These Are The Best Cities To Visit Alone For Solo Travel, According To Experts

Ready for some me time? Solo travel is the way to go. According to recent data, 50% of Americans plan to travel alone this year, and 52% will dine as a party of one. New data from a collaborative KAYAK and OpenTable survey shows a strong appetite for solo experiences, with 81% of Americans reporting having dined solo at a restaurant and 70% having traveled solo. And with September notable as a solo travel month, the travel and dining brands have teamed up to launch a solo travel guide and corresponding solo dining spot list for lone travelers domestically and abroad in each solo travel hotspot.

Kayak ranked the top destinations for solo travelers, with Washington, D.C. coming in as the number one destination for solo travel and dining in the U.S., followed by Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Tampa, Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York in tenth place.

Internationally, Berlin, Vancouver, Montreal, Paris, and Milan are the top international destinations favored by U.S. solo travelers, followed by Dublin, Toronto, Dubai, Mexico City, and London.

“Search share for solo hotel rooms are up 38% since 2019, making solo travel one of this year’s hottest trends,4” shared Matt Clarke, the VP of NA Marketing at KAYAK. “And if you’re flying solo, chances are you’re dining solo too. With one third of Americans trusting fellow travelers and experts for their solo adventures, we tapped KAYAK travel experts and the dining pros at OpenTable for their best solo travel and dining hacks and tips.”

Of course, solo travelers need to eat, and OpenTable’s data-driven list features 75 restaurants across America, so travelers in the most popular solo travel cities can successfully seek out a table for one.

The extensive list includes Bistro Du Jour in Washington, D.C., Little Whale in Boston, Tre Dita in Chicago, Ecco Buckhead in Atlanta and Current Fish & Oyster in Salt Lake City.

Internationally, the list highlights 50 restaurants for solo diners, including Funky Fisch in Berlin, Tableau Bar Bistro in Vancouver, Brasserie 701 in Montreal, Tracé in Paris and Ristorante Torre in Milan.

“Solo dining is one of the standout trends of 2024, up 8% from last year,” said Robin Chiang, SVP of Growth for OpenTable. “Our data also shows solo diners tend to be big spenders, splurging 48% more per person compared to the average diner.”

Treating yourself may be an easy decision, but deciding where to go, especially without fellow travelers to bounce ideas off of, may be a bit perplexing. To help, travelers and locals (solo dining isn’t just for those away from home), OpenTable also launched Icons, a destination featuring the best of the best restaurants in select cities, to help locals and travelers score a hot table by showing the soonest a table at a hotspot is available.

In New York, the inaugural class of icons includes Babbo Ristorante, Demo, Scarr’s Pizza, Wildair, Casa Mono, ASKA, Craft, Sushi Ichimura, l'abeille, Hav & Mar, Tempura Matsui, The Musket Room, Raf’s, Koloman, Aquavit, Le B., Le Jardinier, Caviar Russe, Café Mars, odo, Kochi, Win Son, and Mari.

“Between Icons and our solo dining and travel guide – which features restaurants for solo travelers, by solo travelers – we have dining covered for your next trip,” Chiang added.