In Sofia, you can be in 20min up in the mountains high above 2000m, skiing, hiking, or just venting out a busy day at work surrounded by wild nature, insane views (both towards the city or some other mountains) and crisp air. The ski facilities work till late at night and are properly lit and in the summer, hiking and eating wild forest berries is great. Another amazing reason to live in Sofia is the mineral water. You get more than 15 kinds of pure mineral or spring water both bottled or just for free if you know where the local hot springs are located. And quality of life is above all good food, pure water and physical health. You get all 3 in Sofia for almost nothing in terms of money. There's no other capital city in Europe with such options and potential.
The last time i was in Sofia I couldn't find a place to sleep and ended up in the train station on a bench. Exhausted, any time I would slump over asleep the guard would come over and shake me awake and wag his finger at me "Not allowed'. But that was in the 1970's. Maybe it has changed since then. I did get a hearty bowl of soup in a worker's cafeteria that cost me eight cents along with a hunk of bread. Is it any different now?
I agree if I had to move country the city of Prague is where I would move. I love that city. The locals are also really nice too which is odd for a capital city with lots of tourists.
@@MultiSciGeek For Sofia specifically the city municipality gets the half territory of Vitosha mountain, so it is a part of the city (with a cable car next to a planned subway station). However Sofia has indeed urban problems in its downtown, but my initial idea was that any city is not an isolated system from its surroundings. So it does matter if a city is located in a rice field, desert or in a mountainous region and it may compensate the lack of polished squares and charming streets to some extends. Anyway it is rather a question of personal perception.
@@TheDividendExperiment Agreed. I think the highest I've seen is Stockholm and they laughed and assured me that Oslo costs even more for a beer, definite sticker shock ;)
@@J10044 True, it doesn't have to be >that< pricey. But also keep in mind, whatever overpriced beer one may buy, Scandinavians buy them with money that was first taxed at 56% marginal tax rate. And then they pay for a beer with a VAT of 25%.
As someone living in Sofia, I get why you don't like it. Up until the end of 19th century, it was a small town, mainly known for its mineral springs. It was chosen as a capital, because the politicians at the time hoped to unite all Bulgarian populated territories and that would place Sofia in the middle of the country. That didn't happen and now it's close to the border with Serbia. The biggest problem with it for me is that it's surrounded by mountains making it have a terrible weather. This is mainly the reason, the ottomans abandoned it as their regional capital. Also the buildings from the Roman times were not preserved and you have ugly socialist buildings built on top of them. I wish some other city was chosen for the capital of Bulgaria, but there you are. Now all people who want a decent job are forced to live here.
I agree with Podgorica but I completely disagree with Sofia. It has a dynamic student population and a good night life. I also think that Varna on the Black Sea is much nicer than Batumi. The combination of the 8km Sea Garden, the Sea and the medium size livable city make it a nice place to be. It also has a beautiful cathedral and an Archaeological Museum considered by many to be the most important in Eastern Europe.
@@DidiGrooves Yes, in June when it's "the white nights" period ... in all the northern part of Europe it's like that, up to the Polar Circle. In fact, then it's never night, but the bright light isn't ... something like the sunrise (or sunset).
Cheaper in Thailand right ? If he payed 27 euro it must have been some special imported stuff at a high end resturant..I m Norweigan and one of many things we love about Denmark is that they have much cheaper prices on Alcohol..A beer in a bar in Norway could be anything from 6-7 Euros to 12 Euros...
@@Eric-of5ex Thailand has extensive taxes on beer but it cost $1 at a 711, $2-3 in a bar and maybe $4-5 in a disco. I've been in Mexico where beers are $1-2 in both bars and discos, very cheap and good quality mass market beer brands.
@@billyblue689 Been to Thailand many times ,first time 2003 as a 26 year old.😉 love Thailand and l ve seen some of your videos, very good 🙏🙏 Are you in Thailand now? I ve heard everything is alot cheaper there now due to lack of tourists...
Local Copenhagen’er here. No way you’ll ever pay that much for a beer. The Norwegian in this thread is more on point. Certainly you’ll pay more in touristy parts but this much just isn’t correct.
@@thorpm8352 What's up, man! Shit. I saw your comment only now. Well, I'm a business owner here. A tiny language school that's relatively new and fresh. So, that's a new project. Hopefully that'll grow. Going pretty good, considering this whole... "crisis". Man, I'm too damn stupid to do anything related to trading any currencies. Crypto or forex. Hahaha. Kudos! Tell me, how's life in Albania Bro?
@@KL-no4gu wauw awesome! What got you inspired to do that? 😄 I drove through Serbia, slept in Belgrade, I loved it there 😁 Everyone is stupid till they are not 👌🤪 For me Albania is perfect for now. Money is power down here, which is important for me. In general, people are warm and the hospitality is great. Ofc it’s a poor country, so that limits the supply of real food stores. I miss Bilka 😂 But yeah, great warm people, stunning nature, awesome beaches and no really strict COVID restrictions. 😄 Hbu in Serbia, why did it become you country of choice? 😄
@@thorpm8352 That sounds so good, mate. Well, I'm not a teacher. But I am into acquisition methods. And I'm living with a super experienced polyglot language teacher, with whom I've got a kid. Hahaha. So we're balancing actual language learning and language acquisition methods at the school. (I never really attended English classes, but I've picked it up naturally through music, games, videos and such) Bilka? Hahaha. I think the only thing I really miss is probably something as ridiculous as Koldskål. Hahaha. How long have you been living there? Are you living a nomadic lifestyle always on the go or are you pretty stable in Albania? I'm on my almost fourth year here. Yes, Serbia is also pretty poor. But there's a shit tonne of building industries going on here, much of which is funded by foreign investors. It's beautiful and they're stimulating the economy a lot, by employing tonnes of locals. You seem like a cool guy, man! I dig it. Maybe you should teach me some foreign exchange basics some day! 😄👌
@@KL-no4gu koldskål 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Funny I was thinking about that yesterday 😂😂😂 And cool, sounds fancy, had to look it up, but nice 👌😁 I see you are really settled, understandable, it’s a nice country 😁 I’m nomadic, I’ll probably stay here till summer, go to Poland with a fellow trader and his wife. Then headed to Thailand or Zanzibar in the winter 😄 Like “couples on the move”, we go where the sun and opportunities are. But definitely not last time here in Albania, I like it very much here and my girlfriend is Albanian, so ofc we will come here more 😄 Sure, if I hit Serbia in the near future we could have a talk or some 😁 Is it Belgrade? I really wish you the best in your business endeavour/s! Hope everything turns out the way you had like it 👌😎
@@nikosniko7092 In my humble opinion, Athens is a dirty, noisy, shithole of a city, which reminds me of a more disorganized version of LA, albeit smaller, and with priceless, magnificent, historically important ruins in the center.... which everyone on Earth ought to see at least once. For Greek cities with an excellent quality of daily life, affordability, and ease of getting around on foot, no place beats Thessaloniki!
@@BodilessVoice I am an athenian and I can partially agree with you. The southern western parts of the city are just bad. There is nothing to see there except cement built houses. The downtown is very mediocre. However the north eastern suburbs are better. Not perfect but better less noice pollution and traffic. Also the ruins are better than the three biggest cities in greece combined
I have more than my share of travelling and actually spending time in places, especially in Europe. And I've liked everywhere I've been to, more so the people. I feel that most people that don't like places is because they don't know them well enough. They don't take the the time to get to know them, or adapt the right attitudes towards new expriences. Most negative remarks come from comparing and expecting; not to even mention home sickness! People imagine that their own established reference points, ways and manners are more or less the same everywhere; which they're not. The main key to all this is to keep an open mind with respect towards the locals and their ways, and an open heart with a genuine interest in people, (people will feel this in you), and enjoy the experience of different places...Different countries, different people, different manners, different ways of thinking. DIFFERENT! That's what makes travelling and living out new experiences so exciting, because they're DIFFERENT. Happiness comes from within, wherever one might be and in whatever situation, happiness never comes from circumstances!
Not true. I`ve lived 50 years in Canada, it used to be a lovely place in the 1970s. It has become absolutely horrible (nothing but restaurants now, most bookshops closed), and I dearly regret having lived here past the 2000s. I did not see it coming, until I saw a survey saying "80% of Canadians say culture should be treated as a commodity like any other." When you hear that, RUN. Lived in Quebec and Ottawa btw.
