Categories
Blog Solo Travel Travel

Safe Solo Travel Destinations for Women: Explore with Confidence

Here’s a list of safe solo female travel destinations I’ve personally been to and loved! Always keep your wits about you!

Charles Bridge medieval stone arch bridge crossing the Vltava river in Prague. The sky has magnificent clouds lit from behind by the sun offering a glow in the whole photo. A boat sits on the Vltava river.

While I highly recommend that everyone try solo travelling at least once, some places may be safer than others. It does need to be said that everywhere has risks when travelling alone and you should still do some additional research to pick the right destination for you! In addition, some countries are safe overall but may have areas to avoid/certain times of day that might be safer than others. With general street smarts and a bit of research, there is an entire world you can explore on your own while feeling safe and secure. If this is your first solo trip, take a look at some of the other posts I’ve written about solo travel! I recommend starting in a country that speaks your native language, so you feel a little more secure navigating your way around a new place. This list is a compilation of safe solo female travel destinations I’ve been as a solo white female. Unfortunately, my experiences as a cis white female are likely to be different for a person of colour in the same places. I’ve included some solo female persons of colour travellers resources at the end!

Read more: How to Meet People Solo Travelling

How to Take Epic Photos of Yourself while Solo Travelling

Want to Solo Travel, but Afraid to Take the Plunge?

Table of Contents

Safe Solo Female Travel Destinations

Portugal

Portugal is one of the most safe solo female travel destinations, and it’s a small country that packs a punch! The country is renowned for its safety and hospitality. The country itself has an array of breathtaking landscapes, beautiful historical landmarks, and cultural experiences. The locals are incredibly kind and helpful. Overall, Portugal is safe and easy to get around as a solo female traveller. Lisbon and Porto are two fantastic cities to explore. Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is a must visit. Be sure to venture out of the cities and visit the impressive natural parks and charming islands. Eat your heart out on Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts).

Read more: Travel Portugal | A Full Guide to Visit for 1-2 Weeks

Photo of a polaroid with a woman sitting. The polaroid of the woman is in front of where the polaroid was taken.
View of a white stone gothic style building with flowers in front of it and lush green flora surrounding it
Woman in a yellow dress holding the brim of her straw hat standing in the road in front of the Lisbon Cathedral. The yellow Tram 28 is coming up behind her on the road. It is a blue sky morning.
Photo of the side of a mountain with a cloud obscuring half the mountain. You can see a small path where people are walking on the side of the mountain.

Prague

I visited Prague in the Czech Republic in October 2018. Unfortunately I lost my blog posts in a website merge but I’ll work on a new post at some point! I personally loved Prague and didn’t have an issue at any time of day. Its walkable streets and captivating Gothic architecture offers a safe environment for solo exploration. Be prepared for cobblestone streets and hills! The city is known for its Old Town Square (heart of the historic core), colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock.

Prague astronomical clock (Prague Orloj) during a pink, orange and blue sunset
Prague Dancing House on a blue sky day
View of Prague, Czech Republic from above. Orange roof buildings sprawl across the view with Old Town Hall Tower and a church in the centre background

Budapest

Budapest, Hungary is another set of blog posts I lost. I ended up spending an entire day sick in my hostel, but I wandered around one night on my own with my camera and never had an issue. Hungary’s capital is bisected by the River Danube with a 19th-century Chain Bridge connecting the hilly Buda district with flat Pest (“Budapest”). The funicular is a must, and runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town and offers a magnificent view of Buda. Fishermen’s Bastion is also a photographer and content creator’s dream. You also have to visit one of the many baths. Szechenyi Bath is the biggest and most popular of all the thermal baths (for good reason)!

The Budapest chain bridge seen through a hole in a fence from the funicular. The hole provides a frame around the scene of the chain bridge lit pink, light trails around the roundabout and church in the background.
Corner of the Budapest city hall building with tall grass in the foreground Safe solo female travel destinations
Budapest City Hall as seen from Fisherman's Bastian through an archway with chairs at a cafe in the foreground.

Vienna

I was able to pull together a post for Vienna, even after losing my content. Vienna’s cultural richness and safety make it a top choice. It surprised me that Vienna ended up being one of my all time favourite cities to date. There is lots to see, and overall felt safe wherever I went in the city. Think artists like Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn and the MuseumsQuartier district. I think I just fell in love with the overall feel of the city, the variety of things to do, and the architecture. It makes me want to go back and explore a lot more of Austria in the future!

Read more: Fantastic Vienna Itinerary | Where to Stay and What to Do in the Austrian Capital

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna Austria
Light trails from a bus in front of the St. Peter's Catholic Church in the early morning Safe solo female travel destinations
Mid 18 century globe in a library
Marble Hall is the central chamber of the Upper Belveder in Vienna Austria

Bratislava

I added Bratislava on to a trip to Vienna, Budapest and Prague because it sits so perfectly in the diamond of the four cities. I ended up having a fantastic time. A day in the city was enough for me, but I’m sure you could spend more time at some places to stretch it to 2-3 days. I did spend the one night out with a group from my hostel, and the hostel workers were great about walking people back from downtown. Take that for what you will!

