Whether you’re planning to visit somewhere close to home or a little more exotic further afield, we’ve picked some of the best places to travel solo from Birmingham Airport

Solo travel is one of life’s most rewarding experiences, so don’t let not having anyone else to go with put you off exploring the world. Visit new places, meet new people and learn about other cultures. Here’s some great destinations to go for – all starting right from here at Birmingham Airport.

Barcelona, Spain

Busy Barcelona is one of the best places to travel solo. Its café-littered streets are perfect for people watching, or duck into one of the bars serving beer and tapas. There are plenty of famous attractions to visit like Sagrada Familia and Park Güell and you don’t have to travel far to reach a beach or mountains.

Getting around Barcelona is simple on public transport so stay close to one of the metro stations for easy transfers between different parts of the city. There is an abundance of hostels in the city which are a great way of meeting new people and tend to be popular with solo travellers. If you’re a beach lover, choose a hostel close to Barceloneta beach which also offers some of the best seafood restaurants in town. If you want to mix with the locals, refrain from dining out in the evening until after 9pm, as this is when they frequent the restaurants.

Getting there: Fly Jet2.com, Ryanair and Vueling to Barcelona from Birmingham Airport.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Chilled-out Copenhagen is a solo traveller’s paradise. Denmark’s capital is compact and extremely easy to explore by foot or bike. There are cycle paths everywhere and you’ll find that locals travel everywhere on two wheels, whether that’s to work, school, or a night out on the town. There’s a great Scandi café culture, brilliant art museums and cool, low-key, nightlife.

There are two big food markets in the city centre – not only do they offer a really great range of affordable food but they also provide the opportunity for casual dining and a chance to meet people with similar tastes to yours. Nyhavn is one of the most photographed areas of the city. The old fishing port is the perfect place for a relaxed stroll at the end the day before you settle down in one of the colourful restaurants playing gentle jazz music.

Getting there: Fly SAS to Copenhagen from Birmingham Airport.

Quito, Ecuador

A capital city high in the Andes, Quito is dramatically situated, squeezed between mountain peaks whose greenery is concealed by afternoon mist. The city’s crown jewel is its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site packed with colonial monuments and architectural treasures. The mountains mean it’s a great place for hiking and just a short drive away are the thermal baths of Baños, and the Equator. A must is a visit to Mitad del Mundo where the Northern and Southern hemispheres meet, it’s right on the Equator. Try straddling the yellow line which puts you in two hemispheres at the same time.

Getting there: Fly Iberia to Quito from Birmingham Airport.