Traveler_Nick

If you're going someplace to do/see something you likely won't be lonely. Think about why you've chosen a location. Do the reasons interest you?

RM67

For someone younger like you, I'm thinking Eastern Europe or the Baltic states are going to be a bit more up your street. How about Budapest? - impressive architecture, cold war history (soviet occupation), nice cafe culture, spas, markets etc, but quirky stuff too, like Memento Park and the Pinball Museum.

RM67

PS Pick a city, not the countryside, if you are worried about loneliness. I have a few TRs to various European cities, including Budapest as suggested above, if you click my ID....

Fodorite018

I am not a solo traveler, but when we were in Nice my husband was working so I was on my own for most of our days. I loved it!!! I did trips to Eze and Antibes, and if I had more time would have done more. It is a great area to go by yourself, and on those day trips being by myself opened amp a lot of doors that otherwise would not have happened. My husband was so envious, lol.

thursdaysd

bvlenci

Unless you rent a car, staying for a week in the countryside could be very limiting.

A few other suggestions: the Netherlands is a very easy destination starting from the UK. A few months ago, we visited Rotterdam, where I lived for a while years ago. It's a great city, vibrant and youthful. It's a modern city, because it was mostly destroyed in the early days of WWII. There's some very interesting modern architecture, but if you're looking for historical architecture, there are lots of charming small historical cities just a short distance away, starting with Delft. Public transportation is wonderful in the Netherlands. You can also rent a bike and enjoy the fantastic network of dedicated bike lanes.

I think the best way to meet people is to stay in a youth hostel or some sort of student lodgings. In Rotterdam, we stayed in the Student Hotel, which is a hotel, not a hostel, but full of young people. There are also numerous hostels in the city. Nearly everyone in the Netherlands under the age of 60 speaks excellent English, which makes it easy to strike up conversations.

Another possibile destination is Copenhagen, which is a beautiful city. You can easily make a day trip to Lund, a very charming Swedish city with a very old university.

Finally, I would consider Ireland. Both Dublin and Belfast are fascinating, with vibrant youth scenes.

​​​​​​All of these cities have excellent restaurants. If you want to consider Italy again, I highly recommend Bologna, which has some of Italy’s best cuisine.

danon

Fleur_de_Lis

kja

Actually, I feel loneliness with exceeding rarity when traveling, and I normally travel for a month at a time. I find email sufficient fto keep in touch with family and friends, and I think that by traveling alone, I may end up in more conversations, and possibly more meaningful conversations, with both local people and other travelers than I would if traveling with someone. That's true when taking local transportation or visiting a site or even when dining --whether at a very casual place or at a Michelin-starred restaurant, it is not uncommon for others to speak to me; actually, I am often the one to terminate the conversation. As others have noted, you would likely increase your chances of meeting others by staying at a hostel or B&B (or, as you later suggest, a home stay), joining group walking tours or food tours, taking a cooking class, etc. I do feel the desire to share some of my experiences with others, and spend some time thinking about how I will do that once I return.

Hope that helps!

joannyc

memejs

I've taken two solo trips and the first one was when I started using Instagram stories. I found that posting photos and videos of my trip and seeing friends' comments was a great way to experience the trip "with" other people. It's definitely not the same as traveling with someone, but it did give me an outlet to share what I was experiencing.

I also usually do a group walking tour when I arrive in a new city. Some have been the free walking tours where you then tip the guide and others I've booked and paid for ahead of time. Those are a good way to get some interaction with other travelers.

I'm also an introvert and can be quite happy on my own for long periods of time, but I have found that I'm actually more open to talking to new people in my solo travels. I've been seated at the bar of a restaurant and ended up chatting with other people, I've had conversations with restaurant servers who are curious about me traveling on my own, etc. I'm also naturally suspicious and probably overly cautious so I'm not as open to joining up with others as some people might be, but when I feel safe I do enjoy getting to know new people.

aggiegirl

I recommend Prague and Budapest. I loved them both and visited as a solo woman. I felt very safe and really enjoyed the architecture and ambiance in each.

Vienna I did during the same trip as Prague. While it's an amazing city with lots to see, it left me cold.

Fleur_de_Lis

StCirq

I feel exactly the same way about Vienna, even after three tries at visiting. OTOH, Budapest depressed me no end. It's been years since I've been to Prague, so can't really say.

cait_mags

janisj

London, or Paris, or Venice, or Edinburgh, or Barcelona, or Lyon, or Haarlem (or Amsterdam if I didn't want to commute into the city), or 50 other places. Not being snarky -- but honestly I could fill a week in just about any nice city in Europe.

thursdaysd

starrs

This April, Paris and Amsterdam. Last April, Paris and London.
If it were only one city, Paris.

Traveler_Nick

For me this is starting with the wrong question. The first thing I decide on is what sort of trip is this supposed to be?

It's equally valid to decide you want to spend a week in museums or to spend the week on a beach. Or waking up early and photographing the city before it awakens. Or catching an event . Or you fill in the blank.

Tell us what you want to do and the choice of cities narrows. Or at least usually.

kja

For me: Assuming there are multiple places "tied" for that first-place choice (and for me, there always are), I'd pick the one place highest on my priority list that (a) works for the time of year I would be able to go, (b) offers the best mix of the things I most want to do once there (whether that's visit museums or visit wineries or spend time in natural settings easily reached from there or whatever), (c) best fits into my time frame (in your hypothetical scenario, 1 week), (d) is most likely to allow me to rely on public transportation rather than a rental car (I like to prioritize the environment), and (e) if I expect to be able to travel in the future, the location that I think will be better now rather than later (whether because it will require physical capacities that I might lose or because of increasing pollution or whatever). I also try to choose (f) places that are maximally different than the places I've visited most recently, but that's just me.