Is It Safe to Travel to Europe Now? Everything You Need to Know in 2026
Is it safe to travel to Europe now? Yes. Most of the continent carries a U.S. State Department advisory of Level 1 or Level 2, the only Level 4 countries are Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, and in the 2026 long-haul survey run by Europe’s national tourism boards, Europe ranked highest in the world on every safety measure. Safety is now the first thing those travelers weigh when choosing a European destination, cited by 51% of them (ETC Long-Haul Travel Barometer 1/2026). For a well-prepared traveler, the answer is not a qualified maybe. It is yes. Below: the advisories country by country, the new entry rules, and how a private stay in our luxury villas in Europe changes the picture.
Is it safe to travel to Europe now? In 60 seconds
| The short answer | Yes. Europe ranks as the world’s safest region in the 2026 survey of long-haul travelers, and most countries carry a Level 1 or Level 2 advisory: normal or increased caution. |
|---|---|
| Where not to go | Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are the only Level 4 countries. Everywhere else operates normally. |
| The main risk | Petty theft in crowded tourist areas of Paris, Rome and Barcelona. Basic awareness deals with most of it. |
| New at the border | The EES biometric check is fully in place since 10 April 2026; ETIAS is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026; the UK runs its own ETA. |
| The villa difference | A private estate, a pre-arranged driver and a concierge remove you from the places where the small risks concentrate. |
What the evidence shows
The question usually comes with the war in mind. Geography answers it: the war between Russia and Ukraine is contained within Ukraine, and every country outside Ukraine, Russia and Belarus continues to operate normally as a travel destination. European airports, rail corridors and city centers from Lisbon to Krakow function as they always have.
The ETC long-haul barometer, the survey of Europe’s national tourism boards, published in February 2026 and drawn from travelers in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, found that Europe ranks highest globally across all the safety dimensions it measures. Safety has become the leading reason those travelers choose one European destination over another. The statistics answer the question better than the headlines do.
U.S. State Department advisories: a country-by-country picture for 2026
The State Department rates every country on a four-level scale and updates the ratings through the year. For the overwhelming majority of Europe, the official American guidance is reassuring.
| Level | What it means | European countries |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Exercise normal precautions | Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Iceland, Greece, Croatia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, among others |
| Level 2 | Exercise increased caution | France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden, mainly for terrorism awareness and petty crime in busy tourist areas |
| Level 4 | Do not travel | Ukraine, Russia and Belarus only |
Levels as published by the U.S. State Department in October 2026. Advisories change: our concierge checks the current level for your destination before you travel.
Level 2 means be alert. It does not mean stay home. For anyone asking whether Europe is safe, the distinction between the three Level 4 countries and the rest of the continent is the single most important thing to understand.
The safest countries in Europe right now
- The Netherlands overtook Iceland at the top of Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection’s 2026 ranking of the world’s safest countries to visit. Amsterdam and Rotterdam pair excellent transport with very low violent crime; the State Department still lists the country at Level 2, mainly for terrorism awareness.
- Portugal carries a Level 1 advisory. Petty theft in central Lisbon and Porto is the main concern; the rest of the country is notably calm.
- Switzerland has held top-tier safety rankings for more than a decade. Political neutrality, social stability and minimal violent crime make it one of the simplest places in Europe to travel.
- Austria carries a Level 1 advisory, and Vienna is consistently rated among the world’s most livable and secure capitals.
- Finland completes the list: Helsinki runs with Nordic order and almost none of the tourist-targeted crime of larger Western European cities.
Safety comparison: key European destinations for 2026
| Destination | State Dept. level | Main risk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | Level 1 | Petty theft in city centers | Coast, golf, wine estates |
| Switzerland | Level 1 | Minimal | Alpine retreats, wellness |
| Austria | Level 1 | Minimal | Culture, mountain villas |
| Greece | Level 1 | Low overall; petty theft in peak crowds | Island escapes, private estates |
| Croatia | Level 1 | Low overall | Coast and islands by boat |
| Netherlands | Level 2 | Terrorism awareness, pickpocketing | City travel, families |
| France | Level 2 | Terrorism awareness, pickpocketing | Riviera villas, Provence estates |
| Italy | Level 2 | Pickpocketing in tourist zones | Coastal villas, Tuscan estates |
| Spain | Level 2 | Terrorism awareness, petty theft | The Balearics, Marbella |
| Ukraine | Level 4 | Active conflict | Do not travel |
For two of these countries we have written fuller guides: is it safe to travel in Greece right now and is Croatia safe.
What “increased caution” means in Paris, Rome and Barcelona
A Level 2 advisory is a reason to be alert, with a clear sense of where the risk concentrates.
In Paris, opportunistic theft is highest around the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées. A traveler based at a private estate in Provence and arriving at these landmarks by private car has a very different risk profile from a tourist on the metro with luggage in peak season.
Rome follows the same pattern: the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the streets around the Vatican are where distraction and pickpocketing meet. Rome is entirely safe to visit; the question is how you move through it.
Barcelona has drawn attention for anti-tourism protests, petty crime in the Gothic Quarter and periodic unrest along La Rambla. Elsewhere in Spain the picture changes completely: the Balearic Islands, where our Ibiza villa rentals sit on the quiet south-west coast around Es Cubells, Marbella and the quieter coasts are a different experience altogether.
The strategy is in the logistics: private transfers, a curated estate and arrangements made in advance remove you from the conditions that produce the risk in the first place.
