Birthday in... ?

By November you will probably have made some friends to mark your birthday with. If you do want to go to some place "chic and classic", either alone or with a new friend, then it has to be Paris. Amsterdam is classic but "chic" doesn't seem to fit.

No specific ideas as there are thousands of choices and I don't really know what your tastes are. However, I doubt you will be lonely while there, for home and family sure, but I guarantee you will make friends while studying abroad, perhaps even lifelong ones. Enjoy the trip. Let your birthday happen.

Paris can feel like a very lonely city by yourself. It's not a place where I've ever found myself striking up a conversation with a fellow traveler. I love it, but it wouldn't be my choice.

Staying at hostel isn't exactly 'chic' but if you're in your 20s, that's a pretty guaranteed way to make friends. I'd suggest Amsterdam or Munich, both get a lot of younger travelers and you're more likely to find new friends to celebrate with in those places than Paris, I think.

If you go to Amsterdam, get away from the touristy center and head towards the Jordaan. If you go to Munich, ditto, but there's a couple different hip neighborhoods surrounding the city center, like the Maxvorstadt or the Glockenbachviertel.

I agree with Sarah, Paris is never somewhere where I would expect to strike up a new friendship with someone. Munich however is the opposite. Everywhere I went I got speaking to people, whether it was in shops, bars or even in the street parties attended by hundreds of students. It's a very friendly, laid back place and fantastic for younger people, I'd recommend it over Paris anytime.

You will find friends during your semester, it will be easy to make a plan later.

How about Greece, Malta, Palermo, Morocco, Portugal or Costa Del Sol Spain. The south will be warmer than the north and you will have lots of fun. Another option is to go to Iceland or Norway if you like winter weather.

There are many low cost carriers like WOW Air, Iceland Air, Wizz Air, Easy Jet, Ryan Air, Thomson Air, Level(Iberia). In fact you may look at Barcelona a very nice city.

I hope this helps. Enjoy your Birthday. Remember you can meet people anywhere look at AirBnB and perhaps find a host close to your age or who has children close to your age. You can look up Tours By Locals(toursbylocals.com) for a Bar Hopping tour, Meet Up, Bike Tours, Food Tours, Walking Tours etc.

Another option is to contact Rick Steve's Son(Google Andy Steves) he plans trips for college students throughout Europe and perhaps you can take a few of his weekend tours.