Solo travel · Tampa · United States
Solo travel in Tampa
How to enjoy Tampa at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Ybor City Historic District, Tampa · Photo: Peter K Burian, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Tampa is easy for solo travellers who are comfortable driving, with sociable brewery taprooms, food halls and the Riverwalk for walking. Many solo travellers base themselves in Downtown and the Riverwalk.
Key facts
- Base
- Downtown and the Riverwalk
- Getting around
- Tram
- Emergency number
- 911
- Language
- English and Spanish
Plan a trip to Tampa
Compare flights, places to stay and rental cars, then book with the provider you choose.
Solo travel tips
- Stay downtown or in the Channel District to walk the Riverwalk and use the streetcar.
- Food halls such as Armature Works make solo dining easy and inexpensive.
- Brewery taprooms are relaxed places to meet locals.
- Use rideshares at night rather than walking between districts.
- Join a guided Ybor City history walk to understand the district and meet other travellers.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and solo travellers
Downtown and the Riverwalk
Downtown Tampa is the main hotel base, with the Riverwalk running past Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Glazer Children's Museum and the Straz Center. Across the river, the silver minarets of the Henry B. Plant Museum make the skyline's best-known view. The TECO Line Streetcar links downtown with the Channel District and Ybor City.
- Good
- Walkable riverfront; Streetcar to Ybor City; Close to the airport
- Watch out
- Office district is quiet at weekends; Hotel parking is expensive
- Nearby
- Tampa Riverwalk, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa Museum of Art, Straz Center
Great on your own
Waterfront · Downtown
Tampa Riverwalk
Walk it north at sunset for the view of the Plant Museum's minarets across the river, finishing at Armature Works for dinner.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Couples
- Iconic
Neighbourhood · Ybor City
Ybor City Historic District
Visit by day for the history and cigar shops, then come back after dark if you want the bars on 7th Avenue.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Free
- Food
- After dark
Museum · University of Tampa
Henry B. Plant Museum
Visit in December, when the rooms are decorated for the museum's Victorian Christmas Stroll.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Waterfront · Hyde Park
Bayshore Boulevard
Go at sunrise or sunset to avoid the heat, and look out for dolphins in the bay.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Active
Historic site · Ybor City
Columbia Restaurant
Book the flamenco dinner show ahead; at lunch, the café side serves a classic Cuban sandwich without a reservation.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- History
- Couples
- After dark
Museum · Ybor City
Ybor City Museum State Park
Start your Ybor visit here to make sense of the buildings you will pass on 7th Avenue.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Meeting people
- Ybor City food walk — Start with café con leche and Cuban toast, buy bread at La Segunda, try a deviled crab and finish with Spanish bean soup at the Columbia — all within a few blocks of 7th Avenue.
- Dinner and the dessert room at Bern's — Bern's Steak House in Hyde Park is known for dry-aged steaks, a very large wine list and an upstairs dessert room of private booths. Book well ahead.
- Ybor City — 7th Avenue's clubs, bars and late-night food, busiest on Friday and Saturday nights and during Guavaween.
- SoHo — South Howard Avenue's cocktail bars and restaurants, with a slightly older, dressier crowd.
Sensible precautions
Visitor areas are generally fine, but keep an eye on belongings in Ybor City late at night and use rideshares between districts. The bigger hazards are natural: summer heat, frequent lightning storms (leave the beach or water when you hear thunder) and hurricanes from June to November — follow official instructions if a storm approaches.
- Emergency number
- 911
- Staying connected
- Free Wi-Fi is widely available in hotels, cafés and the airport, and US networks cover the whole metro area.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Tampa good for solo travellers?
Tampa is easy for solo travellers who are comfortable driving, with sociable brewery taprooms, food halls and the Riverwalk for walking.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Tampa?
Downtown and the Riverwalk: Office towers and hotels along the Hillsborough River, with museums on the waterfront.