Suggestions for women traveling alone in Barcelona/Spain

Hi Jenna,

Here’s what we did during our trip to Spain which might give you some ideas for activities. The dinners in Spain are later in the evening, so you would be fine being out later than 9pm. Otherwise, you won’t have much chance to eat or enjoy the evening! I am very safety conscious. I’ll look up my general thoughts from traveling solo and post them.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/1st-time-to-spain-trip-report

While you’re already in Spain, I would stay in that country and enjoy it! If you’re switching your flight, see if you can fly home from Madrid, Sevilla or Malaga, so you don’t need to have the expense of traveling back to Barcelona to fly home.

What I did differently since this was a solo trip:
1. I didn’t book any apartments. For safety, I wanted to make sure there was either a front desk person or the owner lived at the location (or was at restaurant next door).
2. I planned more 2-day stays vs. longer stays. I knew that I could cover what I would enjoy in a town faster since it was just me.
3. In my planning, I was much more thorough. For example, I not only had each train ticket, but I had the info readily at hand for Plan B & C if I missed any train. This allowed me to really relax during the trip, knowing that possible issues were already considered & solutions decided.
4. I never left my money belt in my hotel room. I wore my passport, cc, ATM card & larger Euros at all times.
5. I planned periodic activities during the trip where I would be with other people speaking English. I figured this would be a nice way to avoid feeling lonely, and it was an excellent solution for me.
6. I connected with my hubby or family on FaceTime at night. We enjoyed catching up on our days and only had a couple of locations where the wifi was too slow.
What happened differently because this was a solo trip:
1. I spoke more [local language]. I had concentrated on studying the language with Duolingo, reviewed my language for Dummies book & some games that filled in the gaps for clock times & numbers. Since I was by myself, I felt less intimidated to try speaking the language, and the more I tried it, the more confidence I gained.
2. I talked to more people. If I heard anyone speaking English, I would ask them where they were from. I talked to many people from England and others from Australia, USA, Poland, France & Canada. I also had an interesting conversation with an Italian biologist on the train about the difference in job career opportunities in countries. Her dad had worked in the US with an opportunity that they could have moved when she was young.
3. I didn’t enjoy dinners as much. It just wasn’t fun to eat a long dinner by myself. A few times, I would have a nice lunch & just pick up some veggies & fruit from a local market for dinner.
4. I was outside earlier in the morning. Possibly because I wasn’t staying up too late, I really enjoyed my mornings. I would eat a nice breakfast and be out taking photos while the colors were still vivid and before the streets were filled with people.
5. I shared my journey with my friends on Facebook. Previously, I never posted photos until we were home due to home safety, but since my husband was at home, I shared a few photos of Stresa, and people enjoyed my photos & commentary so much that I continued. It felt like I was talking to friends throughout my trip, and it even caused me to take other extra types of photos to help share the story.

Look for hotels that have food. We are in Spain and have often eaten at our hotel and have seen plenty of singles doing so.

Another non-intimidating place to eat in Spain as a single are the cafeterias in El Corte Inglés department stores. You see plenty of women eating alone and the food is quite good and reasonably priced.

Definitely agree with the suggestion of El Corte Ingles food court. The one in Barcelona has amazing views, and I ate there a couple of times during a week’s stay back in 2019.

For context, I am a middle aged woman who usually travels alone (including driving across the USA).

I have recentish experience of Barcelona and it’s mostly absolutely fine, as long as you are aware of pickpockets. My main suggestion is to walk confidently and always look as if you know where you are going. The only central area I felt a little uncomfortable- even in the middle of the day - was north of the big food market and south of MACBA gallery, just off La Rambla, felt a little edgy. El Raval. Not bad, just… a little uneasy. But generally around Barri Gotic and El Born, and up into Eixample and Gracia, I felt very comfortable.

For me the biggest issue was evening meals, especially as Spanish people eat so late. I’m normally fine with eating alone but for some reason it feels a bit weird in Spain. I tended to have a good lunchtime meal - often choosing a small restaurant with a menu del dia - then something snackier early evening. I had a particularly nice friendly lunchtime experience at a restaurant called Insolita Gea near the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista hospital site.

There’s a nice small chain of tapas bars called Taller de Tapas that are open all day and they were good for a late afternoon snack without feeling too out of place.

There are always lots of British and American tourists around, and I got chatting to a nice couple on a guided tour around Palau de Musica.

In the evenings, I enjoyed wandering the shopping streets around Plaça Catalunya, and I highly recommend doing an evening tour of Casa Batlló. It was magical by night and much quieter than a daytime tour I’d done previously.

Jean, AussieNomad and Golden Girl,

Thank you so much for your suggestions! This is very helpful information. I'll feel a little less alone knowing you've been on the same adventure!
If you think of anything else in addition to this fantastic information, post away!

