In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Our judgement, because it depends on whether you want to be alone in company or to meet people. For eating alone, Tokyo: Ichiran in Shibuya serves classic ramen for 1,180 yen, 24 hours a day, at a solo booth with a screen between you and the kitchen. For eating alone in company, Singapore: hawker centres have shared tables, and the Foreign Office says violent crime and theft are rare. For a quiet first trip, Vienna: standing places at the State Opera are €13 to €18, sold on the day, and a coffee house lets you stay with one Melange. For meeting people, Prague, Berlin and Edinburgh: a hostel bar at Czech Inn, a club tour from €31.50, or the South Bridge Vaults tour at £24. Also: Seoul for Gwangjang Market and Lisbon for counter lunches. The thing that ruins a night out alone is following a street tout into a bar, which the Foreign Office warns about in Tokyo’s Kabukicho. Or book: the South Bridge Vaults tourad in Edinburgh is £24 and the Berlin club culture tour of three clubsad from €31.50 (GetYourGuide).
⚠️ Do not follow a street tout into a bar, and keep your drink in sight. The Foreign Office reports drink spiking and card fraud in Japan, with Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya and Ikebukuro named by the police, and says to check menus and admission prices before you go in. It warns of drink spiking in Portugal and Austria too, and in South Korea says to use legitimate taxis or public transport when you travel alone at night.
The safety lines are from the UK Foreign Office’s travel advice for each country. Prices are each operator’s own, in local currency. The comparisons are our judgement.
The cities side by side
The cities are in the order of the entries below. Each is a link to the city’s own guide.
| City | Eating alone | Meeting people | Official advice | Deciding factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Ichiran solo booths, 1,180 yen | A capsule hotel; women-only option | Higher crime risk in entertainment districts | Do not follow touts into bars in Kabukicho or Roppongi |
| Singapore | Hawker centres with shared tables | Capsule hostels in Chinatown | Violent crime and theft rare | Vapes are banned and public drinking stops from 22:30 |
| Seoul | Gwangjang Market stalls, 3,000 to 6,000 won | Jjimjilbang bathhouses, 12,000 to 25,000 won | Crime against foreigners rare; take care alone at night | Korean barbecue needs an order of two portions |
| Vienna | Coffee houses: a Melange and a glass of water | State Opera standing places, €13 to €18 | Petty crime in city centres and parks after dark | Standing places are sold only on the day |
| Lisbon | Counter lunches in tascas | Food tours from €15 | Take care at crowded bus and tram stops | Many tascas serve lunch only |
| Prague | Beer halls with shared tables | A hostel bar at Czech Inn | Petty theft in tourist areas | Organised pub crawls are banned at night |
| Berlin | Markthalle Neun and Konnopke’s Imbiss | Club tours from €31.50; Pfefferbett Hostel | Vigilance at stations and crowded places | A ticket does not guarantee entry at Tresor |
| Edinburgh | Whiski Bar and the Bow Bar | Vaults tour £24; live music nightly | The Foreign Office does not cover the UK | August festival rates are the cost |
Eating alone without a second thought
This grouping is our judgement. In all three, the way the food is served means nobody notices a table for one.
Tokyo
Ichiran ramen 1,180 yen · solo booths · capsule hotel for women · Kabukicho touts
Ichiran in Shibuya is the first-night ramen: you buy a ticket for the classic tonkotsu at 1,180 yen from a machine by the door, mark a sheet for richness, spice and firmness, and eat at one of 21 counter seats, each a booth with a screen between you and the staff. It is open 24 hours and takes no bookings. Fuunji in Shinjuku, with dipping noodles at 1,000 yen, is open every day (where to eat in Tokyo).
The Foreign Office says to take the same precautions as at home, with an exception: Tokyo’s entertainment districts, Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya and Ikebukuro, carry a higher risk of crime, and touts in Kabukicho approach people in English (is Tokyo safe?). Women-only cars run on JR and private lines, usually the first or last car at rush hour, and 9h nine hours woman Shinjukuad is a capsule hotel, a sleeping pod with shared washrooms, that takes only women (Hotels.comad). Where to stay in Tokyo compares the districts.
Singapore
Hawker centres with shared tables · Tian Tian chicken rice · capsule hostels · vapes banned
A hawker centre is a hall of cooked-food stalls with shared tables: you order and pay at the stall, carry your tray to a seat and return it afterwards. Start at Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown for chicken rice at Tian Tian, which is closed on Mondays and cash only, and note that each centre shuts on set dates for cleaning, Maxwell on 14 December (the best hawker centres).
