THE WORLD'S SAFEST PLACES FOR WOMEN TO TRAVEL ALONE

It’s a fact: Women have different safety concerns than men when it comes to travel. As a result, there’s a greater need than ever to identify the safest places for women to travel – and not just anecdotally, but by using hard facts and research.

Ignoring the different travel needs of women can be both naive and dangerous.

Certain cultures around the world objectify women and/or treat them as less than equal. Violence against women is not held to the same standards as violence against men in some countries, sometimes with tragic results.

This post is in no way meant to deter women from traveling. In fact, just the opposite. We want to empower women to feel safe when traveling by offering valuable information and facts for their travel-planning decision making, and ultimately their protection.

How This Works

To examine this important topic, we teamed up with GeoSure Global, the world’s leader in providing detailed safety scores for cities and neighborhoods around the world. GeoSure has graciously supplied us with a list of the world’s safest cities and neighborhoods for women.

By combining those scores with a female-only breakout of the results of our annual survey of the World’s Safest Cities and the World’s Safest Countries, we can get a solid picture of the safest places for women to travel.

The Results are Based on Women’s Opinions

It’s worth noting that men’s opinions on the safest destinations are different from women’s. Our survey not only asks men and women to rate places where they’ve traveled on safety, it asks them to specifically rate a destination on safety for women, LGBTQ+, and people of color.

When you break this data apart by gender, there are some countries and cities where men think women are safe but women don’t really agree.  For example:

Men think these places are safer for women:

Countries

• China
• Morocco

Cities

• Beijing
• New York

But women feel these countries are safer than men perceive them to be:

Countries

• New Zealand
• Vietnam

Cities

• Copenhagen
• Seoul

There are a whole host of reasons why these results are different, but the important thing to note is that the results we share in this post are from the women we surveyed – not the men.

The World’s Safest Cities And Countries For Women To Travel Alone

GeoSure’s data comes to some basic conclusions about safe areas for female travelers – conclusions that are supported by our own research. For instance the following regions score very favorably in both GeoSure ratings and our own Safest Places research:

• Western Europe (including Spain and Portugal)
• Scandinavia
• Canada

The one outlier not located in the above regions is La Laguna, in the Canary Islands (controlled by Spain) – it too ranked high as one of the safest places for women to travel alone.

1a. Basel, Switzerland

Why It’s Ranked Highly

Basel had the highest Women’s Safety GeoSafeScore™, and it’s in a country that female survey respondents placed 13th in overall safety in BHTP’s research.

Neighborhoods To Visit

GeoSure has not ranked any neighborhoods in Basel. But with a city score of 89 out of 100, rest assured that pretty much anywhere you go in Basel will be safe.

1b. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Why It’s Ranked Highly

With its lakeside setting, efficient rapid transit and buttoned-down demeanor, Toronto is the closest thing to a Swiss city you’ll find in North America, and its neighborhoods posted the highest Women’s Safety GeoSafeScore. Furthermore, Canada came in as the sixth-safest country in the eyes of female travelers in BHTP’s latest research.

Neighborhoods To Visit

GeoSure recommends the following:

• University
• Discovery District
• Grange Park
• Yorkville
• Baldwin Village
  
  

2. Bern, Switzerland

Why It’s Ranked Highly

Like 1a. Basel, Switzerland, Bern is in a country that female survey respondents placed 13^th in overall safest countries in BHTP’s Safest Destinations research. Bern’s neighborhoods had the second-highest average score for women’s safety.

Neighborhoods to Visit

These are the top-rated neighborhoods in Bern:

• Muesmatt
• Gryphenhübeli
• Schwarzes Quartier
• Monbijou
• BearPark
• Weisses Quartier
• Altenberg
  
  

3. Zurich, Switzerland

Why It’s Ranked Highly

Zurich is the 27th-safest city according to GeoSure and the average score of its safest neighborhoods placed third overall. You get the feeling a Swiss vacation is in the cards this year?

Neighborhoods to Visit

The following neighborhoods had the highest GeoSafeScores:

• Affoltern
• Oerlikon
• Hard
  
  

4. Lisbon, Portugal

Why It’s Ranked Highly

Portugal was ranked the 11^th safest country in the world according to female respondents in BHTP’s Safest Destinations research. And according to GeoSafe, Lisbon’s safest neighborhoods are very safe.   

Neighborhoods to Visit

The following neighborhoods had the highest GeoSafeScores:

• Martin Moniz
• Praça da Figueira
• Saint George Castle
• Eduardo VII Park
• Baixa
• Rua São João da Praça
  
  

5. Orebro, Vasteras, and Uppsala, Sweden

Why They’re Ranked Highly

These medium-sized cities not far from Stockholm came in fourth, fifth, and seventh on GeoSure’s list of safest cities, in a country that BHTP’s female travelers consider to be second-safest in the world. They’re also lovely towns that should be on the itinerary of any visitor to Sweden.