Still haven't been to a city in Europe that I didn't like, but I agree that Copenhagen is a bit lackluster. San Fransisco though has to be the worst city I've ever been to.
@@stanleyolivar7381 No, it is not. That dishonor falls to nearby Sacramento. Capital cities are not always the most desirable, though in Europe, they are usually pretty special cities. In the US, it is often a geographical central location that determines a capital. SF is always a city that attracts international tourists, or at least it used to, until the Dems turned it into a slum. I lived there for 5 years in the 1970s, and it was much more appealing then, fog and all.
@@TS-rd7oy I know! I lived there for 5 years in the 1970s. It has only been since Left loons like Newsom took over that it has turned into a slum in many areas, and now everyone is locked down in fear and cannot even enjoy anything. How to destroy a city (and state) in 3 easy steps of Left ideology, run amok!
Most places in Scandinavia are boring due to being so arrogant. Denmark, and especially the capital, Copenhagen are insufferable. You will be reminded by strangers that your country is not as free, or gay friendly or superior morally/politically, regardless of where you are from. I remember one time I had a small office there for my tour company where we provided tours for cruise passengers in all the Baltic ports, with the main one of course being St Petersburg Russia where I have lived for 20 years, which was the entire reason anyone takes cruises of the Baltic Sea. I was in a pub, and a girl heard my American speech and came across the room to my table and started in about how ignorant I was and how bigoted and racist I was. She was joined by another young man from further away who reminded me that I was morally inferior because of being an American. I said I was not very responsible since I had not been in the US for 10 years and mentioned I lived in St Petersburg and another Dane joined in saying is was a rude uncultured place less evolved. I rebutted that comment by saying that despite only being 300 years old, that one city has 10 times the excellence in art, science, music, literature, architecture, equality of religions, genders etc than all the history of Denmark. That did not go over well but it was true. Arrogance is the most common term used to describe the little country with a small man complex. I shut down that office for the next cruise season because the ships were cutting down on port call length from 8 to 6 hours while they stayed in port in St Petersburg 2 or 3 days. Sweden was more popular but both of those countries were really hard to work in. If had a ship arrive on a weekend, we had to pay some college student over $100/hr to a guide, and not many people booked tours of Copenhagen. There really was not much to see or do. In St Petersburg the guides were professionals. One could not even apply for guide school without a degree in history or art history, then after passing guide school, they had to take exams created by each of the key museums, palaces and cathedrals. There are 354 museums in the city but only 12 were needed to pass exams. My GF is a lawyer and has another degree in PR but wanted to be a guide so she had to get a waiver because she was "only a lawyer", and pass another exam on art that was independent of the museums. After passing the exam by the Hermitage, she came home exhausted saying despite studying 16 hours a day she was lucky to have passed the Hermitage exam, and only 6 of the 17 people taking the exam passed. She said it was harder than the bar exam after graduating from law school. She earns more than a lawyer and only has to work 2-4 days a week in the summer and has the rest of the year to travel. Her tips alone in 2019, that last time we had tourists here, paid for vacations in 9 countries. So having to pay triple time for a know-nothing arrogant college student for 6 hours of work but paid $100/hour for minimum 8 hours was too unprofitable so we dropped all tours of Copenhagen. The cost of having that little office...no work was done there but we needed an office to be allowed to have any business. A year lease on an office that was not even used except for the legal requirement to do business and not even available to us outside of the summer months was further insult and over-regulation. All the scheduling and work was done in the larger 23 person office in SPb. I have never been back to Copenhagen since. I go to Finland, usually smaller towns but also Helsinki. The only really boring thing about Helsinki is Finns. None seem to be happy or angry, passive faces only. They drink a lot, second only to Luxembourg for per capita of alcohol consumption, twice that of Russians or Germans. Men and women usually have the same hairstyle and clothing, strange. Seeing a woman you can tell who she is married to by scanning the room and seeing a man who looked like her hairstyle, face shape and clothing. Actually, it is a pretty little capital city, safe and clean that shuts down a 9pm, but except for strip clubs.The police can be very aggressive however..there are a lot of them for such a religious and conservative nation, and a few late-night heavy metal rock clubs, everything closes by 9pm. A lot of kids rebel by extreme tattoos, piercings, and dress. They all move to other countries in Europe eventually, mostly Germany. The wilderness in eastern and northern Finland is beautiful however and the area of North Karelia has so many glacial lakes thousands of Russians have bought homes on the lakes....one house per lake usually so 10,000 beautiful lakes and 1 thousand houses for summer and dead of winter getaway. After the US forced Finland to sanction Russia, which was its biggest trade partner for 200 years, the economy of rural Finland has almost ended. Whole towns shut down. The dairy industry was very big as well as cross border shopping, when it shut down, caused the dairy farmers to slaughter their herds. One city in Russia bought more milk, cheese, and salmon than all of Scandinavia or Europe,, combined, 70% of their trade was with one city, St Petersburg. Russia simply developed its own dairy industry and learned to make good cheese and not is a net exporter so Finland was screwed over by the US. Same with Polish and Hungarian beef, Russia developed a cattle industry in a short time and now is the largest exporter of free-range organic beef and chicken. Arkansas used to sell 1/3 of their chicken to Russia but when Obama forced the sanctions, Russia created its own and went from the second-largest importer of chicken to be the largest exporter of chemical free-range chicken in the world. It is the largest supplier of non-GMO organic produce now, thanks to the Obama sanctions. That is one reason why no one here cares about the sanctions being lifted.
I agree on Copenhagen. But for me Paris is a very over rated capital city. I spent 2 days and felt that it is to hard to find a friend or a smily face. I do not really know why. Other French cities were much more charming and cleaner.
That's funny you say that. I used to do a lot of bicycling around Copenhagen and loved it. That city has lots of charm. I mean, Tivoli Gardens was literally the inspiration for Disneyland. I don't remember paying that much for a beer but the hot dog stands around town were fairly cheap and delicious.
All cities in Sweden. People are mostly depressed and hate what they are doing. Everyone waits for the weekend and most of them hate the rich because of jealousy. If you have big dreams, be prepared to hear all the reasons why it won’t work. (This is why most people stay mediocre because they believe them and never live their dream). Not saying that everyone is like this but mostly. The country where tax crime is more severe than murder and rape. High taxes and the more you earn, the higher the % is. If you want to be as good as you can financially and mentally, leave ASAP. That’s my plan for 2021.
Happiness has a stronger co-relation to peace of mind and contentment, than economic wealth. There are many materially poor people, who are happier than rich people.........provided they are not in a state of pain or discomfort. This is why people in Bhutan are more likely to be happier than many people in many rich countries all over the world.
Sometimes they're reminded of that cliche...like some years ago the then king sent the army to some distant from the capital area where people was not being too" happy" after some thousands were killed they understood they should be happy as the law dictates
I'm Danish and from Copenhagen. Danes are NOT the happiest people in the world! They are depressed, afraid and extremely anxious (hence the crazy social security net). We also top the list for depression, suicide, etc. So, why is it often mentioned as the happiest country? Because they are so concerned with appearing happy, that they will do anything to convince themselves and others that this is the case. "If we say we happy, then maybe we will be". Basically, everybody is in denial. Admitting that you are indeed really unhappy is just too unbearable.
Copenhagen is among the worst capital city in Europe to live in ? Have you ever been in Bucuresti ?Pollution , sidewalks and carriage way clogged with cars illegal parked , mess everywhere .
My three worst European cities to live in: 3) Milan: It's like if you take all the worst aspects of Italy with none of the romantic architectural charm you associate with the country. Folks from Africa aggressively accosting you trying to put 'friendship' bracelets on you, insisting of course they're free up until it's on. In some cases this spills over in straight up assault, with them trying to put it on you even after a hard NO. Overpriced restaurants coupled with rude and indifferent service complete the picture. Come to Milan, visit the cathedral and the Da Vinci museum and then leave never to return. 2) Athens: Again, another city that is a must to visit but would never live in in a million years. Graffiti and trash everywhere, smell of urine, homeless people sleeping on the street, horrendous traffic, extreme crowdiness, a complete lack of green spaces and entire areas where every single store is boarded shut. Also, many businesses try to overcharge you, so you need to watch like a hawk what amount they're typing into the credit card machine and every single person is like 'whoops, brain fart' if you catch them doing it. 1) Barcelona: The city with the most infamous reputation as a haven for pickpockets is more than deserved. EVERY single acquaintance I've known that has been there to has experienced theft or attempted theft. My friends from America were straight up robbed at knifepoint. My family had their belongings stolen in a reastaurant where in all likelihood the restaurant was working in tandem with the pickpocketers, providing distraction while the pickpockets posing as fake waiters took their stuff. My friend had his laptop bag stolen. Another friend who actually lived there for a while describes her experience walking down the streets as constant vigilance, with thieves being so blatant as to act shocked if you slap them whilst they're taking your stuff, pretending like you slapped a poor innocent bystander for no reason. So yeah, I could easily live in boring Podgorica, rough around the edges Sofia or sterile and expensive Copenhagen all day long, but to constantly worry about being harassed, cheated or pickpocketed is definitely a hard NO from me.