Maxwell Food Centre. Photo: Bahnfrend, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Foreign Office says violent crime and theft are rare. The risk is the law: vapes are banned, public drinking is banned from 22:30 to 07:00, and littering is fined (is Singapore safe?). Capsule hostels are close to Chinatown station, such as Wink @ Upper Cross Streetad, 38 Upper Cross Street (Hotels.comad). Singapore covers the arrival card, which is free and due within 3 days before you land.
Seoul
Gwangjang Market 3,000 to 6,000 won · jjimjilbang 12,000 to 25,000 won · Korean barbecue for two portions
Gwangjang Market’s food stalls trade daily from 09:00 to 23:00. A bindaetteok, a mung bean pancake, is 5,000 to 6,000 won, mayak gimbap 3,000 to 4,000 won and hand-cut kalguksu noodles 6,000 to 7,000 won, and the central counters take cash only (Gwangjang Market). Korean barbecue is the solo hurdle: restaurants ask for at least two portions, about 32,000 to 42,000 won, and the solo diner pays for both (best Korean barbecue in Seoul).
For company without conversation, a jjimjilbang, a bathhouse with hot pools, saunas and a 24-hour sleeping lounge, costs 12,000 to 25,000 won for the day, and the baths are naked and gender-separated (jjimjilbang in Seoul). The Foreign Office says crime against foreigners is rare but advises care travelling alone at night and using legitimate taxis or public transport (is Seoul safe?). Seoul covers the rest.
Cafés and quiet evenings
This grouping is our judgement. Both cities suit someone who wants an evening plan that needs no companion.
Vienna
Opera standing places €13 to €18 · Melange · night U-Bahn Friday and Saturday
A Viennese coffee house expects you to stay. Order a Melange, espresso with hot milk and foam, or an Einspänner, a double espresso under whipped cream, and a glass of water comes with it. Café Sacher is open daily from 07:00 to 23:00 and asks you to reserve, and its Sacher-Torte is €11.50; Demel, daily from 10:00 to 19:00, takes no reservations (Viennese coffee houses).
Coffee at Café Sperl. Photo: Geolina163, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
In the evening, the State Opera sells 435 standing places only on the day, at €13 for the Balcony, €15 for the Gallery and €18 for the Parterre, online from 10:00 or at the box office from 80 minutes before the performance, and every place has an English subtitle screen (State Opera tickets). The Foreign Office reports more petty crime in big city centres and city parks after dark, and says to take care at main stations. The U-Bahn runs all night on Friday and Saturday nights and before public holidays; on other nights it stops at about midnight (Vienna public transport). Vienna covers the rest, and where to stay in Vienna compares the districts.
Lisbon
Counter lunches · Metro to 01:00 · food tours from €15 · crowded tram stops
The cheap, solo-friendly meal in Lisbon is lunch. Many tascas, the small family restaurants, serve only lunch, and the places named by the most independent sources include Zé da Mouraria, a tasca, and As Bifanas do Afonso, which you queue for (where to eat in Lisbon). Walk it on your own with the Alfama walk and the Baixa and Chiado walk, or join a guided food tour, from €15 for two hours (Lisbon food tours).
The Foreign Office says to take care on public transport and at crowded bus and tram stops, where thieves often work in teams, and that attacks are rare but most likely late at night around nightlife areas. The Metro runs from 06:30 to 01:00, and night buses 201 and 208 run from Cais do Sodré. Lisbon covers the rest, and where to stay in Lisbon compares the areas.
Hostels, pubs and tours
This grouping is our judgement. In each, somewhere to sit with strangers is easy to find: a hostel bar, a club tour or a pub with live music.
Prague
Czech Inn hostel bar · half-litre of Pilsner Urquell CZK 30 · night pub crawls banned
Czech Inn, at Francouzská 76, is a design hostel in a restored 19th-century building with a bar, dormitories and private rooms (Hotels.comad). Organised pub crawls have been banned at night since October 2024, so the hostel bar is where you meet people. For a cheap lunch, Lidová jídelna Těšnov serves a half-litre of Pilsner Urquell for CZK 30 from Monday to Friday, and Lokál, a beer hall with seven branches, is the place named by the most sources (where to eat in Prague).
The Foreign Office says petty theft is a problem in major tourist areas, on trams to Prague Castle and on the metro and bus routes from the airport. It is safer to use a major taxi company than to hail one, and to change money at a bank or exchange, not in the street. Prague covers the rest, and where to stay in Prague compares the areas.
