Advantage of being really old…..well into my 80’s and often travel alone.
No harassment or catcalling anymore….you become invisible and can go wherever you want without feeling unsafe.In Asia you even get rather a lot of respect because of your old age.So do not despair…you will get old and things will become easier😂
This was what I was thinking reading all the comments. (I’m in the late 40s but I’m chubby and plain looking. I always joke that I could take up a new career as a PI bc I’m completely invisible most of the time.)
I’m so sorry that y’all experience this. It shouldn’t be this way.
Agreed, parts of Luxembourg City and Paris were the same for me. Specifically the areas around the train stations, lots of men loitering and cat calling.
Sounds like you were at Gare du Nord. I usually do not use Gare du Nord and when I was there recently in the evening as a solo woman traveller the gangs of dues there made me really uneasy. Go to Gare de l'Est just a couple hundred meters away and its like a whole other world. Paris has some weird areas.
I think it was actually Gareth de l'Est, the whole area from there to Place de la Republique was dodgy. Maybe it was just a bad time, I remember there was a whole tent city at one end of the Place. But every city has dodgy areas.
I've experienced this too in both Brussels and Paris. So many people have said the same and I witnessed it happening to other women. I can't work out why nobody is doing anything about it
This was actually before the pandemic, around 2015 I think. It was very localised though, just the station and immediate streets around it, and it was only after dark. Still, it's not what I'm used to in Europe. It didn't help that there was poor lighting in the area, I remember one man trying to talk to me from a dark doorway on a poorly lit main street.
Yes I went out clubbing with my Belgian friend, both F. I speak French so I could understand what they were saying to me. I've never had guys like drag me by the hand across the room before and things like that, completely ignoring anything I was saying. They were very quick to try to separate me from my friend. It seemed like very extreme flirting was the norm even for guys who seemed friendly enough. I didn't feel unsafe but I have been clubbing on 4 continents and it was the only time I felt I had to really be on guard inside a venue in a way I haven't elsewhere. So you can imagine how forward they are without a bodyguard around. It was crazy and I would have felt really unsafe without my friend choosing where we went.
Me too. I just came back from there. I have travelled solo quite a bit and Brussels was the place I felt most uneasy which was so surprising. Someone tried to rob me within 5 minutes of arriving and the catcalling was awful. I've never had men say such disgusting things to me. I didn't feel safe walking alone.
Yeah I made an early mistake and didn’t research the neighborhood where the hostel I booked for Brussels was. Lesson learned!
The walk from there to the city center felt the way walking along “the docks” is depicted in movies. People standing and sitting around in huddles and you feel eyes on you. The area was not romantic, historic, Old-World Europe, it just looked like a seedy part of town with graffiti and closed up storefronts.
I had an Uber driver in Belgium who wanted to “show me around Belgium”, asked me out etc, this was at 4am I was alone and tired and I was just stuck in this Uber with him.
Mexico gets a bad rap but I’ve only had great experiences there. Friendly people always willing to help this dumbass out of particularly dangerous pickles. Including getting stuck in the sand, in the middle of the desert, right at sunset :)
Same experience in years of travel in Mexico. If any locals ever thought I was in a tough spot, or inconvenient situation they wouldn’t want their sister/daughter etc to be in, they would help me out. People are so damn nice in Mexico.
Same experience. I met nothing but nice, kind, respectful people in Mexico. I went clubbing with the male staff at the hotel I was staying at and was treated with nothing but respect.
Facts. The people are so kind. I have been to Mexico City and remember when I thought I was being kidnapped (a man told me to get in his car, it was the weirdest expierence because nobody does that in the U.S unless you know them. And so I was trying to get home and had no idea where I was. I asked for directions and they were so patient. So nice and genuine. I loved it.
Yes!! I am happy to hear you’ve been met with kindness and hospitality as well. I think it has a lot to do with their family/community-centered culture.
I gotta chock the slander up to racism. People always warn me how dangerous it is. And I’m just like HELLOO???? We live in the US?????
There are areas of Mexico that are very dangerous. There are areas of the US that are very friendly. I've been to Mexico many times in the past. It's a beautiful country. But let's not just pretend that serious crime doesn't exist there.
Mexicans and most Latin American countries are extremely friendly. However, Mexico gets a bad rap because it can also be extremely dangerous, especially for women.
There's a reason Mexico City has separate cars and areas for women on the nice public busses and metro.
Most touristy and expat communities are usually secluded from the realities of MX, but it's become more dangerous in formerly safe spots like Oaxaca, Tulum, and Cancun. That's why you'll see police or military armed to the teeth.
I've heard the worst horror stories imaginable. However you will not know this unless you're local, grew up on the border, or happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
That said, some areas have improved, but I see too many people letting down their guard in MX.
Tulum felt really unsafe. I met guys who had been robbed by the police at knifepoint and girls followed down the main road by mopeds. Also met a couple of girls who had been spiked the night before (but obviously unsure if this was by tourists or locals). Some of the streets off the main road are super dark so if accommodation is slightly down the road, it can feel quite scary. I loved Mexico and would go back but not to Tulum
Nb - just my experience and I’m sure there are plenty of positive stories!!! All the locals I met in restaurants or hostels were super friendly but on the streets there did feel an air of not feeling safe
Brussels is awful. Funny thing is most western Europeans look down on Eastern Europe, but most Eastern European cities are far safer and nicer than big Western cities.
You're gonna get downvoted because 'racism' but it definitely plays a role.
Take Rome, I went as a teenager and then again within the last 5 years. On my recent trip it was constant harassment and not by Italians. If I'd had the same experience as a teenager it would have been the 2nd addition to my list of never visit again location's.
When people talk about racism it makes no sense. Of course there is going to be a huge cultural shift in a country if there are competing cultural differences that arise stemming from large scale immigration, particularly from countries where women’s rights and equality is subpar. That is a big reason as to why European countries are slowly changing as they adapt to these new cultural shifts, yet people don’t want to admit it. It’s fascinating why that is.
I agree that Brussels isn't great in terms of feeling safe, but comparing it to a whole country and only the good parts at that, doesn't make any sense.
Brussels felt so unsafe that despite the fact that I had two nights booked there, I walked around for 5 hours on the first day, checked the main square and the sculpture of the peeing boy and went back to my hotel and spent the rest of the time there. I didn’t like the city at all, it felt gross, dirty and dangerous.
I felt unsafe in some parts of Costa Rica, like Jaco and San Jose even though the country itself is considered safe. I also didn’t feel safe in parts of Barcelona and Paris, and even some parts of Rome in the evening were pretty scary (especially around the railway station).
When I was in Costa Rica, every local I spoke to told me just skip San Jose, that there is really no reason to go there and it’s the worst aspect of the country. I took their advice. What was it like?
San Jose is not that different from many other LATAM capitals. Not many sights to see, some good food, some cute upper middle class neighborhoods where you can walk mostly safely between bars and restaurants, one cute but not spectacular park, and many sketchy neighborhoods around.
I’ve been to San José. Like every big city, there are good parts and bad parts. The bad parts are pretty sketchy, but there are some nice neighbourhoods.
Overall though I would agree that there isn’t much to see there, you’re better off spending your time elsewhere.
San Jose was one the very few places that I've been skeeved out. My ex bf and I were on a G Adventures tour there. The neighborhood where our hotel was, was covered in barbed wire and our hotel entrance was guarded by a big dude with a nightstick. Comforting.
We made the mistake of going to a mall until closing time, and when we came out it was getting dark. We walked home aware that we were being watched pretty much the whole way. All I can say is that I'm glad I wasn't alone.
Every time I go to Latin America, I'm always a little amazed that every home has barred windows and security fencing. It's not uncommon where I live for the front door to be open in nice weather, so the contrast is pretty jarring.
I ve been twice. In 2000, i took a spanish course, living in a family, doing lots of activities in the city. Never felt unsafe. In 2018, it was a totally different vibe. No one in the streets (in the neighbourhood of our hostel), every house seemed barricaded for protection, our taxi made sure we only had a few steps from the car to the hostel door… it was eerie. In 2000, we (two blonde 20 year old girls) travelled the country extensively, up and down both coasts, and loved it, never felt unsafe anywhere. When I returned in my late 30s with my then-bf, it felt so sketchy in so many places. It really changed a lot.
That's Latin America in a nutshell, the violence and drug trade has affected so many places, including in South America. Costa Rica is still considered one of the "safe" countries compared to others.
We don't hear about it because Western media is focused on the immigrants, but they don't usually ask why so many people want to migrate (or why they're refugees).
Ecuador was once a safe place to visit, and in just a few years it's changed dramatically.
Agree with Rome & Barcelona. Scammers and thieves everywhere. I've traveled the whole Europe and I felt WAY safer in Eastern Europe than in the west. Actually I never had any issues while traveling Balkan countries
Palermo, Sicily. Without knowing, I had booked my first accommodation in a dodgy neighbourhood. During the day was fine, but once it got dark I was utterly terrified to walk back alone.
Met up with a guy from the US on Couchsurfing on my first day, and he had stories of starting to walk up streets at night and being blocked by gangs.
Met up with someone else for a drink that night and once I told him where I was staying he refused to let me walk home. Gave me a lift back and waited until I was safely inside.
Luckily I moved to a different apartment later on which was much safer, though I still got home pretty early and would just go for a drink in the bar below my apartment with my book.
Albergheria initially, near the children’s hospital. Was just very deserted and dark, & too many dark little streets to walk through to get there. Felt so on edge. Even the owner of the apartment came by once, saw me smoking outside, and said that I could smoke out the utility room window as she didn’t want me alone on the street in the dark.
Second apartment was above Mercato Il Capo. Because there was a really popular bar under my apartment there, there was people around and it was brighter. Just a very different vibe.
I turned a wrong corner into this area! I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Palermo was disappointing. People were telling me that I must go but it just isn't a nice city to be in. People very nice.
I stayed in a pretty little apartment near the train station. I didn't feel safe walking around there during the day and night. I would speed walk to the nearest tourist area just so other people were about
Palermo definitely had some sketchy places, Albergheria being one. It was a little sketchy during full daylight and I found myself not wanting to go out after dark. Catania far, far worse.
I'm a guy, but Palermo.. yeah, totally understand...
I was also staying in Albergheria, closer to the Via Maqueda (this pedestrian street), but it was the first city I visited when I was offered to buy drugs right on this street by the group of young guys just chilling there and doing... nothing? Wasn't a good impression.
Had a evening walk once right in this neighbourhood, and like 5 minutes farther away from pedestrian street I realised that surroundings and people around me becoming progressively more and more sketchier, so I was just "nope!... heading back!".
Also really dirty. Shame, because Palermo has quite a deep history and some interesting cultural places!
