Is Portugal safe for solo female travelers?

Portugal is generally a safe country for solo female travelers. It has a lower crime rate compared to other European countries. Portuguese people are known for their hospitality and are always willing to help. As with any travel destination, it is important to stay aware of your surroundings and follow common sense rules such as keeping your belongings secure. Even though the country is safe, I would still recommend you blend in with the locals as much as possible to not draw unnecessary attention to yourself.

Safety rating

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How safe is Portugal for female travelers?

Travel safety index

4.6 /5

based on 281 experiences from female travelers

São Miguel Island, Couple travel

I feel very safe in the island. We stay in Ponta Delgada and rent a car to enjoy the whole island. Public transport is great only in the capital city (ponta Delgada). The Azores are the whole experience and I will recommended it for the rest of my live. I must go there for the others islands 😍

Posted: September 23, 2025
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Alyssa

Alyssa

Canada

Lisbon, Solo travel

I recently did six days solo in Lisbon, with a day trip to Sintra and a day trip to Cascais. And it was great! I think Lisbon is a great place for a solo trip. It has that European charm, isn't too expensive (although prices are going up), plus nice weather, chill vibes, and the beach. Sintra is a must-do daytrip from Lisbon, maybe my favourite tourist attraction I've ever been to. And if you have time, I also recommend Cascais. There are many modes of public transportation, making getting around easy. And I felt very safe. Nothing remotely sketchy happened to me the entire time; everyone was really nice to me.

Posted: September 16, 2025Experienced: August, 2025
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Vivienne

Vivienne

Spain

Lisbon, Solo travel

I didn’t really feel safe walking around alone outside at night, because some man were catcalling really insistently and I‘ve been molested in the hostel by a drunk guy as well. I‘m living in Barcelona where you get catcalled a lot but I‘ve never felt it that persistent and creepy like in Lisbon. During the day there is no problem and the architecture and ambience in the city is really nice! I really love the graffitis and the alternative touch that you experience there, especially in Portugal

Posted: September 10, 2025
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Faro, Solo travel

I didn't spend much on the trip overall. Stayed at a Hostel too, and mostly ate out every day, but the food wasn't too expensive. I took some day trips from Faro, since I didn't find much to do in town . Buses work great but trips can be long. You can rent a car to explore the southern coast more easily. Overall a great experience. It was my first solo trip and was a bit lost still. I do recommend taking a kayak tour to the Benagil caves!

Posted: September 9, 2025Experienced: April, 2024
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Porto, Family travel

very beautiful country, we eat very well, the weather is nice, a safe country, lots of things to visit . every year I go to Portugal. I visit the south, we do a bit of beach time, sightseeing, a bit of shopping and in the north, we walk around a bit, we discover new places, we go to the village festival

Posted: September 4, 2025Experienced: June, 2025
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How safe is Portugal for women?

Local safety index

4.4 /5

Based on 214 local experiences

Local crime index

1.8 /5

Based on 214 local experiences

Aleksandra

Aleksandra

Braganca

Braganca is small city, I'm here just for Erasmus, so it's hard to say, but I have never experienced something scary or dangerous for me. Men on the parties usually tries to hit on you, but there's no problem with saying no. There's a lot of students here, because of IPB politechnice.

Posted: September 30, 2025
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Val

Val

Aveiro

For me, Aveiro is very safe and I personally never experienced any bad or dangerous experience, but of course, no place is perfect, be cautious is always preferable. You simply need to use the same security measures that you'd take in your city.

Posted: September 29, 2025
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Aljezur

Very relax town, even wild camping feels very safe. Fisherman trail in the area brings lots if people in the summer that wild camping. But in general it is a pretty safe area. Just the usual surf instructors that will always look for girls to o sleep around…

Posted: September 16, 2025
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Porto

Porto is a very safe destination I would recommend it for any traveller but I would be weary at night as the atmosphere does change. I would definitely recommend going to Porto to solo travellers. It is very easy to get around

Posted: September 15, 2025
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Laiza

Laiza

Lisbon

I feel like Lisbon is a city that’s overall safe. We should always watch out for our bags/ phone, cause there are surely a lot of pickpockets. Portuguese people are extremely friendly and they will welcome you very well - usually with no second intentions!! As a woman, I feel safer here than in my home country ( Brazil ) although when people learn that I’m not Portuguese I feel a switch on their in their intentions/ actions. However, this is definitely better here than in the rest of Europe.

Posted: September 12, 2025
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Safety in Portugal