New 2026 entry requirements for visiting Europe
| EES | The Entry/Exit System completed its rollout on 10 April 2026. Non-EU visitors, Americans included, now give fingerprints and a facial scan when entering the Schengen Area, in place of the passport stamp. Allow extra time at major airports such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam Schiphol and Rome Fiumicino, above all in summer. |
|---|---|
| ETIAS | The European Travel Information and Authorization System is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026; until it does, a valid passport is all an American visitor needs. When it starts, the application is online, takes about ten minutes, carries a small fee and stays valid for three years. It is a travel authorization, not a visa. |
| UK ETA | The United Kingdom runs its own Electronic Travel Authorisation, strictly enforced for American visitors since 25 February 2026: without one, you cannot board. It carries a small fee and is valid for two years. The UK and Schengen systems are entirely separate. |
Sources: European Union, Travelling to Europe (ETIAS and EES). Our concierge confirms the documents each guest needs before departure.
Why a private villa changes the safety picture
How and where you stay shapes the trip as much as where you go. Guests who book through Haute Retreats tell us the same thing: a private estate removes them from the places where risk concentrates. There is no crowded hotel lobby, no busy square outside the door, no public transport navigated with luggage. The driver who meets you at the airport is arranged in advance for your group alone, the chef cooks only for you, and the house is yours for the length of the stay.
When every part of the trip is arranged and watched over by a 24-hour concierge, from the first inquiry to the flight home, the answer moves beyond yes: it becomes a different quality of European travel.
Haute Retreats curates luxury villas in Europe across Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, from serviced homes to fully staffed estates. Sabrina Piccinin, Founder and CEO, has been based in Italy since 2016.
“Luxury travel in 2026 is defined by space, personalization, and discretion,” Piccinin noted in February 2026. “Five-star villas allow guests to experience Europe at their own pace, surrounded by comfort, beauty, and curated service.”
Italy: the strongest estate market for safe European travel
Italy is the strongest booking market in the Haute Retreats collection. Its Level 2 advisory applies to the busiest urban tourist areas; the villa landscape tells a different story.
A luxury Tuscany villa in the Chianti hills or the Val d’Orcia has almost nothing in common with the conditions behind Rome’s advisory: these are private estates among their own vineyards, run by teams who handle every local arrangement. The best villas in Tuscany in our collection, near Siena, Lucca and Florence, have each been visited by our team.
On the Amalfi Coast, estates in Positano and Ravello are cliffside houses with private terraces and sea access. In Puglia, former masserie among ancient olive groves are among the quietest and most extraordinary places to live the Italian summer. For a summer stay in an Italian villa, this is among the most protected and beautiful ways to see the country.
Greece: Level 1 safety, island privacy and estate luxury
Greece carries a Level 1 advisory, which makes it the most straightforward version of safe European travel this year.
The luxury villas in Greece curated by Haute Retreats span Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Crete and Paros, with our Mykonos villa rentals grouped by beach, from Psarou to Kalo Livadi. Each island is its own self-contained world: guests arrive, settle into the house and move between the property, the sea and a few carefully chosen experiences. The crowded dynamics of large Western European cities simply do not apply.
When is it safest to travel to Europe? The shoulder-season advantage
Crowds and opportunistic crime travel together, so some months are structurally calmer, and more pleasant, than others.
June and September are the best months for the French Riviera, the Amalfi Coast and the Greek islands: the weather is warm and settled, visitor numbers are well below July and August, and the conditions that concentrate petty crime in crowded squares and transit systems are far weaker. August brings peak crowds to Barcelona, Venice and Santorini; Venice introduced a daily entry fee for peak-day visitors in 2024, and other Italian and Spanish coastal towns are considering similar measures.
September and October in Tuscany are among the strongest arguments for booking a European estate: the harvest, cooler evenings and much thinner crowds. Our shoulder season villa rentals show where those weeks are at their best.
Is it safe to travel to Europe now? The honest conclusion
Yes. Europe is the world’s safest travel region by the measures published in 2026. The risks that exist are concentrated in specific, identifiable places: crowded tourist squares, public transport and mass-market accommodation in the largest Western cities.
For a traveler who plans through Haute Retreats, the question resolves itself through the structure of the stay. A private estate with its own team, transfers arranged in advance and a 24-hour concierge does more than deliver comfort: it delivers a version of Europe in which the usual concerns do not arise.
Is it safe to travel to Europe now: your questions
Is it safe to travel to Europe now?
Yes. Most European countries carry a U.S. State Department advisory of Level 1 or Level 2, and the only Level 4 countries are Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The main risk for visitors is petty theft in crowded tourist areas, which basic awareness and private transfers largely remove.
Which European countries are safest for American travelers in 2026?
Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Iceland, Greece, Croatia, Finland, Norway and the Baltic states all carry a Level 1 advisory. The Netherlands topped Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection’s 2026 ranking of the world’s safest countries to visit, although the State Department lists it at Level 2.
Do Americans need ETIAS to visit Europe?
Not yet. ETIAS is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026, and until then a valid passport is enough. The EES biometric check at Schengen borders has been fully in place since 10 April 2026, and the United Kingdom requires its own ETA.
Is it safe to visit Paris, Rome and Barcelona?
Yes. France, Italy and Spain carry a Level 2 advisory, which means increased caution rather than a reason to stay home. Risk concentrates in the busiest tourist areas, where pickpocketing is common.
What is the safest time of year to travel to Europe?
June, September and early October. The weather is warm, crowds are far smaller than in July and August, and the conditions that concentrate petty crime are much weaker.
Plan a private European stay
Tell us your dates and who is traveling. A specialist will build a tailored selection of villas across Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, with transfers and the concierge arranged before you land. For June to September 2027, the right moment to hold a house is now.