Saddly is so true about Barcelona and it's getting worse day by day on top of that you've to watch where you place your foot as you walk or it may end on dog poop . Tourist are over charged in many restaurants and even some shops, in other words a bunch of thieves.Disgusting!
I live in Athens right now, and i can confirm; ...but in Greece, it is the only real city that you can have nearly the amenities, jobs, business and career opportunities of a big city in europe. All other small cities, islands and towns, all they can offer is a quiet rural life mostly.
Ah the bracelet thing has happened in Montmarte with me he grabbed my hand so hard to put the bracelet on I had to yell at him, "Dont you Touch me!!!" He freaked out, laughed and left. Also the same was happening all over Italy unfortunately...nothing is the same anymore. I have been followed in paris, florence, and Naples by these ppl not by the locals!
@@birdakasiakwvos How does Thessaloniki compare to Athens? I found it, despite the lack of top tier attractions like the Parthenon, to be a far more pleasant city and it's still a city of considerable size.
In Athens, most of the city centre is very bad, but the suburbs are very good. Stay at a beach area for a few days and you will want to stay forever, but 95% of visitors never visit the riviera( which is very big)
I’d have to say Dublin is just not very attractive to me. It’s crazy expensive, shabby in many places and the weather sucks. Public transport leaves much to be desired as well, and your air B&B’s are basically furnished closets unless you go deep into your pockets. That said, it’s got a few redeeming features like Temple bar district, a decent music scene and many restaurants although overpriced. I much prefer Galway or Cork in Ireland. Galway’s just crazy while Cork is a “pocket sized” city which is good for walking with pretty much everything you need and a great local brewery and whiskey scene.
Andrew, do you ever have a hard time revisiting friends and family in the U.S. after giving up your citizenship? Could you live in the U.S. if you wanted too after giving up your American citizenship?
In the next 5-10 years there won’t even be a USA. Just a bunch of regions and states. Then many places will relax the laws to make it much easier to live and stay there.
It's socially unacceptable in Scandinavia to say that you are unhappy. People will outwardly maintain the appearance of a medium level of happiness because anything more or less makes you stand out from the crowd. It's even in the language. "Lycklig" means both "Happy" and "Lucky". To say you are unhappy is to suggest that something is different for you which is socially not ok in the stifling culture of Scandinavia
You should add Paris to the list, dirty city with rude policemen attacking pacific protesters, driving them mad, and giving 135€ fine to people that forgot their certificate (because you need a paper to allow yourself to get out)...
For me, as a an EU citizen, Bulgaria is a baby step as I don't need a residence permit and citizenship through hiring is relatively easy and it's a nice passport to have as a plan B if west Europe starts to tax citizens overseas. Perhaps Varna or Burgas are better to spend time than Sofia but maybe these cities are not ideal for a base
Plovdiv is the best base. You want sea - 3hrs drive Burgas the most. It can be 2:30hrs. Beautiful mountains - 1hr drive. Varna - too much corruption + the local mafia controls the biggest part of the business activities there.
As a Bulgarian, originally from Plovdiv, who's lived in a bunch of places over the last 15 years (Sofia, Bremen, Hamburg, Rotterdam, and currently Milan) and frequented a few others for work, I agree with you on Sofia - a lot of what it offers can be found in most other European cities, while there is little charm and uniqueness. The proximity to mountains is as much a blessing (winter sports after work) as a curse (pretty rough winters). It has a few things going for it, but those are very niche - such as a vibrant bulgarian-language theater and art scene. Plovdiv and Varna on the other hand offer a lot more charm and soul, as well as the same tax benefits. While I appreciate they may be a bit too small for an international nomad, I would need a very convincing reason to choose life in Sofia over either of those two for example.
what are the odds, I‘m from Bremen and considering moving to either Plovdiv, Burgas or Varna. Which do you like the most? I have an IT business and am hearing that Plovdiv is the „capital“ for IT expats, but I am a big fan of the sea. Then again from Plovdiv to the greek coast (which I assume is nicer than the black sea) is only a 2 hour drive.
@@maxf.8999 It really depends on how much you love the sea, since Plovdiv is definitely the best of the three. Also keep in mind that you'll most likely have to travel all the way back to Sofia for your flights (unless you're lucky with the very limited destinations that Burgas and Plovdiv's airports have direct flights to), and Plovdiv at least has the benefit of being less than 2 hours away from Sofia Airport. None of these is a "capital" for IT expats, but Plovdiv ticks all the boxes that a remote worker in need of a laid back town would need. Burgas is also quite pleasant to live in. Varna's overall vibe seems repulsive to me.
According to most air quality data websites, it's comparable to other southern European landlocked cities (I.e. Milan) and 40% worse than north German ones (I.e. Hamburg and Bremen).
@@maxf.8999 I am biased towards Plovdiv, I actually recently relocated back here for family reasons while running my business remotely. Plovdiv has plenty going for it and the practical reasons the other reply mentions are valid. However, it also feels overcrowded, while still somewhat provincial, to me as it's small in area but is now exploding due to work opportunities. With regards to the sea, I don't know whether the black Sea winter is worth it tbh. And Varna and Burgas do get overcrowded in the summer. The places where I enjoy going on the black Sea are in the extreme north and south, where it's a lot less crowded and wilder. Also very different, the South is forested while the north is more plains and cliffs.. The northern greek coast is relatively close too, chalkidi is pretty great. Frankly, the best would be to stay in Pld and spend 2 months in a camper / rented house on the sea coast.
Every couple of videos you really crack me up. This was one: "I go to a lot of countries. I see people that are pretty happy and they're not paying 27 euros for a beer."
Yes the prices in Denmark are hard to get use to. The happiest people apply to the Danish people, not to the foreign worker... but overall I loved my time in Denmark and would go back. Always things to do lots of festivals and museums. Great beaches in the summer. You can swim in the capital city’s harbor and I think that’s great.
Belgrade best capital, period. Cheap life. Most beautiful women (my girlfriend and future wife was born in Serbia) but yes taxes could be lower....like flat at 10% for example....which would be wonderful but it is possible only if everyone including all the oligarch close to the government was forced to pay it. Currently they simply don't pay anything......
I’d go as far as saying Paris should be on the list... dirty, over priced, crime ridden ghettos and unsafe in parts. Copenhagen is actually alright, but go in the summer.
Paris was already a very strange place when I went 20 years ago. I remember going to a Chinese bar-disco type place, that was interesting lol. But I'd like to visit Versailles again some day perhaps.
For sure, I absolutely love traveling around Thailand and Malaysia. Can't beat the delicious food and low prices of everything. Real estate is so affordable there. If you're willing to live in a less modern area then the real estate value is even better in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
@@danluzurriaga6035 Philippines used to be a great place to live. I know quite a few expats have left there in the past few years because either they didn't feel as safe as they used to or simply because it wasn't a place where they felt they were treated best anymore. One person I know went to Thailand instead. Loose cannon Duterte is one of the problems, hopefully a new leader will make it a more inviting place for expats.
@@danluzurriaga6035 Ugh, you couldn’t pay me to live in the Philippines. I was there about ten years ago and it was a constant hassle, with virtually everyone trying to rip me off everywhere because I am American. I even had $40 cash stolen by airplane cleaners. It fell out of my pants pocket, I noticed right after deboarding and rushed back to find it. It was not in the seat. The three cleaners denied taking it, even though I could tell they were lying. I loathe that place.