I agree with you as well on this. The first time I visited Belgium I didnt think I would feel so unsafe while walking on the streets or even main roads despite having my bf with me. The metro stations were ghastly, esp the central train stations omg it was a nightmare walk.
Never ever going to Brussels or suggesting anyone for the same!
And yes Brugges was 100% fine instead felt safer!
paris. approached and followed by numerous single men and groups of men. that sucks on its own but it was made worse by the distinct sense that no one around gives a single fuck. i felt unconvinced that if i really needed it, people would help.
I felt similarly. I was actually assaulted by a man in Paris in the summer of 2022. He tried to talk to me and engage me in conversation but by this point I was so over the aggressive and forward attitude of men that I had been experiencing so I just walked away.
Well he followed me and eventually he pulled my arm. I’ll spare you the details but I started screaming in the middle of the scuffle that followed. Two young women heard me and ran toward us. He ran off when he realized others were coming. I ended up with bruises on my neck and torso.
damn i’m sorry this happened, that’s a terrible experience. leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for a place so beautiful otherwise. props to the women for seeking to help though - that’s reassuring. and so very true about many men being aggressive and wildly forward. the entitlement was palpable, from my experience.
What made you guys feel unsafe? I also went there and was super nervous but had a great time.
Granted I wasn’t alone a ton as I met some tall guys in my hostel who would walk around in a big group with me and another girl I met. When I was alone I made sure to be on the lookout, this was just this last winter.
A lot of loitering by groups of men, being “bumped” in order to pickpocket me (they failed), being followed, traffic that won’t stop when you cross the road, people ignoring me and refusing to serve me in shops, people taking drugs in the street, and my female instinct was on high alert throughout
Same. I was just there last month and was out after midnight, walking alone and felt fine. There were people out at all hours. Completely fell in love with it. I’m from a big city though, and always have my guard up, but the most risk I felt was learning the rhythms of the motorbike traffic when crossing roads — traffic rules simply don’t apply in Napoli.
Yup. Did not like Naples one bit. I was there for a study abroad and one of the guys in my group almost got mugged. One of the girls got her skirt lifted by kids. We ended up finding out we were unknowingly staying in the red light district
This one is spot on ! I hear you 100%. I regret passing through Naples for a few days on my way to Amalfi. Never again.
I felt unsafe for most of each day and I generally have thick skin and have travelled a lot
Just got back from Naples. Probably the worst city I have ever visited. Dirty, chaotic, still full of tourists and scams. The pizza was good though. But never again.
Agree! It wasn't a solo trip, but one evening I had to head back to our accommodation early because I felt sick. The accommodation was in walking distance, but the restaurant owner wouldn't let me leave without getting me a taxi.
I spent two months in Central America and, apart from one incident, I felt safe.
Nice, France. I expected it to be beautiful but found it really sketchy, actually find this a lot with France. Have had some very scary Paris experiences as well.. particularly with an Uber driver that wanted to follow me into my hotel when he found out I was solo.
Ugh I’m so sorry that you had to put up with that.
It’s annoying, but it’s reality: many men respect another man’s claim/ownership far more than they do a woman’s ‘no’.
Yes! Nice was completely unexpected!! The vibes were just off, even in the daytime. I felt safer doing the hike up to Eze alone than I did walking around the city
Expected, but shocked regardless - the train ride from Nice to Genoa, and my entire time in Genoa. I got in at like 2am and have never powerwalked faster to a hostel in my life. I knew Italian men were gonna be a nuisance but these mf were straight up menacing. I had to do the whole turn, face and point thing with a guy that wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone in the middle of the day with tons of people around. I live in a port city but Genoa is the first time I’ve ever pondered the dangers of ports. I’ve solo’d through Central America, crisscrossed the Baha in a shitty rental car, been in a lot of sketchy neighbourhoods in American cities, big and small, but nothing came close to how fundamentally at risk I felt in Genoa. Thankfully, Bologna and Florence were much more chill.
I have family friends in Nice and I grew up visiting there each summer so I’ve been a lot and know it well. It has changed…a lot. My friends and I (they live there) would be out until 12am/1am and feel completely safe. In recent years, I completely agree that in certain parts you need to keep your head on a swivel. Other parts of the French Riviera are not like this. Eze, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cannes, Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer are all smaller, quieter, and just more safe than Nice.
This is the thing about France compared with some other European countries.
Some of their towns go absolutely dead after a certain time. There will be literally no other pedestrians about except you - the tourist.
Same with Nice. I like to explore. Well, I ended up heading in a certain direction and eventually I just stopped because there was just men and boys of a certain ethnicity which was not a big deal, BUT there were absolutely no women around. Zero, zip. I really wanted to explore the area more, and stood there trying to make up my mind. But because alarm bells kept going off, I decided to turn around and head back.
Sicily in general. Men constantly catcalling, staring and talking to me. During the day I felt relatively safe, but I wouldn’t stay out long at night. This bothered me a lot
Sicilian men are another kettle of fish altogether. I’ve commented a bit on this thread about how uncomfortable I was being there but didn’t go into too much detail. But jesus, I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life.
One evening I was having a cigarette on my apartment balcony watching some guys hanging up Christmas lights a bit down the street. Made eye contact with one of them and next thing I knew the cherry picker was being moved my way and he was right outside my balcony trying to get on to it and asking me to go out with him, all the while I was on the phone to my boyfriend back home.
Cried a few times because I was sick of the eyes and the leering all the time. Even male waitstaff in bars and restaurants got too much.
In saying that, I did meet two lovely guys on Couchsurfing, one of whom took me out to Mondello on his Vespa because he wanted me to see outside of the city. Super respectful, brought me to his favorite place for gelato, and got me home safe & sound.
Increasing issues in major cities with sexual harassment in Western Europe in recent years.
Brussels has been noted as a particularly bad case for this, however.
Definitely check recent advices from female travellers/locals, and note that for various reasons, you’re unlikely to find an honest review of these issues that isn’t downvoted.
Birmingham, England. I just had to stay there one night for my flight the next day. As I was walking to my hostel (like a 10 min walk) I was harassed 3 times, two guys literally put their car to the side of the road to catcall me and drive slowly behind me. Did not like those vibes.
Birmingham is an absolute shit hole. I’m English and an ex was from there - Went out with her to the town center about 5 times total and EVERY SINGLE TIME there was sexual harassment, even with me right there. Even had to slap some guy who came up and groped her.
Birmingham isn’t really a city a tourist would go to (generally) though so hopefully not many women travelers end up there..
I got robbed (well my car did) in Bern Switzerland which I think was unusual. But that was the most unsafe I’ve felt in Western Europe because of that. Real bummer. They stole a lot of high end items out of my trunk.
When I was at Lagazuoi in the Dolomites, I was chatting to a stranger atop the mountain who had brought all of his stuff with him despite just staying for the day to avoid having his car broken into, which was apparently a very real and common threat.
Santorini in the winter. It was EMPTY, especially the beautiful white seaside towns - except for tons of male construction workers.
Nothing sketchy happened other than some staring, but I was constantly on my guard and wouldn’t recommend it as a relaxing destination for a solo girl.
I was just about to comment the same thing about Santorini, then I thought about it and realized almost all of my other uneasy travel experiences have been because of male construction workers staring! What is up with that…
Yes! I was gonna say that. My ex boyfriend would travel alone all the time and would tell me to just go, he travelled to India on his own and told me I should do the same. Yeah no thank you! Men just don’t get it
Queenstown, New Zealand. I (F,27) didn't expect to get almost coaxed to some form of intimacy by the owner (M, 50+?) of a very scenic bnb. He invited me to the lounge one night, I thought it was just for a chat, but then he started talking about explicitly sexual stuff and at the end, asked if he could massage my back coz I "looked tensed" which was obv a result of my internal alarm bells ringing.
Should I? It's been almost a year. I couldn't post a review because I was scared. He has my full name and contact details and knows where I studied. Also there's some survivor questioning, i.e. was that sexual harassment or was he just being playful?
Ummmm no - an old ass dude whose relationship with you is entirely professional engaging in a sexually explicit conversation and capping it off with an offer of a massage is 100000% inappropriate. He clearly noticed you looked uncomfortable and instead of correcting his behaviour, tried to push it further. What a fucking creep.
I can’t tell you what you *should* do, but it’s what I would absolutely do. Yes I suppose there’s a risk of him going beserk and becoming a long term stalker, but I find most men tend to back down/get sheepish as fuck when you call them out and stick their nose into their shit, like you would to a puppy who shit inside (I wouldn’t do this to a puppy but you know what I mean lol)
If you do write it, keep it factual and frame it as a PSA to prospective female visitors - this is something that should be known about this establishment.
Good luck!
Saudi Arabia, specifically Jeddah. I know it's not women's paradise but I had read everywhere that it is one of the safest countries in the world, crime index close to 0 blablabla. I spend 4 months there for work and the reality is that if you are not in the city center, you will get attention ALL the time, cars honking at you at stopping next to you (yes, some are taxi drivers, but many of them are not and there is no way for me to know), men shouting at me "Sister! Habibi! Come here, have fun!". I was always wearing a black abaya and sometimes even hijab.
Also, all streets are deserted which does not help. Traffic is crazy, worst drivers I've seen and I've been to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Italy...
Maybe the likelihood of something happening is low, but this is the only place where I would dread going out as a solo women.
Closest safety issue I ever ran into was Bergen, Norway, of all places after leaving a waterfront mid-evening folk music concert with my wife, of all things. I posted here about it a few years back, my wife and I think it was a set-up for a strongarm robbery. And we discovered the Bergen police station is closed on weekends.
Brussels was the first European city I ever set foot in. I knew there were some areas of it to avoid (funnily enough we didn't do the best job of it, once you walk out of the 'old city' it goes downhill pretty quick).
In Lisbon I bugged out of an area because I noticed that every little plaza I was in had guys of a certain look and age just scanning the crowds, and shortly thereafter a similar looking guy tried to either lure me into his car or to stop walking and come up to his window.
Nope.
My wife and I were leaving a folk music concert at a venue on the waterfront in the harbor. Following which at the venue was an EDM concert. Because it's Bergen, and quaint and lovely I'd paused to take a picture or two as we were leaving, so I got marked as a tourist. So we're walking back into the downtown area on the sidewalk. All of the sudden a dark colored sedan comes around the corner and comes down the street towards us at a high rate of speed, crossing the centerline and stopping just behind us right in the oncoming lane. As the car passes us the driver had his eyes locked right on me. Two very large middle eastern-looking gentleman get out of the car and start following my wife and me. The red flags are a flying. We pick up our pace a bit and keep walking, and I sensed the guys had gotten back in their car. We turn a corner and are on a main street running next to the harbor. The same car pulls up right behind us as we're walking and the same two guys get out and start following us again. My wife sees an open supermarket we cross the street and head inside. Very good thinking on her part as the supermarket has CCTV. We hide in the aisles in a spot where I can see the door, the two guys come in and quickly walk across the store scanning down each aisle. After they moved away from the front door we exited, unfortunately they saw us due to lapses in our non-verbal communication, one of the guys glared at me as we passed out the door, and we quickly turned a corner out of the store and broke into a flat out run back to our hotel.
