Where would you go on holiday alone?

[Holidaytime2024]

I have 7 days when my children are on holiday with their Dad. I want to go away. This will be in early June. I have between £600-£2000 to spend on flights and accomodation but would prefer to not be at the top end if possible. I'm in my 40s and not into nightlife but not massively into art galleries, museums etc either.

Essentials:
Warm or hot weather.
Beautiful buildings and/or beautiful scenery.
A safe place, not rife with pickpockets.

Would like:
Things to see and do e.g. cathedrals, maybe a beach, nice places to eat, maybe a castle or palace, maybe a pool, maybe a zoo.
A place where lots of people speak English as I'm travelling by myself.
A nice hotel.

I hate:
Barren landscapes
The Canary Islands (sorry if you love them).
Complex public transport, I'd rather an easy to walk/navigate place

Thanks for any ideas. I initially thought Rome but it's super expensive for the week I can go and pickpocketing seems high. I thought maybe Valencia but I haven't looked into that one much yet. I have been to Seville and loved it so maybe would like Valencia. I've considered Portugal but don't know where.

Barcelona does seem a good option- you could split your time between the city and somewhere just outside for a bit of beach/countryside.

Rhodes maybe - lots of things to see and pretty towns but also relaxed vibe and beaches galore. Or Rethymno/Chania in Crete. Athens plus Hydra or Athens plus Napflio.

Dubrovnik? Again you could split the time with one of the nearby islands

Lake Garda is lovely at that time - can be combined easily with Venice or Verona

Porto, i felt very safe and it's a great combination of city and beaches

Montenegro. Gorgeous. Very safe.

@Holidaytime2024 sorry, was answering a poster who wondered if it was safe for a solo traveller, but forgot to tag.

If you do decide to go to Japan ever though, it is very safe with, I would say, only the usual caveats for lone female travellers.

I'd also say that have a friend who goes to Malta frequently for work and has felt increasingly unsafe there.

@Holidaytime2024 I just saw this and thought of you

www.instagram.com/reel/C2vh94ctst9/?igsh=Y3J5aWc0bnBjdmpi

Great. Thank you.

I think Malaga or Palma.

Barcelona, Bologna, Porto

Malaga, Palma or Lisbon/Cascais are all good suggestions.

My personal fave is Palma ( and you could do some train side trips if you fancied)

Kefalonia Greece

Nice - it’s a wonderful city.

I went to Krakow by myself last September. Lots of churches, the castle etc were beautiful and the people were lovely. Never once felt unsafe.

Budapest or Santiago

Hisaronu in the Fethiye area of Turkey. Beautiful place, plenty to do including boat trips, cable cars, jeep safari. Lots of bars and restaurants to try. Always felt very safe there.

Dubrovnik. Not been there as a solo traveller but always find it quite chilled as in less (no) hassle from locals than other places but plenty of tourists. Stay in Cavtat which is 10 mins from the airport and get a boat to Dubrovnik one day. Cavtat is beautiful but less touristy. I love it

Morocco can be a bit of a challenge at the best of times. I wouldn't recommend it to a lone woman. It's worth a visit but isn't the kind of safe-feeling hassle-free place the OP is after, IMO.

Had a great time in Morocco as a solo traveller. Flew to Agadir, went to Oaurzazate - amazing Kasbah, like being in the Arabian Nights.....

Then on to Marrakesh where I flew back from. Never had a hassle, met wonderful women, guys and kids. Always friendly and helpful.

In my opinion, only women who've never ventured out alone are the ones telling you not to do it....

Check Facebooks Solo Women Travellers etc. Someone posted amazing photos of Pakistan around the Khyber Pass! 😮

lots of nice Airbnb accommodation (look for super hosts)

Please DO NOT do Airbnb.....

Locals cannot find a decent rental place anymore because of it.

Go into a restaurant to eat and there's no-one to serve cos they can't afford the rent.
And the restaurant has probably closed down too.

Palma, Majorca, was my thought. A beautiful walking city with lovely historic buildings, great food. Find a lovely boutique hotel, stroll in the city, perhaps go for the day to Deia or Valldemossa. Easy and inexpensive two hour flight.

I’ve been to Turkey and Rhodes by myself. I went with Friendship Travel, a company I highly recommend.

Lisbon, plenty of history, quaint cobbled streets and trams.
Lovely cafes and cute hole in the wall places where you could enjoy the local tipple, Ginja ((cherry)

Historic Sinatra nearby with its mysterious wells and spiral staircases. We found it fascinating.
Great transport links.

Went there for 4 days for my birthday but felt should have stayed longer.
Stayed at the Ibis Styles which was comfortable and quiet and included a very varied buffet breakfast.

Another vote for Malaga. The city itself is really beautiful with historic buildings to visit, beautiful parks. Food great and very good value. Public beach with sun beds and changing facilities if you want. Picasso museum. Typical Spanish late night life so feels safe out. You'll get a lot within your budget.

Malaga city isn't the place the young clubbers go to. They arrive at the airport and disappear off to the resorts down the coast. The city is a lovely laid back place with a historic old town, great tapas and the Picasso museum (among others). There is also a beach.

I love Greece to travel to on my own. I've stayed in Corfu Town a few times now and have explored it a lot. Also Crete (the Chania side). This year that's where I'm going. We went to Athens last year for 3 nights and felt we didn't do it justice so I'd love to go there again also.