Favorite European country to live in
 

I know many of you have lived overseas in Europe for extended periods of time and in various countries.

What would you consider the best place to live, best weather, best quality of life, best educational opportunities, etc.

Just curious.

We've lived in GB, France, Spain, and Morocco. Today we wouldn't consider living in the EU because of all the onerous rules, regs, and TAXES. So my answer is MOROCCO !

I'd would so love to live in Morocco (not European, but still, close...). For now, though, got to get spouse through the carte résidence/long-term visa process to make a base in France, which really is my favorite.

Thanks. I was thinking England because of common language and France because of social services available.

This is what I said in the lounge;

I could happily live in the Canary islands for climate and lifestyle.

England will always be "home", but there are few places I would choose to live in England nowadays.

I love Norway, and Denmark, but don't want the climate or the cost of living.

So I guess I'll stick to my adopted home, since it is where my kids and grandkids are. Education is great, quality of life is good, weather not so, but you can't have it all.

A friend recently retired to Turkey. She loves it there.

Last time I looked Morocco was in Africa, and there are other African countries I'd prefer over Morocco.

It's the people you interact with that matter - the rest is just stuff to look at

We've lived in Ireland, UK, Switzerland and France as well as the US. Certain aspects of each place could qualify as "best".

Overall, I loved living in and near London for over 4 1/2 years but it's a situation that I can't re-create, great job with excellent relo package and lots of free time, generous vacations and business travel.

Very happy now in SW France--there are of course places with better weather but of the places we've lived, the weather here suits me the best, neighbors are friendly, scenery is gorgeous and we're close to a large city (45 miles from Toulouse).

Nanabee--interested in your perception of France's social services availability. Most immigrants would dispute that.

Outside of the US, we've only ever lived in England. Although we are scouting out countries for our next move I know we'll move back to England eventually. It's home now.

I'd love to stay in Paris or Istanbul for an extended period of time, but unless I could speak the language fluently (and I can't) I don't think I would ever feel like it was home. I would always feel like an outsider.

Many aspect of "quality of life" depend on one's financial situation.
Would not wish to live in expensive cities like London or Paris ,and especially Morocco,
on a tight income.
I love Spain and could easily live in Madrid or Barcelona. Speaking the language is a big plus.

If these are your criteria

"the best place to live, best weather, best quality of life, best educational opportunities"

then your have to live south of the Alps but as civilized as possible. These would be my options:

1. Always nice weather, year-round and all the infrastructure you need: Tenerife or Gran Canaria.

2. Also good weather (but cooler winters) and also lots of urban opportunities: Mallorca.

3. Very nice springs, summers and falls, great cultural life, the option to go skiing in wintertime, breathtaking scenery: Cote d'Azur.

4. Good weather, snowy mountains, water, lakes, urban and cultural life nearby: Ticino (Switzerland) or Lago Maggiore or Lago di Garda.

All these places are affordable (at leat compared to London or Paris).

I think it depends on your definition of "nice" weather. Endless summer is not my thing. Autumn and winter are my two favourite seasons. Late spring can be very pleasant. Summer is something I simply endure while waiting for fall to arrive.

I posted a longer response on the Lounge, but DH and I have lived and worked in Belgium, the UK and Switzerland. Of the three, Switzerland is overwhelmingly our favourite place to live. (We've also lived in Germany and France as children and students, but for this thread, I'm only counting places that we lived in as a working, bills-paying adults.)