Solo Female Traveler - Where to Go in Europe?

In addition to reading some of Rick's books (and others) I encourage you to watch Rick's shows about places you are iterested in. And maybe some others too- the Travel Channel is marvelous. Persoanlly, I loved the UK and Austria in late Nov/early Dec. Edinburgh, Inverness, Aviemore,..... London, York, Bath, Cardiff....
Salzburg, Vienna, Insbruck..... all have great history, lovely architechture and lots to see and do all year.

My favorite solo destination is Italy and it's an architecture and history buff's mecca. 14 days in November would be a good time to see a lot with chances of some good weather and less crowds. Italy is also one of those places you aren't always alone if you don't want to be. I always meet more people and find myself a little more outgoing when there solo. As long as you don't have any idealistic expectations of safety and let your guard down, then all of western Europe is pretty safe, some places more than others. Any issues I have had were in smaller towns too so don't let the big cities scare you at all. Have fun planning!

Kathleen, if you are not opposed to group travel, consider taking a guided group Rick Steves' Tour (click on the Tours link) on the title bar of this site. There have been solo travelers on every RS Tour we've taken, and they just become part of and add to the group. That way you have fellow travelers with whom to share the journey, a great guide (and additional local guides at each major venue/city), as well as instant friends with whom to share some meals. But, there is also ample time (usually afternoons and some evenings) to enjoy individual time to explore on your own.

Kathleen, I had been to London for 10 days, Paris for 10 days, Egypt for 12 days, Amsterdam for 5 days.....and when I went to Rome on my own on a tiny budget I realized while there I enjoyed traveling with a companion. I think you'll be fine in any of the places you mention, but for that time of year I'd pick the warmer ones like Spain or Italy.
However, the Christmas markets in Germany bring a smile to my face, and ought to be seen at least once, if you don't mind the cold.

She's in Minneapolis. How could she mind the cold? :) I'm in Minneapolis too, and I HATE the cold. Go figure. I agree with others. Solo female doesn't matter at all. Weather does. What matters most is simply what you want to see. I'd join you but my wife would complain.

True, as a Minnesotan my definition of cold might be a little different than those from other parts of the country. Anything above 30 degrees Fahrenheit would be ok. I'm actually more worried about rain than cold. I think I am ruling out Ireland, at least for this trip for that reason. I'm going to pick up the Europe through the back door book tomorrow. The TV shows are part of what brought me to this point, the more I see the more places I want to go.

for weather alone I would elimanate Ireland in november or december,, its not the cold,, its the wet wet wet. Of course I think Paris would be ideal, /i love it as a solo woman traveller, and since enjoy museums etc,, theres lots to see inside if weather is foul. Italy would also be good, not warm , but warmest of all the places you have mentioned.

I forgot one piece of information I should have added. The reason for the timing of my trip is that I am working on a large scale system implementation for my employer that will limit when I can take vacations in 2012. The trip is my post-implementation reward to myself. So with that in mind, does one of my choices strike you as any more relaxing and suitable for a slower pace than the others? I'm thinking mentally I'm not going to want to do a breakneck pace. Thanks for all the great advice so far.

I'm a workaholic that runs away to Europe by myself so I will tell you what I would do if I had 2 weeks: Either spend both in Rome renting an apartment with some day trips or split it with the first week in Rome and the second in Paris. I find staying in one place in a big city much more relaxing than schlepping solo all over the countryside. I have done it and I did have fun, but there's nothing like just kicking back in a cafe and doing nothing for a couple of hours. Both places have more than enough to see everyday if you feel like it too. I rent apartments in both locations and learn a new recipe or two while I'm there. In Rome, bring your jogging shoes and run the Circus Maximus so you won't care about all the calories you are going to inhale. I'm sure you will get some good suggestions from others too.

Hi Kathleen. I've been traveling mostly solo for many years. Because there's no one to split costs and driving with, I have never rented a car, so I stick to urban areas. Also, since I'm alone, I don't spend much time in restaurants - it's just not so much fun alone, and that leaves me more time for sightseeing. Often cities look and feel completely different early in the morning which is another encouragement to go to bed early and get up early. Italy is a great place for art (especially sculpture) and architecture, and of course, history. It is also very easy to get from town to town by train and each town has a flavor of its own. Budapest-Vienna-Prague-Krakow would be good for 14 days, if fewer than that, I'd drop Krakow. Again, there is excellent intercity transportation (though Krakow is relatively far) and lots to see in each place. Germany is similar to Italy - easy to get from place to place by train, and lots to see in each. You could add Dresden, only a couple of hours from Berlin and, to my mind, more like Eastern Europe than Germany. Or you could go to Dresden from Prague instead of to Krakow. I haven't been to Ireland. Friends who have gone say you need to rent a car or take a tour to see it properly. And Spain is still on my to-visit list. If you go in November, Italy would be a good choice as the weather is generally milder than elsewhere. In December, you would have the Christmas markets in Germany, maybe in Eastern Europe as well.

