What European country would you move to in a heartbeat?

[carolineofcanton]

If you had the chance to. Feel free to be more specific as some countries have wide regional disparities. I would move to Belgium.

But if you don't speak the local language it can make life very hard. Dealing with taxes, doctors, calling a plumber, getting a new washing machine delivered, getting your hair cut - even after 18 years I can never find sufficient vocab to tell a new hairdresser what I want done exactly.

Be careful what you wish for - I lived in Sweden for a year - it was bloody awful.

@BetterInColour it's really really not similar to UK!! Everything is very different - from schools, bureaucracy, tax.... I do like it here tho and now have Belgian nationality!

@Papyrophile Fair enough, but take the bureaucracy seriously. It’s very easy to sleepwalk into serious trouble, especially if you don’t understand the language well.

And to start with, we shall arrive in good health, though that can change quickly when you're 70.

But, @Toastthemosttoo , I like where I live, just not the weather or the tax regime that's taking shape.

Brittany.

@Papyrophile you probably won’t like the tax regime here either.

And the Portuguese don’t really like people speaking Spanish to them

Like most people apparently, Denmark or Norway.

Gosh I don't know. Austria maybe.
I'd like it to be politically stable, safe with great education and healthcare, good prospects for work. Affordable to live in and culturally rich. With nice people. I don't know to be honest. Which one meets the criteria?

Norway.

Most Romance languages are similar, although the accents and pronunciation complicate things. A two minute conversation with an Angolan hotel receptionist in Coimbra improved my pronunciation of Portuguese about 100% because she explained how s was spoken. And for the record, I would definitely be taking regular language classes.

I don't think the Belgians would accept me, even though I have met two of their Prime Ministers. Given my occasional speaking of the wrong language, about the only thing that Belgians care about. 'Bonsai' in a Gent restaurant did not go down very well.

We're in the same situation. Probably making the final move next year. Life in France is very different.

@Papyrophile Well that all sounds just fine.

Good luck!

I had the same question!

@Costacoffeeplease I understand your (unspoken) reservations and share them. But thank you for your good wishes too.

Have never felt more at home than in Stockholm. I found my place, utterly loved it, the people, the shops, just the feel of the place, totally at home.

Sardinia

Im working remotely in spain..
Ive Just been texted another weather warning.

I came here for a peaceful relaxed time.

Jesus it's been like apocalypse now in Spain lately. I might have to make different plans.

France, but I'm French so moving back home would be quite an obvious choice.
Otherwise, Poland or Serbia.

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. What are you finding disappointing about living in Portugal?

Norway. I feel very at home there when I visit. I’d choose Trondheim or Stavanger. Dd(14) feels the same way, and she’s been learning Norwegian on Duolingo for two years, in readiness.

There are more important things than the weather - having lived and worked in Asia, Austrslia, America and Europe, all I can say is that they all have unpleasant beaurocracy and taxes, people and culture are what draw you in because they are what really matters. If you can integrate yourself into your neighbourhood you will love it - if you can’t you’ll be utterly miserable, it takes time and sometimes, just too long and you have to move on.

Madeira in a heartbeat

Weather is increasingly important as the people of Valencia found to their cost