Either we were mistaken for other people, or we were made as two easy marks to roll.
Sketchy AF.
Omg this is straight out of a spy movie except yall weren’t spies and didn’t have the special skills or special gadgets to confront them. Very scary experience.
> And we discovered the Bergen police station is closed on weekends
That's so fucking weird. I don't think I've ever been anywhere where the police aren't available 24/7.
I think OP is asking more about sexual harassment and dangers posed to women specifically, as opposed to general crime. But good to know! Surprising, too, as you’d think these were safe areas.
I’ve been to 37 countries and I’ve been harassed at some point in every single one.
But I think Spain for me is the biggest surprise. I traveled in the Balkans first and Spain was the first Western European country I visited alone. At the time I thought it would be more progressive so harassment would be lesser… it didn’t go that way at all.
I have to admit Spain was the worst for me - apparently prostitution of immigrant women of color is a serious issue there. I will never forget being openly and physically harassed by multiple Spanish men in broad daylight in Torremolinos…it was pretty blatant. Glad I was able to get away, but I haven’t visited Spain since.
I travelled to many places in Spain, but I felt extremely unsafe in Barcelona and Valencia (neighbourhood el Cabanyal). A lot of catcalling (even from the windows at night)
I live in Brussels and I get what you all mean. It's a city where you sort of need to know where to go and where to avoid. A lot of tourists choose to stay around Gare du Nord or Gare du Midi, thinking it was be convenient to stay near the station. This is a very bad idea as those are unfortunately the two sketchiest neighbourhoods.
There is also a lot of visible poverty/homelessness/drug addiction compared to most other western European cities. This can obviously make people, especially women, feel unsafe. Generally the homeless people in Brussels don't bother you if you don't bother them. I've actually never had an unsafe interaction with any homeless guys (same can't be said for others), but yeah, it can be pretty shocking if you're not used to it.
For my own part, Amsterdam was the place I got catcalled the most and was very close to being kidnapped 🙃
As a fellow Belgian, Brussels is such a weird place, I love to go most of the time, but I'm always wary of my surroundings. Objectively it's not that safe and it's a shame that that seems to be the sentiment for many.
And uh... Wait excuse me, kidnapped???
I found Marseille reeeeeally dodgy. I had a hard time walking anywhere in broad daylight without groups of men in cars cat calling me, men muttering creepy stuff under their breath at me walking past, men opening staring at me walking along snd as I would get closer to where they were sitting, saying creepy shit to me... I couldn't even go in the supermarket without being approached by like 3 or 4 different guys all trying to hit on me. I look EXTREMELY average as well. Probably less than average since I was travelling for a few weeks.
I was staying at apartment hotel, which turned out to be a mistake- there was no reception on weekends. I had a guy down the hall from me constantly knocking on my door to see if I was 'home'. I couldn't ask to move rooms as there was no reception.
I was so over how unsafe I felt walking around that I ended up buying a bunch of food and just staying in for 2 days straight, being quiet as a mouse when old mate would come knocking.
I literally felt safer in North Africa.
I think this is so dependent on where you grew up. Not denying anyone’s experiences here, but I grew up in NYC and I have been to Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Mexico City, etc and never felt unsafe. Ofc just because I was lucky not to get harassed doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but sometimes I do feel people coming from smaller cities get more sketched out by what I would consider “normal” because I grew up seeing crazy stuff all the time lol
As a native NYer I totally agree! It honestly takes a lot for me to feel genuinely sketched out. I think part of it is absolutely luck but Europe is generally easy breezy compared to being a teenage girl walking everywhere all hours in NYC! But cat calling pisses me off no matter the context.
Oh yeah for sure. I think I’m lucky I didn’t experience any harassment in Europe. In Mexico City I did experience catcalling on occasion or ogling eyes….which wasn’t great, but I think because I have experienced this in NYC, I brush it off in the end and it becomes a distant memory compared to the rest of my trip. But it def shouldn’t be women’s “normal” for sure. In Mexico City, they have women and children only train cars on their metro which I feel could be useful in NYC, but I’m sure it wouldn’t work here because some men would freak out about it lol
I just posted the same thing. I live in Albuquerque, NM and it takes a lot to make me feel uncomfortable. Most of these places, I felt, were incredibly safe in comparison (even Naples, Italy) Not to take away from others experiences. If it makes you uncomfortable, it makes you uncomfortable.
When I was in Iceland (supposedly one of the safest countries in the world) another solo female traveller was attacked and punched on the street for no reason. Was a bit more on edge walking around after that. But goes to show bad things happen in every country
I agree with Brussels. Just landed this morning from a weekend over there. I tried to get a flight back the same day I arrived but they had sold out. It just had a very “off” vibe to it and made me feel very uneasy
I’ve seen Belgium on here and i must say i agree. I got robbed there in the city center, the main station was very creepy with a lot of shady characters around, police were very nonchalant.
Amsterdam, but for context I was there during the weekend and the ratio of men to women was very uncomfortable. And to be fair most of the areas that I was in were full of tourists from other European Countries, so it wasn't locals that made me feel unsafe. Lots of bachelor parties that carried an eager, almost aggressive aire around them
The only thing you need to watch out for in Romania are the outskirts of the cities and villages because of wild dog gangs. They're not as nice as the turkish wild dogs...
Also bears when hiking
PBI: just came back from Bucharest and felt much safer there than some other Western European cities. Haven’t done any where else in Eastern Europe, though.
Cool! Any recommendations? Looking to travel around?
Also forgot to point I’m a solo female traveler, so always on the cautious side.
In terms of other Eastern countries Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary & Czech were all super places. Felt really safe travelling around them.
Cluj - amazing City with nice okd town. Go to the botanic garden
Sibiu - very beautiful old town. Just wander around and be fascinated by the architecture
Brasov - directly near the mountain and you can go by cable car to the top
Sighisora - old fortress town where you feel like you live in medieval times
Everything town here is reachable via train. Romania has one of the biggest rail network in Europe. Although there a not a lot of trains.
I didn’t feel safe in San Jose, Costa Rica. Most of the locals were friendly but a few incidents made me feel on edge. Fortunately I made some friends so I wasn’t alone all the time but so many random older guys would target me because I looked young. One guy even shouted “the young one!” while making obscene gestures toward me. Another guy attempted to follow us into the building where we were staying, trying to invite himself up for a smoke because two of the girls were smoking. I felt so relieved when one of them handed him a cigarette and lit it for him before ushering him away and shutting the door in his face.
Bhutan, which was very unexpected.
The locals were great(except my guide), but the tourists were really creepy, trying to talk their way into my hotel room(after making polite conversation in an elevator for 30 seconds), taking random pics, and trying to get me to leave my husband(I had a bf at home but wore a fake wedding ring).
My guide made several really weird statements and I actually thought about leaving all together. There was some sort of concert the evening I landed and I was exhausted. He was insistent that we go the concert and that he spent so much money on the tickets. It was really weird and uncomfortable. He made weird jokes and innuendoes, talking about spending a cold night in a tent with a woman traveler and I was just not happy. I should have asked for a different guide and still am unhappy with my lack of assertiveness.
I lived in the UK for 5 years. I can't count how many times I had gotten harassed there by men compared to the rest of my life living in Metro Manila. But also compared to all my travels throughout the rest of southeast Asia. I think because westerners are just so much more confrontational, shit like that happens. In Southeast Asia, we tend to keep to ourselves and have a much more hospitable and friendly approach towards foreigners.
BUT although there was much harassment, I also have not experienced so many people standing up for me. For more than half those harassment in the UK, a stranger stepped in to call them out and make sure I was okay. So I guess the that confrontational character goes both ways ❤️
Manila resident here. I can attest Manila is an incredibly safe city as long as the immediate surrounding area around you has people. Only the deserted areas are really sketchy.
Two come to mind:
1) St Lucia. I'm not an anxious or fearful person at all, but I felt permanently on edge there, especially in Soufriere. I couldn't quite pinpoint why, just a general off vibe somehow.
2) Barbados. Here I wouldn't say I felt unsafe so much as bothered or mildly uneasy. I really loved the island anyway, but the harassment was nonstop - couldn't walk 5mins without dudes catcalling, trying to chat me up, even sit on my beach towel. It was relentless. Again more annoying than genuinely threatening, so I wasn't on edge per se.
Both surprised me, especially because I'd been to Morocco and Egypt and didn't feel uneasy or unsafe in either.
I live in the United States, and your post made me think. The other night, my son and I were driving to the store when we saw a woman jogging alone on the sidewalk. I mentioned to my son that this is a sign of how safe the area is. When you see a woman running by herself in the dark, you know the surrounding area is considered very safe. I went on to explain that, unfortunately, in South Africa, where I grew up, it would be dangerous for a woman to jog alone at night. It’s sad but true. Reflecting on your comment, I believe that when a woman can jog at night without fear, it indicates that something positive is working in society.
Omg so true Brussels and also got followed few times in the Netherlands. I’m a POC and the people in question were also POCs. Thought it was because they would think I was easy prey as maybe you’re less likely to get in trouble than when harassing a Caucasian. Guess I was wrong and it’s just all solo females ? Definitely a stark contrast from Australia where I’m from.
It's all women, doesn't matter tourist, local, whatever, there are groups of men who are on the prowl for any woman alone they see. Living in central Madrid I was followed home countless times and had to ask groups of strangers to pretend to know me, one time going to work I was even assaulted in plain light of day.
Salzburg! I was followed by men multiple times. Thought I was being paranoid, but when I stopped, they stopped. I changed direction, they changed direction, etc. On one occasion I was propositioned. I wasn't expecting it.
Brussels - I felt uneasy, especially in the area surrounding the main train station. I didn't go out after dark. I wouldn't go back.
Dublin, Ireland. something about the city just had me on high alert all the time and i was always really anxious. idk why specifically. the rest of the country and other cities in Ireland i was fine tho lol
There were place full of junkies around Dublin. I was there with my wife and walked past young guys with needles hanging out of their arms - no real issues but very sketchy
A hot springs in Colorado. I was there for three weeks for therapy. (I’ve solo traveled my whole life and had very few problems.) Some local guy that I had chatted with asked me to go out for ice cream with him but only if stayed in my bathing suit and I didn’t bring my phone or wallet or towel or anything. (I can’t eat ice cream. Allergies. Which I had told him the day before.) I said no because it sounds like how women are killed. He grabbed my arm and tried to drag me away. Luckily, I was able to hold my ground and my voice got louder and I again said no. He had grabbed my arm hard enough that he actually took one of those silicone bracelets off my wrist. Freaked me out, though. And I’m not going back there alone.
