Looking for your sign to book your first solo female trip? Here are my top 5 solo female travel destinations in Europe.
Taking that leap of faith to book a solo female trip can be super intimidating, I’ve been there. Trust me when I say this, traveling by yourself is the most empowering, eye-opening, and invigorating thing you can possibly do for yourself. You’re on no one’s schedule in a city with so much to explore! What could be better?
I have taken many solo trips at this point and I honestly prefer it over traveling in groups in most situations. I’m able to get lost in European museums, wander into wonderful local restaurants, converse with locals, & notice things I never would have if I were in a group with my friends. I totally understand that for many, this can be a little bit scary. My advice is to take your first solo trip in a safe and easy-to-navigate location where there are other tourists and lots of sights to see!
For a completely solo trip, most of my recommendations are in Europe, though I have traveled solo to Mexico City and Cape Town as well. I love traveling in Europe because there is just so much to see and it’s always easy to get around on my own with public transportation. The hostel culture in Europe is amazing as well which is where I meet international travelers and pair up with people for tours. I almost always use Hostelworld for researching and booking the best hostels worldwide. More on hostels here.
Let’s get into it! These are the 5 best solo female travel destinations.
1. Madrid, Spain
There really is so much to see in Madrid and it perfectly encapsulates Spanish culture through and through. Many people overlook Madrid for it’s neighbor Barcelona, but I personally would pick Madrid ANY day. Some of my favorite places in Madrid are The Royal Palace of Madrid, Plaza Del Sol, La Latina Neighborhood, El Retiro Park, The Temple of Debod, and Plaza Mayor.
I was an au pair in Madrid during the summer of 2017 and it was easily the best summer of my entire life. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it anywhere else. I was on my own 90% of the time walking around and exploring the city. I never felt unsafe for a moment. All of the people are so incredibly friendly. It really felt like my second home while I was there and still does. Madrid will always be one of my favorite solo female travel destinations.
There are some amazing hostels here, my favorite being The Hat, which is located right outside of the famous Plaza Mayor. This hostel has a stunning rooftop bar, they host small parties at night, and their staff organizes pub crawls and city tours which is the best way to meet other travelers when you’re on your own. The locals in Madrid come to the rooftop bar here on the weekends too!
It’s honestly overwhelming how much there is to see and do in Madrid! I was here for three months and still didn’t see it all. Museums, palaces, stunning cathedrals, incredible shopping, rooftop bars, and nightlife… you’ll never get bored here.
The underground metro is all you’ll need to get around, but Uber is also available and inexpensive here. I highly recommend putting on your walking shoes and wandering around the city. I used to stumble into the most beautiful coffee shops, bookstores, and boutiques just by exploring with no end goal in mind.
2. Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is another hub for solo travelers and is one of the best solo female travel destinations in Europe. I stayed in an Airbnb here that operated as a guesthouse where us travelers each had our own room and we shared the common areas. Lisbon is another super walkable city which is something I always look for when I book solo trips.
There are a lot of really cool small group tours in the city that I didn’t do during my trip but that I wish I did. Lisbon was one of my very first solo trips and I was still figuring out how to spend my time alone while in new cities. Since this trip I’ve become more outgoing and adventurous when it comes to booking tours and group activities. Here is a Sangria Biking Tour that I wish I would have known about while I was here! It’s little hour long things like this that make my solo trips so memorable now.
There is so much history in this city which I found extremely interesting. The photo above was taken from a viewpoint called Miradouro da Graca. Enjoy a summer sangria from this viewpoint and watch the sunset all by yourself. Take in the sounds, people watch, listen to the different languages all around you, and feel pure & total bliss.
3. Paris, France
Paris is the most expensive city on this list but I think it’s completely worth every penny.
Visiting Paris on my own was one of the best experiences of my entire life! I actually was in Paris on Bastille Day (July 14) by chance, which really impacted my trip for the better. Most Parisians go south for the holiday and so the city was relatively empty. Every museum was free this day and I had The Louvre almost entirely to myself, which is unheard of. There is also a huge firework show at the Eiffel Tower at night on Bastille Day, so if you’re there don’t miss it! I met up with a few friends and we went down to the firework show together. An experience I’ll never forget!
I stayed at Hotel Le 20 Prieure while I was here but there are tons of Airbnbs and hostels to choose from. I chose to stay in a hotel for this trip because I had spent the last few weekends in hostels and wanted my own space while in Paris. This hotel is located right near the République metro station so I was able to jet into the city center from there.
