The Best Cities for Solo Female Travelers

Key Findings

According to our data, the best city for female solo travel is Munich, Germany with an overall score of 7.36, Munich has increased four places since 2023. Germany is one of the best-rated countries for equality, scoring the top overall score of 10 for that category.

The second-best country for solo female travel is Madrid, with an overall score of 7.21, this is the second year in a row Madrid has ranked second. Madrid also scores 100 for the absence of legal discrimination (10) on the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security index.

The third best place for solo female travel is London, with an overall score of 7.03, London has increased 14 places to third. London has some of the best tourism metrics with a whopping 112 billion views on TikTok, 4 billion more than Paris, in second for TikTok views with 108 billion.

The remainder of the top 10 is Lisbon, Portugal (6.91), Barcelona, Spain (6.84), Dubai, UAE (6.79), Chiang Mai, Thailand (6.84), Amsterdam, Netherlands (6.79), Copenhagen, Denmark (6.71), and Hanoi, Vietnam (6.71).

Safest Cities for Female Solo Travel

For all travelers safety is important to consider when visiting a new place, especially when going solo. At the top of our list, for the third time in a row, is Medina, Saudi Arabia with an overall safety score of 9.08. This is followed by Chiang Mai, Thailand (9.08), Dubai (8.93), Macao, China (8.66), and Heraklion, Greece (8.55).

For the least safe cities to visit we have Johannesburg, South Africa, scoring just 0.54 overall for safety. The second least safe city is Singapore with an overall safety score of 3.25. This is followed by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (3.44), Paris (3.46), and Delhi, India (3.63). When traveling to these cities it’s important to follow travel advice and make sure you stay safe.

Cities With the Best Gender Equality

Being treated fairly when on holiday can be a big factor in choosing your next getaway, no one wants to experience discrimination. We looked at how each country ranked for overall gender equality based on the Gender Gap Report by WEForum and the Absence of Legal Discrimination based on the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security.

The four most equal countries are all in Europe. Munich and Berlin in Germany rank first in our equality metrics. In second is Brussels, Belgium with an overall equality score of 9.51, third is Dublin, and in joint fourth is Madrid and Barcelona in Spain with an overall equality score of 9.38.

There are two countries which make up our bottom five cities for gender equality, with Malaysia scoring just 1.57 overall, this includes cities Johor Bahru, Penang Island, and Kuala Lumpur. The second least equal country is Saudi Arabia scoring 2.54 overall for equality, this includes the cities Riyadh and Medina.

Best Cities for Tourism

Solo traveling is great because you get to pick exactly what you want to do, without worrying about whether others would enjoy it. Although it’s still important to consider the quality of what you’re doing, there’s no point in doing activities you won’t enjoy.

At the top of our list is London, with an overall tourism score of 9.84, closely following in second is Istanbul, Turkey with an overall tourism score of 9.79. The remaining top five are Paris(9.6), Dubai (8.02), and Barcelona (6.6).

Our cities with the lowest overall tourism score are Osaka, Japan (4.41), Macao, China (4.48), Beijing, China (4.52), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (4.59) and Mumbai, India (4.61).

Cities with the Lowest Daily Travel Costs

With the cost of living increasing across the globe, it’s important to travel somewhere within your price range. The top three cities are all in India with Jaipur coming at the top with a daily travel cost of just $19 (10), second is Chennai with a daily travel cost of $29 (9.67) and Delhi with a travel daily cost of $45 (9.14). In fourth is Chiang Mai, Thailand at $46 a day (9.11) and in fifth is Hanoi, Vietnam at $50 a day (8.97).

On the other hand, the most expensive cities to visit are mostly within the United States. While this will reduce the amount spent on flights, as the average airfare is up 27.7% since 2020, the daily travel cost is significantly higher than in our least expensive cities.

At the top of our list is Orlando, with an overall cost score of 0, and a daily travel cost of $321, $292 more a day than Jaipur. In second is New York City with a daily travel cost of $316 (0.17), in third is Las Vegas at $310 daily travel cost. In fourth is our only bottom five out if the U.S. - Sydney has a daily travel cost of $289 and our fifth most expensive is back in the US in Los Angeles, with an average daily cost of $252 (2.09).

Conclusion

Munich takes the crown as the best city for solo female travel in 2024, scoring high in safety, gender equality, tourism appeal, and affordability.

Medina, Saudi Arabia is one of the safest cities for the third year, emphasizing secure environments for solo female travelers. Cities in Germany top the list for the safest cities on our list. London shines in tourism, while Jaipur, India, emerges as the most budget-friendly destination. Financial considerations spotlight the U.S. with Orlando, New York City, and Las Vegas ranking the least cost effective cities.

Methodology

Each data point consists of the latest research available from reputable sources. The data was standardized using minmax normalisation. The minmax normalisation value is multiplied by 10 to create a score (between 1-10). A score of 10 is always the best result, while a score of 0 is the worst. Each city is then ranked on their overall average rating across all data points which includes both city-level data and one country-level data point.

InsureMyTrip segmented factors into four categories, (Safety, Equality, Tourism, and Cost) as well as providing an “overall rating” for each of the cities. The categories were organized to allow travelers to find the ideal city based on what was most important to them. For example, if travelers are worried about walking around at night, they can make an informed decision on where to go. If, instead solo female travelers want to go somewhere popular on social media with a lot of culture they can search in the ‘Tourism’ tab.

Sources

• Absence of Worry About Attacks Based on Gender

  Index score based on a tourist sample’s feelings of concern about being attacked in the area based on skin color, gender, ethnic origin, or religion
  Numbeo

• Feeling Safe Walking Alone at Night

  Index score based on a tourist sample’s feelings of concern about walking alone at night
  Numbeo

• Quality of Things to Do

  Average rating of top 25 tourist attractions
  Google Reviews

• TikTok Popularity

  Number of TikTok posts per discover city page
  TikTok

• Gender Equality

  Global Gender Gap Report 2023
  WEForum

• Absence of Discrimination

  Aggregate score of absence of legal discrimination against woman
  Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

• Cost

  Average daily cost of traveling in different cities
  BudgetYourTrip