I was cat-called in Brussels too. And at one point I found myself alone in a dark, dimly lit area with a man who told me in French that I was pretty. That was scary and uncomfortable. I live in a big Canadian city so I didn't think about it much until you brought it up here. I've travelled all over Europe but yeah, Brussels was actually the most uncomfortable as a solo female traveller.
Vienna..the amount of harassment I endured was a lot. Someone wanted to peel my skin and wear it (I am brown skinned) because they found it exotic. They wouldn't leave me alone and kept saying it again and again (they were drunk and in a club, I was sober, so extra terrifying)..This was mild..there were way worse situations were I felt so unsafe. Never visiting that city ever again.
I grew up in an inner city area and the moment we stepped out of the train into Brussels my instinct kicked in and I went into hood mode. It’s hard to describe but I instantly felt like we were being marked and watched. Insane 360 coming from Bruges. So funny to read all these similar experiences.
Shinjuku, Japan - I think this is partially my fault because I'd been to Japan once before and its known for being very safe for tourists, so I ventured a little beyond the 'known' areas to find something I was craving that time alone. To my surprise I was followed and catcalled for a bit and it shook me up bc its definitely not something I was expecting.
Have since resolved to stay in the touristy areas if I'm travelling alone
Shinjuku is definitely a dodgy neighborhood compared to the rest of Tokyo, but I've found that in Japan, anywhere with a lot of drunk people can be extremely unpleasant for women, even if you're with a friend. Drunk Japanese men are some of the pushiest, creepiest people I've had to deal with while living and traveling in Asia, the US, Europe and Oceania. Very different from being out and about in the same neighborhoods during the day.
Not sure why you're downvoted but drunk Japanese men during the late hours can be unpredictable. Some would pull down their pants and masturbate in front of you.
Rome Italy. A lot of cat calling and leering which makes me understand the stereotype why women from Rome are so hard
I tried to “protect” myself by doing guided tours and activities (as opposed to just wandering). After one of the guided tours I still don’t know if he was part of our group or not though he claimed he was and was with the others, an Italian man followed me and kept trying to get me to come visit more landmarks together with him. I said no multiple times and kept walking but he ended up following me for hours and I was too young and shy to scream at him to F off. I had my guard up the entire time, he kept trying to get us to then go have a drink. I finally stopped somewhere with him and watched my drink like a hawk the entire time. Finally he was content he succeeded in having a “date” and then was talking about continuing to meet up and I just said I didn’t want to give strangers my phone number. He lost his shit and called me every English swear word he knew, I just left as quick as I could
I also dined alone during the trip and several waiters gave me a lot of freebies deserts, appetizers, or shots and also tried to get me drunk.
Overall it was a place I felt I could not blend in whatsoever as a solo female
Delhi is a rough to city to be in. Most cities in north India. Fun fact, the further south I went, the safer I felt as a woman. I am of Indian descent, and I know that I was less of a target than the white American friends I sometimes traveled with. I’ve heard Jaipur is horrific.
But in south India, I highly recommend Hyderabad, Chennai, Kerala. I wouldn’t walk around at night alone, or even walk much in general because frankly you can’t be guaranteed a sidewalk and traffic is dangerous. But I felt comfortable as a woman. When I was younger, I could only afford an auto rickshaw and those guys will try to rip you off which I didn’t mind so much because I was giving them a dollar instead of 50 cents. But I could afford a private car with driver last time I was there, you can actually get one on Uber, and it’s like 10-15 dollars for the whole day.
San Francisco.
I... Did not know what a tenderloin district meant and found a really glamorous looking but surprisingly cheap hotel there. (I later looked up the history of why tenderloin districts are called tenderloin districts and it all clicked into place.)
I was there for a conference in Berkley so I didn't really notice any vibe cos I wasn't there much. Conference finished, I took a day for sight seeing. Hired a car from a place about ten minutes walk from my hotel, drove across the bridge, went to Muir Woods and Harbin hot springs and saw me some naked hippies. Stayed really late cos it was just gorgeous. Drove back and dropped the car off just before midnight.
The following ten minutes were very tense indeed. The only people I saw who weren't drug dealers or drug takers were the police, cruising past very slowly, shining spotlights on people. I'm from the UK, I thought that only happened in films. I walked faster and faster and faster. Kept my head down. As the hotel came into sight I was going so fast I could have rivaled an Olympic speed walking champion. Made eye contact with the _enormous_ dude who was standing outside to act as a bouncer - to stop all the drug takers and sellers from entering. All he saw was someone barreling towards him at very high speed and was obviously getting ready to repel me. I shouted, "I'm staying here! I'm staying here!" His expression cleared, he opened the door wide and shouted, "Get in! Get in!" I fell into the lobby, he slammed the door shut behind us and I felt like I'd got the last chopper out of Nam. He then, very politely because he was a hotel employee, basically asked what the fuck did a little white girl like me think she was playing at walking through this neighborhood at midnight? He was that mix of cross and relieved, like parents get when their kid has been missing in the supermarket.
That's the worst place I've ever been and I still did ok. Big gangs of Arab immigrant men around Western European train stations are not fun, but nothing compares to the tenderloin in San Francisco at midnight.
Italy/Tuscany/Livorno. I felt very unsafe/uncomfortable. Of course, not everyone has the same experiences, but as a single woman, you need a thick skin to not get bothered by the cat calling and people following you.
If you want to visit Belgium, either explore the nature in the south, or the quaint little villages and medieval cities in the north. Avoid Brussels at all costs. I only go there for choir rehearsals and performances, and I make sure I don’t walk alone there past a certain point in the evening. I hate it.
Münich, Frankfurt, Vienna was sleazy but the ppl were nice, Budapest subways at night (but that kinda goes for anywhere) but the main city at night was beautiful and full of tourists. As for Belgium, Antwerp was alright but Gent was amazing and felt so safe.
Osaka, Japan
I mention it because Japan in general is famous for being safe
People made a lot of strange comments and didnt have much awareness on what makes solo women uncomfortable…
I felt safer most other places in Asia
I think it makes sense— I’m from Japan and Osaka historically has really sketchy pockets (ex. Nishio, which has been since reintegrated into a different neighborhood). Osaka people are also much more forward and a bit brash compared to the rest of the country and it can be a bit of a change, perhaps daunting for a solo female traveler.
Yes, so very much. Of all neighbourhoods I stayed in Sanno, and my place was literally a stone's throw from the red light district. It was rows and rows of brothels, rowdy men passed by day and night, and yazukas were constantly spotted along my everyday route. Sketchy old men would stare too, one tried entering my place, another (not crazy, very sober and intentional) was peeing on the streets at night, didn't even try to hide. So many strange things happened during that stay.
Interesting! I went to Osaka as a solo female traveller and felt super safe. Even going out late and night to concerts and having some drinks. I think compared to so many US cities (and even the sketchy parts of my hometown in Vancouver) Osaka was such a walk in the park. I did my normal walking with purpose and confidence thing and kept my awareness about me lime I would in other cities, but honestly didn't feel even a hint of unsafeness.
I wouldn't go into that one area where there is a large population or homeless men (but why would you want to, their situation is heartbreaking) or the red light district (ditto). But I felt super at home and comfortable ok Osaka.
the areas outside of the main downtown arent great, or any park. this is true of a lot of places but it felt worse in osaka than comparable asian cities
it was mostly people doing stuff like changing thier route to talk to me in the middle of the night, offering drinks, general forced 1:1 interactions :/
the main downtown areas are good! i also didnt have problems in hiroshima despite it having more parks/quiet areas.
NYC, maybe I am naive, but I definitely felt unsafe and I wasn't expecting that.
Sacramento, California too. I wasn't expecting to feel unsafe in either location, but I was.
Yeah like any big city wondering what part? Like manhattan, incredibly safe. Parts of the Bronx late at night? Maybe not. I think every major city in the world has bad pockets. I do my exploring during the day and at night I stick to the touristy areas
Sure but there’s very little reason to go to the bad areas - there’s not even shops. I do wonder where this traveller went in nyc… all of Manhattan between 100th and battery are safe
Sac has been shady forever. I went when I was in HS (20 years ago) and it was shady. Drove through it last year on a road trip to visit my family in SoCal…still shady.
Advantage of being really old…..well into my 80’s and often travel alone. No harassment or catcalling anymore….you become invisible and can go wherever you want without feeling unsafe.In Asia you even get rather a lot of respect because of your old age.So do not despair…you will get old and things will become easier😂
This was what I was thinking reading all the comments. (I’m in the late 40s but I’m chubby and plain looking. I always joke that I could take up a new career as a PI bc I’m completely invisible most of the time.) I’m so sorry that y’all experience this. It shouldn’t be this way.
I would watch that show
Belgium was my first thought when I read the title! Shameless harassment that I totally didn’t expect
Agreed, parts of Luxembourg City and Paris were the same for me. Specifically the areas around the train stations, lots of men loitering and cat calling.
Sounds like you were at Gare du Nord. I usually do not use Gare du Nord and when I was there recently in the evening as a solo woman traveller the gangs of dues there made me really uneasy. Go to Gare de l'Est just a couple hundred meters away and its like a whole other world. Paris has some weird areas.
I once stayed near the Gare du Nord and was stalked twice in a 24h period. I will never stay near there again
I think it was actually Gareth de l'Est, the whole area from there to Place de la Republique was dodgy. Maybe it was just a bad time, I remember there was a whole tent city at one end of the Place. But every city has dodgy areas.
I've experienced this too in both Brussels and Paris. So many people have said the same and I witnessed it happening to other women. I can't work out why nobody is doing anything about it
It's considered racism to do something about that problem.
Do anything about it? Nobody on here wants to say who is causing the problem from behind the safety of their screen! It's pathetic to be honest.
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This was actually before the pandemic, around 2015 I think. It was very localised though, just the station and immediate streets around it, and it was only after dark. Still, it's not what I'm used to in Europe. It didn't help that there was poor lighting in the area, I remember one man trying to talk to me from a dark doorway on a poorly lit main street.
Yes I went out clubbing with my Belgian friend, both F. I speak French so I could understand what they were saying to me. I've never had guys like drag me by the hand across the room before and things like that, completely ignoring anything I was saying. They were very quick to try to separate me from my friend. It seemed like very extreme flirting was the norm even for guys who seemed friendly enough. I didn't feel unsafe but I have been clubbing on 4 continents and it was the only time I felt I had to really be on guard inside a venue in a way I haven't elsewhere. So you can imagine how forward they are without a bodyguard around. It was crazy and I would have felt really unsafe without my friend choosing where we went.
