Travelling alone might just be the best thing you ever do. Forget group votes and compromise, this trip is all about you and your agenda. But if you’re unsure of where to start, take a look at our pick of the very best destinations for solo travellers — whatever feeling, experience or escape you’re chasing.
If you’re after culture, shopping and some of the world’s finest food, we’ve got restaurants and art fixes in the ultimate metropolis, New York, or fashion and urban island-hopping in Stockholm. For nature seekers, there’s plenty of scope for a truly epic adventure, too; try following in the footsteps of merchants and pilgrims along the Silk Road or through the deserts of Jordan. The important thing is that one VIP guest is excited, motivated and all-in on the adventure: you.
Main photo: enjoying a hamburger in Coney Island, New York (Getty Images)
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1. Mexico
The Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacan, Mexico City (Alamy)
Mexico is the ideal mix of cosmopolitan cities, soft adventure experiences and opportunities to socialise. Start in the gritty-glam capital, Mexico City, for its late-night bars and world-beating restaurants, plus an introduction to the country’s rich history ‒ not missing artist Frida Kahlo’s enchanting Blue House or Teotihuacan’s Mesoamerican pyramids. Head south to earthy Oaxaca and Puebla to learn about indigenous culture and try a temezcal (Mayan sweat lodge), then east to the Caribbean-facing Yucatan Peninsula, or west to the hippie, surfy beach towns along the Pacific coast (Sayulita and San Pancho are two idyllic hangouts). And that’s before you think about a stop in tequila country, Jalisco. Wherever you venture, you’ll find fellow solo travellers, plenty of affordable meals and fun group trips to landmarks and archaeological sites.
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• Best hotels in Mexico
• Best time to visit Mexico
• Mexican entry requirements explained
2. Croatia
Café life in Zagreb (Alamy)
Another spot that attracts solo travellers and digital nomads, Mediterranean facing, coast-heavy Croatia is a delight to drift around. From charming, compact cities to wander — don’t miss the underrated capital, Zagreb — to photogenic sights like the Plitvice Lakes and Zlatni Rat beach, it has a distinctive scene for solos to uncover. Hop between top coastal cities such as Split and Dubrovnik, as well as unspoiled or party islands; go outside peak summer season and you should be able to get a ferry ticket at the last minute. Croatian food is also wildly underrated, incorporating seafood specialities, pasta, cheeses and truffles similar to those of its more couple-centric neighbour, Italy.
• Best places to visit in Croatia
• Best beaches in Croatia
• Best islands in Croatia
• Best things to do in Croatia
3. India
A houseboat in Kerala (Getty Images)
India? you ask. Surely a trip only for the most intrepid of solo travellers? But If you are intrigued — more so than your partner or go-to holiday pals — by the huge-scale adventures and deep-rooted cultures you’ll discover in this nation, you should go. What you’ll find in India are affordable hotels and domestic transport, organised group tours to join, and some of the best food and shopping you’ll find on the planet — plus hundreds of dazzling landscapes and urban scenes to photograph. The hospitality here is unmatched, and although the culture may be wildly different from home, you’ll learn a lot about the destination — and yourself. It’s too huge to tackle in one trip, unless you have many months to spare, so aim for one of its tourist-friendly trails — the northern Golden Triangle route, Kerala’s idyllic waterways, Goa’s hippie beach scene — paired with an exciting major city: food-obsessed Mumbai is the country’s cultural hub.
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• Best places to visit in India
• Best cities to visit in India
4. Georgia
The Caucasus Mountains in Georgia (Alamy)
Tucked between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey, off-the-radar Georgia sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Locals are known for their hospitality and the country has a great reputation for looking after solo travellers. Head here if you’re looking for unspoilt scenery, an excuse to meet new friends in the welcoming cosmopolitan capital, Tbilisi, and the Unesco-listed sites of Mtskheta and Kazbegi National Park where you can go mountain biking or head on a walking tour to see its best bits.
