Europe is the easiest region to start in if you are new to going out alone: compact old towns, public transport between cities and plenty of museums, markets and cafes where one person is a normal guest.
72 city guides in 23 countries
Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
Austria
- AustriaGrazClimb the Schlossberg by steps, lift or funicular, then catch a free Wednesday concert.
- AustriaInnsbruckNordkette lifts in winter, plus a market hall, art-house cinema and free art, all without a car.
- AustriaSalzburgAn ice rink, marionettes and a free Tuesday sing-along around Salzburg's Christmas market.
- AustriaViennaA coffee-house ladder, standing-room opera for up to 18 EUR and late museum nights.
Belgium
Bulgaria
France
- FranceLyonA city of passages and tables: a food hall, hillside traboules, a biennale and the December light festival.
- FranceMarseilleA harbour city seen from the water: a tiny ferry, a fort, island boats and hill views.
- FranceNiceOff-season Riviera: winter museum hours, a Monday antiques market, the castle hill and a municipal cinema.
- FranceParisA flaneur route by time of day: a garden, a museum, a bookshop, plus a rainy-day plan.
Germany
- GermanyBerlinFree history sites, Thursday late museum openings and big open space, sorted by budget.
- GermanyCologneKölsch by the glass in brewery restaurants, a free sculpture park and Christmas markets from 16 November.
- GermanyDresdenThursday-night art, a tiled milk hall with standing tables, and courtyards in the Neustadt.
- GermanyDüsseldorfStanding tables in the Altstadt, ramen in Little Tokyo and art evenings that cost almost nothing.
- GermanyFrankfurtOne two-day ticket for 39 riverside museums, apple wine from a ribbed glass and a market hall for lunch.
- GermanyFreiburgCathedral market sausage, a museum open late every weekday and an old-station cinema.
- GermanyHamburgA harbour ferry on a normal ticket, a Sunday fish market and two museums open late on Thursday.
- GermanyHeidelbergTake the funicular up to the castle, then spend the evening at a theatre or a small cinema.
- GermanyKonstanzA year-round ferry over Lake Constance, a volunteer-run cinema and an art line on the border.
- GermanyLeipzigA choir motet for EUR 3 on Friday or Saturday, and free history rooms around the old town hall.
- GermanyMunichBest on a Sunday, when Bavarian state museums charge EUR 1, with communal tables at Viktualienmarkt.
- GermanyNurembergFour municipal museums on one EUR 4 add-on, bunker tours with strangers and three sausages in a bun.
- GermanyStuttgartRide up on a rack railway and a funicular, walk down the Stäffele steps, lunch in the market hall.
Hungary
Italy
- ItalyBolognaA rainy-day city: arcades, a library open to midnight on Wednesdays and an osteria where you bring lunch.
- ItalyFlorenceMuseums that close early on different days, a first-floor food hall, two cinemas and bus 7 up to Fiesole.
- ItalyMilanLate Thursday at the Novecento, free HangarBicocca, a planetarium talk and Bergamo 50 minutes away.
- ItalyNaplesArt stations on Line 1, free first Sundays, a pizzeria with a famous wait, Herculaneum by train.
- ItalyRomeTimed Borghese slots, free first Sundays, a EUR 5 cinema in Villa Borghese and a market you eat standing up.
- ItalyVenicePublic boats to Burano, big art shows and quiet Tintoretto rooms, and a library open until midnight.
Poland
Portugal
Spain
- SpainBarcelonaLong lunches, plaza benches, quiet-afternoon museums and an evening concert or film.
- SpainMadridFree museum hours, market counters, a Sunday at El Rastro and a late film at Matadero.
- SpainMalagaSunday afternoons line up free entry at the Alcazaba, Museo Picasso and Centre Pompidou.
- SpainSevillePalace before 17:00, tapas at the bar, flamenco or opera after dark: winter in Seville has two halves.
- SpainValenciaRice country for one: a Thursday water court, mid-morning esmorzaret and a city bus to the Albufera lake.
Switzerland
- SwitzerlandBaselA walkable museum city on the Rhine, with late openings and a summer river ritual.
- SwitzerlandBernAn Onion Market on 23 November, quiet-hours museum evenings and free bears on the Aare.
- SwitzerlandGenevaBains des Paquis on the lakefront, a free CERN visit, a small indoor stop and Carouge.
- SwitzerlandInterlakenOff-season lake boats, the Harder funicular and a Thun museum night of drinking and drawing.
- SwitzerlandLausanneClimb the hill, ride the M2 down to Ouchy, and finish with a film at the Capitole.
- SwitzerlandLucerneReuss market mornings, a monthly late museum Thursday and a community bistro with its own events.
- SwitzerlandLuganoMonte Brè stays open, San Salvatore is closed until March; plus a free tasting tour and a silent reading.
- SwitzerlandSt. GallenAn Abbey Library with closing dates, a 90-second funicular, a free art depot and textile history.
- SwitzerlandWinterthurA late museum Tuesday to Thursday, free photo evenings and Wednesday documentary nights.
- SwitzerlandZermattA car-free village walk from bronze climber markers to a library corner and winter trail rules.
- SwitzerlandZurichA water-first day on the Limmat and the lake, free museum entry and a Viadukt wander.
United Kingdom
- United KingdomBathA 2-hour thermal spa session, torchlit Roman Baths in winter, Georgian houses and a Saturday farmers' market.
- United KingdomBelfastMarket quiet hours, free glasshouses, a guided City Hall tour and Belfast's oldest library.
- United KingdomBristolHarbour ferries, a harbourside cinema, a working Victorian boatyard, Sunday market and Banksy-era street art.
- United KingdomCardiffA compact Welsh capital: covered arcades, a Victorian market, a free national museum and a free Senedd.
- United KingdomEdinburghFree council museums, a botanic garden, Arthur's Seat and a river path, plus Saturday and Sunday markets.
- United KingdomGlasgowFree galleries, a daily organ recital, a library open late and the Subway to link them.
- United KingdomLiverpoolTwo cathedrals, a theatre between them, free waterfront art and a food market in the Baltic Triangle.
- United KingdomLondonWalk-in galleries, book-a-slot spots, heath escapes and a late-Friday evening.
- United KingdomManchesterWednesday and Thursday lates, a canal towpath and a free Saturday gig, all on one tram network.
- United KingdomYorkA free walls walk before the gates lock, Sunday Evensong, Shambles Market and warm rooms for short days.
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Planning a trip across Europe
Trains link many of these cities, so two guides can make one trip. Start with the solo travel guide for booking and packing, or open the full directory to compare regions.
Frequently asked questions
Which European cities are covered?
Every city with a guide is listed below by country. Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom have the most guides.
Are opening hours in these guides current?
Hours and prices come from official pages and carry a checked date. Seasons change them, so check the venue before you go.
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