Eight countries where a woman travelling alone can walk home from dinner without planning the route first. Scored out of five on walking alone at night, street harassment, English, solo-friendly transport and cost, with a mid-range price per day for each. The surprise is at the bottom of the list: two of the safest are also two of the cheapest.
Most "safest countries for women" lists are a reprint of the Nordic top ten. That is accurate and not very useful, because Norway at $250 a day is not the trip most people are planning. This list is built for the question you are actually asking: where can I go alone, feel unbothered, and still afford to stay a while?
The ranking blends hard data with what women who have done these trips report. The numbers come from the Women, Peace and Security Index 2026, the Global Peace Index 2025 and Gallup's question on whether women feel safe walking alone at night. The lived-experience layer comes from the Solo Female Traveler Network's member reports and the Bounce Women Travel Safety Index. Where they disagree, we have said so.
The ranking
Japan
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, the Japan Alps
Nobody talks to you unless you want them to, and the last train home is full of women doing exactly what you are doing.
Japan tops the Solo Female Traveler Network's own poll of 124,000 members, and it is easy to see why. Violent crime against foreigners is close to zero, there are police boxes (koban) on every few blocks, and women-only carriages run on rush-hour trains in Tokyo and Osaka. The one honest caveat is groping on packed commuter trains, which is why those carriages exist; use them. English is thinner than you expect outside the big cities, but the signage is good and the trains do not need you to speak.
Slovenia
Ljubljana, Lake Bled, the Julian Alps
A capital you can cross on foot in twenty minutes, and the country that topped the Bounce women's safety index.
Slovenia ranked first in the Bounce Women Travel Safety Index and sits in the top ten of the Global Peace Index, yet most travellers still drive past it on the way to Croatia. Ljubljana is car-free in the centre and quiet after eleven in a way that feels calm rather than empty. Lake Bled and Bohinj are an hour away by bus. English is near-universal under forty. The weak point is transport beyond the capital: buses are fine, trains are sparse, and a hire car opens up far more.
Portugal
Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve, the Douro
Western Europe's best ratio of safety to price, with a tourist police force that exists for exactly this.
Portugal is the country solo women recommend to each other most on the Network's forums, and it is not hard to see why: seventh on the Global Peace Index, a dedicated tourism police unit (PSP Turismo) in Lisbon and Porto, and dinner for two figures. Pickpocketing on the Lisbon 28 tram and in Bairro Alto after midnight is the real risk, not anything worse. Trains link Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve cheaply and often, and hostels here are built for people travelling alone.
Taiwan
Taipei, Taroko Gorge, the east coast
As safe as Tokyo at two-thirds of the price, with a 7-Eleven on every corner open all night.
Taiwan is the entry that most surprises people. Solo Female Traveler Network members have reported effectively zero serious incidents over three years of trips, Taipei's MRT runs late and is spotless, and the night markets are full of women eating alone at eleven. Convenience stores double as safe havens, ATMs and late dinners. English is patchy but people go out of their way to help. Taroko Gorge has partly reopened after the 2024 earthquake; check trail status before you go.
New Zealand
Auckland, Queenstown, the South Island
Thirty years of backpacker infrastructure means you will never be the only woman on the trail.
New Zealand has the most developed solo-travel system in the world: hop-on-hop-off buses, a national hostel network, and Department of Conservation huts where you share a bunkroom with strangers who become hiking partners. The data has a wrinkle: Gallup finds fewer NZ women say they feel safe walking alone at night than in most of Europe, which reflects big-city Auckland more than Wanaka. Outside the cities the concern is the outdoors, not people. Tell someone your route before a hike.
Singapore
The whole island, in four days
The only country on earth where 97% of women say they feel safe walking alone at night. The bill is the catch.
On the safety numbers Singapore is untouchable: Gallup's highest score anywhere for women feeling safe after dark, and a WPS Index ranking in the world's top twenty. English is the language of the street, the MRT runs past midnight, and hawker centres let you eat well alone for $5. It is expensive to sleep in, which is why it sits at six rather than one, but as a first solo trip or a stopover it removes every worry except the price of the hotel.
Iceland
Reykjavik, the Golden Circle, the Ring Road
One or two homicides a year in the entire country. The only thing that can hurt you here is the weather.
Iceland is number one on the Global Peace Index and second on the WPS Index, and the crime statistics read like a rounding error. It sits at seven for two practical reasons: it is the most expensive country on this list, and it does not really work without a car. Solo drivers on the Ring Road are common and the roads are good in summer, but winter driving alone is a real skill. Reykjavik itself is small, walkable and safe at any hour.