I am with Andrew about Cph and Sofia. Every year i have to go to Cph, and i try to go away asap. Yes, it is beautiful, i call it a boutique city, completely over priced. I prefer to cross the bridge and go to Malmostan haha... After live in Bulgaria around 3 months i don't feel any attraction for Sofia. Grey city with heavy atmosphere. I love Plovdiv and Veliko Tornovo in Bulgaria. Never been in Pogdorica so my third choice could be Bucharest. Dirty, old, weird city, while the rest of Romania is a diamond. I love Brasov. Helsinki? Pff so boring, only to party with friends but at a high price again. I don't like either Paris, cool for 3,4 days but more than that i feel not comfortable.
Romanian (originally) here from Brașov, and frankly I'm surprised there is only one mention of Bucharest :). I guess the city has improved a bit over the last decade or so. Anyway, most Romanians don't like Bucharest either.
I totally agree with this - Podgorica is one of my least favorite capitals - it's quite boring and HOT. It also feels pretty isolated, the internet is sluggish, and amenities are lacking. Sofia I have mixed feelings about... It has its attributes. I like the food/bar scene, low cost of living, and affordable luxury hotels. I also like the view of the ski slopes in the winter. But I'd rather live in other parts of Bulgaria. Haven't been to Copenhagen yet, but I love the surrounding capitals of Oslo, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.
The EU bureaucrats are depressing, but the food and architecture of Brussels is pretty nice, and other interesting places not too far. You could live in Omaha and be depressed and miles from anything (not to mention the only train that goes through arrives in the middle of the night)! NO place in Europe is THAT depressing!
It's TRUE as far as Brussels is concerned, so depressed and rickety houses and a lot of crime. I would never spend there a day not even in million years.
I’ve been living in Brussels for the last three years, and it it great. Beautiful architecture, great public transport, fantastic restaurants and a great live music scene.
Sofia is a city without a river and , obviously , is not near the sea and , for some reason cities with water always seem more interesting to live in. It is cheap to live in for nomads . Tax rate is attractive. Cyrillic and language are challenge . I personally like the city as I know it very well. Someone said don’t take a bus in Bulgaria. Weird, as bus travel is safe; clean; cheap and punctual. Overall, for me personally, there are many worse cities in Europe. Bulgaria deserves more attention for Nomads and is a good choice for business setup , for EU citizens.
There are rivers in Sofia but very small ones and infamous. The only most notable river that passes through is Iskar but it is like at the most east side of Sofia and not in the Central just like in some other smaller cities here. But I agree it is kinda boring here. Not to mention that Sofia at some point in the history it used to be a village but here is now - the biggest city with over a million and it has very like socialist buildings that might feel like you are in Russia. And because it is surrounded by 4 mountains it is very bad to live in the winter - bad air, cold. And because of the geographic location usually here is colder compared to the other cities. If you want historical cities there are so much better ones like Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Melnik (the smallest town even if it has 300 people but because of historical reasons it is a town) and more. I mean Sofia is improving its architecture with the new flats that are being build here and some neibourghoods have nice beautiful view towards Vitosha. Slowly but surely it is improving (even though I still live in a socialist flat from the 50s).
Brussels is pretty appalling, expensive and charmless (other than the central square). Nordic cities are irritating for the reasons stated, high taxes and high prices and Paris, for all it's beauty gets sadly more and more unlivable as the years go by. Good capital cities to live in in Europe for me are: Prague, Vienna, Madrid.
Agree with this. Just wanted to express how bad I thought Paris is. Might have been nice 30 years ago and still has nice architecture. But apart from that the place sucks and is fast becoming the most unlivable city in Europe. Especially if you are European or French and value your safety.
@@towaritch I think Warsaw is great, wonderful city and people, just a bit far from everywhere else. Generally I really like Poland. Budapest is ok, the people aren't maybe so friendly. At least that's been my impression.
I live in Burgas and love it there. Sofia is great, too. It is not just low taxes, but also a low cost of living, good climate, and great nature. My least favorite capital cities in Europe are 1. Skopje 2. Sarajevo and 3. Copenhagen.
My worst in the list - Paris (sorry...) The central part is grand and beautiful, but too crowded for my taste. I fall in love with Budapest and Edinburgh.
No. Sofia, Bratislava & Belgrade ( only 5/7 more left to vist) . Chisnau ? Well, there's vineyards & Transnistria nearby.., I bemused how one cannot complain about prices & lack of sunlight ( if these are the only 2 comparisons) & favour anywhere in Norway over Denmark.
As a Dane I agree that life in Scandinavia/Denmark is pricy(high tax+vat), but When Andrew said that he has been to Norway and then went on as if Alcohol is more expensive in Denmark than it is in Norway...that's where he lost me: In Norway you pay at minimum the price Andrew mentioned from Copenhagen(must have been a fancy restaurant) and in Norway you can't even buy alcohol in regular stores - only in Government controlled special stores that are not open for too many hours. And if you want a pack of smokes to go with your beer in Norway, well that's gonna be like 16-18 euros. People who has never been to Scandinavia will get a wrong impression of the cost of living in Denmark vs. living in Norway from this video. Alcohol in general costs very little in Denmark, especially when compared to Norway.
As a Dane... Beer does not cost €27. Anywhere in Denmark. At the high end, you may pay up to €7-8 and that's still really expensive by Danish standards. So fair play that you don't 'vibe' with Copenhagen, but that statement is a straight up lie.
There's a lot of European cities that are on the boring end. I found Zagreb and Bratislava to be pretty meh though they had some neat things. Copenhagen has plenty of charm with its historical architecture mixed with modern Scandinavian design, bridges, canals, and reserved Scandinavians biking everywhere. Freetown Christiania is also there to add to some paradoxical interest. Lots of cities are overrated though. Barcelona for example is nice but it's like everyone is out to get you if you're a tourist. From beggars and scammers, to store clerks up charging tourists for basic items. I even saw people impostering as train station personnel and "helping" people to then beg for cash.
London and Paris are both tremendously overrated. I lived in the former for nearly 20 years as well as lived and worked with people from the latter. I reckon that the romantic, chic and sophisticated European fairytale the world has been sold on lost its charm and became a tinderbox like dystopian nightmare both socially and monetarily. As always there are exceptions but rather a few.
A few are dumping on Paris. My wife and I visited the city in Oct. 2012 for six nights. From what we saw, certainly no worst that most cities in the States and IMO a lot better than Brussels. The French we encountered were generally friendly and helpful. We were warned that trash was common on the streets, but the parts of the city we visited were uniformly clean. Kind of pricey, but where in Europe is it not?
Try going now. Also, most complaints are about it being overpriced and bad value for money. But as an american high earner you might not feel the pinch.
Having lived in Aarhus, Denmark (3 hours from Copenhagen) for over 5 years I agree it's a tough place to live financially (akin to NYC). But Copenhagen is pretty vibrant, it's not as great as Southeast Asia and it's not as happy as Cuba. I prefer Germany. The US is CHEAP compared!
Never liked Denmark. Boring, expensive and most of the people I met were not friendly. Regarding Nordic countries Norway and Iceland are at the top. But only as a tourist.
Well, Iceland and Norway have better scenery and friendlier locals than other Nordic countries, but they aren't good places to live being too cold and expensive
I am an American who have lived in Sofia for many years. Your right about most of your comments. BUT our family is here and they are awesome, as is the food, the red wine and the climate.... Communism f'd up the architecture in Sofia, but the people are awesome when they are not at work.
Well, if you are a property speculator you should not be welcomed anywhere in the world. Real Estate speculators are the reason why the number of homeless people is growing everywhere in the world.
I hear you about Sofia, but I also disagree. How exactly do you imagine living in a place without taking taxes, cost of living, bureaucracy and business/job opportunities for you and your family into consideration. Your favourite Belgrade falls short in all of these categories. Sofia has quite developed IT/Outsourcing sector, the biggest business park in Central/Eastern Europe, lower taxes, less bureaucracy and you definitely get more for your money as salaries are higher and cost of living is same/slightly cheaper. "Enjoy" that hustle and bustle of 2-million Belgrade with no underground vs 52 stations in Sofia. Another thing to mention - connectivity - Sofia is better connected to the rest of Europe/World. Not to mention faster i-net speed and other little treats that come from being an EU member. So I am confused? I do agree Belgrade is the more pleasing to look at, but living in a place is not the same as visiting the place for a week. Otherwise, Bulgaria has plenty to offer, city wise - I'd recommend Plovdiv with both hands for freelancers/digital nomads.
