For me, I would have to say Denmark. It has both a Nordic welfare state and economy, and people there are more continental and open and social (at least compared to Swedes). So the best of both worlds in that regard.
Further, it is a solid democracy with very low levels of corruption and is a very secular society (yes, they do unfortunately still have a state church, but religion in society still has a very marginal influence).
Add to that, it has a good geographic location, being close to many of the major cities of Europe.
Denmark also has its national day today on June 5. So congratulations Denmark!
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I quite enjoy Italy, If only I hadn’t to work here, which is a nightmare (disclosure: I am indeed italian).
Switzerland is probably my actual fav.
Sweden cause it’s my country but if I can’t choose that I would choose France followed by Finland.
I am fascinated by Iceland, but really Spain.. the wide range of geography, cultures / languages, history, food variations across regions and I have a lot of friends and family there.
Spain: people, food, drinks, temperature and cosy feeling. (Btw: I’m Dutch)
Finland. Because the ladies I’ve met from there were absolutely stars, no frills and didn’t blush when saying what they needed me do
Poland for me, Kraków is my favourite European city and I’ve been there many times as a child – nothing but good memories + it’s incredibly gorgeous. Would love to visit Gdańsk as well, but unfortunately it’s far away.
France. I love everything about being there, and in Carcassonne (my favourite place in the world) I feel a peace I don’t get anywhere else.
I also absolutely love Norway. The food there was better than I’ve ever eaten anywhere else, I felt so good while I was there!
Denmark since it’s flat. Been to other flat countires but I prefer the flatness of Danmark.
Croatia and Greece, because they have the two best coast lines with lots of islands, people are mostly friendly and don’t force their native language on you, food is nice and the climate mild. It also has this Balkan authenticity and rawness which I very much enjoy. This kind of authenticity is lost upon many places unfortunately.
Greece, since I’m half Greek and I’ve spent a lot of summers over there, both in my home village and other places.
The views, food, people, history, culture, music are all gorgeous. There is a vibe over there which I can not feel anywhere else in the world. This country is just marvelous and unique.
There are downsides which I’m lucky do not have to face since I’m also half Belgian and living in Belgium.
After that I’d say Italy and France. I also quite enjoy the Czech Republic.
Croatia. 🇨🇿+🇭🇷=❤️
But seriously, Croatia is great. It gets stereotyped as this basic summer destination, but it’s gorgeous, people are extremely nice in my experience and as a bonus, they seem to really like us Czechs. Especially if we try to speak Croatian instead of loud and slow Czech 😁
Besides my own (I like almost everything in England except the negative attitude and politics), I’d say Scotland….
Friendly people, the best humour, comedy and arts, progressive political values, a genuine culture of empathy, beautiful scenery, the most beautiful capital city, and a good neighbour. Also, the freshest air ever.
There’s nothing like the vibe of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 🙂
I quite fancy Ireland. For some reason I’ve always felt a connection to the Irish. I couldn’t tell you why but there it is.
Spain and Greece for me ^^ I love the people, the food and the landscapes there.
I don’t think there’s one country that I can say is my favourite but if I really had to pick then maybe Italy? Rich in historical and cultural heritage; diverse landscapes; amazing food; an appealing language with many different dialects; friendly and sociable people; a history of being comprised of various different realms thus resulting in there being many important cities; the coffee culture.
There’s a lot to love. Cons would probably be the state of its politics and the country being quite conservative compared to other European nations.
Scotland, the people are nice, it’s beautiful and the food is good (strangely)
Ireland if it wouldn’t cost me arms, legs and kidneys to live there
It used to be Germany by a long shot. Nowadays I’d say France followed by Norway.
The one that has all my friends and family and where all my stuff is
I’ll always have a soft spot for Poland after living there for a bit, lovely country and was £1 for a pint. More recently Italy has been the country I’ve visited most, it’s a very interesting and culturally diverse place with decent food that makes up for the driving standards
Italy is great – lovely food, music, architecture, art. I used to live there so I can confirm they have a sense of humour. But I need to say that Barcelona and Stockholm make me want to highly rate Spain and Sweden.
If I had to choose another European country to live in it would be Denmark. Just a great place in terms of society and history. Purely based on the people, the nicest I’ve met are Romanians. Super welcoming and hospitable.
Norway definitely. I think of it like Denmark but waay more beautiful.
Mine. Its chaos but its my country, my culture, my language and my people.
Vilnius in summer (Lithuania). Having travelled most of the Europe and beyond, this is a concrete rating. However, Spain is probably another favorite, especially Tenerife all year round.
Portugal. I love Portuguese people, I love the country, I love their food.
Spain for me.
Love the language, the music, the mentality and emotional expression.
I wouldn’t want to have been born anywhere else but Greece, although I do wish my country has the politicians and infrastructure it deserves. I’m answering this on the basis of ‘other than my own’.
Hard to choose, so many different qualities. So here is a list instead!
