5 safest cities in the world for solo...

To mark International Women’s Day, we shine a light on female-friendly destinations

Solo travel is on the rise, and women are leading the charge, making up nearly three-quarters (71%) of lone travellers, reports Virtuoso.

But here’s the catch, 70% of female travellers still rank personal safety as their top concern, according to the Solo Female Travel Trends Survey, with a staggering 40% worried about “something bad happening” to them. To allay these fears, many women choose tours, or opt for destinations known to have low levels of crime.

Enter Dubai in the UAE, which has recently been named the world’s safest city for solo female travellers, by travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip. The site ranked cities based on data about safety, gender equality, walkability at night and overall tourism appeal.

Dubai achieved the highest ranking in low crime rate and women feeling safe alone at night

This comes hot on the heels of Numbeo’s 2025 Safety Index, which named sister city Abu Dhabi as the world’s safest city for 2025, with Dubai coming third and Gulf coast countries dominating the top 10 including Qatar capital Doha.

Beyond the Middle East region, Kraków in Poland was named the second safest city for solo women travellers in 2025, according to InsureMyTrip, with Spain’s Madrid, Germany’s Munich and Thailand’s northern city Chaing Mai rounding out the top five. Lisbon (Portugal), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), Singapore and Heraklion (Greece) complete the top 10.

In celebration of Women’s International Day 2025 (8 March), here’s an overview of the top five safest cities in the world and what to do and see when there.

Dubai, UAE
With an overall score of 7.71 out of a possible 10, Dubai received high scores for ‘feeling safe walking alone at night’, as well as ‘feeling safe despite gender’ and ‘quality of things to do’. The option of women-only sections on transport, as well as a sense of affordable luxury offered by its going-out scene helped to boost its score.

Recognising the city’s low crime rates, Dubai was also recently named the safest cruise ship stopover out of 52 global destinations, also InsureMyTrip, scoring high in number of tours and restaurant ratings. The city had the highest number of off-shore activities with more than 3,000, ranging from safaris to hot air balloon rides, giving travellers plenty to do in a limited time.

Dubai in the UAE

Hoor Al Khaja, Senior Vice-President of International Operations at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, said there is a common belief that because of the conflict in the Middle East, Dubai is not a safe place for tourists to visit, when it is “one of the safest cities in the world”.

She said the tourist board is working to establish itself as a year-round destination that attracts tourists in the summer months as well as the winter. “There’s an element of affordable luxury in the summer,” she said.

While the city is known for its golden beaches, luxury hotels and mammoth malls, including the world’s largest, there is another, calmer side to the city. In Old Dubai, along the Creek, visitors will find traditional architecture, museums, gold and spice souks and wooden dhow boat rides.

2 Kraków, Poland
Consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in Europe, Poland’s former royal capital Kraków stormed up the InsureMyTrip global rankings in 2025, rising 10 places to second spot thanks to good safety scores, tourism offering and affordability. The Polish city’s rise can also be credited to the fact that it became part of Femcities, an international network of cities for gender equality and women’s rights in 2022.

A compact and walkable city, Kraków also achieved high ratings for hotel quality and things to do, with highlights including an impressive royal castle, world-class museums and a buzzing Old Town, featuring the largest medieval town square in Europe that's lined with cafes and street food stalls. Just a short tram ride away, Kapelanka is a turquoise lagoon popular with swimmers.

Kapelanka lagoon in Kraków

3 Madrid, Spain
Madrid remains a model of stability, with top 10 rankings every year. Reaching third place in 2025, the Spanish city excels in ‘gender equality’ alongside offering good-quality hotels and plenty of cultural things to do, positioning it as an appealing destination for solo female travellers.

Among cultural highlights, a trio of world-class art museums includes Museo del Pel Prado featuring paintings by Velázquez and Francisco Goya, with a combination pass allowing visitors to enjoy all three venues. Just steps from here, Madrid’s Royal Botanic Gardens offers guided tours of its 20-acre grounds, home to more than 5,000 species. Visitors can also catch an authentic flamenco experience at Corral de la Morería, which is also the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the world to offer a flamenco show.

Recent hotel debuts include the Casa de las Artes Meliá Collection, located in the Literary Quarter, offering guests a programme of cultural activities, from workshops to temporary exhibitions and film series. There’s also a private cinema room and a thermal pool.

Madrid in Spain

4 Munich, Germany
It may well be Germany’s third-largest metropolis, but Munich tops the overall world rankings when it comes to safety for women. An extremely walkable city, the old town and surrounding areas can be explored on foot, as can its numerous parks including Englisher Garten, one of the world’s largest urban parks with opportunities for swimming in summer.

Also easy to explore on foot and packed with museums and galleries, the Kunstareal art quarter is the place to get your culture fix, with plenty of affordable eateries.

Other highlights include the neoclassical National Theatre, home to the Bavarian State Opera, an outdoor market that is open six days a week and lots of beer halls and gardens, many with communal tables to encourage socialising.

Munich's Old Town

5 Chaing Mai, Thailand
Thailand tends to be pretty safe for solo female travellers in general, but the northern city of Chiang Mai has been declared the safest in the country and fifth safest worldwide.

Thanks to its laid-back, peaceful and friendly atmosphere, exploring the city alone is easy, whether taking the ubiquitous rot daang (red taxi) to visit a mountaintop temple or cycling around the walled city, filled with boutique hotels, tiny coffee shops, temples and massage spots. Among must-visit sites, the city's most revered temple, the 14th-century Wat Phra Singh.

Chiang Mai has many accommodations, from guesthouses to high-end hotels, with the former offering a communal area to connect with other travellers while still enjoying a private room.

Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai, Thailand