I live in Bulgaria. For all of the many, many bad things that are true about my country (and the Balkans in general), it is far, far safer for everyday life, especially going out after dark compared to Western Europe or the Unites States. I can say the same for neighbouring countries like Greece, Romania, Serbia, Turkey.
Even considering that crime has worsened in my city over the past 10-15 years, I never felt unsafe or outright afraid when going out at night, as I did while living and working in London and NYC. Back in my broke ass school and uni years, I would regularly walk back home for a couple of hours after midnight crossing much of the city after a night out with friends or staying with my girlfriend; never had any trouble.
I've done that twice in London (about a decade ago) and once in NYC, and I would never repeat. Same can be said about other wealthy cities I've visited, Luxemburg, Milan, etc. London being the worst by far.
So, yes, if you're a tourist, the Balkans are quite safe. You are likely to get scammed by a taxi driver but unless you do something truly stupid, you should be alright even out at night.
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u/Burdokva 26d ago
I live in Bulgaria. For all of the many, many bad things that are true about my country (and the Balkans in general), it is far, far safer for everyday life, especially going out after dark compared to Western Europe or the Unites States. I can say the same for neighbouring countries like Greece, Romania, Serbia, Turkey.
Even considering that crime has worsened in my city over the past 10-15 years, I never felt unsafe or outright afraid when going out at night, as I did while living and working in London and NYC. Back in my broke ass school and uni years, I would regularly walk back home for a couple of hours after midnight crossing much of the city after a night out with friends or staying with my girlfriend; never had any trouble.
I've done that twice in London (about a decade ago) and once in NYC, and I would never repeat. Same can be said about other wealthy cities I've visited, Luxemburg, Milan, etc. London being the worst by far.
So, yes, if you're a tourist, the Balkans are quite safe. You are likely to get scammed by a taxi driver but unless you do something truly stupid, you should be alright even out at night.