The Best Destinations in Europe for Solo Travel

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The Best Destinations in Europe for Solo Travel

Solo travel is an empowering, and for some, a life-changing experience. It provides an excellent way to enjoy solitude and meet new people. Beyond that, it allows you the freedom to self-discovery, self-reflect, and learn so many life lessons along the way. You look at things from a different perspective. It opens up your eyes and introduces you sometimes to unexpected things, and sometimes to things you didn’t know you were capable of doing or pursuing.

If this is your first time going solo, kudo to you! This might be the first but it sure won’t be the last. There may be multiple reasons why your heart may compel you to embark on solo travel. It may be art, architecture or just to live your dream of discovering the world in your own term. Whatever it may be, Europe is the ideal place for you. It is friendly, warm, and welcoming. It is a place filled with people who are open-minded; and best of all, it is incredibly safe!

If you are looking for some ideas for your Europe solo travel destinations, we have three different multi-city Europe itineraries to help you get the best and the most out of your solo traveling experience.

1. Amsterdam-Paris-Florence

If you are looking for a trip that could satiate your inner art-lover, your Europe solo travel destinations should include Amsterdam, Paris, and Florence. These cities are regarded as the hub of European art for all the right reasons. Filled with art galleries and museums, they offer their visitors an unmatchable art experience. But this is not all. There are many more activities that you can do here as a solo traveler.

The Itinerary

Begin your Europe solo travel itinerary in Amsterdam. You can spend your time here checking out the city’s exceptional museums. If you are after art, the two museums that you must not miss are the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The former is dedicated to art and history, while the latter holds the precious works of Vincent Van Gogh and his contemporaries. Other than this, you can stroll along the city canals, explore the city on a rented bike, go on a shopping spree, and join guided tours.

When you are done with activities in Amsterdam, hop onto the conveyance of your choice and land in Paris, the city of art and love. As an art lover, your priority should be to take advantage of the fantastic museums littered around the city. From 59 Rivoli to Musee Carnavalet to the Louvre, there are many museums you can find here, each unique in its way. In addition to visiting the museums, you can go on a self-guided walking tour through the city, letting your heart guide you through the streets, eat in fine French restaurants, and visiting monuments.

Once done with your exploration of Paris, board a flight and get to Florence, the last stop of your Europe solo travel itinerary. Classically finish your trip by making the best out of your stay in Florence. Don’t miss the Accademia Gallery and the Uffizi gallery, as they are two of the most remarkable museums in the world. You can also visit Giotto’s Belltower and the Cathedral of Santa Maria, which are top-rated attractions, and enjoy solo walks through the city.

2. Budapest-Prague-Rome

While modern architecture may have its perks, it cannot compete with the imposing historical buildings’ grandeur. Since European cities have done exceptionally well to preserve its old architectural landmarks, they treat anyone who loves witnessing breathtaking human creations. Budapest, Prague, and Rome are examples of three cities with some stunning historical buildings that you must look at if the purpose of your Europe solo travel itinerary is architecture. Since these cities are known to be welcoming, open-minded, and safe, your solo traveling experience is bound to be excellent.

The Itinerary

Your itinerary should begin from Budapest, which is very fondly known as the Paris of the East for its fantastic art and architecture offerings. There are several unique landmarks in the city for you to visit, including the Parliament Building, the Heroes Square, and the Buda Castle District.

Taking a solo, a self-guided walking tour is also a popular activity. Walk up the Gellert Hill till the Citadel- a point that offers gorgeous panoramic views of the city beneath and an unmatchable experience. As for the architecture, not only should you visit the sites highly frequented by visitors, like the Szechenyi Chain Bridge, the Hungarian State Opera House, and the St. Stephen’s Basilica, but you should also explore the lesser-known ones, like the Roman Ruins.

For your next stop, you should visit Prague, which is also referred to as the world’s architecture capital. The best way to explore the city’s architectural gems is to wear a good pair of comfortable shoes and begin strolling through the streets. You will find historical buildings and centuries-old architectural elements at every nook and corner. Some of the sites you should not miss by any chance include the Powder Tower, St Nicholas Church, and the National Museum. For some contemporary and eccentric experience, you should keep the Dancing House on your list too.

The last point in the list of your Europe solo travel destinations must be Rome. It is the icing on the cake. The history and the grandeur of the city are not unknown to anyone. Center of the once great Roman Empire and currently the center of Catholicism, the city is full of historical landmarks that one cannot afford to miss if one loves architecture. There is a lot to witness here, from the Colosseum to the Teatro Marcello to St Peter’s Basilica.

3. Basque Country-Grenoble-Bordeaux

When you explore a continent, you should ensure that all your senses are participating in your experience. This is the best way to make your trip memorable. Now, while our senses of sight and hearing are easily appeased, via music and art, our senses of touch, taste, and smell are not fulfilled. This is usually because people forget that food is a crucial part of visiting new places. In fact, nothing allows you to connect with the local culture like local food. Therefore, your European solo travel destinations should have cities known for their food culture, like Basque Country, Grenoble, and Bordeaux.

The Itinerary

Your Europe solo itinerary for food should begin in Basque Country, the city of Michelin star restaurants located in Northern Spain. The region is bordered by both a sea and mountains, which bring great variation in the culinary delights. The food is a mixture of sea and mountain delights. The cuisine usually consists of meats and fishes grilled over coal, lamb stews, Basque tapas, sparkling white wine, and Basque cider.

