mollyjar

I just found out that I have a fellowship to pay for grad school which means the money I have saved for school is now a travel fund. This trip is probably about 18 months off, so I'm not worried about flights and hotels yet, I just want to pick a city! I've been to London, Paris, and Stockholm already and I would like to try something new. I haven't traveled solo before and I'm kind of worried about being out alone at night. I'm a one city at a time traveler, so I don't need an itenerary for 7 cities in 7 days. So, whats a nice fun city for a single young woman to experience for a week?

Surfergirl

What time of year are you planning to go, and what sort of things do you like to do when traveling? I traveled all over Western Europe by myself when I was 20, and aside from the cities you mentioned, I enjoyed Munich and probably Amsterdam the most. But I stayed in hostels, so met a lot of people and hung out with them. If you decide to go in early July and enjoy music festivals and meeting people (vs. spending all your time in a museum), I'd add Montreux to the list.

LarryJ

Hope you have a great time. Consider Budapest with day trips to Zentendre and Eger, the Provence region of southern France, the Loire River (Chateau area) of France, the Dordogne region of France or Annecy in the French Alps.

Larry J

tinarose

I am a little older than you and didnt' start traveling on my own until I was in my thirties but I have a few hint?. Big cities are generally safe if you keep your awareness. Dont' go out and drink until you lose track is the obvious tip here. But you can still have a lot of fun. What about the big three in Italy? Florence, Rome and Venice. Good public transportation. Lots of variety of activities. Don't be afraid to travel alone. You will enhoy it more than you think. I prefer it to travelling with friends.

suze

Personally I love Venice but don't know if I'd call it "fun" although interesting & certainly safe for solo female traveling.

Are you sure Paris is out? That would have been my best suggestion.

You might consider Amsterdam, although (just my personal impression) I didn't like it as much as I thought I would on my first visit of 5 days. But again definitely felt safe traveling solo there.

As far as the worry of being out alone at night, pick a hotel that is in a busy and centrally located neighborhood so you don't have far to go, and/or use taxis to get around after dark.

jamikins

I would suggest Scotland (Edinburgh is awesome) or maybe Ireland.

Grasshopper

How about Switzerland? I loved both the Montreux/Vevey/Lausanne area and the Ticino (Locarno/Minusio). Either have plenty of wonderful things to do for a week; hiking, biking, sightseeing, eating, boat rides, wine tasting.... And I went to both places alone and was very comfortable.

suze

I share Grasshopper's love for that region of Switzerland, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I have friends who live in Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux so have been there 4 times (5th coming up soon hopefully). The (French-speaking) Swiss people are incredible, the scenery amazing, it's all extremely organized, safe and easy to get around (you'd fly in and out of Geneva and travel by train from there).

papagena

What are the most important things you're looking for in a city? For example, how important are the following to you -

-Architecture and the city being visually attractive
-Shopping
-Art galleries
-Good food
-English being widely spoken
-Historical museums
-Palaces/castles
-Daytrips out to the country
-Nightlife