Ideas needed for a solo holiday,budget of £1500-£2500

[Pennine-Paul]

Do you like fish, pasta, pizza, wine and hills? I've just been to Slovenia - very cycling friendly. You could easily hire an electric bike and cycle round different areas. It is hilly and winding but it's a beautiful country with great food. Also handy for visiting Austria, Italy, Hungary etc. Croatia is also lovely.

Another option is a multi base holiday in Switzerland - I've done Interlaken for the mountains, then a train down to Lake Lucerne, then another train to Ascona for R&R.

I took the train to Lech am Arlberg many years ago and stopped with a chap who is probably long gone by now,
His sister ran the Hotel Elisabeth which I see is still going

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Just to make it clear I'll be travelling on my own,most of my mates are in couples or falling to bits
Prices are crazy,5 days in France on a river cruise £1600,for £400 more I can have 8 days on a cruise liner and sail to New York !

 

[Alex321]

Just to make it clear I'll be travelling on my own,most of my mates are in couples or falling to bits
Prices are crazy,5 days in France on a river cruise £1600,for £400 more I can have 8 days on a cruise liner and sail to New York !

A river cruise and an ocean cruise are very different.

 

[Emanresu]

Son works for Newmarket Holidays which do escorted tours. You might give them a look. We dip in and out of this sort of tour as they come with a 'group'. Sometimes the group are great fun (shout out for the Irish) and other times they are a PITA (Hello, America).

Or if you want to do a self-guided one then Spain and Portugal have a lot of inexpensive but good hotels. Bike hire in Spain/Portugal is widely available if you don't want to take your own. Cycling in Spain is recommended....

 

[T4tomo]

A river cruise and an ocean cruise are very different.

Scenery changes more on a river cruise. Both have the disadvantage of wherever you moor / put into port, there are tons of other tourists who have just arrived.... 😉

 

[Alex321]

Scenery changes more on a river cruise. Both have the disadvantage of wherever you moor / put into port, there are tons of other tourists who have just arrived.... 😉

True, but even if 5 riverboats all pull into the same town together, that is fewer than one ocean cruise ship. No river crusie boat carries more than 200 passengers, most are more in the region of 160.

 

[figbat]

I have looked at Iceland as I've always been interested in Geology,But they tend to be on a Room only basis and the price of eating out is horrendous by all accounts

It can be, or you can do it on the cheap by using supermarkets and petrol stations. However if you include the cost of eating out in your budget you’re good to go. If you like geology or geography, Iceland has pretty much all of it in one place!

 

[Bonefish Blues]

These guys are really big* players in the cultural tour market - but they do it well and provide proper experts in the respective fields. Anything here that might pique your interest?

https://www.martinrandall.com/en-gb/solo-travel

*And in terms of expense, too, but there are some that fit your budget too - and quite a few that fit a slightly squeezed budget.

 

[vickster]

I have looked at Iceland as I've always been interested in Geology,But they tend to be on a Room only basis and the price of eating out is horrendous by all accounts

Take an all inclusive cruise although of course you only get a day in each place but enough to see if you might want to go back.
Eg if you can go next weekend...
https://www.seascanner.co.uk/travels/norwegian-cruise-line-norwegian-star-northern-europe-14-nights-STA14SOUNWHIVGREYREYISAAKUMLYBGOSVGSOU?productCode=22930012&type=DynamicPackage&dateFilter[dateFrom]=2026-09-05&dateFilter[dateTo]=2028-09-02&dateFilter[flexible]=0&facetFilter[DeparturePortHierarchical.Level2][United Kingdom > Southampton]=Southampton
Norwegian's free at sea tip, booze, specialty restaurant, WiFi package isn't bad value.
Single outside cabin (view obstructed but still day light) all in looks to be about 2k for solo.
2 days in Scotland, 4 in Iceland, 3 in Norway.
Stuff your face for breakfast and take some snacks and then a big dinner!

Bear in mind unless you pay upfront any cruise to the US is going to whack 18%+ gratuity on everything you pay for plus for cabin steward etc

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

An escorted trip to India ,but could I cope with the heat?

Why "escorted". Just buy a one-way air ticket and use local buses to travel around. And when ready, buy a one way air ticket home. Easy. You get to do and see what interests you rather than what some company considers profitable. India is very easy to travel around independently.