Be sure to stop at Musèe du Louvre, Musèe d’Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, The Notre Dame, and The Concierge. There is a Paris Museum Pass that I found incredibly useful during my visit. I did not need this when I was there for Bastille Day because the museums were free, but for the other times I have been in Paris, this pass has saved me so much money. With this pass, you are able to enter every major museum in Paris at no extra cost. This includes everything listed above as well as the Picasso Museum, Musee Rodin, and the Pantheon. SO worth it if you plan on museum hopping!
Spend some time walking along the River Seine or head over towards the Eiffel Tower. Go into a local grocer, purchase some snacks and a drink and lay in the grass below the tower. I did this with whatever book I was reading at the time and it was so relaxing.
4. Rome, Italy
Rome is one of my favorite cities in all of Europe, probably because of my fascination with its rich history. I’ve also heavily romanticized that scene in Eat Pray Love where Liz (Julia Roberts) is eating her first dish of pasta in Rome by herself. I like to think I looked like that while I was absolutely inhaling my first Roman pasta dish.
Rome is quite possibly the best solo female travel destinations. It’s extremely walkable, there’s SO much to see and do, and it’s very safe.
I have been to Rome in both July and March. I HIGHLY recommend avoiding the hot end of summer months here because so much of the sights and tours are completely outdoors and not shaded. I did a tour once at The Forum and it was over 103 degrees fahrenheit! Not my best idea, but was a wonderful tour.
I always rave to everyone about how affordable Rome is as a solo traveler. There are so many hostels here, the metro and Ubers are inexpensive, and there are tons of cheap options for authentic Roman food and drinks. Rome is also super walkable even though it’s a large city. I would plan my days with an end destination in mind and see all of the sights that were along my walk from where I was staying to that final destination. I loved doing it this way because I would always stumble upon lesser known landmarks and hole-in-the-wall family operated restaurants that I wasn’t planning on seeing. Then at the end of the day, I would either call an Uber back or take the metro. The next morning, I would walk a different path and do it all over again.
The main attractions in Rome are The Colosseum, The Forum, The Pantheon, The Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and The Trevi Fountain.
The Vatican alone takes a full day to see. This includes the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, and The Sistine Chapel. The grounds of The Vatican Museums are incredible and there is an overwhelming amount of art and history to see inside. I really recommend carving a whole day out for this and not rushing through it. I loved coming here solo and taking everything in on my own time.
I typically purchase tickets ahead of time for large museums like this so that I can skip the line. It saves a ton of time, especially on weekend days during peak travel seasons. Book your Vatican & St. Peter’s Basilica Entrance Tickets HERE!
The Roman Forum is such a surreal sight to see. It’s hard to wrap my mind around how old these building really are and how significant they are for human history as a whole.
You can wander through The Forum on your own, or book a tour guide. I have done both and felt that I took away much more information with a tour guide. Roman Forum & Colosseum Tour with a guide Here!
I think if you’re alone, booking a tour would be a great idea. Not only did I learn from my tour guide, but the other travelers in my group were so knowledgeable and I even made friends with some of them by the end of the day.
5. Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is one of my most consistent top recommendations for solo female travel destinations.
The are SO many pros when it comes to Prague. It’s extremely affordable, the city is relatively small and easily walkable, and there is tons of European and Eastern European history here. The first time I ever stayed in a hostel was actually in Prague. I stayed at Hostel DownTown in Prague City Center in an 8 bed female dorm and really enjoyed it. I met a ton of people here who were my age visiting from all over the world. There were game nights in the lobby and pub crawls which made it super easy to meet others. I also had a view of The Prague Castle from my bed which was so cool!
Booking a guided tour of The Prague Castle was one of the best things I did during my solo time in Prague. I booked it through Viator and met up with the group at a pre-specified bus stop. I linked the tour that I originally took, but I’m seeing that is now not available. Here is another Prague Castle Tour that is very similar!
I would say the tour was about 50% solo travelers and 50% family groups and there was about 20 of us. I still keep up with the travelers I met on this tour through social media!
The Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world and it is beautifully preserved. I really loved being on a tour to see this because I learned so much about the history of Prague, The Czech Republic, and Eastern Europe. There’s just no way that I would’ve taken away even 1/10th of the that information if I went in on my own. We also got access to certain parts of the castle that are open to tour guides only.
Scheduling a tour took away the burden of planning for a day which was super nice.
I ended up exploring some of Prague with one of the girls that I met on the tour who was also traveling solo. That’s one of the fun parts about traveling on your own, is that you are more vulnerable to meeting others who are solo because you are both looking for that connection. Most of the solo travelers I meet are from other parts of the world so not only am I learning about the city or country I’m in, but I am also hearing about their lifestyle and culture back home.
I really recommend taking a leap of faith and booking a solo trip! Even if it’s just to the next state over. You’ll learn so much about yourself and others too. If you do travel solo to any of these places, please let me know how it goes for you!
Until Next Time,
Laura xx
