San Pedro Sula was listed as the most dangerous city in the world (as of 2009). After backpacking Tegucigalpa, I jumped on a Transportes Cristina bus to go check it out.
Is San Pedro Sula safe for travellers?
According to a report on https://armormax.com – The 39 Most Dangerous Cities in the World (2025) Deadliest & Most Violent – San Pedro Sula, now comes in 14th.
I arrived at the San Pedro Sula bus station, caught a minivan to the centre and then walked the 12 blocks to the Hotel Martell.
After checking in, I headed back into the centre. No passport, no bank cards, just 10 USD worth of Lempira, easily accessible in my shirt pocket. My new phone was in my zipped chest pocket, kinda hidden, and my old Samsung J5 was in my front jeans pocket.
Paranoid? Most definitely! Having been attacked by 2 guys with knives in Cape Town. I promised myself no heroics in Honduras.
But I was curious to see if it was as dangerous as they say it is. I am just a tourist walking around, just like locals do, going about their daily business.
Honduras used to have a good railway network. Here is a small depot with abandoned engines:
And here is the old train station:
Here is the Municipal Park with the St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral:
And Letras de San Pedro Sula (wasn’t expecting this):
I passed the Despensa Familiar and picked up a few beers. And headed back. With such a reputation, walking around used up quite a bit of mental energy.
I retired for the afternoon, did my immigration PreCheck for departure and caught up on some blogging.
Here are my thoughts summed up in my latest YouTube video about whether San Pedro Sula is safe for backpackers:
There isn’t that much of interest in San Pedro Sula. If you are heading off to Roatán or Utila, the chances are that you will need to spend a night here. I was just passing through, en route to Guatemala via the Corinto Border Crossing.