21 best solo travel destinations in the world for 2026

Best for: surfing

Portugal, with its famous surf scene, award-winning restaurants and nature-packed hinterlands, is one of the world’s ultimate solo travel destinations. It’s not a typical honeymoon or family holiday destination, so you won’t be surrounded by romantic duos or screaming kids, and in recent years both Lisbon and Porto have become popular destinations for nomads looking to work remotely in an exciting new city. Both of these cities are renowned for their foodie scene, meaning you could spend each day hopping from breakfast bar to restaurant and back again, trying a blend of traditional Portuguese cuisine and some more innovative concepts from the region’s top chefs. If it’s the beach you’re after, Portugal has it in buckets and spades. With over 800km of coast, you are spoilt for choice between surfer havens and remote rugged outcrops further south. Or, delve deep into the country’s wine history in Douro Valley, where rickety trains weave around vineyard-tracked hillsides, where generations-old distilleries, wineries and restaurants offer excellent solo travel bases. And festivals dominate Portugal’s calendar, so consider planning a solo jaunt around Lisbon’s Festa de Santo António or Porto’s Festa de São João, or find a smaller jazz or rock festival down the coast. But at any time of year, you can hit the bars to hear the mournful strains of fado music, and in Portugal, you’ll never dance alone.

Abigail Malbon, Condé Nast Traveller‘s global audience development manager and former Lisbon resident, says: “Portugal’s varying landscape makes it a gorgeous place to travel solo. I was wowed by the sheer beauty of the Douro Valley’s steeped vines, and as someone who can never get enough of the beach, the wide open spaces along the Alentejo coastline offered me complete peace. The Portuguese people were incredibly welcoming throughout my travels, and only too happy to share their favourite places and tips for what to do there (in perfect English), which meant I was able to feel like I was experiencing the country like a local. What more could you want for a solo trip?”

Where to stay: For bold interiors and a great launchpad into the city, look no further than Sublime Lisboa.