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The 9 Best Cities for First-Time Solo Female Travelers

First solo trip is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying — and the city you pick matters enormously. These nine destinations combine safety, ease of navigation, strong solo traveler infrastructure, and the particular joy of eating exactly where and what you want, with no one to negotiate with.

My first solo trip was to Edinburgh. I was 24, I was nervous enough to have memorised the emergency number (999, which I already knew, which tells you something about the state of my pre-trip anxiety), and I spent the first two hours sitting in my hostel common room talking to a Canadian woman named Jean who had done this forty-seven times and looked appropriately amused.

By day three, I had figured out the trams, eaten a very good pie, climbed a volcano (Arthur’s Seat — yes, a volcano, dormant, obviously), and understood completely why people do this alone. You move at your own speed. You eat when you’re hungry, not when the group agrees. You stay at the museum until they close. It is, genuinely, the best way to travel once you get past the part where you’re sitting in a hostel common room looking for a Jean.

The city you pick for your first solo trip matters. Here are nine that will not let you down.

1. Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is statistically one of the world’s safest cities, has a public transit system so good it makes other countries’ infrastructure look like a suggestion, and is full of solo culture — restaurants with single-seat counters specifically designed for eating alone without awkwardness. People are reserved in public, which means zero street harassment and excellent personal space. Start here if you want to feel safe and also slightly astonished by everything.

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

The highest baseline of gender equality of any city on this list makes itself felt in daily life: solo women eating alone don’t attract commentary, night transport is reliable, and the hostel-to-boutique hotel spectrum is excellent. Copenhagen is also flat, small, and extremely bikeable, which means getting lost is mild rather than stressful.

3. Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is warm in both climate and character, has a strong solo traveler and digital nomad infrastructure, and English is widely spoken. The hills are the only navigation complication — wear actual shoes on your first day. The hostel scene is genuinely excellent (ask about Lisbon’s boutique hostel boom post-2018 and people will talk your ear off).

4. Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh has a walkable Old Town, excellent pubs that are genuinely welcoming to solo drinkers (Scottish pub culture is conversational by default), a hostel scene centred around the Royal Mile, and more organised walking tours and group activities per capita than almost anywhere in Europe. The Festival in August turns the social density up to eleven.

5. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is compact, English-fluent, cycling-perfect, and has an extremely developed solo travel infrastructure with excellent hostels, solo-friendly restaurants, and an LGBTQ+ scene that creates a particularly welcoming city atmosphere. The Red Light District gets chaotic at night — stick to Jordaan or De Pijp for your base.

6. Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland is consistently ranked as one of the world’s safest countries, Reykjavik is tiny enough to walk end to end, and the Northern Lights and geothermal pools mean the activities largely sell themselves. Solo tours are standard — most Golden Circle companies offer small group day trips at reasonable prices.

7. Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona has a vibrant solo travel community, Gothic Quarter accommodation is excellent value, and the city is structured around excellent public space — park, beach, market — all of which are naturally social for solo travelers. Petty theft is the main watch-out (standard bag awareness applies); the street harassment levels are lower than other Spanish cities.

8. Singapore

Singapore is absurdly safe, has world-class public transit, English is the official language, and the street food scene means you can eat brilliantly and cheaply without ever needing to commit to a sit-down restaurant alone if you’re not yet comfortable with that. An excellent bridge destination for Southeast Asia trips.

9. Montreal, Canada

North American, French-inflected, walkable by neighbourhood, bilingual (most service industry workers speak both), with a food and arts scene that punches above its weight. For North American travelers wanting a first solo trip without the flight commitment, Montreal is the answer.

City	Safety Rating	English Friendly	Solo Hostel Scene	Best Month
Tokyo	Excellent	Moderate	Good	March–May
Copenhagen	Excellent	Excellent	Good	June–Aug
Lisbon	Very Good	Excellent	Excellent	Apr–Oct
Edinburgh	Very Good	Native	Excellent	Aug, Sept
Amsterdam	Good	Excellent	Excellent	May–Sept
Reykjavik	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Jun–Aug
Barcelona	Good	Good	Excellent	May, Sept
Singapore	Excellent	Native/Official	Good	Year-round
Montreal	Very Good	Bilingual	Good	Jun–Sept

What’s the single safest city on this list? Tokyo and Reykjavik trade the top spot depending on which crime metric you prioritise. Both are so safe they’re almost disorienting if you’re used to cities where you have to be constantly aware.

Which is best if I’ve never stayed in a hostel? Lisbon or Edinburgh — both have excellent boutique hostels (private rooms, good facilities, social common areas) that ease you into the hostel format without the full dorm-room plunge.

Is solo female travel actually safe? Safer than the anxiety about it suggests, in the right places. The cities on this list are specifically chosen for low street harassment, reliable transport, and strong female solo traveler community. Standard awareness applies everywhere, but don’t let fear drive your decisions.

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