Solo Travel in Perth
🦘 The honest guide for going alone
Perth is doable solo but takes more planning — fewer pushy tourists than peers. Here's everything you actually need to know: safety realities, where to base yourself, solo-dining culture, and how to meet people without trying too hard.
Why Perth is harder for solo travellers
- ✦Fewer pushy tourists than peers
Is Perth safe for solo travellers?
Perth is generally safe for solo travellers — including solo female travellers — provided you follow the usual urban precautions. The main thing to watch out for is this:
Very safe. The real catch is isolation — flights onward to anywhere else in Australia or overseas are long and often pricier than expected, so budget for that in a multi-city trip.
General solo safety tips that apply here: keep your phone in a zipped pocket, don't flash valuables, take Uber/Bolt/Grab over street taxis at night, and let someone know your rough plans for each day.
Where to stay solo in Perth
For solo travellers, base yourself somewhere central enough to walk to dinner safely after dark. Avoid pure-residential areas — you want a neighbourhood with restaurants, cafés, and street life.
Eating alone (and not feeling weird about it)
Perth isn't traditionally a solo-dining city, but markets, food courts, and casual spots work great alone. Fremantle's Cappuccino Strip and Perth's Northbridge have the best casual dining; WA marron and rock lobster are worth the splurge.
How to meet people in Perth
- ✦Walking tours on day 1 — free or cheap, and the best way to meet other solo travellers in your first 24 hours.
- ✦Group day tours to nearby sights — built-in icebreakers.
- ✦Co-working cafés and digital nomad meetups (Nomad List has the local Slack).
- ✦Travel apps: BumbleBFF, Travello, and Backpackr work in most cities for finding meetup buddies.
Getting around solo
Free CAT buses loop the CBD. Everything else (Fremantle, Swan Valley) is an easy train or drive.
Best time to visit Perth solo
September and October are the best months — good weather and lots of other travellers around (which means easier to meet people). If you want fewer crowds, try shoulder months: December, January, February.