Salude!

Jenna

I've been a single older woman in Spain and while I speak Spanish, I very much look like the American gringa.

My thoughts-get a nice hotel with a safe. I used to leave my passport/and most of my money in the safe, taking only enough for the day. Of course that was pre-covid, now many places take credit cards.

My main meal was always lunch. The Spanish have a wonderful lunchtime- Menu del Dia that usually has a starter, entree and possible dessert/drinks for 12-20 Euros. It's a good way for trying a restaurant but not paying full price at dinner. Plus, my dinnertime is from 5-7pm so it's hard to eat so late. I can recommend LLamber for lunch. I was able to be seated outside and the food was so delicious I went back a second time!

Definitely, look where you know you are going and if you feeling unsure in an area, it's definitely ok to leave. Always listen to your inner voice.

You may want to look to see if there is a musical concert at night to see. Defiantly take the walking tours of the city-that is where I meet most of the people I spoke with but you do have to be proactive. At home, I'm an introvert but take me to another country and I talk to strangers!

And yes, always connected with a friend or someone you know at night. I either FaceTimed or WhatApp my family back home-just in case.

Can you post a written day-by-day itinerary?

The closest thing to "women 's only logging" would be to reserve a space(s) in a hostel room that is meant for women only - yeah i have seen such a thing listed on booking.com - read the fine print to find out whether the room is mixed or men only or women only. No I have never reserved the wrong room in a hostel. Yes I have stayed in hostels but not in Spain. In Spain I switched to all private hotel rooms. Because I didn't want anybody to accuse that I would catch coronavirus-2019 from a hostel. But since this trip I stayed in a hostel in California. Hostel ending with -el is a logging place where solo travelers stay when making a sacrifice on privacy to save money. Hostal ending with -al is just a low-end but still decent enough logging place in Spain, with all private rooms

I am a man. I went to Spain solo for 13 nights on the ground one night on the plane, in March 2022. The idea that women are more likely than men to get assaulted or worse is a myth. I could still get assaulted robbed, or mugged or worse. I don't know why I didn't inherit my mom's phobia of travel. My mom and an aunt were mortified. They desperately tried persuading me to stay home. I did not get assaulted or mugged or robbed. I was 38 if that should matter.

Hi, as a frequent solo female traveler I love food tours and cooking classes. They're a great way to learn about the food and culture of the place you're visting while meeting people--sometimes fellow solo travelers. I took some great tours in Madrid and San Sebastian with a company offering tours across Spain.

The area you are staying in with friend is very safe. Many hotels in Spain have rooms for singles at great rates. I can’t imagine an area in Spain where you’d feel unsafe as a woman. Girona, Cadiques and Valencia are easy trips you could make. Booking dot com has good Options for stays. I think you could get more specific suggestions if you say what you like to do on travels, beach, museums etc.

Hi, Jenna - I am a female solo traveler and I have been traveling by myself for almost 30 years. There is lots of good advice given above. I can tell you that in a way, I think that traveling solo is safer than traveling as a couple or with a group. When we are with other people, we tend to let our guard down whereas when I am out walking along or dining alone, I am usually more aware of my surroundings.

Also keep in mind that Europe is by far less violent than the United States. Your biggest worries will be pickpockets, and as I mentioned above, they are less likely to target solo travelers because solo travelers are not as easily distracted. Just keep your wits about you. Jean mentioned above about late dinners, which is true - most Spaniards do not eat until 10 pm and it is very common to see large families with small children out strolling the streets after 10 pm. So you will have plenty of company. Don't deprive yourself of the many joys of your destination - just be smart and use your common sense (just like you do at home) and you will be fine.

Have a wonderful trip! I'm leaving today for a solo trip to Scotland and plan on doing as much as possible (including going to pubs for a wee dram). Everything in moderation, though. 😊

This thing on "late dinners" that comes out so frequently...I believe that there´s a misunderstanding on our way of life. Lunch is the very mean meal of the day, we take it very seriously and take enough time to have a proper lunch with a first, a second and a dessert (fruit, in most households). Lunch here is not like lunch in other countries, where it´s just a sandwich while working, or something quick while doing some other thing. Dinner, during weekdays, is much smaller, lighter and it may consist of just a soup, or some fish, or a salad...but in many houses it´s also a chance to dine together while discussing the day. But again, it´s not your dinner...it´s lighter. And we have it later than you (we do not understand why somebody would have dinner at 7pm...) because the time before dinner is used to socialize, to enjoy a stroll, or a glass of wine with friends, or go to the gym...So I would recommend to have a good lunch and to take it easy for dinner, meal timetables and customs are not the same here than in many other countries, "Spain is different".