Last month (June) I went on my first Solo travel trip to Porto and Lisbon. This was my first time travelling to Europe by myself. I did not have many expectations of what it would look like to be in another country on my own. But rest assured, this trip turned out to be one of the best trips of my life.
If you are planning your first solo adventure and want to travel to Lisbon or Porto. You have come to the right place. I will be detailing my first-time solo travelling experience in Porto/ Lisbon and hopefully answer some of your questions.
Is it safe to solo travel to Lisbon- Porto?
Firstly, let me clarify that I originally booked this holiday for Porto in late June. However, the weather in Porto was horrible with heavy rain and dull clouds. I wanted the sunny summer experience, so I decided that one of the days I’d book a bus to Lisbon via FlixBus (an amazing and affordable experience). I ended up going to Lisbon on two of the days that I was there. I fell in love with Lisbon and wanted to experience it all.
Porto
I cannot adequately deem the safety of Porto as explored it for a day only. I can only speak of my experience, which was good. I felt very safe exploring Porto and its attractions. The people were really friendly and on the first day, I made a friend which made my experience more pleasant.
My Hotel Experience in Porto.
I stayed in Hotel Star Porto which was 10 minutes away from the city centre. I felt very safe in the hotel and area. The Hotel was clean with many amenities and an extremely friendly staff. I enjoyed my stay and would highly recommend staying there. This hotel is considered a 3-star, but I’d honestly rate it higher than that. It was honestly very clean and convenient.
Upon research on the safety of Porto, I found positive experiences from a lot of people (including women) who say they had a safe trip. Of course, like most cities, you still have to remain super vigilant as a solo female traveller. A city can be deemed safe but don’t get complacent as criminals are everywhere. There are things I always put in place before I travel, which I will talk about shortly.
Lisbon
I stayed in Porto and travelled to Lisbon by bus in the morning. I can only speak of the two days that I was in Lisbon. The city was very safe, full of friendly people and activities that you can do on your own.
I fell in love with Lisbon in its entirety. Two days in Lisbon were not enough. Though I got to see many attractions, I truly believe that to enjoy it more, I have to book more days next time.
So in my limited experience, I felt safe as a female solo traveller in both Lisbon and Porto. I recommend visiting both of these wonderful cities.
General Solo Travel Safety Tips
Whether I am in my own country or elsewhere, safety is always my number one priority as a woman. Before, travelling to Porto and Lisbon I made sure to inform family and friends all my travel details. I turned on my locations for my friends to see where I was at all times.
I met two lovely female solo travellers there, and though I felt very safe with them I still made sure to inform my friends and family who I was with and where I was.
For extra safety measures, I’d always encourage you to get travel health insurance in case of any medical emergencies.
Another tip that I have, is not telling people who you don’t know where you are staying and that you are travelling alone. This seems like obvious advice, but if you are anything like me, over sharing information can be so easy. So please don’t share this information.
Transport
The main modes of transport for me in Lisbon and Porto were trains, buses and Bolt. I especially used Bolt at night when I was going back home. During the day, I highly recommend using the train as it is cheap and easy to access. I pre-booked my bus to Lisbon with FlixBus which is a 3-hour journey.
O’L Final Thoughts
Lisbon and Porto are a great place to start when it comes to solo travel. Both cities are considered to be relatively safe, however, you still are required to be very diligent when solo travelling. For tips on places to visit and things check out this post.
Happy Travels
