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Female solo traveler looks out at the skyline of one of the world's best cities for female solo travelers

The Best Cities for Female Solo Travelers

    Where are the world’s best cities for female solo travelers? From Bangkok to Barcelona, cities across the globe are competing to attract the ever-increasing number of female solo travelers. There has been a meteoric shift in trends and attitudes in recent years - Google Trends reported a 131% increase in interest in female solo travel in 2019 alone. As millions of women are now planning solo adventures every year, we asked: where are the best places for them to travel to?

    Tourlane’s female Travel Experts have produced a guide to the Best Cities for Female Solo Travelers, to help women identify the world’s most female-friendly destinations. Our female Travel Experts determined that for a city to rank strongly, women must be well-represented in local businesses, treated equally by men, legally equal, and able to feel safe while walking alone at night. We also took into account the price of a bed in a female dorm, a taxi ride, a data plan, and mobile internet speed. After researching hundreds of cities around the world, we are excited to reveal the final shortlist below!

    Table of the world's best cities for female solo travelers, position 1-15

    Ljubljana, Slovenia's quaint and charming capital, is the best city for female solo travelers to visit worldwide. Other cities within easy reach of Ljubljana by train that are perfect for a multi-stop trip include Vienna, Dubrovnik, Prague, and Budapest. All of these exciting European cities rank in this year's top 30. If you'd prefer to head Down Under, plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Sydney and Auckland.

    Table of the world's best cities for female solo travelers, position 16-30

    If you want to see the best that South America has to offer, be sure to visit the striking city of Cusco in the Peruvian Andes. The Ecuadorian capital Quito and the Argentine capital Buenos Aires are also worth including in a multi-stop adventure of this vast continent. If you're looking to see the world-famous capitals of Europe, cities like London, Paris, and Amsterdam are just a few hours apart by high speed train.

    Table of the world's best cities for female solo travelers, position 31-45

    If you want to experience the best that Asia has to offer, combine a trip to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur with a visit to Bali in Indonesia. A useful transit to reach the Far East is Istanbul, which sits between Europe and Asia and is well worth a visit in its own right. Within easy reach of Istanbul is the Greek capital, Athens - a fascinating city home to ancient ruins, and also the gateway to the country's famed islands.

    Table of the world's best cities for female solo travelers, position 46-50

    Map of the best cities in Europe for female solo travelers

    Map of the best cities for female solo travel in the Asia-Oceania region

    How We Produced This Guide

    We used the following equation to scale the data from 1 to 10: Score (i) = 10*(x-minimum)/(maximum/minimum).

    The first four categories are based on the 2019 Women, Peace, and Security Index produced by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. 

    1. Representation Score: This score is based on the number of women aged 25 and over that are employed. A higher score reflects a higher number of employed women. 

    2. Equality Score: This score is based on discriminatory norms in society. A higher score equates to a higher proportion of men agreeing that women should not be treated differently.

    3. Justice Score: This score is based on laws that affect women. A higher score equates to a lower number of laws that limit or differentiate women from men. 

    4. Safety Score: This score is based on the number of women aged 15 and older who felt safe while walking home alone at night. A higher score equates to more women feeling safe. 

    5. Accommodation Score: This score is based on the average price of a bed in a women’s dorm in the most popular hostel in the respective city. A higher score equates to a cheaper bed. Prices were provided by the world's leading online booking platform for hostels.

    6. Taxi Score: This score is based on the average price of a 3 kilometer taxi ride in the respective city. A higher score equates to a cheaper taxi ride. Prices were provided by a leading online booking platform for taxis. 

    7. Data Plan Score: This score is based on the price of 1GB of data. A higher score equates to a cheaper price for data. Prices were provided by a leading online price comparison website. 

    8. Mobile Internet Score: This score is based on the speed of mobile internet as of December 2019. A higher score equates to faster mobile internet. Speeds were provided by a leading internet speed test website.