There were 76.1 million single-adult households without children in the European Union in 2025, according to Eurostat, more than any other type of household and 19.2% more than in 2016. While living alone does not necessarily mean being single, the figures show how common independent living has become. A single person moving to a European city, or visiting for a few weeks, has plenty of opportunities to build new connections. Some cities make it much easier than others to meet people, and the gap shows up clearly in surveys of the foreigners who already live in them.
Best European Cities for Singles Who Want to Meet New People
Málaga
In the InterNations Expat City Ranking of 2024, based on a survey of 12,543 people living abroad, Málaga placed 1st in the world for Ease of Settling In and 1st for the friendliness of its local residents. It was 2nd overall, behind Valencia. The survey covered 53 cities in 35 countries, with respondents from 175 nationalities. Both of Málaga’s top scores come from questions about how at home respondents felt and how friendly locals were toward foreigners, and no city in the survey scored better on either.
For singles arriving without an established social circle, that friendliness can make everyday conversations and the process of getting to know new people feel less intimidating. In the same survey, 67% of expats in Málaga positively rated the ease of making local friends, compared with 38% globally.
Valencia
Valencia took 1st place overall in the same 2024 ranking, with 1st places for quality of life and personal finance. Only 8% of the foreign residents surveyed there said they had moved for a job, against a global average of 35%, so most had chosen the city for other reasons.
After the Turia River flooded Valencia on October 14, 1957, and killed at least 81 people, the Spanish parliament approved a plan in 1961 to divert the river south of the city. The empty riverbed became the Turia Garden, which opened in 1986 and is about 9 kilometers long. It has sports grounds and open space along its length, and a weekly run or match there is a simple way for a newcomer to see the same faces each week.
Paris
The Fête de la Musique began in Paris on June 21, 1982, the date of the summer solstice. Jack Lang, then France’s minister of culture, created it with Maurice Fleuret after a survey found that 5 million people in France, including 1 young person in 2, played a musical instrument. Amateur and professional musicians perform free in the streets and public spaces, and by 2019 the event was held in 120 countries and more than 1,000 cities.
The concerts are spread across the neighborhoods of Paris, and the evening is spent walking from one to the next among crowds of strangers. Someone who comes on their own can stop at any concert and comment on the band to the people in the same crowd, with no ticket or seat to arrange in advance.
Madrid
Madrid finished 7th overall in the InterNations ranking, and its evenings start late. Anyone interested in dating Spanish men should expect a first date to begin at an hour that would be late almost anywhere else in Europe. Dinner in much of Spain is rarely served before 9 p.m., and many locals do not sit down to eat until 10 or 11.
Spain used Greenwich Mean Time, the same as Portugal and the United Kingdom, until 1940, when Francisco Franco moved the clocks forward an hour to match Germany. The country never switched back, so the clocks in Spain are still an hour ahead of its geography. A single person arriving from a city with early dinners has to adjust to an evening that begins about the time theirs used to end.
Lisbon
Lisbon holds its largest celebrations in June, with the main nights on June 12 and 13. They honor Saint Anthony, who was born in the city in 1195 and is known locally as the saint of matchmaking. Street parties called arraiais are held in Alfama, Mouraria and other old neighborhoods, with sardines from street grills and small pots of basil, called manjericos, sold with flirtatious poems attached. On the evening of June 12, more than 20 neighborhoods compete in the Marchas Populares, a parade of music and choreography along Avenida da Liberdade that traditionally starts in the evening.
On June 12, the city also holds the Casamentos de Santo António, a group wedding tradition at Lisbon Cathedral that dates back to 1958. The event has brought together 16 couples marrying on the same afternoon, although the number can vary by year. A single visitor who arrives for those 2 nights finds the old neighborhoods out on the street, and a basil pot with a poem on it is an easy excuse to start a conversation.
Budapest
Budapest’s ruin bars began with Szimpla Kert, which opened in 2002 and moved in 2004 to 14 Kazinczy Street, in the 7th district. The building had held homes and a stove factory before it was abandoned. Its format of mismatched rooms and cheap drinks in a derelict building spread through the old Jewish Quarter.
In the small rooms and shared courtyards, strangers sit at neighboring tables and joining a conversation is simple. Szimpla also hosts a farmers’ market and film screenings, so a newcomer has several reasons to come back and be recognized.
Munich
Munich’s beer gardens serve beer and food at long shared tables under trees, and a single visitor can take any free place on a bench, including one where other people are already sitting.
One of the largest traditional beer gardens in the world, at the Hirschgarten, seats about 8,000 people. The park around it is 40 hectares in the Nymphenburg district and was laid out in 1780 as a hunting ground for Elector Charles Theodore, and a 2-hectare enclosure there still has fallow deer and mouflon. The restaurant is in the Jägerhaus, a hunting lodge built in 1791.
The custom of bringing food dates to a decree of January 4, 1812, in which King Maximilian I Joseph allowed Munich brewers to serve beer from their cellars but no food other than bread. Guests brought their own, and they still may, in designated self-service areas, traditionally at tables without cloths.
Amsterdam
For a single visitor who speaks no Dutch, the language barrier is small, and a conversation started in English with a bartender or with the person on the next tram seat will usually continue in English. The Netherlands ranked 1st of 116 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index of 2024, with a score of 636, ahead of Norway, Singapore and Sweden. It was the 6th year in a row that the Dutch were rated the best non-native English speakers in the world, and the index draws on results from more than 2.1 million test-takers. Amsterdam’s own score of 657 was the highest of any capital city.
A Figure From Málaga
Newcomers already living in a city are a useful guide to how easily a single arrival might settle in and meet people. The same InterNations survey placed Berlin 51st of 53 cities for Ease of Settling In. In Málaga, 88% of the foreign residents surveyed in February 2024 said they were happy with their life in the city, 20 percentage points above the global average.
These figures suggest that the experience of meeting people can vary considerably between European cities, even when both offer plenty of places to socialize.
Conclusion
The best European city for meeting new people depends on how someone prefers to socialize. Málaga and Valencia stand out for their welcoming environments, while Lisbon’s street festivals, Budapest’s ruin bars and Munich’s shared beer garden tables create natural opportunities for conversation. Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam offer different ways to connect through music, evening routines and a common language. For singles, the most useful places are often those where meeting someone new can become part of an ordinary day rather than a planned occasion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which European city is the easiest for singles to make friends?
Málaga is a strong choice. It ranked 1st for Ease of Settling In and local friendliness in the 2024 InterNations survey, suggesting a welcoming environment for newcomers.
Which European cities are best for meeting people while traveling alone?
Lisbon, Budapest and Munich offer social settings where solo visitors can naturally interact with others, including street festivals, ruin bars and communal beer gardens.
Is Amsterdam a good city for English-speaking singles?
Yes. The Netherlands ranked 1st in the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index, making Amsterdam particularly accessible for visitors who want to meet people without speaking Dutch.