A new list of the 50 cities in the world to travel to as a solo female traveller has placed Brussels at number 40. While this may seem low, the capital is the only city from Belgium to feature in the list and did better than 120 other cities that were considered but failed to make the top 50.
"For a city to rank well, women must be well represented in local businesses and politics, treated the same as men, be legally equal to men and be able to feel safe walking alone at night," a statement by travel specialist Tourlane read.
The full list of criteria for inclusion contains:
- Representation of women in local businesses
- Gender equality in society
- Legal fairness
- Security
- Starting price for a night in a women's dormitory in a hostel
- Mobile Internet Speed
- Average price of a data plan
The top three countries on the list are all Nordic cities: Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. They are followed by Singapore, Vienna and Barcelona.
Each city is also rated on the criteria separately so if safety is a main priority for choosing a destination, Singapore comes out on top, while Zurich is the highest rated in this category in Europe. Brussels, however, has the lowest safety score in Europe for solo female travellers, RTBF reports.
Travel specialist Tourlane in cooperation with the Women's Institute of Georgetown University compiled the list that features cities that meet the set criteria which include categories based on the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security's 2021/22 Women, Peace and Security Index.