• Best tours in Georgia
• Best time to visit Georgia
5. Scotland
Travelling by steam over the Glenfinnan viaduct (Alamy)
Scotland is made for solo trips and — while accents can be strong for the unfamiliar — there’s no language barrier for Brits. Twist between its striking mountains and lochs on the Jacobite steam train, starting off near Ben Nevis and visiting sights such as Inveraray Castle and the Falkirk Wheel. What could be more evocative of the golden age of travel than an elegant steam train puffing across the glorious landscape of the Highlands, winter sun low in the sky? This is why single travellers in search of cool Caledonia often plump for a trackside jaunt through the national parks of the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs. The journey usually takes place over several days, with overnight single-room stays at cosy hotels.
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• Best hotels in the Highlands
• Best things to do in Scotland
6. Grenada
Morne Rouge Beach in Grenada (Alamy)
While many Caribbean islands are seen merely as honeymoon destinations, Grenada has much more than luxury hotels and sandy beaches to tempt solo travellers — although there are plenty of those too. Opt for some adventure travel and go hiking in the lush rainforests laced with waterfalls that fill the interior; stop for tours of the many chocolate plantations found around the island. You can also head on a day trip to go whitewater rafting or, if you fancy some company, join the entertaining weekly walks put on by the Grenada Hash House Harriers — a welcoming group of islanders and expats. Just want to chill out? It’s the perfect place for a beach holiday too.
• Best hotels in Grenada
• Best things to do in Grenada
7. Sweden
Cycling in Stockholm (Getty Images)
Head to Sweden’s capital Stockholm and its 14 islands, and you’ll find a popular destination for female travellers who are always welcomed by the friendly locals. Hire a bike to get to know the archipelago — all connected by bridges — or wander through the cobbled lanes of the old town, Gamla Stan. When you’re not island-hopping, make the most of this alternative city break and dive into the culture of Sweden at the Moderna Museet — or hit the right note at the Abba museum.
• Best hotels in Stockholm
• Best things to do in Stockholm
8. Uzbekistan
In the market near the Kalan Mosque in Bukhara (Alamy)
The Silk Road cuts through the ancient lands of Uzbekistan, where luscious textiles and fragrant spices once passed through the legendary cities of Tashkent and Samarkand, and the people are known for their kindness towards solo travellers. Popular sights include venerable, turquoise-brushed domes that dazzle in the winter sun, tall minarets and buzzy markets whose stalls are piled high with the same goods that once travelled westwards this way. Visit enchanting Samarkand and the beautifully preserved Khiva, as well as Bukhara — said to be central Asia’s holiest city, with an abundance of monuments, mosques and madrasas to explore along the way.
• Best Silk Road tours
9. Canada
A bakery and coffee shop in the Distillery District of Toronto (Alamy)
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Toronto, cultural capital of Canada, takes you on a culinary journey around the globe without having to stray too far from the shores of Lake Ontario. You’re guaranteed to eat well in the city’s buzzing neighbourhoods, which include everything from five Chinatowns to Ethiopian, Korean and Greek districts among many others. Once you’ve seen the city’s cultural side at the Ontario Gallery of Art and the Royal Ontario Museum, it’s easy to take a ferry across to the Toronto Islands for a lazy cycle and swim.
• Best things to do in Toronto
• Best things to do in Canada
• Best Canada tours
10. The US
The Guggenheim Museum in New York (Alamy)
The first stop on a solo traveller’s trip to the US should be New York: thanks to the constant hustle and bustle, you’ll never feel alone. Spend time gazing at the exhibits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art, just for starters. Check out the vintage shops of the East Village and across the river in Brooklyn before taking long walks through Central Park. And with so many restaurants and diners serving food at their bars, as well as plenty of street food stalls, you can be as chatty or as aloof as you like as you roam the city.
• Best affordable hotels in New York
• Best things to do in New York
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• Best road trips in the US
11. Jordan
Wadi Rum in Jordan (Alamy)
There are few activities that let solo travellers follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, but trekking with a small group on a camel across the golden desert sands of Jordan is one. There’s also the red sandstone cliff city of Petra — plus diving in the Red Sea, the noisy souks, solemn Roman ruins and luscious falafel stalls of the capital city Amman to explore during your free time.
• Best things to do in Jordan
• Five of the best backpacking routes in southeast Asia
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