Lonely travelling alone? Hosted city breaks with a group for your next trip

If you have felt lonely travelling alone, the answer is not to stop going. You just need company built into the trip. Spice Escapes runs small hosted group holidays for people who travel on their own, so the next time you book a city you have always wanted to see, there is a host who meets you and a group to share dinner with, and you still have your own room and your own afternoons.

This page is for people who have already done it the hard way. You booked everything, worked out the bus from the airport and walked the old town on your own. Parts of it were wonderful. Then came the evenings: the table for one, and the moment you saw something remarkable with nobody to turn to. That is the one part of travelling alone that independence cannot fix.

What going it alone gives you, and what it costs

Independent travel has real rewards. You choose the pace and you never wait for anyone. That freedom matters, which is why our city breaks leave whole days open.

What it costs is harder to see until you are there. Every decision is yours, from the restaurant to the route home after dark, and nobody notices if you are a bit low on the third day. A hosted group keeps the freedom and removes most of the cost. Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty.

How a hosted group is different from a coach tour

The word "group" may make you think of name badges and a fixed timetable. That is not how these holidays run. Each one has a Spice Escapes host who travels with you, sorts out the practical side and makes the introductions. Excursions are mostly optional, so you join the ones you want and wander on your own the rest of the time.

The difference is that when you come back to the hotel, people are there. Dinner has company if you want it. Most people book on their own, so you are not the one single traveller among couples. For more on what joining a group of strangers is like, read our page on solo trips with strangers.

Athens, starting with dinner together

On Ancient Athens, the first evening is planned for you. You are transferred from the airport to the hotel, and in the evening the group walks to a local restaurant to get to know each other. After that you can explore on your own or join the optional guided tour of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora with a licensed guide, and there is an optional food tour with more than eighteen tastings.

It runs for 4 nights, on 10 Mar 2027 – 14 Mar 2027, from £579. Your host is Jackie Whyte. Places: 16 places left.

Kraków, with your days left open

Kraków Discovery suits the experienced independent traveller because the days are deliberately left open. Main Market Square and Wawel Castle are there at your own pace, and the hotel is a few steps from the square. There are optional trips to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and to Auschwitz-Birkenau, a full and emotionally heavy day that is easier with company. The host is with you all four nights, so there is company at dinner.

4 nights, 26 May 2027 – 30 May 2027, from £589, hosted by Jackie Whyte. Places: 10 places left. Optional excursions have limited places, so book them when you book the holiday.

Paris, where every meal is taken care of

If eating alone is the part you dread most, look at All Inclusive Perfect Paris. Your hotel is a river boat moored a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, and it is full board with drinks on board, so there is no hunting for a table each night. People arriving at the airport or by Eurostar link up for the transfer, so you are not crossing Paris on your own on the first day. Two guided tours are included, the city by coach and Montmartre on foot, and the afternoons are free.

3 nights, 3 Feb 2027 – 6 Feb 2027, from £679, with Samantha Pike as your host. Places: 16 places left.

Lisbon and Seville, for people who like to explore

A Taste of Lisbon is the most independent of these. There is no airport transfer because the metro is quicker and stops close to the hotel, and you are sent instructions before you go. The suggestions are Alfama and Tram 28 one day, Belém and pastéis de nata the next, with evenings your own. The difference is a host and a group at the same hotel. 3 nights, 15 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027, from £639, hosted by Pam Harte. Places: 8 places left.

Surprising Seville includes a 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket, so you can set your own pace, and the hotel is minutes from the cathedral and the Barrio de Santa Cruz. The Alcázar and a flamenco show are optional extras, and a flamenco show is a far better evening with people to go with. 4 nights, 4 Mar 2027 – 8 Mar 2027, from £549, hosted by Jackie Whyte. Places: 24 places left.

You can see every city on our city breaks page, or browse by country, starting with Spain and Greece.

Your own room, and what it costs

You will not have to share a room with a stranger to join a group. Every holiday has a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself, and we show it plainly. Our page on the single supplement explains how it works, and we will always tell you the figure for the dates you want before you commit.

If you are over fifty, our over 50s solo holidays page gathers every trip in one place. If this would be your first time with a group after years of going independently, our guide for first time solo travellers covers the practical side.

Questions people ask

Will I lose my freedom if I join a group?

Very little of it. On our city breaks most of the days are free, and excursions are optional, so you can spend an afternoon alone in a museum and still have company at dinner. The host is there to help, not to march you round.

I am used to planning everything myself. What do you arrange?

We arrange the hotel, the host and the optional excursions. What else is included depends on the holiday, and we explain it before you book. Your free days are still yours to plan.

Do I have to eat with the group every night?

No. Dinner with the group is there if you want it, and you can slip off for a quiet evening alone whenever you like. The point is that eating alone becomes a choice rather than the only option.

What if I do not get on with the others?

Groups are small and most people are travelling on their own, so everyone arrives in the same position as you. The host makes the introductions on the first evening and is there to talk to if anything is not right. You also have your own room, so you can always take a step back.

Is it worth it for just a few nights?

Short city breaks are where a host makes the most difference, because you do not lose the first two days finding your feet. You arrive, meet people that evening and have company for the whole trip. It is also an easy way to find out whether travelling with a group suits you.

Talk to us before your next trip on your own

If your last independent trip left you thinking it would have been better with company, tell us which city you had in mind and what you enjoyed or missed about going alone. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts holidays himself, or anyone on the team will tell you honestly which holiday fits, what the room to yourself costs and how many places are left. Get in touch through our contact page and a member of the team will get back to you. Some of the people you meet become friends you travel with again.