Berlin
Club tours from €31.50 · Pfefferbett Hostel · trains all night Friday and Saturday · Tresor entry not guaranteed
Pfefferbett Hostelad, at Christinenstraße 18-19, stands on the grounds of a historic brewery, with a garden terrace, a 24-hour reception and bikes to borrow (Hotels.comad). For the clubs, going on a tour avoids the door: the Berlin club culture tour of three clubsad is from €31.50 for 5.5 hours. Berghain is 18+ with a Klubnacht every Saturday from 23:59, Tresor says a ticket does not guarantee entry, and Sisyphos admits from 21 and bans camouflage and football shirts (Berlin nightlife and clubs).
For food, Markthalle Neun is the market hall named by the most sources and is closed on Sunday, and Konnopke’s Imbiss, the sausage stand, is closed on Sunday and Monday (where to eat in Berlin). The trains run all night on Friday and Saturday nights. The Foreign Office advises vigilance at airports, railway stations and crowded public places. Berlin covers the rest, and where to stay in Berlin compares the quarters.
Edinburgh
South Bridge Vaults tour £24 · Whiski Bar live music nightly · City DAY ticket £6.00
Whiski Bar on the High Street has live traditional music every night, and the Bow Bar is open from 12:00 to 00:00 daily; both are named by six of six whisky-bar lists (where to eat in Edinburgh). For a group you do not have to organise, the South Bridge Vaults tour is £24, and the Old Town walks are £16 to £18 for two hours (Edinburgh ghost and underground tours, walking tours).
Whiski Bar on the High Street. Photo: Andraszy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A City DAY ticket for Lothian buses and trams is £6.00 if bought before 18:00, and the NightBus runs from midnight to 04:30 (Edinburgh public transport). Hostels and hotels add a visitor levy of 5% of the room cost for the first five nights, and August festival rates are the cost to plan around. Edinburgh covers the rest, and where to stay in Edinburgh compares the neighbourhoods.
Where to stay for solo travel
Three places from our city stay guides: a hostel with a bar, a hostel on a brewery site and a women-only capsule hotel. Each links to Hotels.com for your dates.
| City | Place | What it is | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prague | Czech Innad | Design hostel at Francouzská 76, with a bar, dormitories and private rooms | Hotels.comad |
| Berlin | Pfefferbett Hostelad | On the grounds of a historic brewery, with a garden terrace and a 24-hour reception | Hotels.comad |
| Tokyo | 9h nine hours woman Shinjukuad | Capsule hotel that takes only women | Hotels.comad |
Each city’s stay guide compares the areas: Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Vienna, Lisbon, Prague, Berlin and Edinburgh.
Other cities and other trips
For a budget break, see cheap city breaks in Europe. For warm winter weather, see winter sun city breaks. For eating, see food city breaks. For romantic weekends for two, see romantic city breaks for couples. For family travel, see best city breaks with kids. For New Year, see best New Year’s Eve city breaks, and for Christmas the Christmas market cities. For groups, see best cities for a stag do and best cities for a hen do. For step-free transport and sights, see accessible city breaks. For a plan for two or three days, see long weekend city breaks. For Valentine’s Day 2027, see Valentine’s city breaks. For the weather and festivals month by month, see where to go each month; all guides are gathered on Compare cities.
Common questions
Which city is best for a first solo trip?
Our judgement: Vienna if you want coffee houses and the opera, and Singapore if you want to eat at shared tables in a hawker centre. In Vienna the State Opera sells standing places at €13, €15 and €18 on the day, and a Melange at a coffee house comes with a glass of water and no pressure to leave.
Where do you meet people when travelling alone?
In a hostel bar, on a tour or at a pub with live music. Czech Inn in Prague has a bar, dormitories and private rooms. Berlin has club tours from €31.50 and Pfefferbett Hostel with a 24-hour reception. In Edinburgh, Whiski Bar has live traditional music every night and the South Bridge Vaults tour is £24.
What does the Foreign Office say about nights out alone?
For Japan, it names Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya and Ikebukuro as the places with the most reports of drink spiking and bill fraud, and says not to follow street touts into bars. For South Korea it says to take care travelling alone at night and to use legitimate taxis or public transport. For Portugal and Austria it warns of drink spiking, and for Portugal that drinks in bars are often stronger than at home.
Is it easy to eat alone in these cities?
Easiest in Tokyo, where Ichiran in Shibuya has 21 counter seats that are solo booths with a screen between you and the cook, and in Singapore, where a hawker centre is a hall of stalls with shared tables. In Seoul a Korean barbecue restaurant needs an order of two portions, which a solo diner pays for, but Gwangjang Market stalls serve single plates.
Are there women-only options in Tokyo?
Yes. 9h nine hours woman Shinjuku is a capsule hotel that takes only women, and women-only cars run on JR and private lines, usually the first or last car at rush hour. The Foreign Office notes that female passengers on commuter trains have experienced inappropriate behaviour.
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