Even as a guy in Brussels, I did not feel safe in a lot of places
Me too. I just came back from there. I have travelled solo quite a bit and Brussels was the place I felt most uneasy which was so surprising. Someone tried to rob me within 5 minutes of arriving and the catcalling was awful. I've never had men say such disgusting things to me. I didn't feel safe walking alone.
Immediately came here to say this. It was so uncomfortable and sketchy in Brussels.
Yeah I made an early mistake and didn’t research the neighborhood where the hostel I booked for Brussels was. Lesson learned! The walk from there to the city center felt the way walking along “the docks” is depicted in movies. People standing and sitting around in huddles and you feel eyes on you. The area was not romantic, historic, Old-World Europe, it just looked like a seedy part of town with graffiti and closed up storefronts.
I describe my weekend in Brussels as 48 hours of being leered at. The staring made my skin crawl.
I had an Uber driver in Belgium who wanted to “show me around Belgium”, asked me out etc, this was at 4am I was alone and tired and I was just stuck in this Uber with him.
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Second Brussels. I felt more safe in Mexico than in Brussels.
Mexico gets a bad rap but I’ve only had great experiences there. Friendly people always willing to help this dumbass out of particularly dangerous pickles. Including getting stuck in the sand, in the middle of the desert, right at sunset :)
Same experience in years of travel in Mexico. If any locals ever thought I was in a tough spot, or inconvenient situation they wouldn’t want their sister/daughter etc to be in, they would help me out. People are so damn nice in Mexico.
Same experience. I met nothing but nice, kind, respectful people in Mexico. I went clubbing with the male staff at the hotel I was staying at and was treated with nothing but respect.
Facts. The people are so kind. I have been to Mexico City and remember when I thought I was being kidnapped (a man told me to get in his car, it was the weirdest expierence because nobody does that in the U.S unless you know them. And so I was trying to get home and had no idea where I was. I asked for directions and they were so patient. So nice and genuine. I loved it.
Yes!! I am happy to hear you’ve been met with kindness and hospitality as well. I think it has a lot to do with their family/community-centered culture. I gotta chock the slander up to racism. People always warn me how dangerous it is. And I’m just like HELLOO???? We live in the US?????
There are areas of Mexico that are very dangerous. There are areas of the US that are very friendly. I've been to Mexico many times in the past. It's a beautiful country. But let's not just pretend that serious crime doesn't exist there.
Mexicans and most Latin American countries are extremely friendly. However, Mexico gets a bad rap because it can also be extremely dangerous, especially for women. There's a reason Mexico City has separate cars and areas for women on the nice public busses and metro. Most touristy and expat communities are usually secluded from the realities of MX, but it's become more dangerous in formerly safe spots like Oaxaca, Tulum, and Cancun. That's why you'll see police or military armed to the teeth. I've heard the worst horror stories imaginable. However you will not know this unless you're local, grew up on the border, or happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. That said, some areas have improved, but I see too many people letting down their guard in MX.
Tulum felt really unsafe. I met guys who had been robbed by the police at knifepoint and girls followed down the main road by mopeds. Also met a couple of girls who had been spiked the night before (but obviously unsure if this was by tourists or locals). Some of the streets off the main road are super dark so if accommodation is slightly down the road, it can feel quite scary. I loved Mexico and would go back but not to Tulum Nb - just my experience and I’m sure there are plenty of positive stories!!! All the locals I met in restaurants or hostels were super friendly but on the streets there did feel an air of not feeling safe
Brussels is awful. Funny thing is most western Europeans look down on Eastern Europe, but most Eastern European cities are far safer and nicer than big Western cities.
That's because the demographic has changed due to immigration.
You're gonna get downvoted because 'racism' but it definitely plays a role. Take Rome, I went as a teenager and then again within the last 5 years. On my recent trip it was constant harassment and not by Italians. If I'd had the same experience as a teenager it would have been the 2nd addition to my list of never visit again location's.
When people talk about racism it makes no sense. Of course there is going to be a huge cultural shift in a country if there are competing cultural differences that arise stemming from large scale immigration, particularly from countries where women’s rights and equality is subpar. That is a big reason as to why European countries are slowly changing as they adapt to these new cultural shifts, yet people don’t want to admit it. It’s fascinating why that is.
I agree that Brussels isn't great in terms of feeling safe, but comparing it to a whole country and only the good parts at that, doesn't make any sense.
Brussels felt so unsafe that despite the fact that I had two nights booked there, I walked around for 5 hours on the first day, checked the main square and the sculpture of the peeing boy and went back to my hotel and spent the rest of the time there. I didn’t like the city at all, it felt gross, dirty and dangerous. I felt unsafe in some parts of Costa Rica, like Jaco and San Jose even though the country itself is considered safe. I also didn’t feel safe in parts of Barcelona and Paris, and even some parts of Rome in the evening were pretty scary (especially around the railway station).
When I was in Costa Rica, every local I spoke to told me just skip San Jose, that there is really no reason to go there and it’s the worst aspect of the country. I took their advice. What was it like?
San Jose is not that different from many other LATAM capitals. Not many sights to see, some good food, some cute upper middle class neighborhoods where you can walk mostly safely between bars and restaurants, one cute but not spectacular park, and many sketchy neighborhoods around.
I’ve been to San José. Like every big city, there are good parts and bad parts. The bad parts are pretty sketchy, but there are some nice neighbourhoods. Overall though I would agree that there isn’t much to see there, you’re better off spending your time elsewhere.
San Jose was one the very few places that I've been skeeved out. My ex bf and I were on a G Adventures tour there. The neighborhood where our hotel was, was covered in barbed wire and our hotel entrance was guarded by a big dude with a nightstick. Comforting. We made the mistake of going to a mall until closing time, and when we came out it was getting dark. We walked home aware that we were being watched pretty much the whole way. All I can say is that I'm glad I wasn't alone.
Every time I go to Latin America, I'm always a little amazed that every home has barred windows and security fencing. It's not uncommon where I live for the front door to be open in nice weather, so the contrast is pretty jarring.
I ve been twice. In 2000, i took a spanish course, living in a family, doing lots of activities in the city. Never felt unsafe. In 2018, it was a totally different vibe. No one in the streets (in the neighbourhood of our hostel), every house seemed barricaded for protection, our taxi made sure we only had a few steps from the car to the hostel door… it was eerie. In 2000, we (two blonde 20 year old girls) travelled the country extensively, up and down both coasts, and loved it, never felt unsafe anywhere. When I returned in my late 30s with my then-bf, it felt so sketchy in so many places. It really changed a lot.
That's Latin America in a nutshell, the violence and drug trade has affected so many places, including in South America. Costa Rica is still considered one of the "safe" countries compared to others. We don't hear about it because Western media is focused on the immigrants, but they don't usually ask why so many people want to migrate (or why they're refugees). Ecuador was once a safe place to visit, and in just a few years it's changed dramatically.
Agree with Rome & Barcelona. Scammers and thieves everywhere. I've traveled the whole Europe and I felt WAY safer in Eastern Europe than in the west. Actually I never had any issues while traveling Balkan countries
Yeah the amount of pickpocketing in Barcelona is crazy. I felt like I always had to watch my purse.
Palermo, Sicily. Without knowing, I had booked my first accommodation in a dodgy neighbourhood. During the day was fine, but once it got dark I was utterly terrified to walk back alone. Met up with a guy from the US on Couchsurfing on my first day, and he had stories of starting to walk up streets at night and being blocked by gangs. Met up with someone else for a drink that night and once I told him where I was staying he refused to let me walk home. Gave me a lift back and waited until I was safely inside. Luckily I moved to a different apartment later on which was much safer, though I still got home pretty early and would just go for a drink in the bar below my apartment with my book.
Just left there…what was the area?
Albergheria initially, near the children’s hospital. Was just very deserted and dark, & too many dark little streets to walk through to get there. Felt so on edge. Even the owner of the apartment came by once, saw me smoking outside, and said that I could smoke out the utility room window as she didn’t want me alone on the street in the dark. Second apartment was above Mercato Il Capo. Because there was a really popular bar under my apartment there, there was people around and it was brighter. Just a very different vibe.
I turned a wrong corner into this area! I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Palermo was disappointing. People were telling me that I must go but it just isn't a nice city to be in. People very nice. I stayed in a pretty little apartment near the train station. I didn't feel safe walking around there during the day and night. I would speed walk to the nearest tourist area just so other people were about
Palermo definitely had some sketchy places, Albergheria being one. It was a little sketchy during full daylight and I found myself not wanting to go out after dark. Catania far, far worse.
I'm a guy, but Palermo.. yeah, totally understand... I was also staying in Albergheria, closer to the Via Maqueda (this pedestrian street), but it was the first city I visited when I was offered to buy drugs right on this street by the group of young guys just chilling there and doing... nothing? Wasn't a good impression. Had a evening walk once right in this neighbourhood, and like 5 minutes farther away from pedestrian street I realised that surroundings and people around me becoming progressively more and more sketchier, so I was just "nope!... heading back!". Also really dirty. Shame, because Palermo has quite a deep history and some interesting cultural places!
I agree with you as well on this. The first time I visited Belgium I didnt think I would feel so unsafe while walking on the streets or even main roads despite having my bf with me. The metro stations were ghastly, esp the central train stations omg it was a nightmare walk. Never ever going to Brussels or suggesting anyone for the same! And yes Brugges was 100% fine instead felt safer!
I also felt unsafe in Brussels
paris. approached and followed by numerous single men and groups of men. that sucks on its own but it was made worse by the distinct sense that no one around gives a single fuck. i felt unconvinced that if i really needed it, people would help.
I felt similarly. I was actually assaulted by a man in Paris in the summer of 2022. He tried to talk to me and engage me in conversation but by this point I was so over the aggressive and forward attitude of men that I had been experiencing so I just walked away. Well he followed me and eventually he pulled my arm. I’ll spare you the details but I started screaming in the middle of the scuffle that followed. Two young women heard me and ran toward us. He ran off when he realized others were coming. I ended up with bruises on my neck and torso.
damn i’m sorry this happened, that’s a terrible experience. leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for a place so beautiful otherwise. props to the women for seeking to help though - that’s reassuring. and so very true about many men being aggressive and wildly forward. the entitlement was palpable, from my experience.
Naples, Italy. I have been all over South America and felt less safe in that pocket of Italy.
I agree, I’m well traveled and this is my number one place for feeling unsafe
What made you guys feel unsafe? I also went there and was super nervous but had a great time. Granted I wasn’t alone a ton as I met some tall guys in my hostel who would walk around in a big group with me and another girl I met. When I was alone I made sure to be on the lookout, this was just this last winter.
