Seven of the Most Social Cities to Visit for Solo Travellers

For anyone travelling solo, getting to know people in the places you visit can always be good fun. It’s a chance to learn about new cultures, banish any feelings of loneliness and, ultimately, make new friends.

Some cities are better suited to that than others, and it isn’t always the big cities like New York, Paris or London that are best suited to it either. So, if you’re in the process of booking your travels, here are five great social cities ideal for the solo traveller…

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is a brilliant city and one that is incredibly friendly. There are some fascinating neighbourhoods, joined neatly together by the hustle and bustle of the cafe and food scene. 

One of the great aspects of Lisbon is that it’s lively without feeling relentless or overbearing. You can take things slow and still be in the midst of it all, whether that be spending a morning in Alfama or a few evening tipples in Bairro Alto. 

There are tons of walking tours and group activities to book on, with day trips out to the likes of Sintra and Cascais, a really easy and great way to meet others. 

Las Vegas, USA

While you might associate Vegas with group activities such as stag dos and hen parties, Sin City can often be misunderstood. It’s actually a great place for solo travel, particularly those who still want to be around people. 

It’s a city that’s designed for interaction, and it’s why many people travel alone, having honed their casino skills across sweep slots casinos before hitting the casino floor, perching up next to someone and striking up conversation and the evening’s entertainment. 

As well as meeting people in the casino, bars or by the pool in the hotels, there are dozens of great excursions to meet people too, whether it be taking poker lessons, going on foodie tours or heading out to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam, which are truly breathtaking. 

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo may feel like an odd suggestion, particularly with the fast pace and hustle and bustle we associate with it, but actually,  it’s a city that has well and truly normalised doing things alone. 

That means you’ll never feel awkward, while it does actually open doors to connecting with other people. It’s an incredibly welcoming city that’s known for its micro communities, so you’ll find tiny bars where you can strike up conversation, hobby cafes where you can play games with strangers, and plenty of other places for conversation.

Shinjuku Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho are classics for low-pressure chats, while Asakusa is great for meeting people through various social experiences. 

Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City is huge, so it can feel like it’s easy to get lost. However, the social energy is at its best in neighbourhoods that are actually easy to navigate. The likes of Roma, Condesa, Punta Mita, and Coyoacan are great settings for meeting people and just hanging out, whether it be at the markets, in the park or at tastings and bars. 

There are plenty of group tours available to book on, too, from food tours, Lucha Libre nights, trips out to the likes of Teotihuacan and plenty of other ready-made communities ready to welcome you with open arms. 

Berlin, Germany

Berlin has long been a destination for solo travellers, with galleries, pop-up events, flea markets, parks, bars and of course its club scene often welcoming in people looking to make new friends.

The city is easy to navigate, and if you’re looking for a good chat, just pop into a cafe, bookshop or one of its many bars and beer gardens, and you’ll naturally get chatting. 

Hostels and social hotels will run more structured events, great for meeting others, while there’s no doubt you’ll bump into plenty of other solo travellers throughout your stay too.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh is a much smaller city than London and is proof that sometimes the more compact, walkable cities are the friendliest and ideal for solo travelling. Nothing beats perching up at the bar in an Edinburgh pub, ordering a beer or Scotch and seeing where the conversation leads.

Alongside the pub scene, there are comedy nights, ghost tours and day trips into the highlands that can be great for socialising. Go during festival season and it becomes even easier to meet people during a time where the vibe is so friendly, so welcoming and like nowhere else on earth.

Melbourne, Australia

Finally, Melbourne’s social superpower is how much of its culture happens in public, informal spaces: coffee shops, food markets, street art lanes, live music venues and sports events. It’s a city where you can go out alone and feel instantly “folded in”, especially in neighbourhoods like Fitzroy, Collingwood and the CBD’s laneways.

For solo travellers, Melbourne is ideal because you can mix low-key and high-energy socialising. Spend a quiet morning hopping between coffee spots, then join a gig in the evening and end up chatting at the bar. Add in day trips along the Great Ocean Road or to the Yarra Valley, and you’ve got plenty of built-in opportunities to meet people.

Solo-social tip: Check out local listings for free gigs and markets. Melbourne’s best social moments often cost little or nothing.