Read more: How to Spend 24 Hours in Bratislava, Slovakia

Photo of the Bratislava skyline with the UFO Bridge and Bratislava castle in the sunset

Scotland

Scotland is a wonderful country with some of the nicest people in the world. The people are welcoming, and friendly, and generally offer a safe place to explore. Edinburgh and Glasgow are the two largest cities in the country, and filled with historic architecture and fun city life. Venture out into the highlands and visit the Isle of Skye! The country is easy to travel alone, with a fantastic bus and train network to get you to where you need to go. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll find loads of places that both inspired the books and were in the movies! I never felt unsafe in any of the cities or highlands, but I also didn’t go out and drink much/spend many evenings out on my own.

Read more: Inverness, Scotland | Complete Guide to The Capital of the Scottish Highlands

Woman leaning over a railing overlooking a row of colourful buildings in Edinburgh
Highland cow standing in a field with hills and mountains in the background Safe solo female travel destinations
Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland as seen from below with Scottish wildflowers in the foreground

Iceland

By far my favourite trip was 14 days in Iceland in 2016. I still talk about it all the time! It’s also the only overseas country I’ve been to twice and I’d easily go back a third and fourth time! Both times I went with friends, but I would definitely recommend visiting on your own. It’s a beautiful country with a diverse landscape and scenery. And Icelanders are SO nice! It’s probably one of the safest countries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. You could go for a stopover, a few days or a few weeks and explore the highlights.

Read more: Iceland Ring Road | Ultimate 10-day Self Drive Itinerary

Woman standing in a blue and turquoise striped jacket with her left hand on her hip. Large waterfall in the background on a blue cloudy day
Blue ice wall with a woman standing beside the wall for scale.
Waterfall cascading down a cliff of rock and greenery
Woman standing in a yellow jacket in front of a waterfall and rainbow in the mist of the waterfalls

Ireland

Did you know: Ireland is part of the European Union, not the United Kingdom? Home of the leprechauns and Guinness Beer (and more), Ireland is a beautiful country. An Irish road trip is a dream trip of mine, and visiting Dublin during the St. Patrick’s Day festival was a blast! Getting around the island isn’t that cheap, but it is safe.

Woman smiling at the camera behind the bar pouring a Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland
St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin
Photo of a cathedral alter in Dublin, Ireland Safe solo female travel

Northern Ireland

Did you know: Northern Ireland is a separate country from Ireland, and part of the United Kingdom? I didn’t know when I visited years ago! I think in general the UK people are nice and I’ve never had a problem in the UK. However, I recognize my privilege and know that feeling safe isn’t everyone’s experience. Northern Ireland is beautiful and a Game of Thrones dream destination. Check out the natural wonder’s like the Giant’s Causeway, the Dark Hedges, and Belfast for the Titanic Museum and Paddy Cambpell’s Black Taxi Tour!

View of the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge from the pathway, looking out over the ocean with waves crashing over the rocks. Safe solo female travel destinations
Woman in yellow jacket standing on the Giant

Canada

I cannot leave Canada off the list! As my native home, it’s a beautiful and spectacular country that deserves to be travelled. Canada is the second largest country in the world, so start by picking a province or territory and go from there. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories and they all deserve to be explored.

The Rocky Mountains border Alberta and British Columbia and is perfect for someone wanting to explore mountains and the great outdoors. The east coast provinces are known for some of the friendliest Canadians. Ontario is the most populated province and is the home to two capitals: Ottawa, the capital of Canada; and Toronto, the capital of Ontario.

You can see the Northern Lights in the winter especially well in the northern territories. You may get lucky and see them from further south, too!

Read more: Solo Travel in Canada | 10+ Beautiful and Safe Destinations

Woman standing in the middle of the road smiling at the camera with mountains in the background
Quartier Petit Champlain during winter in Quebec City European charm
Woman sitting on a rock outcrop overlooking Gatineau and fall foliage
CANADA sign in front of a pink and blue sunset

Solo Female Travellers who are also Persons of Colour

  • Annie from GoAnnieWhere is a Chinese-born American-raised woman who travels solo around the world!
  • Abigail is a NYC based creator, who shares her adventures on The Lady Who Travels.
  • Check out the online forum of On She Goes. It’s a community to help women of colour travel confidently!
  • Latina ladies: check out Latinas Who Travel!
  • Glo started The Blog Abroad. She is an African American woman who travels the world!
  • Juno quit her job as an engineer and now travels the world and writes about it on Runaway Juno.

3 replies on “Safe Solo Travel Destinations for Women: Explore with Confidence”

Thanks so much! I hope you get to experience some solo travels (or if you already have, enjoyed it!)

Leave a Reply