If you would be happy traveling to any of those place I would see what the flights look like, unless money is not
an issue. Definitely Budapest, and Krakow are cheaper cities so that route might work. I have traveled alone as well and I usually have a car, and driving from Prague to Krakow and around the countryside of Czech is beautiful. You could do part train, part car, if you want some freedom and spontaneity. Any of the places you have chosen are great and I would return to any of them in a minute.

Where to go depends totally on whatever you hope to gain from your trip and what interests you the most. However, For a 2 week solo trip, I would encourage you to spend at least a few nights going out on the town. You don't have to spend those nights bar hopping and dancing til dawn, but don't hole up in your hotel every night after the sun goes down. I feel like a lot of solo female travelers do this because they are uncomfortable with being seen dining, drinking or going to a performance on their own. When you are solo, you are actually more approachable to other travelers or locals who may not want to interrupt if you were already out with a friend or significant other. Your daytime hours are packed with sightseeing, the evening is a great time to get out there and socialize. And just like Chani mentioned about the vibe of a place being very different in the early morning, it's the same after the sun goes down. People aren't rushing around at night, it's all about relaxation & fun. So wherever you go, spend a night having a great 3-4 course dinner, drink wine while you listen to some live music, eat gelato in a busy piazza at 10pm, get tickets to a play or a dance performance for the evening show. I think you'll be glad you got out those few evenings even if it's just for a couple hours.

If "Prague, Budapest and Krakow" is a definite contender, don't re-think including Krakow... it's easily accessible by overnight train, especially from Prague, and IMO - a true gem! (I shared a women-only sleeper compartment with a nice Polish lady) You can fly open-jaw as well (in one city, out another), maximizing your time without adding to costs. Don't set yourself a "fixed" itinerary in the planning stage either. Play around with the flights, ie. fly into Munich, out of Berlin then flip it: into Berlin & out of Munich. It's weird, but you can often save money, just by flipping your first/last points, for the exact same dates. Example - for flights next Spring to Russia, I saved almost $200 by flying into St Petersburg & out of Moscow, instead of doing it the other way as I had originally planned :-) I've traveled solo everywhere that you are considering, except for Germany, and I'd redo any of these trips, as all are great choices. (Berlin is on my wish list...). For Spain, it would be a bit of a shame not to include Barcelona, if architecture interests you - I became a big fan of Gaudi's work. A month before I'm scheduled to leave, I check the calendar of events for the cities I will be in and usually pick a concert or show to attend, for an evening out or two. And I do enjoy eating out by myself and treat myself to at least one special diner out in each city that I visit. Essentially, pick where you really want to go!! A bit of advice tell your boss NOW that you are planning to be away for 17 days late next year and keep reminding them... that makes it much more difficult to balk at a post-release date long trip. My DH is in the same boat as you and that's what he does. Late August and early September are the best time to get seat sales for late Fall, so you really don't need to commit to exact dates until the plane ticket is actually bought.

I like Steve's comments and here are a few more. For architecture Barcelona is tops and Valencia Spain as well. 300 kms apart in southern Spain, in Nov Dec 2012, weather will be better than most other places in europe. Paris is the top architectural hotspot, Bucharest is surprising, as well as Krakow Poland, but they'll be cold in winter. Genoa is nice and so is Florence. Check our blog here http://vstromadventures.blogspot.com/2011/05/barcelona.html for info some pictures of Barcelona.

I'm leaving tomorrow on my second solo trip to Europe - this year to Spain, 2 years ago to Portugal. The only places I would hesitate to travel alone as a woman would be a few Muslim countries with restrictive social expectations and laws about women.....otherwise, the world is my oyster (within my budget limitations). Portugal was wonderful - I spent a few days in Lisbon, then rented a car for 2 weeks and drove north: I rented a small cabin for a week (from the owner, online), spent a few days in Porto, and several days in smaller towns that caught my attention while I was researching beforehand. One of the benefits of traveling solo is being able to change your mind almost on a whim, following your nose about where you want to go and what you want to see. Tomorrow I leave for a solo trip to Spain for 2 weeks, but this time it's more of an urban trip - no rental car, just a few day trips by train. I'm really looking forward to the architecture in Barcelona and the art in Madrid. I considered Italy for a while, but Spain won out.