I disagree about Sofia being better connected. Connected to whom? Turkey and Russia? Bulgarians still have to travel through Serbia to get to the rest of EU, if you go by car/bus, and Belgrade airport is not less connected than Sofia airport.
@@prosquatter You could disagree, but it's the truth. Numbers are numbers. Sofia is considerably better connected by air to the rest of Europe and not only. Just compare the total destinations provided by WizzAir, Ryanair and the amount of passengers that pass through the Sofian and Belgrade airport. Sofian airport is the third busiest on the Balkans after Athens and Heraklion. Also, Sofia is closer, better connected to touristic hotspots such as Greece/Turkey.
@@Kurrkabin Wizzair?? Ryanair??? Yes, connecting to Vaxjo and Memmingen, lol. It's embarrasing that these companies even fly from SOF and BEG. A flight to Sofia via Wizzair should land no closer than Kyustendil. That's poverty airlines.
@@prosquatter Are you being serious or you are trolling? Once again, the Sofian airport is the third busiest on the Balkans with roughly 1 million more passengers than the Belgrade one. When you land in Sofia (regardless of the company), you land in town and have a direct connection to the metro system (52 stations) that can take you anywhere in the city. When we account for the Burgas/Varna/Plovdiv airports the total amount of passengers greatly outnumbers the Serbian airports despite the two countries have roughly the same population. So yes, my friend, Sofia and Bulgaria (on a country to country basis) is more connected and busier destination than Serbia. You can disagree all you want from here, but it's nothing but bitter, self-delusional talk.
@@Kurrkabin there's litteraly no difference in the destinations other than BEG has a direct NY flight. One million more gastarbeiters flying to Sofia on Ryanair is of no concern to a foreigner.
The people are so polite and friendly, the food is wonderful. English is well-spoken by young people but the older Russian speakers are very kind and helpful.Bulgaria in general, is absolutely beautiful. I can't wait until I can go back again post COVID. Yes, it is good to know someone there when doing business but overall, in my short stay, I was impressed.
I am a young Bulgarian living in Sofia and I have also lived in the UK as a student and travelled to several different countries. I personally find Sofia to be a perfect mixture of city size, job opportunities and entertainment options(most of them are closed now due to Covid but still hoping they will return). Plus the city has become sort of an IT hub in the region over the last ten years or so. Of course, it has negatives, but still prefer it over bigger cities such as London. And to be honest, I would say that the positive things for the city are happening despite the mayor who has been in power for about 15 years. Hopefully a more competetent leadership will come in the next local elections and the city will become even better.
Looking at houses in Bulgaria at the moment (I’m an Englishman) The positives outweigh the negatives and from my research one of the main attractions for me is the friendliness of the Bulgarian people. Full credit to Bulgaria (Oh yeah, beautiful houses in beautiful villages are a plus)
I have never as a frequent visitor of Scandinavia payed € 27 for a beer. Unless you go to a posh club perhaps, you pay around € 6. These are just these hyped stories that go around on the internet. And yes, alcoholic drinks are expensive in Scandinavia, compared to the rest of Europe, but not in the way it is depicted here and elsewhere ... I do doubt if he has really been to these places ...
Honestly for all 3 I did not expect to see them on this list. As someone living in Sofia, I disagree - there are more than enough cultural events, places, green areas, shopping malls, etc. Not sure what criteria you are using for that list but seems like you had subpar experience that painted in bad light the whole city for you. Living for a year in London for me was much more boring and tedious - aside from shopping and some subway fun, none of the in city landmarks were worth my time or left an impression and locals were such snobs 🙄
@@c3realK1ll4h you understand that is personal opinion? Secondly, exactly how overcrowded and the clear divide between low and high income people is a huge drawback. Yes sure, if you want to go for a drink or a football fan, or maybe you like going to cultural events and such, London is definitely the place to look. Not my thing and god forbid to give 100£ for a play ticket. As already mentioned shopping is the best there - you can find anything. Even though i did not like the sightseeing spots, the palace, ferry-wheel and whats not are world famous. Nothing worth mentioning after actually going once but famous. Must thank the Crown for making it clear why English people love granny Elizabeth or would still think of the royal family as born celebrities and mascots. Honestly biggest reason why i dislike the city: I did not feel safe at places with many people. Police everywhere - remember closing of Oxford station cause of terrorist attack. Transportation cost is ridiculous especially if you need to take less than 4 rides a day or you live in 5 zone up and you need to go to zone 1. Monthly oyster costs for me in zone 3 was 140£. Just a quick compare: buying annual card for Sofia transportation cost 150€ and it is possible to go to city centre with a car if you want. Parking is reasonable. London is also the only place where I was mugged in day broad light 5 meters from the entrance of Tesco at an ATM while passers by were actively coming and going from. I guess that was exciting even though I much prefer a mundane day over it. Btw when I shared with co workers it turned out almost everyone has had similar experiences. So do you still think I don’t know what i am talking about? Just curious where your head is.
You should add London to the list. It used to be lovely..but now is not only expensive but very dirty and requires a stab vest! I live 20 mins North of the centre and try to go in as little as possible! 😕
Yes. I'd like that too. 2 of the 3 cities I had never heard of, so I was a bit disappointed. Top 5 or 10 would have been good just to know his reasoning of why he didn't care for the city.
Worst: London (too busy, too expensive, too many tourists), Paris (not friendly, too much traffic, overrated) and Edinburgh (too many tourists, too cold in the winter). Best: Lisbon - close to the beach, warm, friendly/fun, Ljubiania - good food, great countryside, friendly people, and little Valetta - our honeymoon destination, easy to walk around/ a lot of history and they like British people!!
Vienna...the flair and culture of Paris without the tumult and everything that comes along with it. Sophisticaded, safe, affordable and very livable. Period. Oslo? HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE, boring, depressing. Copenhagen slams down Oslo in every category...no doubt.
From Copenhagen and I am personally offended haha. In all honesty though, it do sound like you’ve been in a heavily touristy part of town. No way I myself as a local would ever pay those prices. Sorry mate.
I completely agree with you on Copenhagen. This permanent we are the happiest people in the world attitude can really get on your nerves. Their longing for constant compliments is so annoying. I was actually so surprised you mentioned Copenhagen I still can't believe it.
I can not judge Podgorica, but I would pick Sofia anytime over Belgrade. The only advantage Belgrade has is Donau. I did had a great time there though. The problem with Copenhagen is it looks the same everywhere you look :D You can get lost simply because each building has the same color and each street looks the same. On the other note, I'm not sure if you have kids, but I would definitely prefer to raise children in Copenhagen compared to many other cities. And Asia really does not even come to play when it comes to raising children, especially those poor cheap countries like Thailand, Philippines etc. I would not handle that for sure.
I feel this way with Paris. No hard feelings but I think Paris is WAY over exaggerated. I mean, it's a beautiful city and iconic, but certainly not a place that I would consider calling home.
Norwegians (Bergen and Oslo) actually travel to Denmark to have cheap beer - are you sure you did not get too many of these "cheap beers" and mixed up the cities?
Paris. Dirty, noisy, lots of social problems, unfriendly vibe, some parts very unsafe. Pre covid the tourist crowds were unbearable, not sure what it is like now.
I would sadly say Bucharest. Otherwise I love Romania... it's one of the most beautiful countries in Europe with charming and picturesque locations such as Sighișoara and Brașov.
As a Romanian, I can confirm this. But the living standard in Bucharest is very high and the people who live there seem to love it. Especially the night life and the fact they have acces to anything, anytime. I spent 2 weeks in Bucharest and I was exhausted.
30 USD (27 Euros) for a beer?! I can buy 2 cases of beer where I live in California USA. Anyway as I get older, and I am already 60, dry 2 season WEATHER is one of the most important things in my environment. Being born and raised in CANADA I can't do weather anymore.
Depends on what is important to you! Sofia and Podgorica are close to nature and beautiful mountains, which is a solid factor in my opinion, if you want to choose a place to live in. I haven't been to Podgorica, but would love to! But Sofia has it's charme as well, even though I prefer Plovdiv and the smaller mountain towns of Bulgaria, too. My country is a lovely one and has much more potential than most of the foreigners may think!
Personally I think that Berlin is aweful. You don’t even know what country you’re in. Lots of ghettos and projects. Add to that the fact that I was German and grew up in Germany...
