If you’re fed up of having to constantly catch up with a travel guide while on holiday, Veronica Stivala shares her experience of exploring alone...

How many of us have travelled to a place we had never visited before and decided that the easiest way to discover it would be to join a guided tour or set off with a group from our home country?

While having a guide take you around can be an hassle-free way of learning about a city, very often we find ourselves wishing we could stay an extra bit longer in that wonderful park, or to linger a tad more in that sweet bistro with the cheerful chef whose tarte tatin begs a bite or two.

Sometimes you want to stray away from the main path and veer into an eye-catching cobblestone road and explore the boutiques it contains.

The idea of doing a self-guided city tour is an exciting prospect and some cities lend themselves to travellers really getting out and exploring on their own. But, I hear you ask, how can doing a self-guided tour ever be better than having a guide take you around, or, better still, a local friend introduce you to the best tourist attractions as well as their hidden favourite haunts?

The answer is: experience.

While travelling with a guide has its perks, I suspect that we become lazy.

We often find ourselves relying on our leader for directions and end up leaving a city without knowing whether the cathedral is in the north or the south.

Following a guide also tends to make us insular and we don’t reach out to ask directions or make friends at the café down the road from our B&B.

Here are my top three cities that are friendly and wonderful enough to allow you to explore not only without a paid guide or local friend, but even without a travel buddy.

Choosing to guide yourself lets you see the big sights and also get off the tourist trail. Photo: Anton Ivanov/Shutterstock.comChoosing to guide yourself lets you see the big sights and also get off the tourist trail. Photo: Anton Ivanov/Shutterstock.com

Berlin, Germany

Two years ago I braved this exciting city all alone and that trip remains one of my best to date.

Of course, I did my research beforehand and chose a location that would suit my tastes. I stayed in Kreuzberg, which is a hipster area, but too cool to admit it.

The area is safe and allowed for pleasant ambles.

A favourite walk of mine turned out to be along Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg.

This long, wide street is dotted with pretty cafés and I found gems of shops such as the 1910–1990 vintage furniture and home accessory store Treibgut.

I fell in love with the stylish 1950s armchairs and sofas in the mustard or patterned prints so typical of the time.

Of course, a travel guide, be it a book or an app, is a must for this kind of travel.

I use both books and apps when abroad, and more than one of each. Triposo, which has separate apps for different cities or countries, has become a staple download for my trips.

I did do the tourist attractions in Berlin – Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag (parliament building), the East Side gallery, and so on – but I let myself wander down narrow streets and found myself chatting to a fellow lone traveller while in the Mitte district.

Buses and the Tube help travellers navigate London, but it’s still best to explore sections on foot. Photo: Pisaphotography/Shutterstock.comBuses and the Tube help travellers navigate London, but it’s still best to explore sections on foot. Photo: Pisaphotography/Shutterstock.com

London, the UK

I’ve been to London so many times I have lost count so I can’t talk about a first trip alone there.

However, I often visit by myself and here’s why I recommend this vibrant capital city for solo exploring. A friend once remarked how you can never get lost in London because all you need to do is find a nearby Underground station and either look at the map to see where you are or hop on to a train to get to where you need to go.

This, of course, is a great reassurance for people like me with an atrocious sense of direction.

However, the Tube is not the advisable mode of transport for getting to know a city.

Walking is key, as that is the best way of finding your bearings and really getting to know a place.

The city has now even put up little ‘you are here’ maps in the street, and in the popular tourist areas you will find friendly direction givers, though be prepared to give them a tip.

Now, because London is so huge, I recommend doing a few sections on foot and using public transport in between.

What is spectacular about London is that even in the most touristy areas, there are still ‘secret’ passages and new bars to discover (a new trend is nondescript entrances, even without a name above the door).

And in addition to your guidebooks, before you head off I recommend that you pick up a copy of London: The Biography, by Peter Ackroyd, who pulls back the curtain of this “crucible of myth” and shows readers all the treasures in his personal cabinet of curiosities.

Paris’s metro is not as efficient as the London Underground, so be prepared to clock up the miles to visit everything you want. Photo: Pornsak Paewlumfaek/Shutterstock.comParis’s metro is not as efficient as the London Underground, so be prepared to clock up the miles to visit everything you want. Photo: Pornsak Paewlumfaek/Shutterstock.com

Paris, France

I travelled to Paris for the first time two years ago and as I was visiting a friend who had to work, I did the majority of exploring on my own – and loved it.

The plus side to visiting the ‘world’s most romantic city’ alone is you don’t get pestered by street lurkers selling roses and other overpriced tokens of affection.

That said, I have yet to find a remedy for warding off the Tour Eiffel trinket sellers. Paris is the complete opposite to London when it comes to the Metro, so even though I used public transport to get into the city centre, I really had to get to grips with my street map and do some proper walking around.

With a guidebook or app you really have nothing to worry about and I loved navigating my way to the must-see attractions such as Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Notre Dame.

I found myself particularly happy in the Montmartre district, strolling past artists painting away and listening to street musicians play jazz.

Settling down to people watch, I found the coffee was expensive, as were the caramelised almonds I bought from a market – but hey, who cares, you only live once.

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