The Most Dangerous City in Romania Is…

I keep telling you that Romania is a very safe country to live in. But, like every country out there, some places are more dangerous than others – and readers keep asking me which is the most dangerous city here (to stay away from).

It also seems that travelers have a morbid curiosity about the dark side of a destination, but no matter which side you’re on, I am here to shed some light on the topic.

Before we jump in to see what the statistical data and common knowledge says, let me tell you that even these “dangerous” cities in Romania can be considered safe to visit and/or live in. As you will see, I actually lived in some of them for years, without a problem.

But enough with the introductions, let’s get into the interesting bits!

“Dangerous” cities in Romania

When you browse the internet for crime rankings, the results vary wildly (surprisingly, I would add). However, the cities that seem to be on all of them are Bucharest, Iasi, and Constanta.

Also mentioned are cities like Ploiesti, Suceava, Bacau, Calarasi, Craiova and Timisoara.

The source for such disparity usually comes from the source of the data.

Some rankings use raw crime counts, and in this case, it makes sense to see the largest cities rank higher. But this is a matter of population density, not necessarily a decline in safety.

Other rankings rely on user-submitted data. These reflect the sentiment of people living there rather than official police reports and these can also be biased. I will try to mix these two to give you a more complete view of the situation.

Let’s Look at the Rankings!

First, I looked at the ANERSFR website (National Association of Physical Security Risk Assessors in Romania) to see their specific crime coefficients at the county level.

According to these, the five most dangerous counties are:

• Bucharest (it acts as a county, being the largest city in Romania)
• Iasi (with the main city of the same name)
• Constanta (again, with the main city of Constanta)
• Prahova (with the main city – Ploiesti)
• Timis (with the main city Timisoara)

As mentioned before, this makes sense because these are also among the largest counties and cities in Romania.

On the other hand, if we look at the data aggregator website Numbeo ranks Craiova as the most dangerous city in Romania, followed by Constanta, Iasi, Bucharest and Brasov.

While these might be slightly more accurate, as they are based on crowdsourced perception from people living in the cities, the main problem is that again, more people from the larger cities will actually provide data, while for some other cities, we might have zero data.

But no matter where the data comes from, the violence you might read about in headlines is usually contained and rarely directed at tourists. It tends to happen between people who share a specific grudge.

So the most honest and accurate answer is… naming a single city is impossible and even wrong. Sure, looking at the numbers, Bucharest has the highest number of crime… but it’s also the largest in the country.

I would personally say that, at a city level, all of them should be equal. But what changes is the fact that, indeed, in some of the cities, there will be bad neighborhoods or areas that tourists especially should avoid.

And most cities have at least one.

In Bucharest, areas like Ferentari are notorious for specific social issues. Timisoara has such areas, Craiova does, every city does.

But these are small pockets, not the identity of the city and generally, they are far away from the main attraction or the areas that tourists would visit anyway. If you stay in the central areas or the safe residential districts, you are no more at risk here than you are in a quiet town.

My Own Experience

I have lived both in Bucharest and Constanta. I have walked the streets late at night, I took the bus during rush hour, and I’ve been to various areas – including the not-so-safe ones.

Still, even though my mind kept me on guard in some situations, I was never threatened for real. Nothing bad happened.

I also visited Craiova recently. I walked around, ate at local spots, and went about my day. I never felt the need to look over my shoulder.

The same goes for every city in Romania. Even the numbers you see reported, are usually because of petty crime, not because of a widespread threat to your safety. If you use the same common sense you would use in your own home country, you will surely be fine.

Keep emergency numbers handy: In Romania, the emergency number is 112. Save it in your phone or memorize it, just in case.

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Final words

For an overall safe country, listing the most dangerous city makes little sense, because even there, 99% of the population or tourists will never have a problem.

However, as we have seen, cities like Bucharest, Constanta, and Iasi are generally considered less safe than others in Romania or have a higher general crime rate. No cities in Romania, though, are known for regular gun violence or more serious stuff.

If you want to get more in-depth with specific places, you can read my previous articles on the matter:

• Is Cluj Napoca Dangerous?
• Is Constanta, Romania Safe?
• And more generic related topics, Nuclear Danger in Romania and Why Are Romanians Frowned Upon in Europe?

What are your thoughts on the matter? Have you had any bad experiences here in Romania? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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