Sofia definitely have potential if you know the right people and have time to get enough information. I relocated in Sofia from Sweden for business and do not regret it.
Quick question, what do you think of Zürich or Geneva? I lived in Zürich off and on for three years (3 to 4 months at a time) and have grown very fond.
@@jdhjimbo thanks Jim, yeah the train system is amazing. Although I’m not too keen on the first class second class thing. I like the fact that on some parts of the train they have designated play areas for toddlers. I thought that was so cool and so thoughtful for long extended rides.
These are not the country's capital, but anyway, I would say it has a high quality of life but I find the cities pretty boring and dull. Not sure why, I don't find the excitment et dynamism I see in Citiies like Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. As a Swiss, I always find that we are a bit too negative and so much outward looking. But of course, there are exceptions everywhere.
Spent a month in winter last year in Sofia. I agree, out of every eastern capital I've been, it's probably the least charming. The architecture is ugly, very few interesting places and the food scene kind of sucks. People were pretty nice and helpful, although most people I talked to was through the gym. They take the fitness very seriously there , I saw no overweight people at the gym, everyone was super buff and the gyms were cheap and efficient. I guess since there's not much to do , it's a decent place to get in shape haha but besides that, I wouldn't come back.
Ha ha! I picked all three! However, I don't like the feel overall in Montenegro either despite the scenery, filled with weird people. Parts of Bulgaria are ok like Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo. Kosovo is a shthole too. For the Former Yugoslavia, I find Bosnians and Kosovars the weirdest, but I do know a few good Bosnians too. Slovenians and Serbians are the best.
Threaten with death from a waiter for saying “this isn’t chicken, it’s beef.” That’s one tough place. Had you ordered a leg of lamb, the waiter would have broken the leg bone just to impress you.
@@csabi115 Actually I have, many times. Agree about the weather. But Norway is a stunningly magnificent country, with breathtaking landscapes. Denmark??? No way. Boring, flat, uninspiring, wholly and entire forgettable....
Where did you find a beer for 27 euro? I lived in Copenhagen for more than 2 years. The most I ever paid was 12 euro - and that was special beer at Mikkeller. Average price was 7-10 (still pretty expensive, but not that crazy).
I don't like big cities at all. Born in Innsbruck (123.000 inhabitants), capitol of Tyrol. In my 30ies moved to Athens, an awful city, now being retired, living in the country close to the sea, big house, big garden (needs much work though) two dogs and a cat, that's all I need. And not to forget my wife.
Dont suppose there is a right or wrong, but cant see why Sofia is offensive or without charm,maybe not on a love list but a dislike? personally for me London is a disaster, and would be followed by Brussels and Paris
I live in Kyiv now but I would say Sofia is nice and cosy and not so overwhelmed as Kyiv. It struck me as being a cozy capital city. Neither Amsterdam nor Prague can boast this, being too touristy. Sofia is the like of Lviv: not too small not too big.
So, one time at Hotel Admiral in Copenhagen, I came back to the hotel to find some drunk dude in my bed that the maid had let in. I had them get that guy out and clean the room in the middle of the night
In Sofia, you can be in 20min up in the mountains high above 2000m, skiing, hiking, or just venting out a busy day at work surrounded by wild nature, insane views (both towards the city or some other mountains) and crisp air. The ski facilities work till late at night and are properly lit and in the summer, hiking and eating wild forest berries is great.
Another amazing reason to live in Sofia is the mineral water. You get more than 15 kinds of pure mineral or spring water both bottled or just for free if you know where the local hot springs are located. And quality of life is above all good food, pure water and physical health. You get all 3 in Sofia for almost nothing in terms of money. There's no other capital city in Europe with such options and potential.
The last time i was in Sofia I couldn't find a place to sleep and ended up in the train station on a bench. Exhausted, any time I would slump over asleep the guard would come over and shake me awake and wag his finger at me "Not allowed'. But that was in the 1970's. Maybe it has changed since then. I did get a hearty bowl of soup in a worker's cafeteria that cost me eight cents along with a hunk of bread. Is it any different now?
@@poetcomic1 you joking right? 50 years?
@@shif06 I'm sure they have Victoria's Secret in Sofia now.
Thanks for that. This pasty kid doesn't do anything outdoors it seems
He only cares about places he can find a place to buy a watch strap that matches his turquoise pants
My favorite capital city in Europe is......Prague...not too big, not too small, decent cost of living and awesome architecture
I need the beach
@@jjgreek1 then i guess Lisbon is the right capital for you :)
I agree if I had to move country the city of Prague is where I would move. I love that city. The locals are also really nice too which is odd for a capital city with lots of tourists.
Absolutely agree, just at times a critical number of tourists.
@@jmpetersson well "fortunately" not at the moment :)
Both Sofia and Podgorica being surrounded by mountains have amazing outskirts with beautiful nature parks which are easily accesible.
K
Exactly. But this is not something the Nomad Capitalist would be into. My guess is he's not that much into nature and sports.
Yeah but that's not the city, now is it?
@@MultiSciGeek For Sofia specifically the city municipality gets the half territory of Vitosha mountain, so it is a part of the city (with a cable car next to a planned subway station). However Sofia has indeed urban problems in its downtown, but my initial idea was that any city is not an isolated system from its surroundings. So it does matter if a city is located in a rice field, desert or in a mountainous region and it may compensate the lack of polished squares and charming streets to some extends. Anyway it is rather a question of personal perception.
I don't know Sofia. I agree 100% with Andrew. Go to Petrovac or Tivat in Montenegro. Lovely places!
I can say pretty emphatically that paying 27 Euros for a beer would be a deal-breaker.
Yeah because most people don't just want one so that is going to add up very quickly
@@TheDividendExperiment Agreed. I think the highest I've seen is Stockholm and they laughed and assured me that Oslo costs even more for a beer, definite sticker shock ;)
It's just the restaurant price. Go to a grocery store or the vinmonopolet and they are still expensive but definitely more reasonable.
Is that how they pay for free healthcare? does Bernie Sanders know about this beer pricing?
@@J10044 True, it doesn't have to be >that< pricey. But also keep in mind, whatever overpriced beer one may buy, Scandinavians buy them with money that was first taxed at 56% marginal tax rate. And then they pay for a beer with a VAT of 25%.
As someone living in Sofia, I get why you don't like it. Up until the end of 19th century, it was a small town, mainly known for its mineral springs. It was chosen as a capital, because the politicians at the time hoped to unite all Bulgarian populated territories and that would place Sofia in the middle of the country. That didn't happen and now it's close to the border with Serbia. The biggest problem with it for me is that it's surrounded by mountains making it have a terrible weather. This is mainly the reason, the ottomans abandoned it as their regional capital. Also the buildings from the Roman times were not preserved and you have ugly socialist buildings built on top of them. I wish some other city was chosen for the capital of Bulgaria, but there you are. Now all people who want a decent job are forced to live here.
oh middle of the country you say? it isnt to the west of bulgarian populated cities?
@@nikolovivan3161 it used to be in past I guess..
Is pollution really bad in Sofia? How about in Varna? Thanks
@@djenzo240gamer6 in Sofia pollution is bad yes in Varna not so much and the sea is nice addition
My friend,
you know the Bulgarian history better than some Bulgarians commenting under your comment.
Congratulations on that.
I agree with Podgorica but I completely disagree with Sofia. It has a dynamic student population and a good night life. I also think that Varna on the Black Sea is much nicer than Batumi. The combination of the 8km Sea Garden, the Sea and the medium size livable city make it a nice place to be. It also has a beautiful cathedral and an Archaeological Museum considered by many to be the most important in Eastern Europe.
Is pollution really bad in Sofia? How about in Varna? Thanks
As a Dane, I get why you dont get it, I dont get it either.
I get you.
Plus the rude people. Never again.
😆 😅 🙈 🤪 😂
No, Copenhagen is amazing
@Maximum Max lol. I wonder if its a "small country" thing. They seem very smug.
Where are you going in Copenhagen to have 27 euro beer? I lived in Copenhagen for months and never paid more than 5 euro for a beer
prob some tourist trap bar of some sort..
Also, I doubt the sun comes up at 2am in summer in Copenhagen.
Also Danish craft beer is fantastic. Mikkeller or To OL. It is a bit more expensive than 5€ but not higher than 10-12€ for some fancy ones usually.
