European solo trip in June - any suggestions?

[roamingcat]

Hi all,

My OH is away with work for a couple of weeks in mid-June so I'd like to seize the opportunity and take myself away for my first solo trip. Looking for recommendations for places I could go which are safe and easy for solo female travellers. I'd like to do a short trip 3-5 days to somewhere in Europe. I need to go somewhere where it's accessible by public transport/taxis as I don't drive. Aside from that I'm open to suggestions!

Thanks all :)

City, beach etc?

Madrid?

It would be great to go somewhere that has a mix of both, but equally if I'm by myself I may not actually want to go in the water as I'll have no one to look after my things?

Train through the Swiss alps. There's a new-ish train with fabulous big glass windows. The Glacier Express.

Where can you fly from? Have you got a budget in mind? Do you want guaranteed heat / sun or happy with mixed weather?

Some initial ideas:
Copenhagen - good public transport, very safe, could do a day trip to Malmo if going for longer

Switzerland - any of the Swiss cities really, or could combine two if wanted, Geneva, Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Lausanne etc. all very safe feeling - lakes are beautiful too if wanted more of a water based holiday

Ljubljana - good value for money, lovely city and not too big, very safe feeling

Austria - again could combine two cities or just do one - Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck - or the Austrian alps if you’d prefer a non-city break. Great public transport.

Warsaw / Krakow - either is great value for money, always felt very safe

Valencia / Malaga / Alicante / Palma - all lovely Spanish cities with beaches and good public transport

Trieste - one of my favourite Italian cities to travel solo, very safe, nice beaches, good public transport

Oh and solo travel trip - invest in a good dry bag with a strap of some sort. You can put all your things in there and then take it into the water with you.

I’ve been to Avignon and Lake Bohinj by myself over the last year. I don’t drive.

At Bohinj I just took €20, a packed lunch and my hotel room key when I swam. It was fine.

I'm in London so any of the London airports are good although Gatwick is preferable. No set budget but a few hundred for flights and hotel would be hreat. I think "warm" but not roasting would be great, although happy with mixed weather if I'm not going somewhere with a beach. Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll take a look.

I'm off to Chania in June for 4 nights, cannot wait. Have treated myself to a fantastic hotel on the beach.

Would you mind sharing the hotel? 😁

Most places are safe, have a wonderful time. I’ve travelled a lot some for work, so have stayed in many hotels etc on my own.

I went to Zurich with a friend last year and we both felt it was somewhere a female could go on her own. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza near Hardbrucke which is on the tram route.

This year I’m going to Jersey on my own. I’m staying in St Helier, for easy access to the buses.

What about Paris - then take the train to another region such as Provence etc?

Porto. Safe, not expensive and a great mix of sightseeing, eating, shopping and beaches

City and beach

Malaga

Palma

Madrid

A solo break sounds lovely, let us know where you end up going for!

We have been to Villamora in the Algarve a few times and it's a place l would happily go on my own as everywhere is close by and the weather in June is perfect.
If you like walking Cinque Ville in ltaly would be lovely as there are 5 villages you can walk to . My friend did it alone and loved it. Walked to a new village each day so it gave a plan to each morning and the walking made for a healthy, happy holiday.

I think Majorca works great for this kind of break - short flight so you don’t lose too much of the first and last day. You could stay in Palma itself or somewhere close by with public transport links into Palma.

I’ve focussed on hotels with their own pools - makes it easier to swim on your own if you want to.

In Palma:

HM Palma Blanc
HM Balanguera
Icon Roseto
Innside Palma Bosca
Innside Palma Center
Gran Melia Victoria

Outside of Palma:

HM Alma Beach
THB El Cid
JS Palma Stay
Tomir Portals Suites
Barcelo Illetas Albatros
Hotel Palace Bonanza Playa
OD Port Portals

I've done Malaga solo and it was fantastic. So much to see in the town and there is an excellent train service to other places

Barcelona I've done solo a few times. And you can do city centre for a bit then catch the train to Sitges which is an amazing beach town with lots of beautiful traditional restaurants. Think the train is about 35 mins. I spent a few nights there and absolutely loved it and I can't wait to go back again!

I think it depends what you want from your trip really as to which sort of place would be better

The Hague for a city-and-beach combo. Short train ride from Amsterdam Airport, plenty of things to do, not too many tourists, and a lot of interesting other destinations in easy public transport reach (Delft, Gouda, a day in Amsterdam, Utrecht.)

Nice is lovely and short flight. Buses run up and down the coast at a very reasonable price (€1.50 ish)
Trains available through to Monaco and Italy

Beware that taxis are very expensive but public transportation is cheap

Another vote for Ljubijana in Slovenia. Lovely city, easy trips out on public transport, including lake bled which was beautiful. We got a great value air BnB flat near the centre,, can send link if you like

This is the one I'm staying at ... it was lovely and calm when I went previously (2021) so I'm hoping it hasn't massively ramped up as a party hotel 😂

https://domesresorts.com/domesnoruz/?gadsource=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8N6s04CahgMVSZpQBh0i4AY3EAAYASAAEgIthPDD_BwE

Lisbon?

Latvia ☺️

An easy one and shortish flights. Weather will be nice but not roasting, great for getting around on foot/on off buses and trains. Very safe.

Fly to Bilbao, have a quick look at Guggenheim. Not much else of note there IMO. Bus to San Sebastian (Donostia). Absolutely lovely spot and very safe. Lively, chic, and the food (pintxos) is amazing. The Old town is a fab place to wander around and eat and nibble. The beach at La Concha is amazing.

Then bus or train to Biarritz. Chic as hell and great for people watching. A bit expensive but worth it. Fly home from there.

I did this + Guernica and Bayonne on my own just before Covid. Was great.