5 Great Places for Women to Travel Alone: Start Seeing the World Now
I was nervous the first time I went on an international trip solo. And by that time I was in my 40’s and had traveled quite a bit, both international and domestic trips. Even now that I’m a few solo trips in, I spend a lot of time making sure I pick a place that’s safe for my to travel alone.
When I’m deciding where to go for my next solo trip, I look for places that are relatively safe for travelers and where a woman alone won’t draw much notice. In this blog post, I’ve put together five of my favorite places for women to explore solo. I’ve been to all of these places, and all but one I’ve been to on a solo trip, so you can trust me when I say they’re some of the best places for women to travel alone.
London
London is a great city for you to visit alone. It’s a friendly city that’s used to tourists, and that’s helpful when you are a tourist. There are plenty of neighborhoods that are safe for you to walk alone, even at night. If you’re taking your first solo trip you’ll appreciate that you won’t have to struggle with a language barrier. Another bonus: London has a great public transportation system, so you don’t need to rely on taxis or Ubers.
I found London a lovely place to visit solo. I found the Tube easy to navigate and the city walkable. I was comfortable dining out in restaurants alone and never felt unsafe. And London had plenty to do close to where I stayed, so I could stick with familiar ground.
You can hit all the big tourist spots while you’re there. Places like Buckingham Palace (try to catch the Changing of the Guards), the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Hyde Park. You can go for afternoon tea and try the Indian Food, it’s far superior than what we have here in the US. There are a few places that I missed on my last trip, but that I still want to get back to see. Leadenhall Market is a beautiful market and its architecture is reason alone to visit, but it’s also full of shops and restaurants with every cuisine you can imagine. I’d also like to explore Hampstead Heath, an ancient heath that’s one of the highest spots in London.
Denmark
This is the one place in this post that I haven’t traveled to solo, but I have been to. We tried a little of everything in Denmark: the beaches on Bornholm, the city in Copenhagen, and amazing outdoor adventures in the Faroe Islands. I could easily recommend all three for a solo traveler, but here I focus on Copenhagen. Copenhagen, like all of Denmark, is incredibly welcoming and safe. Like London it’s full of friendly faces and most people speak English (it’s one of the required languages in school).
Copenhagen has clean, safe, and easy to navigate public transportation. We walked over quite a bit of the city and only had trouble once, when Google Maps couldn’t decide which street corner we were on. Everyone travels by bike, cutting way down on car traffic, but we were too nervous because people were obviously commuting and the chances of us holding people up was high.
We packed a lot into the few days we had there. We used Anthony Bourdain’s The Perfect Day in Copenhagen as a guide to start. We couldn’t hit all the restaurants, but we had breakfast at Wulff & Konstali in Islands Brygge and I can recommend it. From there, the Island Brygge Harbor Bath is only a five minute walk or so. We got to see The Little Mermaid and Nyhavn and countless other sights in between. Our Airbnb had my favorite Airbnb feature of all time - a window seat that looked over the street below.
France
France was my first solo trip, so obviously I think it’s one of the best countries for a solo trip. This is also where I got over my fear of eating in a restaurant alone. Plus, I just love Paris and I’m still trying to find a way to move there. I don’t think my law degree will be much help over there. I stayed in Bordeaux and Paris and found them both incredibly friendly for women traveling solo. I found the people of Bordeaux to be incredibly friendly and welcoming. I found Paris to be typical of most big cities and I ran into a couple of impatient people. But I’m from Boston, so when the first person was rude to me, it felt a bit comforting. I also found that everyone speaks English, especially in cities like Paris and Bordeaux, and a woman alone never stood out or drew any attention.
I only passed through Paris when I first got to France and stayed in Bordeaux for a long weekend before heading back to Paris. I planned it that way because it was my first solo trip and I was a little nervous about finding my way around a city as large as Paris. Bordeaux is really the perfect place for your first solo trip. It’s not so big as to be overwhelming, the people are lovely, and there’s plenty to do. When I got to Paris I realized I didn’t need to be that nervous. The Paris Metro was very easy to navigate, plus I could walk to almost anywhere I wanted to go. My hotel was in the 4th Arr., a block away from the Hotel de Ville, and I was never nervous walking around at night. There was a lively nightlife around my hotel, which was comforting on the nights I was late getting back. A fun little nugget about my trip to Paris, a friend from law school who lives in San Francisco, and I hadn’t seen in years, happened to be in Paris at the same time and we met for lunch!
