European city break for lone female

[Frenziedandfurious]

I have some easyJet vouchers to cash in, they fly to loads of destinations from my local airport. I can't be bothered to try and arrange with a friend, it's too much like hard work trying to manage all the logistics.

I'll be booking for June, where could I go as a lone female where it's relaxed and welcoming and I can eat out in the evenings without feeling like some kindof impostor. Also where it's safe for me to wander about.

Paris is a no due to safety issues. Munich and Barcelona been to many times, want to try somewhere new. Not Copenhagen as been before and was a bit £££!
Ideas?

I’d second Bordeaux. It’s a compact city with a good transport system and opportunities to travel further afield. I’d recommend a trip out to Arcachon and hiring a bike to go out to the Dune du Pilat , Europe’s biggest sand dune!

Madrid. I lived there for years - fantastic city and very safe.

If you like the sun Palma de Mallorca. Lovely city but also good public transport to beaches and around the island. I went on my own for five days a few years ago and loved it!

I went to Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague on my own with minimal issue. I'd pick somewhere warm so you can sit out with a book rather than indoors.

I went to Budapest in June a few years ago on my own. Absolutely loved it and felt very safe.

I recommend Vienna do many times I really should be on commission from their tourist board but I don’t think easyjet are flying there until late October, Salzburg is also a pain with flights in the summer (although you can fly to Munich & get the train)

Bordeaux if you can go when the Fete de la Musique is on in June was very enjoyable in 2019. Choice of food in one of the squares, was fine on my own.

I'm in Vienna and would recommend that! There are tons to do alone and daytime is absolutely safe for solo females virtually anywhere. Nighttime is not as safe as it used to be 10-20 years ago but as long as you're not wandering around drug hotspots it should be fine. Another PP suggested Salzburg which is also stunning, although not as big. You could probably get everything done in 1-2 days and walking around will get a bit repetitive.

The weather in Austria is also fantastic in June, long days and balmy nights with lots of open air activities. Hotels are extremely affordable now due to covid and the city centre in Vienna is very compact so you can get tons of sightseeing done just by walking from one district to the next.

Dubrovnik

Berlin, Florence, Venice, Nice, Bordeaux, Prague. Copenhagen.
Lots to do in all of them. Never felt unsafe in any of them.

Lisbon is perfect for wandering, always felt safe.

Venice also, and no need to worry about dining out alone as you can bàcari hop and graze on spritzes and cicchetti throughout the day.

Oslo

I second Madrid. It is very safe and there are plenty of places to sit outside and have a drink or dinner in the evening.

This is a great thread! I'm planning an interrailing trip for next year by myself so making loads of notes

I've taken dd to Vienna as a single parent and felt very safe.

I'm interested in what people like about Lisbon as I'm considering it for me and dd this year but not sure whether to go there or 'play safe' with a Corfu or Mallorca holiday. Is it easy to get to the beach from Lisbon?

I love the romance of train journeys across Europe and hope that with new green agendas, there would be more of this.

Can you imagine boarding a train in London heading to Rome (via Paris). I love the idea of it.

Wherever you decide I hope you have a bloody lovely time! DD1 is 24 and single and all her mates are loved up so she has no-one to go on holidays with. I'm going to show her this thread!

My friend went to Barcelona and loved it

Sorry just saw you said no to Barcelona. Maybe Ghent or Nice would work for what you want.

I second Ljubljana. I would gladly go there alone.

As much as I adore the Baltic states, I'd probably swerve that part of the world right now.

I used to eat out alone a lot in France when I lived there. It felt more normal there than it does in the UK.

Helsinki. Have been there on my own a couple of times and felt very safe. The summer climate in Finland is often a bit warmer & sunnier than the UK and the midsummer days are really long. Also travelled to a couple of other Finnish cities (Turku and Tampere) which felt equally safe

Stockholm.

What are the safety issues in Paris?

I'm surprised at people saying Amsterdam. I went with a friend and was relentlessly hassled by men. I'd never go there alone.

Places I've been I'd feel comfortable alone - Bordeaux, Toulouse, anywhere along Cote D'Azur, Porto, Madrid, Valencia, Bologna, Venice, Rome, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Lisbon, Oslo, Copenhagen.

The places in Europe Ive been hassled and wouldn't feel comfortable travelling alone are Brussels, Athens, Amsterdam

How about Gibraltar?