Neighborhoods To Visit

GeoSure has not yet ranked any neighborhoods in these cities.

6. Stockholm, Sweden

Why It’s Ranked Highly

What – you expected the capital city of the Land of Volvos to be unsafe? Several neighborhoods in Stockholm receive extremely high GeoSafeScores.

Neighborhoods to Visit

The following neighborhoods had the highest GeoSafeScores:

• Skeppsholmen
• Gärdet
  
  

7. Monaco

Why It’s Ranked Highly

If you equate high income with travel safety, here’s your proof. This exquisite principality wedged between Italy and France is renowned for being a playground for the rich. Not coincidentally, it’s awfully safe for everyone else, too.

Neighborhoods to Visit

The following neighborhoods had the highest GeoSafeScores:

• Monte Carlo
• Les Moneghetti
  
  

8. Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria

Why They’re Ranked Highly

These two Austrian gems couldn’t be more different – Salzburg is the Sound of Music city renowned for its music and art, and Innsbruck is a ski resort that’s hosted multiple Olympiads – but they’re actually quite close, geographically and in their high GeoSafe city scores.

Neighborhoods To Visit

GeoSure has not yet ranked any neighborhoods in these cities.

9. Pamplona and Oviedo, Spain

Why They’re Ranked Highly

Pamplona turns out to be a really safe place for women to travel … when the bulls aren’t running. Oviedo is renowned for its beautiful old town and is just a short jaunt from the Bay of Biscay.

With so much emphasis being placed on discovering Spanish towns that aren’t Madrid or Barcelona, these are two great alternatives for female travelers to try.

Neighborhoods To Visit

GeoSure has not yet ranked any neighborhoods in these cities.

10. Cannes, France

Why It’s Ranked Highly

This gorgeous city on the south coast of France came in 26th on GeoSure’s list of safest cities for female travelers – and it’s in a country that’s a perennial top-15 finisher in BHTP’s list of the world’s safest countries.

Neighborhoods To Visit

GeoSure has not yet ranked any neighborhoods in these cities.

Other Safe Areas To Consider

These cities and neighborhoods were also ranked highly by GeoSure, and are in countries or regions that female respondents in BHTP’s research considered to be safe:

• Geneva, Lausanne, and Winterthur, Switzerland
• Oslo, Norway (Central Train Station neighborhood)
• Gothenburg (Landala and Olivedal neighborhoods), Malmo, and Boras, Sweden
• Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Tunney’s Pasture neighborhood)
• Valencia (El Mercat neighborhood) and Cordoba, Spain
• Graz and Bregenz, Austria
• Brussels (Quartier des Quais neighborhood) and Liege, Belgium

What About The United States?

GeoSure’s ratings aren’t just for other countries. Neighborhoods and cities across the U.S. receive GeoSafeScores as well.

Here are GeoSure’s 20 safest major American cities for female travelers:

• Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Roseville, Calif.
• Thousand Oaks, Calif.
• Irvine, Calif.
• Temecula, Calif.
• Fremont, Calif.
• Sunnyvale, Calif.
• Simi Valley, Calif.
• Orange, Calif.
• Torrance, Calif.
• Berkeley, Calif.
• Fort Collins, Colo.
• Boulder, Colo.
• Stamford, Conn.
• Naperville, Ill.
• Cambridge, Mass.
• Sterling Heights, Mich.
• Edison, N.J.
• Amherst, N.Y.
• Bellevue, Wash.

And some popular neighborhoods with high GeoSafeScores include:

• MIT campus and Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass.
• Financial District, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Midtown Times Square, New York City
• La Jolla Village, San Diego
• Scottsdale Gardens, Scottsdale, Ariz.

More on GeoSure

GeoSure combines machine learning, a robust database, and user input to give cities and neighborhoods around the world a proprietary GeoSafeScore™.

More than a single measure, GeoSafeScores provide information on:

• Nighttime safety
• Physical safety
• Theft
• Basic freedoms
• Health and medical
• LGBTQ+ safety
• Women’s safety

The GeoSure app (iOS/Android) is a member of BHTP’s App Hall of Fame, and is highly recommended for all travelers.

Recently, GeoSure upgraded its app to include users'  perception of safety anywhere in the world, real time. A button lets users provide feedback on local safety and what safety feels like at a location, to enrich GeoSure’s existing stat-based scores.

GeoSure is a tremendous resource to help you travel safely, as is travel insurance from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. We’re here with the plans and resources you need to make your next trip as worry-free as it is memorable.

Discover what makes our coverage special here.

 

Please visit our Disclaimer page for underwriter info. Policies have exclusions and limitations. For complete details of coverage, contact BHTP by calling 844-411-2487, or emailing us at assist@bhtp.com.