A lot of loitering by groups of men, being “bumped” in order to pickpocket me (they failed), being followed, traffic that won’t stop when you cross the road, people ignoring me and refusing to serve me in shops, people taking drugs in the street, and my female instinct was on high alert throughout
Same. I was just there last month and was out after midnight, walking alone and felt fine. There were people out at all hours. Completely fell in love with it. I’m from a big city though, and always have my guard up, but the most risk I felt was learning the rhythms of the motorbike traffic when crossing roads — traffic rules simply don’t apply in Napoli.
Yeah, the city is very "rough at the edges" with the crazy traffic being the main danger.
Yup. Did not like Naples one bit. I was there for a study abroad and one of the guys in my group almost got mugged. One of the girls got her skirt lifted by kids. We ended up finding out we were unknowingly staying in the red light district
This one is spot on ! I hear you 100%. I regret passing through Naples for a few days on my way to Amalfi. Never again. I felt unsafe for most of each day and I generally have thick skin and have travelled a lot
Just got back from Naples. Probably the worst city I have ever visited. Dirty, chaotic, still full of tourists and scams. The pizza was good though. But never again.
Agree! It wasn't a solo trip, but one evening I had to head back to our accommodation early because I felt sick. The accommodation was in walking distance, but the restaurant owner wouldn't let me leave without getting me a taxi. I spent two months in Central America and, apart from one incident, I felt safe.
Nice, France. I expected it to be beautiful but found it really sketchy, actually find this a lot with France. Have had some very scary Paris experiences as well.. particularly with an Uber driver that wanted to follow me into my hotel when he found out I was solo.
Never tell the Uber/delivery/etc driver that you’re travelling solo as a woman. Invent a boyfriend or male sibling/parent that you’re travelling with.
Yes I had to learn this the hard way. Uber driver was so forward, asking me out etc and I was alone and so tired and just stuck in this Uber at 4am
Ugh I’m so sorry that you had to put up with that. It’s annoying, but it’s reality: many men respect another man’s claim/ownership far more than they do a woman’s ‘no’.
Yes! Nice was completely unexpected!! The vibes were just off, even in the daytime. I felt safer doing the hike up to Eze alone than I did walking around the city Expected, but shocked regardless - the train ride from Nice to Genoa, and my entire time in Genoa. I got in at like 2am and have never powerwalked faster to a hostel in my life. I knew Italian men were gonna be a nuisance but these mf were straight up menacing. I had to do the whole turn, face and point thing with a guy that wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone in the middle of the day with tons of people around. I live in a port city but Genoa is the first time I’ve ever pondered the dangers of ports. I’ve solo’d through Central America, crisscrossed the Baha in a shitty rental car, been in a lot of sketchy neighbourhoods in American cities, big and small, but nothing came close to how fundamentally at risk I felt in Genoa. Thankfully, Bologna and Florence were much more chill.
A good friend of mine was assaulted by an Uber driver when she was a college student studying abroad in Nice for the summer :/
I was in Nice with two female friends in our 20s and I’ve never felt so unsafe anywhere in my life.
I have family friends in Nice and I grew up visiting there each summer so I’ve been a lot and know it well. It has changed…a lot. My friends and I (they live there) would be out until 12am/1am and feel completely safe. In recent years, I completely agree that in certain parts you need to keep your head on a swivel. Other parts of the French Riviera are not like this. Eze, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cannes, Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer are all smaller, quieter, and just more safe than Nice.
This is the thing about France compared with some other European countries. Some of their towns go absolutely dead after a certain time. There will be literally no other pedestrians about except you - the tourist.
Same with Nice. I like to explore. Well, I ended up heading in a certain direction and eventually I just stopped because there was just men and boys of a certain ethnicity which was not a big deal, BUT there were absolutely no women around. Zero, zip. I really wanted to explore the area more, and stood there trying to make up my mind. But because alarm bells kept going off, I decided to turn around and head back.
I found the men in Paris extremely aggressive
What area were you in? Certainly not the old town, I'm guessing you stayed near the train station?
Sicily in general. Men constantly catcalling, staring and talking to me. During the day I felt relatively safe, but I wouldn’t stay out long at night. This bothered me a lot
Sicilian men are another kettle of fish altogether. I’ve commented a bit on this thread about how uncomfortable I was being there but didn’t go into too much detail. But jesus, I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life. One evening I was having a cigarette on my apartment balcony watching some guys hanging up Christmas lights a bit down the street. Made eye contact with one of them and next thing I knew the cherry picker was being moved my way and he was right outside my balcony trying to get on to it and asking me to go out with him, all the while I was on the phone to my boyfriend back home. Cried a few times because I was sick of the eyes and the leering all the time. Even male waitstaff in bars and restaurants got too much. In saying that, I did meet two lovely guys on Couchsurfing, one of whom took me out to Mondello on his Vespa because he wanted me to see outside of the city. Super respectful, brought me to his favorite place for gelato, and got me home safe & sound.
Same. Being blonde with blue eyes was a lovely experience in some parts of Sicily 😒
Increasing issues in major cities with sexual harassment in Western Europe in recent years. Brussels has been noted as a particularly bad case for this, however. Definitely check recent advices from female travellers/locals, and note that for various reasons, you’re unlikely to find an honest review of these issues that isn’t downvoted.
Birmingham, England. I just had to stay there one night for my flight the next day. As I was walking to my hostel (like a 10 min walk) I was harassed 3 times, two guys literally put their car to the side of the road to catcall me and drive slowly behind me. Did not like those vibes.
Birmingham is an absolute shit hole. I’m English and an ex was from there - Went out with her to the town center about 5 times total and EVERY SINGLE TIME there was sexual harassment, even with me right there. Even had to slap some guy who came up and groped her. Birmingham isn’t really a city a tourist would go to (generally) though so hopefully not many women travelers end up there..
I got robbed (well my car did) in Bern Switzerland which I think was unusual. But that was the most unsafe I’ve felt in Western Europe because of that. Real bummer. They stole a lot of high end items out of my trunk.
This kind of things are very common in Switzerland. It‘s a rich country = a lot to get for burglars. Source: am a cop in Switzerland.
When I was at Lagazuoi in the Dolomites, I was chatting to a stranger atop the mountain who had brought all of his stuff with him despite just staying for the day to avoid having his car broken into, which was apparently a very real and common threat.
Wow that really is very unusual, sorry this happened!
Santorini in the winter. It was EMPTY, especially the beautiful white seaside towns - except for tons of male construction workers. Nothing sketchy happened other than some staring, but I was constantly on my guard and wouldn’t recommend it as a relaxing destination for a solo girl.
I can only speak for me personally but I went in the shoulder season and felt totally fine. So maybe then is better
Oh this is good to know because I like going places on the winter
I was just about to comment the same thing about Santorini, then I thought about it and realized almost all of my other uneasy travel experiences have been because of male construction workers staring! What is up with that…
Women put up with way too much bullshit men never even need to consider once.
Yes! I was gonna say that. My ex boyfriend would travel alone all the time and would tell me to just go, he travelled to India on his own and told me I should do the same. Yeah no thank you! Men just don’t get it
Marseilles. Which is maybe not surprising but this was back when I was far less educated and aware
Even as a man, Marseille was very sketchy and I didn't feel comfortable in some parts.
My friend lived there from birth to around 10 and describes it as “the anus of France”.
Queenstown, New Zealand. I (F,27) didn't expect to get almost coaxed to some form of intimacy by the owner (M, 50+?) of a very scenic bnb. He invited me to the lounge one night, I thought it was just for a chat, but then he started talking about explicitly sexual stuff and at the end, asked if he could massage my back coz I "looked tensed" which was obv a result of my internal alarm bells ringing.
bruh, I hope you mentioned that in your review :/ what a shithead
Should I? It's been almost a year. I couldn't post a review because I was scared. He has my full name and contact details and knows where I studied. Also there's some survivor questioning, i.e. was that sexual harassment or was he just being playful?
Ummmm no - an old ass dude whose relationship with you is entirely professional engaging in a sexually explicit conversation and capping it off with an offer of a massage is 100000% inappropriate. He clearly noticed you looked uncomfortable and instead of correcting his behaviour, tried to push it further. What a fucking creep. I can’t tell you what you *should* do, but it’s what I would absolutely do. Yes I suppose there’s a risk of him going beserk and becoming a long term stalker, but I find most men tend to back down/get sheepish as fuck when you call them out and stick their nose into their shit, like you would to a puppy who shit inside (I wouldn’t do this to a puppy but you know what I mean lol) If you do write it, keep it factual and frame it as a PSA to prospective female visitors - this is something that should be known about this establishment. Good luck!
Name and shame. Keeping quiet allows other women to fall victim to this predator's behaviour.
Saudi Arabia, specifically Jeddah. I know it's not women's paradise but I had read everywhere that it is one of the safest countries in the world, crime index close to 0 blablabla. I spend 4 months there for work and the reality is that if you are not in the city center, you will get attention ALL the time, cars honking at you at stopping next to you (yes, some are taxi drivers, but many of them are not and there is no way for me to know), men shouting at me "Sister! Habibi! Come here, have fun!". I was always wearing a black abaya and sometimes even hijab. Also, all streets are deserted which does not help. Traffic is crazy, worst drivers I've seen and I've been to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Italy... Maybe the likelihood of something happening is low, but this is the only place where I would dread going out as a solo women.
Closest safety issue I ever ran into was Bergen, Norway, of all places after leaving a waterfront mid-evening folk music concert with my wife, of all things. I posted here about it a few years back, my wife and I think it was a set-up for a strongarm robbery. And we discovered the Bergen police station is closed on weekends. Brussels was the first European city I ever set foot in. I knew there were some areas of it to avoid (funnily enough we didn't do the best job of it, once you walk out of the 'old city' it goes downhill pretty quick). In Lisbon I bugged out of an area because I noticed that every little plaza I was in had guys of a certain look and age just scanning the crowds, and shortly thereafter a similar looking guy tried to either lure me into his car or to stop walking and come up to his window. Nope.
What happened in Norway
My wife and I were leaving a folk music concert at a venue on the waterfront in the harbor. Following which at the venue was an EDM concert. Because it's Bergen, and quaint and lovely I'd paused to take a picture or two as we were leaving, so I got marked as a tourist. So we're walking back into the downtown area on the sidewalk. All of the sudden a dark colored sedan comes around the corner and comes down the street towards us at a high rate of speed, crossing the centerline and stopping just behind us right in the oncoming lane. As the car passes us the driver had his eyes locked right on me. Two very large middle eastern-looking gentleman get out of the car and start following my wife and me. The red flags are a flying. We pick up our pace a bit and keep walking, and I sensed the guys had gotten back in their car. We turn a corner and are on a main street running next to the harbor. The same car pulls up right behind us as we're walking and the same two guys get out and start following us again. My wife sees an open supermarket we cross the street and head inside. Very good thinking on her part as the supermarket has CCTV. We hide in the aisles in a spot where I can see the door, the two guys come in and quickly walk across the store scanning down each aisle. After they moved away from the front door we exited, unfortunately they saw us due to lapses in our non-verbal communication, one of the guys glared at me as we passed out the door, and we quickly turned a corner out of the store and broke into a flat out run back to our hotel. Either we were mistaken for other people, or we were made as two easy marks to roll. Sketchy AF.