Go pretty well anywhere and you can ask yourself "but could I ...?". Just do it and have fun.

Travelling independently you get far far more out of a trip. In groups you are isolated whereas independently you are continually interacting with locals, talking to them, etc. so you get to understand and appreciate the country to a far deeper degree. Plus often some of the lesser places to visit are much more interesting ans amazing than the "big ticket" sites eg visit Agra and Fatehpur Sikri is far more amazing that the Taj Mahal (although independently you can visit both. But Fatehpur Sikri means getting on a local bus for an hour (each way) which is easy and an experience in itself as you will likely be the only foreigner on the bus.

 

[MontyVeda]

I went to Turkey 20 years ago and spent most of the week exploring ancient ruined cities. Loved it.

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Take an all inclusive cruise although of course you only get a day in each place but enough to see if you might want to go back.
Eg if you can go next weekend...
https://www.seascanner.co.uk/travels/norwegian-cruise-line-norwegian-star-northern-europe-14-nights-STA14SOUNWHIVGREYREYISAAKUMLYBGOSVGSOU?productCode=22930012&type=DynamicPackage&dateFilter[dateFrom]=2026-09-05&dateFilter[dateTo]=2028-09-02&dateFilter[flexible]=0&facetFilter[DeparturePortHierarchical.Level2][United Kingdom > Southampton]=Southampton
Norwegian's free at sea tip, booze, specialty restaurant, WiFi package isn't bad value.
Single outside cabin (view obstructed but still day light) all in looks to be about 2k for solo.
2 days in Scotland, 4 in Iceland, 3 in Norway.
Stuff your face for breakfast and take some snacks and then a big dinner!

Bear in mind unless you pay upfront any cruise to the US is going to whack 18%+ gratuity on everything you pay for plus for cabin steward etc

I did a rail and cruise Holiday there when I was a mere 20 year old ,Train and coach all the way to the North Cape then a cruise
on a Postal Boat stopping at many ports on the way back to Bergen, seem to remember it was full of big Germans eating enormous amounts of food, Had to sail through a storm on one day which was pretty grim,

The transatlantic crossing was more or less all inclusive, you have to pay extra to dine in the posher restaurants and wear a Tux,
I'll give that a miss! I'd slum it in the buffet restaurant thanks

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Why "escorted". Just buy a one-way air ticket and use local buses to travel around. And when ready, buy a one way air ticket home. Easy. You get to do and see what interests you rather than what some company considers profitable. India is very easy to travel around independently.

Go pretty well anywhere and you can ask yourself "but could I ...?". Just do it and have fun.

Travelling independently you get far far more out of a trip. In groups you are isolated whereas independently you are continually interacting with locals, talking to them, etc. so you get to understand and appreciate the country to a far deeper degree. Plus often some of the lesser places to visit are much more interesting ans amazing than the "big ticket" sites eg visit Agra and Fatehpur Sikri is far more amazing that the Taj Mahal (although independently you can visit both. But Fatehpur Sikri means getting on a local bus for an hour (each way) which is easy and an experience in itself as you will likely be the only foreigner on the bus.

Why "escorted". Just buy a one-way air ticket and use local buses to travel around. And when ready, buy a one way air ticket home. Easy. You get to do and see what interests you rather than what some company considers profitable. India is very easy to travel around independently.

I'd rather be with people in a similar situation to myself who I can share experiences with

 

[lenfield]

... there is a Sisters of Mercy gig here next Saturday!

I met somebody who claimed to have played drums in the Sisters of Mercy

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

I'd rather be with people in a similar situation to myself who I can share experiences with

Each to their own but group tours won't give you the experiences.

Travellin solo does not mean travelling alone and isolated. Lots of people to talk to, sometimes travel with for a bit, share experiences with, etc.

when I travel I tend not to plan, just city to fly into and book hotel for 1st night (as most country immigrations need an address). Then, whilst there are the obvious places, talking to others is where you find the amazing things to go see. One of many examples: I was in one city and talking to people they suggested a town in the foothills of the Himalayas a couple of days travel away. It was the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile and when I arrived by chance end of a massive Buddhist conference and next day an amazing (protest) march the anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day. Loads of Buddhist Monks carrying banners protecting against China massive and marching down the mountain. https://nogoodnamesleft.net/tibetan-national-uprising-day/. No tour is ever going to get you such experiences, only by travelling and talking to others.