England: For their politeness, corporate professionalism and cozy villages
Norway: For the nature and compassionate welfare state (last part also for DK & SE)
Italy: For the food and art
Germany: For their no-nonsense get-shit-done-ism and engineering excellence
Netherlands: For their liberal views on … everything
Spain: For the beaches and their chilled outlook
France: For their high-brow culture and wine
Finland: For their directness and for always being ready for a scrap
Greece: Has the best islands
Switzerland: Has the best mountains for skiing
Stuff it with “more continental and open” people. Regards from Norway 🙂
Austria for me! I love the Alps, and its central location, amazing public transportation, good health care and education system.
Ad a Dane i have to remind you that you forgot another thing we are great at: Being racist. And it is on the rise. 😬
Denmark, Netherlands, Poland and Croatia. Can’t choose 😅
GREECE.
Romanians will always love Greece. The most welcoming country with the best beaches and sea in the world. Lefkada is my favourite place in the world.
2nd is Spain.
As an Italian I’d say France, I look at it as a better version of Italy and it has everything, the south is similar to Italy, while the north (correct me if I’m wrong) is more similar to Germany or England.
Economically, it’s way better than Italy.
Czechia – Excellent beer, good food (love fried cheese), really cool bars and overall chill atmosphere.
Sweden as it feels like Finland+. Would be perfect if they didn’t speak Swedish.
Italy, which is weird to think about considering I’m Italian. Since the job market really sucks, the government either.
But I do like Italian history and cities, especially Rome. I also think that our education, like not flawless, is really good and overall cheap, or at least it is not as expensive as in other major European cities.
I also love the valleys and mountain ranges that often give breathtaking and unique views.
If otherwise I was forced to choose a foreign country, then I would go with Spain since it is really similar to Italy, culturally and climatically wise.
Apart from mine (Spain), I’d say Scotland. Love the landscape, the history and folklore, the people, and Edinburgh is my favourite city in the world.
Italy. I love its vibe. Yes is dysfunctional, corrupted, aging, blahblahblah whatever you wanna call it. The people are warm and fun, the biodiversity is incredible, the history endless, the food among the best and healthiest in Europe. All Italy needs is a bit of trust and a bit of love. I can’t get enough of it.
Close second place is Greece. I love Greece for the same reasons I love Italy, but Greece is more isolated.
But if I have to be objective, the best country in Europe is France. It has it all and it is truly the melting pot of Europe.
Out of france, i really enjoy the diversity of europe and there are beauty everywhere.
If i have to choose, Italy is of course splendid, but the green nature of Switzerland or Slovenia is outstanding. I guess Austria is there too but i only saw the capital for now
Greece has everything from mountains to sea, to islands, to good beaches, good food, good music, bustling cities and desolate villages, ancient monuments and modern vibrancy, clubs, bars, treks. Everything.
For business: Netherlands, Ireland, Romania
For salary job backed life: Denmark, Norway
For soul: Italy
Unfortunately there is not perfect country for these three at the same time 🙁 Or am I wrong?
France – especially down south for me
Love the French people as well – Great bunch of lads.
Great food, proper culture, great infrastructure and rugby.
Exept for France since I come from there, I’d say Greece. It’s beautiful and people are nice, food is amazing.
Italy, mountains and lakes in the north. Gelato, food, wine, culture, history, love the place. In Europe we a spoil for choice with so many good and diverse options for places to visit.
The Netherlands: it’s green, it’s zen, the people are super friendly
Norway takes the lead from Sweden, because like us, they like to joke about Swedes. Plus can cross the border with my dog without any unnecessary stops. Not that it matters when no one is at the border to check the dogs passport.
My mind says the Netherlands, my heart says Spain. The Netherlands has the best urban design that I have ever seen, with gorgeous walkable and bikeable cities, as well as fantastic trains and, yes, motorways too. It’s true that some Scandinavian countries come close, especially Denmark, but the Netherlands – and I mean it – actually has quite nice, very mild climate that I prefer to Northern Europe any day. And I think that economically the Netherlands is quite reasonable, even though it might be getting worse. I also admire the innovative culture in the Netherlands, with all kinds of cutting edge startups that make it to the market: Fairphone being the most important, I think, but there are a lot of smaller ones as well.
Spain, on the other hand, has the most beautiful cities and countryside for me, but they are not as well designed and funded. While the weather is better on many days, it is getting more extreme with climate change, which is a big problem. And while Spain feels and looks on paper like a wealthy country, the economy is very brutal to those that do not have inherited property or a lot of savings and remote work for some well-paying company. And even though I guess you could stand on your feet in Spain by having a high-demand profession (think IT, medicine, something practical), you would be just so much better off in the Netherlands.
Being French I’m biased towards France. It’s arguably the most well-rounded country in Europe.
Other than France, probably the UK because of its huge historical and ongoing cultural influence.
I also admire Sweden and Switzerland for being power houses with small population.
From Finland:
Sweden would be the easiest for me. Very similar society, nature etc. Still Estonia kind of shares a “soul” with Finland, so it’d feel safe there as well.
If I’d only think about the “place” I’d probably choose Italy. Love their food and wine, has everything from scuba diving to skiing.
Then again I feel Finns and Scots are like long lost cousins or something, so Scotland is not totally out of the question. And their national animal is the unicorn, so my daughters would love that.