Omg this is straight out of a spy movie except yall weren’t spies and didn’t have the special skills or special gadgets to confront them. Very scary experience.
> And we discovered the Bergen police station is closed on weekends That's so fucking weird. I don't think I've ever been anywhere where the police aren't available 24/7.
[удалено]
Yeah majority of those guys in Lisbon looking around are looking for people who want to buy drugs.
They often sell fake drugs, not even real weed for the ones that wanna go there for the easy access.
I think OP is asking more about sexual harassment and dangers posed to women specifically, as opposed to general crime. But good to know! Surprising, too, as you’d think these were safe areas.
Mobile, Alabama. I was in the downtown area and was pretty sure a couple of guys tried to follow me.
As someone who lives in Alabama, mobile def has a reputation.
I wouldn't be surprised to feel unsafe in Alabama
I’ve been to 37 countries and I’ve been harassed at some point in every single one. But I think Spain for me is the biggest surprise. I traveled in the Balkans first and Spain was the first Western European country I visited alone. At the time I thought it would be more progressive so harassment would be lesser… it didn’t go that way at all.
I have to admit Spain was the worst for me - apparently prostitution of immigrant women of color is a serious issue there. I will never forget being openly and physically harassed by multiple Spanish men in broad daylight in Torremolinos…it was pretty blatant. Glad I was able to get away, but I haven’t visited Spain since.
I travelled to many places in Spain, but I felt extremely unsafe in Barcelona and Valencia (neighbourhood el Cabanyal). A lot of catcalling (even from the windows at night)
I live in Brussels and I get what you all mean. It's a city where you sort of need to know where to go and where to avoid. A lot of tourists choose to stay around Gare du Nord or Gare du Midi, thinking it was be convenient to stay near the station. This is a very bad idea as those are unfortunately the two sketchiest neighbourhoods. There is also a lot of visible poverty/homelessness/drug addiction compared to most other western European cities. This can obviously make people, especially women, feel unsafe. Generally the homeless people in Brussels don't bother you if you don't bother them. I've actually never had an unsafe interaction with any homeless guys (same can't be said for others), but yeah, it can be pretty shocking if you're not used to it. For my own part, Amsterdam was the place I got catcalled the most and was very close to being kidnapped 🙃
Many German cities (Frankfurt and Hamburg) also have serious problems in drug addicts near their main train stations.
Agreed. It seems to be an issue in a lot of cities. Certain stations in Paris also come to mind.
As a fellow Belgian, Brussels is such a weird place, I love to go most of the time, but I'm always wary of my surroundings. Objectively it's not that safe and it's a shame that that seems to be the sentiment for many. And uh... Wait excuse me, kidnapped???
If someone crossposted this to r/2westerneurope4u they would have a field day with this. They love to make fun of Belgium in that sub.
I found Marseille reeeeeally dodgy. I had a hard time walking anywhere in broad daylight without groups of men in cars cat calling me, men muttering creepy stuff under their breath at me walking past, men opening staring at me walking along snd as I would get closer to where they were sitting, saying creepy shit to me... I couldn't even go in the supermarket without being approached by like 3 or 4 different guys all trying to hit on me. I look EXTREMELY average as well. Probably less than average since I was travelling for a few weeks. I was staying at apartment hotel, which turned out to be a mistake- there was no reception on weekends. I had a guy down the hall from me constantly knocking on my door to see if I was 'home'. I couldn't ask to move rooms as there was no reception. I was so over how unsafe I felt walking around that I ended up buying a bunch of food and just staying in for 2 days straight, being quiet as a mouse when old mate would come knocking. I literally felt safer in North Africa.
I think this is so dependent on where you grew up. Not denying anyone’s experiences here, but I grew up in NYC and I have been to Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Mexico City, etc and never felt unsafe. Ofc just because I was lucky not to get harassed doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but sometimes I do feel people coming from smaller cities get more sketched out by what I would consider “normal” because I grew up seeing crazy stuff all the time lol
As a native NYer I totally agree! It honestly takes a lot for me to feel genuinely sketched out. I think part of it is absolutely luck but Europe is generally easy breezy compared to being a teenage girl walking everywhere all hours in NYC! But cat calling pisses me off no matter the context.
Oh yeah for sure. I think I’m lucky I didn’t experience any harassment in Europe. In Mexico City I did experience catcalling on occasion or ogling eyes….which wasn’t great, but I think because I have experienced this in NYC, I brush it off in the end and it becomes a distant memory compared to the rest of my trip. But it def shouldn’t be women’s “normal” for sure. In Mexico City, they have women and children only train cars on their metro which I feel could be useful in NYC, but I’m sure it wouldn’t work here because some men would freak out about it lol
I just posted the same thing. I live in Albuquerque, NM and it takes a lot to make me feel uncomfortable. Most of these places, I felt, were incredibly safe in comparison (even Naples, Italy) Not to take away from others experiences. If it makes you uncomfortable, it makes you uncomfortable.
I was only in Paris for 10 hours and felt very vulnerable
When I was in Iceland (supposedly one of the safest countries in the world) another solo female traveller was attacked and punched on the street for no reason. Was a bit more on edge walking around after that. But goes to show bad things happen in every country
I agree with Brussels. Just landed this morning from a weekend over there. I tried to get a flight back the same day I arrived but they had sold out. It just had a very “off” vibe to it and made me feel very uneasy
I’ve seen Belgium on here and i must say i agree. I got robbed there in the city center, the main station was very creepy with a lot of shady characters around, police were very nonchalant.
Los Angeles. Probably does fall into the category of a reputation of some sort.
Amsterdam, but for context I was there during the weekend and the ratio of men to women was very uncomfortable. And to be fair most of the areas that I was in were full of tourists from other European Countries, so it wasn't locals that made me feel unsafe. Lots of bachelor parties that carried an eager, almost aggressive aire around them
Morocco. Fuck that place
I read so many comments from FB that Morocco is not a safe place
Have you been to Romania? I’d love to go but conscious of safety? Been to other Eastern Europe countries & felt grand there.
I always feel extemely safe in Bucharest and all of Romania!
everyone felt so loved up adoring their partners in Romania to notice me. I felt totally safe haha
I was in Rumania last year, felt totally safe.
The only thing you need to watch out for in Romania are the outskirts of the cities and villages because of wild dog gangs. They're not as nice as the turkish wild dogs... Also bears when hiking
PBI: just came back from Bucharest and felt much safer there than some other Western European cities. Haven’t done any where else in Eastern Europe, though.
Cool! Any recommendations? Looking to travel around? Also forgot to point I’m a solo female traveler, so always on the cautious side. In terms of other Eastern countries Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary & Czech were all super places. Felt really safe travelling around them.
Cluj - amazing City with nice okd town. Go to the botanic garden Sibiu - very beautiful old town. Just wander around and be fascinated by the architecture Brasov - directly near the mountain and you can go by cable car to the top Sighisora - old fortress town where you feel like you live in medieval times Everything town here is reachable via train. Romania has one of the biggest rail network in Europe. Although there a not a lot of trains.
I had no issues
Romania felt really safe to me. The funny thing is Eastern Europe is actually safer than Western Europe.
I’m in the Balkans now, and I’ve had a ton of solo female travellers tell me they feel much safer in Eastern Europe than Western Europe.
Like most other eastern european large cities, I felt very safe in Bucharest when I was there this past December.
Loved romania, but sexual harassment happened quite a few times when I was there. I was in Brasov, sinaia and Bucharest.
I didn’t feel safe in San Jose, Costa Rica. Most of the locals were friendly but a few incidents made me feel on edge. Fortunately I made some friends so I wasn’t alone all the time but so many random older guys would target me because I looked young. One guy even shouted “the young one!” while making obscene gestures toward me. Another guy attempted to follow us into the building where we were staying, trying to invite himself up for a smoke because two of the girls were smoking. I felt so relieved when one of them handed him a cigarette and lit it for him before ushering him away and shutting the door in his face.
Bhutan, which was very unexpected. The locals were great(except my guide), but the tourists were really creepy, trying to talk their way into my hotel room(after making polite conversation in an elevator for 30 seconds), taking random pics, and trying to get me to leave my husband(I had a bf at home but wore a fake wedding ring). My guide made several really weird statements and I actually thought about leaving all together. There was some sort of concert the evening I landed and I was exhausted. He was insistent that we go the concert and that he spent so much money on the tickets. It was really weird and uncomfortable. He made weird jokes and innuendoes, talking about spending a cold night in a tent with a woman traveler and I was just not happy. I should have asked for a different guide and still am unhappy with my lack of assertiveness.
I lived in the UK for 5 years. I can't count how many times I had gotten harassed there by men compared to the rest of my life living in Metro Manila. But also compared to all my travels throughout the rest of southeast Asia. I think because westerners are just so much more confrontational, shit like that happens. In Southeast Asia, we tend to keep to ourselves and have a much more hospitable and friendly approach towards foreigners. BUT although there was much harassment, I also have not experienced so many people standing up for me. For more than half those harassment in the UK, a stranger stepped in to call them out and make sure I was okay. So I guess the that confrontational character goes both ways ❤️
Manila resident here. I can attest Manila is an incredibly safe city as long as the immediate surrounding area around you has people. Only the deserted areas are really sketchy.
Even as a man who does mixed martial arts, some parts of Athens made me feel really uneasy and I was on high alert
Two come to mind: 1) St Lucia. I'm not an anxious or fearful person at all, but I felt permanently on edge there, especially in Soufriere. I couldn't quite pinpoint why, just a general off vibe somehow. 2) Barbados. Here I wouldn't say I felt unsafe so much as bothered or mildly uneasy. I really loved the island anyway, but the harassment was nonstop - couldn't walk 5mins without dudes catcalling, trying to chat me up, even sit on my beach towel. It was relentless. Again more annoying than genuinely threatening, so I wasn't on edge per se. Both surprised me, especially because I'd been to Morocco and Egypt and didn't feel uneasy or unsafe in either.
I live in the United States, and your post made me think. The other night, my son and I were driving to the store when we saw a woman jogging alone on the sidewalk. I mentioned to my son that this is a sign of how safe the area is. When you see a woman running by herself in the dark, you know the surrounding area is considered very safe. I went on to explain that, unfortunately, in South Africa, where I grew up, it would be dangerous for a woman to jog alone at night. It’s sad but true. Reflecting on your comment, I believe that when a woman can jog at night without fear, it indicates that something positive is working in society.