@@DidiGrooves Yes, in June when it's "the white nights" period ... in all the northern part of Europe it's like that, up to the Polar Circle. In fact, then it's never night, but the bright light isn't ... something like the sunrise (or sunset).
@@DidiGrooves You'll have to wait another couple of hours... 😆
27 euros for a beer!? That’s outrageous!
Cheaper in Thailand right ? If he payed 27 euro it must have been some special imported stuff at a high end resturant..I m Norweigan and one of many things we love about Denmark is that they have much cheaper prices on Alcohol..A beer in a bar in Norway could be anything from 6-7 Euros to 12 Euros...
@@Eric-of5ex Thailand has extensive taxes on beer but it cost $1 at a 711, $2-3 in a bar and maybe $4-5 in a disco. I've been in Mexico where beers are $1-2 in both bars and discos, very cheap and good quality mass market beer brands.
@@billyblue689 Been to Thailand many times ,first time 2003 as a 26 year old.😉 love Thailand and l ve seen some of your videos, very good 🙏🙏 Are you in Thailand now? I ve heard everything is alot cheaper there now due to lack of tourists...
Local Copenhagen’er here. No way you’ll ever pay that much for a beer. The Norwegian in this thread is more on point. Certainly you’ll pay more in touristy parts but this much just isn’t correct.
Hi Charlie! I’ve been living in Denmark for a long time (marriage) and I spend most of my free time elswhere. You still in Mexico?
As a Dane, now living in Serbia - I get you completely.
Hahahahah 😂 I’m a Dane too, I live in Albanian tho 😋
Are you independent too, if so, what do you do?
I’m a forex trader if you wondered
@@thorpm8352 What's up, man! Shit. I saw your comment only now. Well, I'm a business owner here. A tiny language school that's relatively new and fresh. So, that's a new project. Hopefully that'll grow. Going pretty good, considering this whole... "crisis". Man, I'm too damn stupid to do anything related to trading any currencies. Crypto or forex. Hahaha. Kudos!
Tell me, how's life in Albania Bro?
@@KL-no4gu wauw awesome! What got you inspired to do that? 😄 I drove through Serbia, slept in Belgrade, I loved it there 😁
Everyone is stupid till they are not 👌🤪
For me Albania is perfect for now. Money is power down here, which is important for me. In general, people are warm and the hospitality is great. Ofc it’s a poor country, so that limits the supply of real food stores. I miss Bilka 😂
But yeah, great warm people, stunning nature, awesome beaches and no really strict COVID restrictions. 😄
Hbu in Serbia, why did it become you country of choice? 😄
@@thorpm8352 That sounds so good, mate. Well, I'm not a teacher. But I am into acquisition methods. And I'm living with a super experienced polyglot language teacher, with whom I've got a kid. Hahaha. So we're balancing actual language learning and language acquisition methods at the school. (I never really attended English classes, but I've picked it up naturally through music, games, videos and such)
Bilka? Hahaha. I think the only thing I really miss is probably something as ridiculous as Koldskål. Hahaha. How long have you been living there? Are you living a nomadic lifestyle always on the go or are you pretty stable in Albania? I'm on my almost fourth year here.
Yes, Serbia is also pretty poor. But there's a shit tonne of building industries going on here, much of which is funded by foreign investors. It's beautiful and they're stimulating the economy a lot, by employing tonnes of locals.
You seem like a cool guy, man! I dig it. Maybe you should teach me some foreign exchange basics some day! 😄👌
@@KL-no4gu koldskål 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Funny I was thinking about that yesterday 😂😂😂
And cool, sounds fancy, had to look it up, but nice 👌😁
I see you are really settled, understandable, it’s a nice country 😁
I’m nomadic, I’ll probably stay here till summer, go to Poland with a fellow trader and his wife. Then headed to Thailand or Zanzibar in the winter 😄 Like “couples on the move”, we go where the sun and opportunities are. But definitely not last time here in Albania, I like it very much here and my girlfriend is Albanian, so ofc we will come here more 😄
Sure, if I hit Serbia in the near future we could have a talk or some 😁 Is it Belgrade?
I really wish you the best in your business endeavour/s! Hope everything turns out the way you had like it 👌😎
Athens is my least favorite capital. I was a little surprised. The ruins were in much better shape than the rest of the city.
Ok, now wash your mouth with antiseptic
You probably stayed in a bad part of athens- and stayed a couple days - no way you can see a city like athens in a short period - it is a hidden gem 💎
Lisbon is a dump too
@@nikosniko7092 In my humble opinion, Athens is a dirty, noisy, shithole of a city, which reminds me of a more disorganized version of LA, albeit smaller, and with priceless, magnificent, historically important ruins in the center.... which everyone on Earth ought to see at least once. For Greek cities with an excellent quality of daily life, affordability, and ease of getting around on foot, no place beats Thessaloniki!
@@BodilessVoice I am an athenian and I can partially agree with you. The southern western parts of the city are just bad. There is nothing to see there except cement built houses. The downtown is very mediocre. However the north eastern suburbs are better. Not perfect but better less noice pollution and traffic. Also the ruins are better than the three biggest cities in greece combined
I have more than my share of travelling and actually spending time in places, especially in Europe. And I've liked everywhere I've been to, more so the people. I feel that most people that don't like places is because they don't know them well enough. They don't take the the time to get to know them, or adapt the right attitudes towards new expriences. Most negative remarks come from comparing and expecting; not to even mention home sickness! People imagine that their own established reference points, ways and manners are more or less the same everywhere; which they're not. The main key to all this is to keep an open mind with respect towards the locals and their ways, and an open heart with a genuine interest in people, (people will feel this in you), and enjoy the experience of different places...Different countries, different people, different manners, different ways of thinking. DIFFERENT! That's what makes travelling and living out new experiences so exciting, because they're DIFFERENT. Happiness comes from within, wherever one might be and in whatever situation, happiness never comes from circumstances!
Not true. I`ve lived 50 years in Canada, it used to be a lovely place in the 1970s. It has become absolutely horrible (nothing but restaurants now, most bookshops closed), and I dearly regret having lived here past the 2000s. I did not see it coming, until I saw a survey saying "80% of Canadians say culture should be treated as a commodity like any other." When you hear that, RUN. Lived in Quebec and Ottawa btw.
I love this type of content. I could listen to it all day. Next video - Asia, please. And then Latin America. Thanks👍
Still haven't been to a city in Europe that I didn't like, but I agree that Copenhagen is a bit lackluster.
San Fransisco though has to be the worst city I've ever been to.
Used to be beautiful before the Left loons turned it into Calcutta!
San Francisco is not a capital city.
@@stanleyolivar7381 No, it is not. That dishonor falls to nearby Sacramento. Capital cities are not always the most desirable, though in Europe, they are usually pretty special cities. In the US, it is often a geographical central location that determines a capital. SF is always a city that attracts international tourists, or at least it used to, until the Dems turned it into a slum. I lived there for 5 years in the 1970s, and it was much more appealing then, fog and all.
San Francisco was wonderful in the 70s and 80s. Regular middle class people lived there.
@@TS-rd7oy I know! I lived there for 5 years in the 1970s. It has only been since Left loons like Newsom took over that it has turned into a slum in many areas, and now everyone is locked down in fear and cannot even enjoy anything. How to destroy a city (and state) in 3 easy steps of Left ideology, run amok!
I've been to most European capitals and Brussels is probably my least favourite...ugly, grey, dreary and depressing. The people aren't great either
Most places in Scandinavia are boring due to being so arrogant. Denmark, and especially the capital, Copenhagen are insufferable. You will be reminded by strangers that your country is not as free, or gay friendly or superior morally/politically, regardless of where you are from. I remember one time I had a small office there for my tour company where we provided tours for cruise passengers in all the Baltic ports, with the main one of course being St Petersburg Russia where I have lived for 20 years, which was the entire reason anyone takes cruises of the Baltic Sea. I was in a pub, and a girl heard my American speech and came across the room to my table and started in about how ignorant I was and how bigoted and racist I was. She was joined by another young man from further away who reminded me that I was morally inferior because of being an American. I said I was not very responsible since I had not been in the US for 10 years and mentioned I lived in St Petersburg and another Dane joined in saying is was a rude uncultured place less evolved. I rebutted that comment by saying that despite only being 300 years old, that one city has 10 times the excellence in art, science, music, literature, architecture, equality of religions, genders etc than all the history of Denmark. That did not go over well but it was true.
