Safest Countries to Travel in 2026: Top 12 Picks

Quick answer: The safest countries to travel in 2026 — led by Iceland, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand and Norway — combine very low crime, political stability and excellent healthcare. They’re ideal for solo travellers, families and nervous first-timers. Here are 15 of the safest, why they rank, and how to stay safe anywhere.

The 15 safest countries to travel

Safest for solo and female travellers

Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore and the Nordics are especially reassuring for solo and female travellers — reliable transport, low harassment and helpful locals. See our solo travel guide for practical tips that apply anywhere.

Safest regions overall

Northern and Western Europe, East Asia (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore) and Oceania consistently top global safety indexes. They combine low crime with strong rule of law and healthcare.

Stay safe anywhere

Even in the safest places: watch for petty theft at tourist hotspots, keep digital and paper copies of documents, use registered taxis or apps, avoid flashing valuables, and get travel insurance. Safety is as much about habits as destination.

FAQ

What is the safest country to travel to? Iceland consistently ranks #1, followed by Singapore, Switzerland and Japan.

Which is safest for solo female travel? Japan, Iceland and New Zealand are top picks.

Is Europe safe to travel? Northern and Western Europe are among the safest regions in the world.

See our best time to visit guides and travel comparisons.

What makes each safe pick worth the airfare

Topping the 2025 Global Peace Index doesn’t tell you whether a country is fun to actually visit. Here’s why each headline pick earns its place, when to go, what a day roughly costs, and the one thing I tell friends before they book.

• Iceland (GPI #1 for 17 straight years): Go in late September to early April for the Northern Lights (peak darkness November to January; aurora usually best between 11pm and 1am) or June to August for the midnight sun and open Highland roads. Budget $100-200/day. Insider tip: skip the $145-220 taxi from Keflavik and take the Flybus (~$30-40) or public Route 55 bus.
• Japan (GPI #12): Cherry blossom hits late March to early April; autumn colour peaks mid-November. Insider tip: don’t auto-buy the 7-day JR Pass (¥50,000, ~$330) if you’re city-hopping Tokyo only — a Suica IC card on local fares is far cheaper unless you’re doing multiple bullet-train legs (the pass roughly pays off once you do a Tokyo–Kyoto round trip).
• New Zealand (GPI #3): Summer is December to February, but aim for late February — Kiwi school holidays end, crowds thin, and prices ease while it’s still 20-30°C up north. Mid-range days run $150-250.
• Singapore (GPI top 8): Year-round; eat at hawker centres where full meals run SGD $3-10 ($2-7). The Changi MRT to City Hall is about SGD $2.50.

How to choose between the safest countries

All of these are genuinely safe — the real decision is about cost, pace, and the kind of trip you want. Use this as a quick filter rather than agonising over a one-place difference in a peace ranking.

• If your budget is the deciding factor: Portugal is the cheapest pick by a wide margin — one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe, with a mid-range day around €165 and a one-week trip from roughly $1,100-1,400 per person. Singapore stays affordable too if you eat at hawker centres. At the other end, Switzerland and Iceland are the priciest — a 3-day Swiss Travel Pass alone is CHF 254 (~$330).
• If you want effortless, low-stress logistics: Switzerland, Japan, and Singapore have world-class public transport where trains run to the minute and signage is foreigner-friendly. These are the ones I’d hand a nervous first-time solo traveller.
• If you’re chasing nature and space: Iceland and New Zealand are unbeatable — but both reward a rental car and a longer trip, so they cost more in time and money.
• If you’re a solo or female traveller: Japan (women-only rush-hour train cars), Norway, and Denmark consistently rank highest for walking alone at night with ease.

My rule: pick on budget and trip type first, then let the safety rankings break the tie — they’re all in the top tier anyway.

Getting there: visas, airport transfers and practical logistics

The safest countries are easy to enter, but a few have paperwork or fees that catch people out at the gate. Sort these before you fly.

• New Zealand: Visa-waiver visitors (US, UK, Canada, EU and others) must get an NZeTA before boarding — NZD $17 via the official app or $23 on the website, plus a NZD $100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. Apply at least 72 hours ahead; it’s valid up to 2 years for multiple 90-day stays.
• Iceland, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland: All Schengen-area; visa-waiver travellers enter freely for short stays (the EU’s ETIAS pre-authorisation is being phased in, so check before you go). From Zurich Airport, the S-Bahn (S2/S16) reaches the main station in ~10 minutes for about CHF 5-7 — don’t bother with a taxi.
• Japan: Many nationalities enter visa-free for short tourism. From Narita, the airport-access trains connect cleanly to central Tokyo; load a Suica or grab a Welcome Suica (sold at both airports) and tap through everything.
• Singapore: Most visitors are visa-exempt for short stays. Changi is one of the world’s best-connected hubs, and the MRT downtown costs only a couple of dollars.

Practical habit I keep everywhere: carry a small amount of local cash for the first day (hawker stalls, the Flybus, a rural Kiwi cafe), even in tap-to-pay countries — it covers the gaps before your card or transit pass is sorted.

Written by

John Morrison

John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.