Best Places to Start your Solo Travel Journey
Safe Picks
For beginners in the solo travel world, I'd personally start with cities in "safe" regions because they're a good option to "acquire" solo travel skills that you can, later, "apply" in places where you may have a language barrier or haven't heard the best stereotypes about.
Scotland 🏴
Having personally solo travelled Edinburgh twice, this is my top pick because of its safety. It's an incredible destination worth all the hype. There are more budget-friendly alternatives to Edinburgh but from personal experience, if you are careful with your expenses, Edinburgh will not bankrupt you.
If you wish cheaper alternatives to Edinburgh & still enjoy the safety of Scotland, I'd recommend towns such as Aberdeen, Inverness, Stirling, Dundee, Perth & Fort Williams. Be mindful that the transportation costs from a main airport may substantially increase the further you get from Edinburgh.
I'd personally stir away from big cities in the UK such as Glasgow, London, Birmingham for my first solo travel experience.
Definitely, it's worth given a go if you have the patience to research budget friendly options & student discounts in these countries. I can give you a hand, through my services, if you need it for this!
Norway 🇳🇴
The country I solo travelled almost in its entirety is Norway 🇳🇴. Therefore, if you start your solo travel journey & wish to invest in a trip in the North, I would definitely recommend cities such as Tromsø, Bergen, Ålesund, Stavanger, Røros, and towns around Oslo because you have plenty of activities in these cities and are easily accessible by public transport.
Oslo is also a great pick but it's not known for being the safest there is in Norway. Definitely give it a go if you wish to explore it! It's one of my favourite destinations but I would rank it as medium-safety for beginner solo travellers.
Find more about Norway as well as advice to prepare your solo-travel experience there through my guides on the region!
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Sweden 🇸🇪
When it comes to Sweden, Stockholm felt very safe to me as a solo tourist. Other picks are cities such as Gothenburg, Orebro, Karlstad, Lund or more Northern ones such as Kiruna, Umea, Lulea although the latter may seem more empty compared to the Southern cities in Sweden given their differences in population.
Denmark 🇩🇰
In Denmark, Copenhagen is a must! Odense, Aarhus, Aalborg are also great picks if you wish to have many activity opportunities and are easily accessible for a first-time solo travel adventure!
From my experience in Denmark, I'd recommend considering destinations such as Nykobing Falster and Nysted, especially if you are a camping enthusiast.
Belgium 🇧🇪
Having recently solo travelled Belgium, the country is very safe for solo females in my opinion. Some great destinations are the enchanting towns, which start to be very trendy in Europe: Ghent and Bruges.
Netherlands 🇳🇱
For beginners, I don't know if Amsterdam is the first choice when solo travelling. I personally felt very safe solo travelling the city and haven't heard any bad experiences from my friends either!
However, for starters I'd try to first check destinations such as The Hague, Groningen or Utrecht. All in all, Netherlands is one of the safest countries I've been to in Europe, so is a great pick when you start your solo travel journey. The country is also close to other European countries so you can easily embark on day-trips or even a multiple-city solo journey.
Germany 🇩🇪
I've been amazed by the safety of Western Germany and the kindness of its people, so it's a good place to start travelling solo. Berlin is a popular stop in the country, but I'd also say that cities such as Cologne, Dortmund, Munch are suitable for a first time solo journey!
This is also a destination that will not break your pockets, so give it a go!
Luxembourg 🇱🇺
Often overlooked, but ideal for first-time solo experiences is Luxembourg! A solo journey there is on my bucket list, as I've only heard amazing feedback about this destination. Also, Luxembourg has free public transportation, so your pockets can enjoy the break too.
Austria 🇦🇹
Vienna is an incredible city, full of thrilling activities, and ideal to solo travel there! Austria also hosts other safe destinations for solo travellers such as Innsbruck, Graz and Salzburg.
More Ideas
Romania 🇷🇴
Although I am a native to Transylvania, I have done day-trips or getaways solo within Romania and I also exchanged many dialogues with solo travellers in the region. Some safe cities if you wish to explore this side of Europe solo are Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Sibiu, and Timisoara.
Romania is generally a good choice for budget-friendly travel as well as amazing hospitality!
If you wish to know more about Transylvania and prepare your solo-travel experience there, see my guides on the region!
Hungary 🇭🇺
Although I debated adding this as a destination for beginner solo travellers, Budapest is a must-see place and most regions are very safe for solo females. As long as you stick to the tourist routes and approach young people, language barriers will not be a problem!
Hungary is one of the most reasonably priced in Europe, so that is a big advantage.
To Consider
The last destinations added are some I've been to but, from personal experience, would not classify as the most safe for solo travellers in their beginnings. Likewise, I included some destination ideas that I haven't explored yet!
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
Prague is an amazing city with loads of activities, although not the safest I explored. Brno is a favourite tourist destination, easily climbing the ladder in Europe.
Ireland 🇮🇪
Personally, I would not rank places as Dublin beginner-friendly in the solo travel world. However, Ireland is filled with safer alternatives to Dublin, which are Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Cork. It's notable to be mindful that Ireland is not a budget-friendly travel pick.
Malta 🇲🇹
I've explored the two main islands of Malta a few years ago. All I need to say it's that it is, absolutely, a dream destination! I wouldn't recommend it to first-time solo travellers. However, it's still on the safe side in Europe from my point of view when in comes to beginner-friendly solo travel experiences.
You should know that Malta is very small, so you can have diverse activities on the island, some of which you'll find only here.
Croatia 🇭🇷 & Slovenia 🇸🇮
Slovenia & Croatia are amongst the places I wish to solo travel to. Dubrovnik and Zagreb are in-vogue solo travel destinations that you can try before Croatia becomes even more expensive during peak season.
Ljubljana is also an amazing city, I believe each person that passes through Europe should stop there for a few days and enjoy the wonders of Slovenia.
Other places that have been recommended to me for solo-travelling and I believe are suitable for first-time solo destinations are Barcelona in Spain 🇪🇸, Nice and Strasbourg in France 🇫🇷 and Bologna or Florence in Italy 🇮🇹. Exploring Portugal 🇵🇹 is my dream because of all the amazing things I've heard and seen about Lisbon & Porto!
In addition, Switzerland 🇨🇭 is a great option for solo travelling given its safety but it can be hard to stay "on the budget" there.
Solo Travel Tips
Regardless where you choose to start your solo travel journey, it is important to enjoy the destination and to take the necessary precautions to feel and stay safe!
I believe that solo travelling is safer than most people make it seem but avoid putting yourself in unnecessarily overwhelming situations just because a place appears safer than you thought/heard.
Some safety tips I always follow are:
2. If someone starts asking personal questions and is very pushy on the subject, I always lie! Sometimes this can be very fun because you can invent your character and your life story and people will believe you.
3. Try to mingle with locals! Don't look too much like a tourist. Yes, take your pictures, check your phone, but avoid looking like a confused person on the streets. Walk with confidence, like you know where you're going, find a bench or a secure place, and check your map there.
What I recommend for first time solo travelling experiences are places close to your home/country, where you feel comfortable by either knowing the language or culture & have your best time there!
I am available to hire if you wish help planning your solo trip around Europe!
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