Ruin bars, thermal baths, unreal nightlife. Add extra days — everyone says the same thing.
One of the best solo cities in Europe. Jaw-dropping architecture, surprisingly great nightlife. Extremely walkable and affordable — your money goes far here.
Restaurants open til 1am, nightlife goes all night. La Festa de Gràcia in August was probably the best time of my life — decorated streets, live music everywhere. Plan your trip around this if you can.
Don't miss: Mercat de la Boqueria (morning market — go early), Bar Restaurant Pinotxo inside the market, La Pepita for lunch, NAP Antic for pizza, Nomad Coffee, Pg. de Joan de Borbó for waterfront dining.
Social scene: Eventbrite language exchanges, George Payne bar (huge traveler crowd), Generator for parties.
Practical: Locker in the City (Carrer de Trafalgar) — luggage storage for arrival day before check-in. Cheap, central, reliable.
Great swimming, cute old town, no mass tour groups. Felt like a real place, not a tourist trap. Good base for island-hopping.
Beautiful island, great for beaches and nightlife. But if you're working remotely — skip it. I tried 4 different spots including hotels and the wifi everywhere is terrible. Come here to actually be on vacation.
Heads up: WiFi is genuinely bad island-wide. Not an exaggeration. Leave the laptop at home.
Base yourself in Nice and explore outward — the French Riviera is incredibly easy to day-trip from here. Pebble beaches, stunning Old Town, flower market, and day trips to Italy just 40 mins away.
Must-do: Cours Saleya market (flowers + produce), Old Nice (Vieux Nice) for socca crepes and cobblestone streets, Château hill for panoramic views, Mala Beach for swimming, Flower Market on Tuesday mornings.
Day trips: Ventimiglia, Italy (40 min by train — great market town), Île Sainte-Marguerite by ferry from Cannes, Calanques National Park, Antibes for local food.
Eat: Pasta Basta for Italian, Wayne's Bar for a lively night out.
Feels like New York but older and more interesting. Easy to navigate solo, every neighborhood has its own personality. Borough Market for food, pub crawls, and there's great social dancing if you look.
Eat + drink: Borough Market (go hungry), Mei Ume for a treat-yourself dinner, NAC for ice cream.
For digital nomads: F45 gyms are everywhere. Good coworking options across the city.
Amsterdam is fun but the real move is using it as a base for day trips — Utrecht and 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) are genuinely special and almost no one goes. Easy rail connections from Amsterdam Centraal.
Day trips: Utrecht (beautiful canals, way less crowded than Amsterdam), 's-Hertogenbosch / Den Bosch (medieval architecture, incredible food market).
Stunning city — clean, safe, easy to get around. Yes it's expensive, but it's worth it. Use the city ferry (Djurgårdslinjen) to get around the islands. Budget tip: the ferry doubles as sightseeing.
Must-do: ABBA Museum (genuinely fun even if you're not a superfan), Fotografiska photography museum, Gröna Lund (amusement park on the water), sunset kayak tour — one of the best things I did in all of Europe.
Also: Nobel Museum, Kungsträdgården park, Fjärilshuset Haga (butterfly house), Old Orangery, Restaurang Gubbhyllan for dinner.
Transport: City ferry (Djurgårdslinjen) = the move. Covers most main attractions and feels like a mini cruise.
Gorgeous city, major San Francisco energy — hills, a famous bridge, ocean views, very affordable. I walked down to the waterfront to see the 25 de Abril Bridge and the boats on the Tagus River, and rode the funicular up through the old neighborhoods. Worth the trip just for that. Only caveat: the backpacker crowd skews slightly older if you're in your 20s, and I stayed with friends so can't speak to the hostel scene firsthand.
Mykonos
All party. Beaches meh.
Santorini
Beautiful, posh. One day is enough.
Paros
Chill. Better with friends.
Ios
Party + nice beaches. Best solo pick.
Incredible pasta, world-class art. But transport at night is unreliable and can feel sketchy as a solo woman. Plan around that and you'll have a great time.
Stayed at YellowSquare Florence — good social scene, centrally located.
You'll pass through here for the islands. It's fine — the Acropolis is genuinely impressive and Bedbox Hostel has nice curtained bunk spaces so you actually get some privacy. But don't plan extra days. Crossbody bag, zipped, hand on it at all times.
Mosquitoes, nothing going on, not worth the detour. The one silver lining: incredible vegan gelato. That's it.
Lessons from the road
Italian trains are always late. Don't book tight connections.
Check transport before you book. No Uber? Make sure transit is close.
Get travel health insurance. Cheap. You'll be glad.
Solo travel is a self-love accelerator. Confidence compounds.
Carbs in Europe hit different. Not the trip to diet.