Holiday help

[annonymousnamechange]

Hi, hoping to take a solo break in September so looking for some suggestions if anyone fancies helping me plan! Late 50s female, probably not looking for a beach/pool holiday. Happy with my own company and happy with a mix of sight seeing/ cafe stops and people watching. Quite fancy somewhere abroad but not long haul for 7 days. Also happy to book flights and accommodation separately so doesn't need to be a package. Have a decent budget but not looking for luxury. Thank you!

I’m going to Cassis by train in September. I’ve also enjoyed Avignon alone.

Rome, Sorrento, Strasbourg, Lisbon, Porto, Valletta, Madrid, Vienna, Berlin, Paris?

I went to Lausanne in Switzerland on my own and went on an excursion on a train to a cheese and a chocolate factory and visit a pretty village. Another day I got the ferry to Evian and I also went on a lunch cruise with beautiful scenery. There’s an Olympic museum there, local buses and the metro is free for tourists and there’s a nice promenade for walking.
I enjoy spas so I used the hotel spa each day too.
I had the hotel breakfast, a charcuterie board in Evian, lunch on the boat trip and excursion I did plus a delicious bed picnic on my room one evening.
The year before I had a fab solo trip in Tunisia but that was on a resort with excursions and so many spa treatments .This is probably not what you are looking for but the thought it may be helpful for other people on your thread.

Seville or Nice or Lisbon? Lots to see, lots of places to sit and people watch. Nice food.

I went on my own to Florence 2 years ago, no problems at all.

You could fly into Pisa and take a train. Flying direct is possible but Florence airport is notorious for issues unfortunatley.

Thanks everyone, some great suggestions to get me going

Stay in Florence and visit. Lucca, Siena, Pisa by train. Easy and glorious.

Somewhere I've been on my own that I loved was Merano in the South Tyrol (technically Italy, still a lot of Austrian influence). Pretty town with lovely mountain views, lots of easy sightseeing by public transport, and it felt very safe. I stayed at the Meranerhof, which is owned and run by a family of three generations of women. Lovely pool.

Switzerland is always lovely too.

For an easy but most enjoyable solo trip, have a look at Malaga city. Close to the airport, it has everything you mention and is very safe and it is a lovely place. The area around the cathedral is buzzy and full of lovely tapas places where you can sit and watch the world go by. Similar down by the marina. Great shopping (if that's on your list!) in Calle Larios too.

You could do a day trip to Granada to see the Alhambra, and/or to Ronda, Cordoba, Nerja. All gorgeous and within reach of your base in Malaga by coach or train from Maria Zambrano station.

Or.... you could do what I did and fly into Seville, do a few nights there, and take the train to Malaga for another few nights and fly home from there. Or vice versa.

Italy is one of my favourite go to’s. The food, culture, sights and weather. Maybe look at flying into one airport and out of another. The train network is brilliant over there and the cost to upgrade can be very low when booked early enough to more spacious seats with drinks and food included (so much less than uk train costs). I’ve done a couple of days in Venice then Rome, even breaking up the train journey with a day in Florence in between. You can utilise bag drops if needed. My next visit will be Naples then either Istria and Capri or the sleeper train down to Sicily

Thank you everyone for the fab suggestions. I'm now planning on going to Florence so if anyone has accommodation recommendations id be very grateful! Happy with air B&B, room only, hotel or B&B. Would prefer to go with a recommendation as there's so much on line!