I could spend an entire blog post on what to do in Paris (in fact, I really should, I don’t know why I haven’t yet). I hit all the big spots in Paris itself and ventured to Normandy for a day trip and Versaille for a morning. This is probably a controversial take, but I liked the outside of the Louvre better than the inside (I hate crowds something fierce) and my favorite museum was the Musee d’Orsay.
Washington D.C.
I went to college in D.C., so I spent quite a bit of time there. Of course, that was over 20 years ago, so the neighborhoods that I never, ever went to are quite nice now. I still like to visit D.C. every year or so and most of my trips are solo. I’ve never felt uncomfortable traveling alone in D.C. I know I’ve said every public transportation system is great, but you have to understand that I live in Boston and we all have a hate/hate relationship with the T here. Coming from Boston to D.C., riding the Metro was a dream compared to riding the T and I still much prefer it.
Downtown D.C. was basically built for tourists. Most of the monuments and museums, the White House, and the Capitol buildings are all within walking distance to each other. You could spend a day on the Mall, starting at one end and working your way down to the other end, and hit nearly every tourist attraction in the city. Bonus: all of the Smithsonian museums are free! If you want to take a tour of the White House, make sure you plan ahead. You need to reach out to your member of Congress and the request needs to be submitted at least 21 days in advance.
While you’re in D.C., make sure you venture out to Arlington, VA. It’s right on the Metro and there are great restaurants to check out. If you rent a car, a day trip out to Annapolis is well worth the drive or you can stay the night and see both Annapolis and the Eastern Shore.
Bay Area
San Francisco has been one of my favorite cities for a long time. It’s certainly changed since I was first there, but I still really enjoy visiting. But San Francisco isn’t the only city worth visiting in the Bay Area. Berkeley is only a 20-minute drive from San Francisco and Oakland is even closer. I spent a long weekend in Berkeley and the only time I went into San Francisco was the night I landed, because it was a late flight and it was too late for me to get my rental car.
I recommend renting a care when you visit the Bay Area. There is public transportation, but it won’t take you to all the places you’ll want to visit. Whenever I visited the Bay Area solo, I found the people to be welcoming and I’ve never been uncomfortable traveling alone.
The view from Marin Headlands
The real benefit to renting a car in the Bay Area is being able to see places like the Marin Headlands, with the best view overlooking the Golden Gate bridge. Or drive up Route 1, which is my favorite drive.
Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers
When I’m traveling alone I’m much more aware of my safety. When I’m traveling solo I tend towards more populated areas, like cities, but that may be because I live in a city and it’s where I’m most comfortable anyway. Here are some of my safety tips for solo female travelers:
I never stay in an Airbnb, I always stay in a reputable hotel with only inside access to my room. I go to the concierge for restaurant recommendations and I feel free to ask the front desk staff if somewhere I’m planning to go is safe, especially when I’m walking around after dark.
I share my itinerary with a friend or family member and let them know how often they can expect to hear from me while I’m away.
I carry an iPhone and I check that my emergency contacts are set up and up to date, in case someone needs to access them.
I limit myself to two glasses of wine, don’t do any drugs, and never leave my drink unattended. I’m also careful about drinking the water and make sure I research in advance whether the water is drinkable.
Before I head out from my hotel I know how to get to where I’m going, especially if I’m walking. I avoid isolated areas and am always aware of my surroundings, especially at night.
I carry a bag that I can close completely (PacSafe is my favorite brand) or that I can carry under my shoulder. I don’t wear expensive jewelry and I keep electronics out of sight while I’m walking or on public transportation (especially if I’m sitting or standing near a door).
I never tell anyone that I’m traveling alone.
I only take marked, registered cabs or public transportation. In some places I’ll also use Uber, but not everywhere.
I always research cultural norms. I want to understand what is considered appropriate behavior and dress because I don't want to inadvertently offend someone, especially when I’m alone.
Finally, I listen to my gut. I’m big on trusting my gut when it’s telling me something is off or not right. You’ll never be sorry about leaving a situation earlier than you needed to.
Like these tips but prefer a printable version? Get it here!
