News

The best cities in the world for solo travellers, ranked

Based on insight from a tour company, these destinations attract the largest proportion of people on solo jaunts

Liv Kelly
Written by
Liv Kelly
Travel Writer
Toronto
Photograph: V. Ben / Shutterstock.com | Toronto
Advertising

Trotting around the world on your ones is a liberating way to travel, and there’s an abundance of places which are not only fun but safe places to explore solo. 

Time Out recently updated its list of the top destinations for women solo travellers, but GuruWalk has also just unveiled a list of the best cities for your bucket list which are primed for independent exploration.

The tour-booking platform has taken a look at all bookings made over the last 12 months and deciphered which of its 150 most popular cities have welcomed the highest proportion of solo travellers. 

Topping the list? It’s Toronto, Canada’s largest city, where more than half of the travellers who booked a walking tour through GuruWalk did so solo – 50.5 percent, to be exact. 

Recommended: These are the best things to do in Toronto right now

Yonge-Dundas Square is a public square at the southeast corner of the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street East. Toronto, Canada - April 30, 2024.
Photograph: By Erman Gunes / ShutterstockYonge-Dundas Square, Toronto

But, are we that surprised? This is one of the most diverse cities on the planet, and its UNESCO-designated Distillery District, the monumental Art Gallery of Ontario (one of the largest museums in North America) and its many beaches and islands are just the start of a long list of solo-traveller friendly things to do in Toronto. 

In second place, where 50 percent of tours booked were for solo travellers, was Santa Ana in El Salvador. It’s the country’s second-largest city which is littered with pretty neo-Gothic cathedrals but also acts as a brilliant base for visiting nearby Mayan ruins like El Tazumel or Lake Coatepeque. 

Third place? That went to São Paulo, where 49.5 percent of travellers who booked a tour did so solo. Fourth place was claimed by Taipei, and the top five was rounded out by Kuala Lumpur, but scroll on for the full top 10. 

The best cities in the world for solo travellers

  1. Toronto, Canada
  2. Santa Ana, El Salvador 
  3. São Paulo, Brazil
  4. Taipei, Taiwan
  5. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  6. La Paz, Bolivia
  7. Hong Kong
  8. Skopje, North Macedonia
  9. Singapore
  10. Belgrade, Serbia

🌎 While we’re on the subject, check out Time Out’s lists of the best places in the world for solo travel, and to travel alone as a woman

Did you see that these 7 European cities have been named among the world’s best for food right now?

Plus: The 14 new UNESCO Biosphere reserves to visit in 2026

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.

Latest news
    Advertising