While almost all of the restaurants in this region are exceptional in their own right, you should not miss a chance to dine at Bar Ganbara and Altzueta Sagardotegia, which are regarded as two of the finest eateries in town. When you are not munching, you can explore the city and visit sites like the Museum Bilbao and Gaztelugatxe.

The next stop of your European itinerary is Grenoble, located in France. To many, this place is heaven for cheeses and pastas. It is especially known for its Ravioli du Dauphine, Bleu du Vercors, Noix de Grenoble (walnuts), and Chartreuse. The food here has a stunning appearance and taste, providing you with an incomparable experience. You should visit Le Cote, Zakhang, and Le Tire Bouchon for the incredible dining experience and food you won’t ever forget. That being said, you should remember that Grenoble is also a great European destination with several remarkable sites you must see, like Bastille, Musee dauphinois, etc.

The cherry on top of your Europe solo travel itinerary would be Bordeaux, also located in France. After you are done exploring the city’s historical landmarks, like the Bordeaux Cathedral and Place des Quizconces, you should head to one of the town’s eateries. La Brasserie Bordelaise, La Tupina, and Le 7 Restaurant are some of our favorite picks. You can enjoy seasonal dishes as well as permanent items here, like steaks. The wines are exquisite too, so don’t forget to taste them too!

Need help planning a solo trip to Europe?

Planning a solo travel to Europe but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of multi-city trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!

At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city vacations (with the most amazing European solo traveling experience of course!) at the best price.

Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations.

To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in  5 Easy Steps”  here.

Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today.

Private Travel Coaching & Consulting Call

Want to plan and book your upcoming trip yourself? If this is your first time traveling to any of the European destinations or you are new to multi-city, multi-country travel but prefer to manage every part of your trip on your own, this option is for you! 

For just $150 per hour, our destination expert can answer any questions you might have as you plan and book your dream trip. From assisting with route planning, and destination selection, recommending the best areas or places to stay, the best transportation options, things to do and see, saving tips and so much more! 

Ready to plan your trip with our help? Book your private coaching session with our destination expert now and we’ll confirm your appointment within 24 hours!

Travel Resources for Planning Your Own Trip

To make planning your European trip on your own easier, in addition to what already mentioned in our travel guide, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do in any destination using these travel resources:

European River Cruises:

Uniworld River Cruises: The world’s best and most awarded luxury river cruise line—offers itineraries in spectacular destinations throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Asia, and Peru. The company’s European fleet features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 120 guests, the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry, enticing shore excursions, world-class gourmet cuisine, impeccable hospitality, and numerous other all-inclusive benefits.

Pre- and Post-cruise/Tour Extensions: Uniworld curated pre-and post-cruise/tour extensions make it easy to add a few days to the front or back end of your trip while leaving the planning to them

The packages include a variety of hotel options, transfers, and a dedicated destination expert to escort you along the way.

Flights: 

Agoda: Search thousands of destinations around the world & quickly compare prices to find amazing deals on the best flights.

CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!

Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.

JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.

Hotels

Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.

Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.

Airport Transfers & Transportations: 

Airport Transfers: GetTransfer offers both airport transfers & car rentals with a personal driver. Other airport transfer options are KiwiTaxi and Viator.

TrainEuroRailTrainline, or RailEurope are all great sites for train tickets as well as Rail Passes if you would like to add more flexibility to your trip. They are good for most trains throughout Europe. For trains in Italy, we like and recommend ItaliaRail. As for Portugal, you will need to go to the official website for Comboios de Portugal (the Portuguese train company) to book your train tickets when traveling in Portugal.

BusFlixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.

CarRentalsAutoEuropeEconomyBookings, or  GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)

Bike RentalBikesBooking is a great site for bikes & scooter rentals

Transportation ComparisonOmio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)

Tours & Activities:

TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.

Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.

Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.

GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities

Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.

Travel Insurance:

Travel Guard:  Their comprehensive travel insurance programs, starting at $30, include per-trip & annual plans, coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, medical expenses, baggage loss & more! Travel Guard provides 24/7-customer service with a personal touch through its World Service Center.

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links, MultiCityTrips may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Trip by Travel Experts

Need help planning a trip and find the best vacation package for your multi-city trip to Europe? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!

At MultiCityTrips, multi-city, multi-country European vacations, and complicated itineraries are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize an amazing multi-city trip to your dream destinations in Europe.

Ready for a trip? Check out our planning options and get in touch with us today!

Featured Pre-Designed Packages

These air-inclusive, pre-designed multi-city European vacation packages can be personalized to suit your needs!

Private Travel Coaching & Consulting Call

Want to plan and book your upcoming trip yourself? If this is your first time traveling to any of the European destinations or you are new to multi-city, multi-country travel but prefer to manage every part of your trip on your own, this option is for you! 

For just $150 per hour, our destination expert can answer any questions you might have as you plan and book your dream trip. From assisting with route planning, and destination selection, recommending the best areas or places to stay, the best transportation options, things to do and see, saving tips and so much more! 

Ready to plan your trip with our help? Book your private coaching session with our destination expert now and we’ll confirm your appointment within 24 hours!

Schedule a FREE Consultation

Not sure or can’t decide which planning option is right for you? Schedule a free 30-minute call with one of our travel experts to discuss your travel needs today!