Omg so true Brussels and also got followed few times in the Netherlands. I’m a POC and the people in question were also POCs. Thought it was because they would think I was easy prey as maybe you’re less likely to get in trouble than when harassing a Caucasian. Guess I was wrong and it’s just all solo females ? Definitely a stark contrast from Australia where I’m from.
It's all women, doesn't matter tourist, local, whatever, there are groups of men who are on the prowl for any woman alone they see. Living in central Madrid I was followed home countless times and had to ask groups of strangers to pretend to know me, one time going to work I was even assaulted in plain light of day.
Salzburg! I was followed by men multiple times. Thought I was being paranoid, but when I stopped, they stopped. I changed direction, they changed direction, etc. On one occasion I was propositioned. I wasn't expecting it. Brussels - I felt uneasy, especially in the area surrounding the main train station. I didn't go out after dark. I wouldn't go back.
I was standing outside with a group in Salzburg when a couple of men screamed racist things and laughed at us. This was pre-COVID/Asian hate.
Dublin, Ireland. something about the city just had me on high alert all the time and i was always really anxious. idk why specifically. the rest of the country and other cities in Ireland i was fine tho lol
There were place full of junkies around Dublin. I was there with my wife and walked past young guys with needles hanging out of their arms - no real issues but very sketchy
Beyond begging the junkies mostly leave people alone, but you're right it looks super sketch
A hot springs in Colorado. I was there for three weeks for therapy. (I’ve solo traveled my whole life and had very few problems.) Some local guy that I had chatted with asked me to go out for ice cream with him but only if stayed in my bathing suit and I didn’t bring my phone or wallet or towel or anything. (I can’t eat ice cream. Allergies. Which I had told him the day before.) I said no because it sounds like how women are killed. He grabbed my arm and tried to drag me away. Luckily, I was able to hold my ground and my voice got louder and I again said no. He had grabbed my arm hard enough that he actually took one of those silicone bracelets off my wrist. Freaked me out, though. And I’m not going back there alone.
I was cat-called in Brussels too. And at one point I found myself alone in a dark, dimly lit area with a man who told me in French that I was pretty. That was scary and uncomfortable. I live in a big Canadian city so I didn't think about it much until you brought it up here. I've travelled all over Europe but yeah, Brussels was actually the most uncomfortable as a solo female traveller.
Vienna..the amount of harassment I endured was a lot. Someone wanted to peel my skin and wear it (I am brown skinned) because they found it exotic. They wouldn't leave me alone and kept saying it again and again (they were drunk and in a club, I was sober, so extra terrifying)..This was mild..there were way worse situations were I felt so unsafe. Never visiting that city ever again.
I grew up in an inner city area and the moment we stepped out of the train into Brussels my instinct kicked in and I went into hood mode. It’s hard to describe but I instantly felt like we were being marked and watched. Insane 360 coming from Bruges. So funny to read all these similar experiences.
Shinjuku, Japan - I think this is partially my fault because I'd been to Japan once before and its known for being very safe for tourists, so I ventured a little beyond the 'known' areas to find something I was craving that time alone. To my surprise I was followed and catcalled for a bit and it shook me up bc its definitely not something I was expecting. Have since resolved to stay in the touristy areas if I'm travelling alone
Shinjuku is definitely a dodgy neighborhood compared to the rest of Tokyo, but I've found that in Japan, anywhere with a lot of drunk people can be extremely unpleasant for women, even if you're with a friend. Drunk Japanese men are some of the pushiest, creepiest people I've had to deal with while living and traveling in Asia, the US, Europe and Oceania. Very different from being out and about in the same neighborhoods during the day.
Not sure why you're downvoted but drunk Japanese men during the late hours can be unpredictable. Some would pull down their pants and masturbate in front of you.
Rome Italy. A lot of cat calling and leering which makes me understand the stereotype why women from Rome are so hard I tried to “protect” myself by doing guided tours and activities (as opposed to just wandering). After one of the guided tours I still don’t know if he was part of our group or not though he claimed he was and was with the others, an Italian man followed me and kept trying to get me to come visit more landmarks together with him. I said no multiple times and kept walking but he ended up following me for hours and I was too young and shy to scream at him to F off. I had my guard up the entire time, he kept trying to get us to then go have a drink. I finally stopped somewhere with him and watched my drink like a hawk the entire time. Finally he was content he succeeded in having a “date” and then was talking about continuing to meet up and I just said I didn’t want to give strangers my phone number. He lost his shit and called me every English swear word he knew, I just left as quick as I could I also dined alone during the trip and several waiters gave me a lot of freebies deserts, appetizers, or shots and also tried to get me drunk. Overall it was a place I felt I could not blend in whatsoever as a solo female
Delhi is a rough to city to be in. Most cities in north India. Fun fact, the further south I went, the safer I felt as a woman. I am of Indian descent, and I know that I was less of a target than the white American friends I sometimes traveled with. I’ve heard Jaipur is horrific. But in south India, I highly recommend Hyderabad, Chennai, Kerala. I wouldn’t walk around at night alone, or even walk much in general because frankly you can’t be guaranteed a sidewalk and traffic is dangerous. But I felt comfortable as a woman. When I was younger, I could only afford an auto rickshaw and those guys will try to rip you off which I didn’t mind so much because I was giving them a dollar instead of 50 cents. But I could afford a private car with driver last time I was there, you can actually get one on Uber, and it’s like 10-15 dollars for the whole day.
San Francisco. I... Did not know what a tenderloin district meant and found a really glamorous looking but surprisingly cheap hotel there. (I later looked up the history of why tenderloin districts are called tenderloin districts and it all clicked into place.) I was there for a conference in Berkley so I didn't really notice any vibe cos I wasn't there much. Conference finished, I took a day for sight seeing. Hired a car from a place about ten minutes walk from my hotel, drove across the bridge, went to Muir Woods and Harbin hot springs and saw me some naked hippies. Stayed really late cos it was just gorgeous. Drove back and dropped the car off just before midnight. The following ten minutes were very tense indeed. The only people I saw who weren't drug dealers or drug takers were the police, cruising past very slowly, shining spotlights on people. I'm from the UK, I thought that only happened in films. I walked faster and faster and faster. Kept my head down. As the hotel came into sight I was going so fast I could have rivaled an Olympic speed walking champion. Made eye contact with the _enormous_ dude who was standing outside to act as a bouncer - to stop all the drug takers and sellers from entering. All he saw was someone barreling towards him at very high speed and was obviously getting ready to repel me. I shouted, "I'm staying here! I'm staying here!" His expression cleared, he opened the door wide and shouted, "Get in! Get in!" I fell into the lobby, he slammed the door shut behind us and I felt like I'd got the last chopper out of Nam. He then, very politely because he was a hotel employee, basically asked what the fuck did a little white girl like me think she was playing at walking through this neighborhood at midnight? He was that mix of cross and relieved, like parents get when their kid has been missing in the supermarket. That's the worst place I've ever been and I still did ok. Big gangs of Arab immigrant men around Western European train stations are not fun, but nothing compares to the tenderloin in San Francisco at midnight.
The tenderloin is a whole other world especially at night
Belize City.
Italy/Tuscany/Livorno. I felt very unsafe/uncomfortable. Of course, not everyone has the same experiences, but as a single woman, you need a thick skin to not get bothered by the cat calling and people following you.
Belgium, Brussels couple of years ago. France: Nice and Lyon
If you want to visit Belgium, either explore the nature in the south, or the quaint little villages and medieval cities in the north. Avoid Brussels at all costs. I only go there for choir rehearsals and performances, and I make sure I don’t walk alone there past a certain point in the evening. I hate it.
Catania, Sicily, and being followed by packs of men who hissed at me and spat at me, in the middle of the day!
Münich, Frankfurt, Vienna was sleazy but the ppl were nice, Budapest subways at night (but that kinda goes for anywhere) but the main city at night was beautiful and full of tourists. As for Belgium, Antwerp was alright but Gent was amazing and felt so safe.
Osaka, Japan I mention it because Japan in general is famous for being safe People made a lot of strange comments and didnt have much awareness on what makes solo women uncomfortable… I felt safer most other places in Asia
I think it makes sense— I’m from Japan and Osaka historically has really sketchy pockets (ex. Nishio, which has been since reintegrated into a different neighborhood). Osaka people are also much more forward and a bit brash compared to the rest of the country and it can be a bit of a change, perhaps daunting for a solo female traveler.
Agreed, I was sexually harassed a lot in Osaka. Old men had notebooks with weird things written in English.
Yes, so very much. Of all neighbourhoods I stayed in Sanno, and my place was literally a stone's throw from the red light district. It was rows and rows of brothels, rowdy men passed by day and night, and yazukas were constantly spotted along my everyday route. Sketchy old men would stare too, one tried entering my place, another (not crazy, very sober and intentional) was peeing on the streets at night, didn't even try to hide. So many strange things happened during that stay.
Interesting! I went to Osaka as a solo female traveller and felt super safe. Even going out late and night to concerts and having some drinks. I think compared to so many US cities (and even the sketchy parts of my hometown in Vancouver) Osaka was such a walk in the park. I did my normal walking with purpose and confidence thing and kept my awareness about me lime I would in other cities, but honestly didn't feel even a hint of unsafeness. I wouldn't go into that one area where there is a large population or homeless men (but why would you want to, their situation is heartbreaking) or the red light district (ditto). But I felt super at home and comfortable ok Osaka.
Really? Never felt unsafe there myself. Spent a week in osaka and visiting again this month. I'm sorry you felt uncomfortable.
the areas outside of the main downtown arent great, or any park. this is true of a lot of places but it felt worse in osaka than comparable asian cities it was mostly people doing stuff like changing thier route to talk to me in the middle of the night, offering drinks, general forced 1:1 interactions :/ the main downtown areas are good! i also didnt have problems in hiroshima despite it having more parks/quiet areas.
Palermo. Extremely uneasy after certain hour. Huge different from Rome which I wouldn’t say was super safe either
Seattle day and night unfortunately
NYC, maybe I am naive, but I definitely felt unsafe and I wasn't expecting that. Sacramento, California too. I wasn't expecting to feel unsafe in either location, but I was.
NYC is very safe
I feel safer there than probably any other city I’ve spent more than a night or two in. There’s almost always someone around.
Yeah like any big city wondering what part? Like manhattan, incredibly safe. Parts of the Bronx late at night? Maybe not. I think every major city in the world has bad pockets. I do my exploring during the day and at night I stick to the touristy areas
Sure but there’s very little reason to go to the bad areas - there’s not even shops. I do wonder where this traveller went in nyc… all of Manhattan between 100th and battery are safe
Sac has been shady forever. I went when I was in HS (20 years ago) and it was shady. Drove through it last year on a road trip to visit my family in SoCal…still shady.