First solo holiday abroad at 45 - in October. Ideas needed!

[ShatnersWig]

I've only been abroad twice before - Lake Garda (2012) for a week which I loved and Brussels (2013) for a long weekend which I also loved.

I hate flying but really, really need a holiday and have no one to go with. Don't want to do any sort of solo but on a group holiday. I've exhausted UK and Ireland over the years so I've just got to do it. But there are very few places I actually have any desire to go to.

I'd love to do New York (pricey) and New England in the Fall one day. I'd like to go to Norway and try to see the Northern Lights one day. And I'd like to go back and do more of Italy.

I've got 11 days off in mid- to late-October off so looking for a week in one place or 10 days if split over two places.

I don't like lying on beaches for long but adore the sea/coast while at the same time liking lots of buildings, architecture, museums etc to look at. I also have a slightly restrictive diet so lots of fish available is perfect.

Budget upto £1000 (which sounds reasonable but not obviously as it's just me it's not as much as it could be if I had a companion).

Please - I need your ideas!

If you are discounting Rome because of its lack of beach, then stay in Ostia, a popular seaside resort. You would have the archeological sites of Ostia Antica/Portus close by, trips by train into Rome, and plenty of seafood.

I go away on my own quite frequently, in fact I prefer holidaying alone and have met and made friends with quite a few people on my travels. My favourite places are Lisbon, Malaga, Essaouira, Tavira (Algarve), Madeira, Corfu, Crete. I go between October and March because I don’t like the heat. Best tip - take a book you wouldn’t have the time to get in to at home, and stay a maximum of four nights away.

Hmmm, that was something that concerned me - that some places it would very much be out of season or closed down a bit. I wanted to go away in September when that wouldn't be an issue but couldn't because of work.

born I definitely want to be away for a full week, not just four days. And, bizarre though it sounds, I don't like to do much reading on holiday. I like to do things, so it's early breakfast, out all day, meal in the evening, gaze out at the sea, then bed! Doesn't need to be beach, just coast - one of the reasons I loved staying on Lake Garda was it felt like coast but wasn't. But the lakes out of season have very little going on, and shorter boat timetables.

It's sounding more it would need to be a city break or nothing. I'll give Lisbon a good look over.

What about Cyprus? That’s still quite warm in October. Has beaches, ruins and countryside to explore.

Madeira might fit the bill - if you stay in Funchal I think you'd get the mix of city and coast you're looking for.

Another vote for Lisbon. You could split it half between the city and half between somewhere like Cascais for the beaches. A really beautiful place, good food, cheap wine.

I think Lisbon would be good, it’s high on my list of places I want to go to with a day trip to Sintra and maybe a couple of nights in Porto. Granada, Seville and Córdoba are beautiful and there’s loads to see but don’t fit your sea criteria unless you travelled down the coast to Cadiz maybe? Croatia sounds like a good mix of history and coast. New England would be top of my list too though!

Fly to Naples then get a transfer to Sorrento. We went in October and it was warm enough for sun bathing, but not too hot for sightseeing. There's absolutely loads to do - Capri, Vesuvius, Pompei, Herculaneum and Ischia. Or you could do what we did and get a train ( high speed so less than 2 hrs) and spend some time in Rome also.

Yes agree with rookiemere, Sorrento ticks all your boxes. Still quite warm (I've also been in October), just before it winds down for winter. Stunning coastline. You can travel down the Amalfi coast easily from there - just beautiful. Cheap easy ferries to islands like Capri. And most restaurants will have fish and grilled vegetables on the menus.

Perfect for solo travelling - lots of wandering and pottering around opportunities.

I'll come with you! < green with envy if you go there; it's one of my favourite holidays.

rookie and rogelio Oddly enough, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast were originally at the top of my list but having had a look at the TripAdvisor Italy forums that a lot of the hotels and restaurants in that area close down around 20th October (which is pretty much a two days after I would arrive) and there are a lot fewer ferries going from place to place on the coast etc, so I was a bit concerned it may have shut down a bit too much?

Santiago de compostela, staying in the parador. Fabulous!

How about somewhere like Dubrovnik?

Ah yes it may do at that time. I was there around 14-21 October ish when I went, and everything was still open then and ferries running. I do remember that I was in the last batch of hotel guests where I was staying, though, and they were closing the week after.

Could you bring your dates forward a week or two or are you stuck with those set dates?

Rogelio Stuck with the dates. As I said upthread, I would normally look to go away in September (albeit UK-based) but work is such that it wasn't possible and I'm stuck with the dates I have (which for the most part is the week before half term in most places).

Have you thought about a train trip touring a few places in Europe instead? Get the Eurostar to Paris, then trains to places you fancy - a couple of days in each? It's not quite what you wanted with the coastal thing, but with the time of year and bearing in mind that you don't like flying, it might be a fun alternative? The trains in Europe are generally superb - fast and reliable, with good connections.

Rogelio To be honest, I really "need" the coast. It's been ages and it sort of recharges me and I don't really want to much faff of moving too much from place to place every couple of days. I need more relaxation, work is full on and all about organising things!

I totally get where you're coming from. In that case I'd probably look at Greece or the Canaries as possibilities.

Rogelio I did consider one of those actual rail holiday companies. Hahahaha. Second mortgage time! I looked at the Canaries but there didn't seem a lot of actually DO but maybe I've not looked at it fully enough. It seemed very much a "lying on a beach" sort of place. I adore Italy, so maybe Greece is the next best alternative in terms of having lots of historic places to wander around.

Barcelona-Tarragona-Valencia then on down to Seville. Some Gaudi, some Picasso, some MiTo, Roman ruins, fabulous food, then Andalusia.

Miro!

Morocco? I've travelled there alone.
The weather will still be warm, and it's an all year round destination, so everything open.
Fly into Marrakech, plenty to do in and around there, then go to Essaouira for a beach/pool break (as mentioned by a previous poster).
Very cheap too!

OP Sorrento was still crazy busy when we went mid October so a little bit less crowded would be ideal. I checked the ferries to both Capri and Ischia and they both are still running until the end of October. I think they may stop putting out the beach chairs at the hotels though at that point.

I'd say cruise too, you can find offers where there's no single supplement. The single cabins are a bit like cells though. But you only use them for sleeping and getting ready to go out so it wouldn't worry me. The point is you would have plenty to do in company for your holiday.

Myimaginary I have yet to find a 7-night cruise for under £1,000 for a single person leaving on either 17th, 18th or 19th October. If you want to find one for me, knock yourself out. Believe me, I've looked and made the phone calls.

Sorrento is lovely, but it's a cliff top town, you see beautiful distant views of the sea, but not very much feel of being on the coast, you would need to stay in a hotel on the cliff edge for that I think.

There is little actual beach, instead, the cliff top hotels have wooden piers out into the sea. IIRC there isn't a promenade.

But there are wonderful places to visit, Herculaneum is my favourite.