed murders in 2025, police found a relationship between suspect and victim. Street violence against tourists is rare.

The exception that shook the country was the shooting at a secondary school in Graz on 10 June 2025, when a 21-year-old former pupil killed ten people, nine of them students, before killing himself. It was the deadliest attack in Austria's post-war history. He used legally owned guns, and parliament has since raised the minimum age for buying firearms and extended the waiting period between purchase and handover to four weeks. Events like this remain extremely rare and say little about a visitor's daily risk.

How serious is the terrorism threat?

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Austria, one step below its wording for Germany and France. It names public transport, stations, concerts and sporting events, nightlife and places of worship as possible targets. The two attacks it lists are a knife attack in Villach in February 2025, which killed one person and injured five, and the November 2020 shooting in central Vienna, which killed four.

Austrian police have broken up several plots in recent years. In practice that means armed police at big stations, bag checks at concerts and barriers at Christmas markets. Follow their instructions and know your exit at large events. The US, by contrast, sees no reason for extra caution and calls Austria generally safe.

Mountains: where Austria really gets dangerous

This is the risk that matters most for visitors, because so many come to ski, hike and climb. The Austrian Board for Alpine Safety (ÖKAS) counted 309 deaths in the mountains in 2024, above the 10-year average of 284. Hiking and mountaineering caused the most, 127. Germans made up 85 of the dead, more than a quarter.

Avalanches are the winter killer. By 25 February 2026, 26 people had died in avalanches during the 2025/26 season, against a 10-year average of 16 for a whole winter, and 14 of them died in a single ten-day spell. Fifteen were skiing off-piste near the lifts. Tirol had half the deaths.

Mountain rescue is fast and professional, but it is not free. A GHIC or EHIC does not pay for helicopter rescue, so check that your travel insurance covers mountain rescue, helicopter costs and repatriation, as the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises. Many hikers also join an alpine club, whose membership includes rescue cover.

Roads and cycling

Austria's roads are safe by world standards but not the best in the Alps region. The Interior Ministry counted 397 road deaths in 2025, up 46 or 13.1% from 2024, about 4.3 per 100,000 people. WHO's 2019 estimate was 4.9, and Switzerland does better on both counts. Lower Austria had the most deaths (108); Vienna had only 15.

The worrying trend is cycling. Deaths among cyclists doubled from 32 to 65 in 2025, the most since 2002, and 31 of them were riding e-bikes. Inattention and speed caused more than half of all fatal crashes. Three quarters of deaths happen on rural roads, not motorways.

Drivers need a vignette for motorways and expressways. Winter tyres and chains are essential on alpine passes from November to April.

Pickpockets and petty crime

Theft has fallen a long way. Police recorded 9,105 pickpocketing and distraction thefts in 2025, down 7.6% on 2024 and from 31,602 in 2016, partly because people carry less cash. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary still warns about pickpockets in big-city centres and main stations, on international trains, and when you take bags off trains and coaches. It also advises care in city parks after dark and mentions drink spiking.

Most of this happens in Vienna, the only Austrian city with more than a million people. Salzburg's old town and Innsbruck in ski season see some opportunistic theft too.

How to stay safe in Austria

• Read the avalanche bulletin every morning in winter and never ski off-piste without gear and a guide.
• On summer hikes, start early to beat afternoon thunderstorms, and turn back if the weather changes.
• Get insurance that covers mountain rescue and helicopter costs.
• Validate public transport tickets before you travel; fines run from 100 to 500 euros.
• Keep your passport within easy reach, as the law requires.
• Call 112, or 144 for an ambulance, 133 for police and 122 for fire.

How we scored it

Violent crime (95) and health (91) are the strongest factors. Road safety (86) loses points for the 2025 rise and the jump in cyclist deaths. Conflict (84) reflects the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's terrorism warning despite a top-ten peace ranking, and natural hazards (82) reflects avalanches and the mountain death toll.