( CNN ) -- A visa , toothpaste , spare underwear . All essentials for a decent vacation . But what about something less substantial -- a pleasant welcome when you arrive ? After all , the friendliness of the people you meet often determines whether your memories of a place are fond or foul . Now welcomes have been rated . The apartment-rental website HouseTrip.com ( which operates on a similar model to Airbnb ) has crunched the numbers on 130,000 of its users ' European city reviews . And the city most often given a five-star rating across the seasons for its all-round cheeriness was that capital of grand boulevards and paprika-scented restaurants , Budapest . Lisbon scored second-best for the quality of its welcomes overall , and Amsterdam came third . More : 11 things to know before visiting Hungary . Welcome secrets . The secret of a good welcome ? HouseTrip reckons it is n't so complicated . `` Budapest is a consistently good option because costs are so low , '' said the website 's CEO , Arnaud Bertrand . `` Travelers feel like they get what they pay for ... which leads to them feeling happier and more satisfied with their stay . '' So it 's all about being cheap . Yet welcomes seem to be seasonal . While Budapest scored highest throughout the year , it was n't the most welcoming city in any one season . Instead , Paris was the most convivial city in spring , Rome in summer , Amsterdam in autumn and Berlin in deepest winter . More : How to be a Parisian . Brawling room at the Pantheon . Apart from Paris in the springtime -- the song seems to have it right -- those results often defy expectations . Rome in summer ? When traffic rage boils over and it 's brawling room only at the Pantheon ? And in wintry Berlin it 's hard to think of anything else but your shoes freezing to the sidewalk . But `` friendly locals and cozy bars mean our guests love the [ Berlin ] experience , '' says HouseTrip.com . Solo travelers , si ! In other results , Paris was rated the most welcoming city for couples and Madrid for solo travelers . Lisbon was the best place to travel with a pet . More : 20 most annoying things people do on planes .
Budapest most welcoming city overall , says rental website . Budapest nicest in summer and Paris friendliest in winter . Paris 's especially welcoming if you 're ( traveling with ) a friend .