Best European city/country for older woman traveling alone

Judy, I am a woman of your age group, who has travelled alone to London & Paris. While London (and Rome) are great, I really think Paris should be your first choice. The sights are more compactly located, generally, and the city is a walker's dream -- it's a dream in all respects. You can easily spend a week here enjoying magnificent art and sights, cafes, neighborhoods, people-watching, etc., with no need to supplement by taking side trips to outlying areas. Get the Rick Steves Paris guidebook and study it, see if the city interests you. (Below is link to Tom's Guide to Paris website, which is good also). Don't be put off by the language -- learn the basic French phrases, and pack a lot of black clothes and you will do fine! I would save Italy for your next trip, and definitely would not recommend Rome, as your first European city.

bon voyage!
http://www.tomsguidetoparis.com/TomsGuideToParis.php

Where ever you go....PACK LIGHT. You will only be there for 8 days. I would suggest you take 4 outfits and wear them twice...two pairs of shoes...raincoast (wear on the plane)and umbrella. Hotels have dry cleaning service.

Oh and take no more than 1 suitcase that you alone can manage.

I am 67 and use the Rick Steves' 21" Roll Aboard and it has large wheels and is expandable. I also use a day back pack as my purse on the plane. Then pull out my PackSaf fanny pack once on the plane.

Good Luck...Enjoy!

Judy,

My first suggestion would be to have a look at Europe Through The Back Door. It provides lots of information for travelling "smart" in Europe, and I believe it contains information pertaining to women travelling "solo". I also travel solo, but as a larger male traveller I don't have the same concerns. I'm also in the same age range, late 50's.

The "best European city/country" will depend to some extent on what you are most interested in. Any of the cities you mentioned would be great, but given that you've never travelled in Europe and are "nervous" about travelling by yourself, I'd suggest London or Paris would be best. Italy can be a bit of a "culture shock" for some people.

With only eight days it would probably be a good idea to stick with one city, and perhaps take a few day trips.

My feeling is that London would be the best choice in these circumstances as:

• there are lots of flights to both Heathrow and Gatwick (I use Gatwick as it's smaller and easy access to London Victoria station).

• there will be no language issues (although some might argue that point!).

• there are lots of beautiful and historic sites to see, and many of the Museums are free.

• you might enjoy a musical while there (lots to choose from!).

• day trips to Bath or York (or other places that interest you) are fairly easy.

Whichever location you choose, I'd suggest packing along a copy of the appropriate Guidebook, as it will provide you with all the details you need on lodgings, restaurants, getting around, sightseeing choices/opening & closing times/costs.

A bit of excercise before the trip would be a good idea, if at all possible. I find that I do A LOT of walking when travelling.

Good luck on your decision and happy travels!

Judy,
What a great gift! Having traveled frequently alone and in the same age bracket I think for the first time London would also be best. Easier and not as much culture shock. I have been many times, both with friends and alone and as always you must be a 'savy' traveler and aware of your surroundings. I just spent a week in the English countryside (Cotswald area) and it was beautiful. York, Bath, Windsor Castle, Cambridge are all marvelous cities for day trips from a central location in London. I would take the city tour of London at the beginning of the trip to get oriented and an overview of the city. All the cities are wonderful and after your first trip you will probably want to go back for more! Read the Rick Steves books and then just let your trip unfold. Write in a journal and take lots of pictures as it is such 'intense living' you tend to forget all the wonderful experiences.

You can see some of my travel images on my website at terrykathrynlawrence.com. I don't have any of the new ones from England that I just took, but there are some older ones from previous trips, and also Rome and Paris... maybe you'll decide to throw caution to the wind and try France or Italy. I always ask myself "what is the worst thing that can happen?" and if its not life-threatening...its fine. Maybe I get the wrong food, or can't figure out the money, or get lost... but somehow it all works out. Have a wonderful trip! You can feel free to email me if you have any questions.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away."

As an older woman who travels alone, I second Ken's suggestion to choose London for your first European trip. Be sure to buy a travel book for London (I always use the Rick Steves books) for details. Make your second trip Paris.

I have to agree with London. It is a great base for an 8 day trip with LOTS of day trips available depending on your interest. Canturbury, York, Cardiff, Windsor, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, etc. The theatre is wonderful and the gardens will be beautiful at that time of year- check out Kew Gardens- they are marvelous.

I agree that London would be a good choice for you, but if you would like to spend some time in another location too, Paris is a good companion to London. It is easy to get from London to Paris (or visa versa) and you could fly into one and out of the other. It is very easy to get by in Paris without any French, but it is recommended to know at least a few basic phrases that are easy to learn. The French are very proper and it is customary to greet the shopkeepers, etc. I am in Paris right now, and I am having a great time. This is my second trip here, as 5 days wasn't enough the first time! If you choose to go to both, you might want to go to London first. Easing into Europe in an English speaking country might be easier. I did it the opposite way, Paris first and then London. I enjoyed London, but I think I was spoiled first by Paris and maybe didn't enjoy it as much as if I had gone there first. Either one is a great choice for a first trip. Wherever you decide to go I know you will have a great time. Bon Voyage.

