Editorial
Going out alone is one of the purest forms of bar culture. No negotiating over where to go, no waiting for the last person to arrive, no splitting a bill six ways. Just you, a bar stool, and the freedom to stay or leave whenever you want. The question isn't whether to solo bar-hop — it's where.
Not every city makes it easy. Some places look at a solo drinker with suspicion; others barely register your presence. The best cities for going out alone share a few things: a strong bar-stool culture, bartenders who actually engage with strangers, low crime in nightlife districts, and a sense that being alone is a perfectly legitimate reason to be there. Here are the cities that do it best.
What makes a city safe for solo bar-hopping is partly about physical safety, partly about social safety — the comfort of not feeling out of place drinking alone. The cities below excel on both counts.
The mechanics of solo bar-hopping differ from group travel in a few important ways. Without anyone to watch your bag or flag a cab, self-sufficiency matters more. A few principles that hold across all of the cities above:
Keep the circuit tight. The best solo nights happen in dense bar districts where you can walk between venues rather than navigating public transport with a drink in you. Every city on this list has at least one such district — Vesterbro in Copenhagen, Fitzroy in Melbourne, Ebisu–Nakameguro in Tokyo.
Tell the bartender you're exploring. This is the single most effective move in solo bar culture. Saying "I'm visiting for a few days, trying to understand the city's bar scene" opens a door that staying quiet leaves closed. You'll get recommendations, introductions to regulars, and a conversation that beats most travel guides.
Use early evenings to your advantage. The hours between 6 and 9pm are when the most interesting regulars are at bars, before the weekend crowd arrives. Solo travel pairs naturally with the early shift, and you'll often have a bartender's full attention in a way you never would at peak hours. Explore our after-work bars guide and our full city guides to find the right neighbourhoods in each destination.
If you're drawn to Europe's less-visited cities, our piece on the most underrated bar cities covers Porto, Tbilisi, and Medellín — all equally safe, and equally rewarding for solo visitors. For budget-conscious solo travel, see our companion guide on the cheapest cities with great bars.