Orlando, United States
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International Drive is a busy, well-lit tourist strip with hotels, restaurants and attractions close at hand. It has little local character and is not pleasant on foot, but it is practical and generally safe, especially around ICON Park and Pointe Orlando.
International Drive, known as I-Drive, is the main visitor strip south of downtown, close to the Orange County Convention Center, SeaWorld and Universal. It is a long boulevard of hotels, chain restaurants and attractions, including ICON Park with its observation wheel and the Pointe Orlando dining and entertainment center. It is well lit and busy at night, and visitor-safety patrols operate in the area. For a woman on her own it is convenient: rideshare is everywhere, restaurants are used to solo guests, and staff speak English and often other languages. The downside is that it feels like a commercial strip rather than a neighborhood, and the distances between sights are long. Crossing the wide road is the main hazard, so use marked crosswalks, and lock cars and keep valuables out of sight in parking lots.
Daytime Safety
GoodNight Walking Safety
GoodHarassment Risk
ModeratePublic Transport Safety
ModeratePickpocketing Risk
ModerateScam Risk
ModeratePolice Visibility
GoodEmergency Services
ExcellentEvening Venues
GoodSolo Dining
GoodDrug Activity
ModerateHomelessness Visibility
ModerateGetting By in English
ExcellentAreas with comparable safety profiles for solo female travelers
Mills 50 is the best part of Orlando for food: independent restaurants, bars and music venues with a mixed, creative crowd. It is easy by day and on busy evenings, but it is more spread out and rougher than Thornton Park, so take a rideshare between venues after dark.
Downtown is a compact lakeside core with good daytime safety, plenty of restaurants and a busy evening scene around Orange Avenue and Church Street. It makes a convenient base with transit and rideshare nearby, but the quiet side streets and garages call for a rideshare or a short, direct route at night.
Thornton Park is a small residential neighborhood with patios, bars and a bakery, close to Lake Eola. It is one of the easiest places in Orlando to walk, eat alone and have a drink in the evening, though the side streets are quiet late at night.
Help other women stay safe in International Drive
Neighborhood conditions can change. Check recent news, ask locals or your accommodation about current safety, especially for nighttime plans.