Thank you for your suggestions. Rome is out for now. Maybe another time. I took French in high school but remember very little. Are 4 nights London and 4 nights Paris too much to do? I see it's only a 2 1/2 train ride from the 2 cities. I enjoy good food and Paris seems to be cheaper and better than London. Is that true? Which city is safer?

Judy, yes you can do both cites. I've taken the Eurostar from London to Paris and it's a great experience. I might do 3 nights most in London, the remaining in Paris. I think both cities are safe, taking all the reasonable precautions outlined by Rick in his guidebooks. It helps if you blend in with the locals and not stick out like a tourist - so the way you dress will be a slight factor). I walked both cities alone, or with my sister (mostly in the day or early evening)and had no problems, never felt unsafe or nervous. (though I am more familiar with Paris since I've been there 9 times without an incident). As a woman traveling alone, you should get an early start to the day, and then return to your hotel by early evening (4 -6) to rest up and get ready for the next day, since it will be getting dark early anyway. No need to be out late at night, though I still think it is safe.
And yes, Paris is cheaper (and the food is way better in my opinion) than London, generally, if you are not tempted to do a lot of shopping, as I always am! (and I definitely recommend doing London before Paris, as recommended above).

You keep asking which is safer..In general, Western European cities are safer than U.S. cities when it comes to violent crimes. If you stay around the main tourist areas of either city, you'll be fine. The worst you will encounter will be either pickpockets or con artists. If you wear a moneybelt, and read about all the scams on the Grafitti Wall, you should be fine.

The subways are fine. The buses are fine. But if you are truly nervous and worried about your safety, then you might want to look into a tour. If so, perhaps the RS city tours of either London or Paris, or both. Unfortunately, neither is given when you want to go, so you may want to consider changing your travel dates.

If you haven't already, I suggest you get a copy of RS "Europe Through the Back Door" to answer a lot of your questions and to see if this type of travel is for you.

If not, and you would feel more comfortable traveling with others, then you have lots of options. Send me a personal message if you want some ideas that are not normally discussed on this board. (I'll be attacked if I mention them but I feel that people should travel in whatever way makes them comfortable even if it's different than the way most people here travel.)

Judy, When I'm in Paris, I'm always amazed to see quite old women (and men) out and about in the city by themselves, shopping, walking their dogs. Some with significant mobility problems. (All are quite well-dressed -they may be frail, but they take the time to put thenselves together). I've heard that France has an excellent social security system that allows old folks to continue living in their aprartments... and they do and continue to function very well it seems. It's kind of an inspiration.

You could make an extensive list of everything you wanted to see in these cities. If you spent all 8 days in one of them, you'd see a majority of your list for that city. If you split your time, you'd see about a third of your list. So do you want to do one city in depth, or two a little lighter? Travel at a brisk pace, or take your time?

I went last year to London and Paris, at the exact same time of year. You will have some cold/rainy/sleety/sunny weather. All in the same day. (An adjustment after Florida.) There are stairs out of the Metro and tube, and a good bit of walking. Don't hesitate to take taxis to save your feet for the walking you WANT to do, like in museums. Taxis cost extra, but not that much.

This is a wonderful gift. Don't let fear of the unknown bring you down.

Find the movie "Paris, Je t'aime" that came out a year or so ago. The last segment about a woman travelling in Paris alone is so wonderful and poignant.

Judy,
After your note that you could split your time I would say 'go for it.' It will be like two totally different trips! I always like leaving a place wanting to see more, so if the opportunity comes up to return I am ready! Definitely do pack light. The Rick Steves rolling bag is all you need with lots of black clothing and scarves to dress it up! If you do just London then you should really try for some day trips to the countryside so you feel you have seen part of England, not just London. I do like big cities for a day or two, but it is the villages and the smaller cities that speak to me. The cities give you the more 'predictable' sights, but it is the unexpected that makes a trip the most memorable for me. I have been to both London & Paris about that time of year and it will be chilly, so layering your clothing is a good idea. Lots of thin layers usually work best, and lightweight gloves and a hat, and a pashmina that works as a blanket on the plane. Lots of people are afraid to travel alone, but they don't know what they are missing.... it can be the experience of a lifetime... and once you do it you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Maybe you could also go on the 'travel partner' section and see if you could meet up with someone else for a day. Lunch or a museum? You will learn so much about yourself. Just smile a lot as you ask for help and most people will go out of their way to guide you. What we think of as rude, some cultures think of as perfectly normal. Do get RS Europe through the back Door and let that help with your travel philosophy. You can also take a cell phone that works from over there, and although expensive, that security may make you feel more comfortable as calling from payphones, etc can be a pain. My ATT phone works almost everywhere. I have even received calls in Guatemala and Romania... so London & Paris always work.
Have a great trip whatever you decide!