The solid state structures of the 4-halopyridinium halides 4-XC5H4NH+X- (X = Cl, Br, I) all display chains of the form [... X-C5H4N-H+... X-... X-C5H4N-H+... X-...] involving N-H ... X- hydrogen bonds and X ... X- contacts; the former become longer and the latter shorter (relative to the sum of the van der Waals radii) with increasing size of X.