Georgia
Tbilisi, Kazbegi, the wine country of Kakheti
The cheapest country on the list, with a hospitality culture that treats a woman alone as a guest to be looked after.
Georgia does not appear on the Nordic-heavy indexes, which is why it is last here rather than absent. It earns its place on reports: Georgian women travel alone as a matter of course, Tbilisi's old town is busy and well-lit late, and the guesthouse network in the mountains means you are rarely without a host. The trade-offs are honest ones: some staring in rural areas, shared minibuses (marshrutkas) that need patience, and English that thins out fast beyond Tbilisi. At $60 a day it is the best value on this list by a distance.
The eight at a glance
| Country | Per day, mid-range | Best for | The one thing to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | $130 | A first long-haul solo trip | Use the women-only carriages at rush hour |
| Slovenia | $110 | Lakes, hiking, a small capital | Hire a car for anything beyond Ljubljana |
| Portugal | $95 | Cities plus coast on a budget | Watch your bag on the 28 tram |
| Taiwan | $85 | Asia without the price of Japan | 7-Eleven is your friend at 1am |
| New Zealand | $160 | Hiking and meeting other travellers | Register long hikes; the danger is terrain, not people |
| Singapore | $185 | A stopover or a nervous first trip | Sleep cheaper in Chinatown or Little India |
| Iceland | $220 | Nature, if the budget allows | Summer for solo driving; winter with a tour |
| Georgia | $60 | Value, wine and mountains | Learn ten words of Georgian; it opens doors |
Prices are a mid-range daily estimate covering a private room, three meals, local transport and one paid activity, excluding flights. They move with the season and the exchange rate.
Where the indexes and the travellers disagree
The Nordic countries own the top of every statistical index and none of them, apart from Iceland, appear above. That is deliberate. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland are as safe as anywhere on earth, but they are also $200-plus a day and their strength is structural safety (courts, laws, equality), not the street-level experience this list is scoring. A woman on her own in Copenhagen is safe; she is also not going to notice much difference from Ljubljana, and she will spend twice as much.
New Zealand is the opposite case. It scores lower on Gallup's "safe at night" question than its reputation suggests, yet solo women rank it in their top five every year, because the thing that makes it work is the infrastructure, not the statistics. Both are true, and the ranking tries to weigh both.
What to do before you go, wherever you pick
- Share your itinerary with one person at home and keep it updated. In New Zealand and Iceland, register hikes and drives.
- Book the first night before you land. Arriving at midnight with nowhere to go is the only avoidable risk on this list.
- Screenshot your hotel address in the local language for taxis, especially in Japan, Taiwan and Georgia.
- Keep your phone working from the moment you land. Maps, ride-hailing and a way to call someone are worth more than any other precaution.
Stay connected from the airport
Every country on this list is covered by an ETravelSim eSIM. Install it before you fly, switch it on when you land, and your maps, taxi apps and messages work before you have left the terminal. No SIM counter, no roaming bill, and your home number stays active for calls and verification codes.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the safest country for a woman travelling alone?
On the statistics, Iceland and the Nordic countries. On the reports of women who have done it, Japan, Slovenia and Portugal come up most often, because they combine low crime with easy transport and a price you can sustain for more than a week.
What is the cheapest safe country for solo female travel?
Georgia, at around $60 a day mid-range, followed by Taiwan at about $85 and Portugal at about $95. All three are on this list for safety first and price second.
Is Japan safe for solo female travellers?
Yes. It has one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the world and tops the Solo Female Traveler Network's member rankings. The main issue reported is groping on crowded rush-hour trains, which is why women-only carriages exist on the busiest lines.
Is Southeast Asia safe for women travelling alone?
Singapore is the safest country in the region and one of the safest anywhere. Taiwan, just to the north, is comparable. Thailand and Vietnam are popular and largely fine with normal precautions, but they score lower on harassment and night safety than the eight here.
Why aren't Denmark, Norway or Sweden on the list?
They are as safe as Iceland but cost $200 or more a day, and their advantage is in laws and institutions rather than the day-to-day street experience this list scores. If budget is not a concern, add any of them.
How were the scores decided?
Five criteria, each out of five: the share of women who feel safe walking alone at night (Gallup), street harassment as reported by travellers and the Bounce index, how widely English is spoken, how easy it is to get around alone without a car, and cost. The order weighs all five, so an expensive country can rank below a slightly less safe cheap one.
Sources
- Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security: WPS Index
- Institute for Economics and Peace: Global Peace Index 2025
- Global Citizen Solutions: Safest countries for women (WPS, Gallup and GPI data)
- Solo Female Traveler Network: Safest solo female travel destinations for 2026
- Voyspark: Solo female travel 2026, 30 countries ranked