Arrogance is the most common term used to describe the little country with a small man complex. I shut down that office for the next cruise season because the ships were cutting down on port call length from 8 to 6 hours while they stayed in port in St Petersburg 2 or 3 days. Sweden was more popular but both of those countries were really hard to work in. If had a ship arrive on a weekend, we had to pay some college student over $100/hr to a guide, and not many people booked tours of Copenhagen. There really was not much to see or do. In St Petersburg the guides were professionals. One could not even apply for guide school without a degree in history or art history, then after passing guide school, they had to take exams created by each of the key museums, palaces and cathedrals. There are 354 museums in the city but only 12 were needed to pass exams. My GF is a lawyer and has another degree in PR but wanted to be a guide so she had to get a waiver because she was "only a lawyer", and pass another exam on art that was independent of the museums. After passing the exam by the Hermitage, she came home exhausted saying despite studying 16 hours a day she was lucky to have passed the Hermitage exam, and only 6 of the 17 people taking the exam passed. She said it was harder than the bar exam after graduating from law school.
She earns more than a lawyer and only has to work 2-4 days a week in the summer and has the rest of the year to travel. Her tips alone in 2019, that last time we had tourists here, paid for vacations in 9 countries. So having to pay triple time for a know-nothing arrogant college student for 6 hours of work but paid $100/hour for minimum 8 hours was too unprofitable so we dropped all tours of Copenhagen.
The cost of having that little office...no work was done there but we needed an office to be allowed to have any business. A year lease on an office that was not even used except for the legal requirement to do business and not even available to us outside of the summer months was further insult and over-regulation.
All the scheduling and work was done in the larger 23 person office in SPb. I have never been back to Copenhagen since. I go to Finland, usually smaller towns but also Helsinki. The only really boring thing about Helsinki is Finns. None seem to be happy or angry, passive faces only. They drink a lot, second only to Luxembourg for per capita of alcohol consumption, twice that of Russians or Germans. Men and women usually have the same hairstyle and clothing, strange. Seeing a woman you can tell who she is married to by scanning the room and seeing a man who looked like her hairstyle, face shape and clothing. Actually, it is a pretty little capital city, safe and clean that shuts down a 9pm, but except for strip clubs.The police can be very aggressive however..there are a lot of them for such a religious and conservative nation, and a few late-night heavy metal rock clubs, everything closes by 9pm. A lot of kids rebel by extreme tattoos, piercings, and dress. They all move to other countries in Europe eventually, mostly Germany. The wilderness in eastern and northern Finland is beautiful however and the area of North Karelia has so many glacial lakes thousands of Russians have bought homes on the lakes....one house per lake usually so 10,000 beautiful lakes and 1 thousand houses for summer and dead of winter getaway. After the US forced Finland to sanction Russia, which was its biggest trade partner for 200 years, the economy of rural Finland has almost ended. Whole towns shut down. The dairy industry was very big as well as cross border shopping, when it shut down, caused the dairy farmers to slaughter their herds. One city in Russia bought more milk, cheese, and salmon than all of Scandinavia or Europe,, combined, 70% of their trade was with one city, St Petersburg.
Russia simply developed its own dairy industry and learned to make good cheese and not is a net exporter so Finland was screwed over by the US. Same with Polish and Hungarian beef, Russia developed a cattle industry in a short time and now is the largest exporter of free-range organic beef and chicken. Arkansas used to sell 1/3 of their chicken to Russia but when Obama forced the sanctions, Russia created its own and went from the second-largest importer of chicken to be the largest exporter of chemical free-range chicken in the world. It is the largest supplier of non-GMO organic produce now, thanks to the Obama sanctions. That is one reason why no one here cares about the sanctions being lifted.
I agree on Copenhagen. But for me Paris is a very over rated capital city. I spent 2 days and felt that it is to hard to find a friend or a smily face. I do not really know why. Other French cities were much more charming and cleaner.
Hmm i think best capital to make friends are london and berlin
He doesn't get Copenhagen because he would never be caught on a bicycle. LOL.
Excellent point.
That's funny you say that. I used to do a lot of bicycling around Copenhagen and loved it. That city has lots of charm. I mean, Tivoli Gardens was literally the inspiration for Disneyland. I don't remember paying that much for a beer but the hot dog stands around town were fairly cheap and delicious.
He does nothing in the outdoors but pose
Lol.
All cities in Sweden. People are mostly depressed and hate what they are doing. Everyone waits for the weekend and most of them hate the rich because of jealousy.
If you have big dreams, be prepared to hear all the reasons why it won’t work. (This is why most people stay mediocre because they believe them and never live their dream).
Not saying that everyone is like this but mostly.
The country where tax crime is more severe than murder and rape.
High taxes and the more you earn, the higher the % is.
If you want to be as good as you can financially and mentally, leave ASAP. That’s my plan for 2021.
@@borisnegrarosa9113 👍🏽😂
What are your top places you want to escape to?
@@luv2travel2000 probably Dubai for the tax benefits 👍🏽
@@duarlurad8543 Where did you end up moving to and would you recommend it?
@@duarlurad8543 Thank you! 😊
I would never live in London.
London used to be fabulous in the 80s....even earlier.
London is an absolute Shithole with a clown of a mayor (Khan) Look him up, there’s endless debates, concerns over his policies.
London is probably 2 million times better than Copenhagen or Denmark
@@stefanhansen1401 Copenhagen is 2 million times better than London.
@@korswe If that is the case, then London must be REALLYx1000 bad :-)
Happiness has a stronger co-relation to peace of mind and contentment, than economic wealth. There are many materially poor people, who are happier than rich people.........provided they are not in a state of pain or discomfort. This is why people in Bhutan are more likely to be happier than many people in many rich countries all over the world.
Sometimes they're reminded of that cliche...like some years ago the then king sent the army to some distant from the capital area where people was not being too" happy" after some thousands were killed they understood they should be happy as the law dictates
Northern people tend to be more materialistic. They say they don't care about econ wealth but they actually do.
I'm Danish and from Copenhagen. Danes are NOT the happiest people in the world! They are depressed, afraid and extremely anxious (hence the crazy social security net). We also top the list for depression, suicide, etc. So, why is it often mentioned as the happiest country? Because they are so concerned with appearing happy, that they will do anything to convince themselves and others that this is the case. "If we say we happy, then maybe we will be". Basically, everybody is in denial. Admitting that you are indeed really unhappy is just too unbearable.
Y are they do depressed..can you link ms to a good source.
the suicide part is a myth about Denmark, it places very far below.
Copenhagen is among the worst capital city in Europe to live in ? Have you ever been in Bucuresti ?Pollution , sidewalks and carriage way clogged with cars illegal parked , mess everywhere .
If you think Bucharest is bad, go to Chisinau Moldova lol
My three worst European cities to live in:
3) Milan: It's like if you take all the worst aspects of Italy with none of the romantic architectural charm you associate with the country. Folks from Africa aggressively accosting you trying to put 'friendship' bracelets on you, insisting of course they're free up until it's on. In some cases this spills over in straight up assault, with them trying to put it on you even after a hard NO. Overpriced restaurants coupled with rude and indifferent service complete the picture. Come to Milan, visit the cathedral and the Da Vinci museum and then leave never to return.
2) Athens: Again, another city that is a must to visit but would never live in in a million years. Graffiti and trash everywhere, smell of urine, homeless people sleeping on the street, horrendous traffic, extreme crowdiness, a complete lack of green spaces and entire areas where every single store is boarded shut. Also, many businesses try to overcharge you, so you need to watch like a hawk what amount they're typing into the credit card machine and every single person is like 'whoops, brain fart' if you catch them doing it.
1) Barcelona: The city with the most infamous reputation as a haven for pickpockets is more than deserved. EVERY single acquaintance I've known that has been there to has experienced theft or attempted theft. My friends from America were straight up robbed at knifepoint. My family had their belongings stolen in a reastaurant where in all likelihood the restaurant was working in tandem with the pickpocketers, providing distraction while the pickpockets posing as fake waiters took their stuff. My friend had his laptop bag stolen. Another friend who actually lived there for a while describes her experience walking down the streets as constant vigilance, with thieves being so blatant as to act shocked if you slap them whilst they're taking your stuff, pretending like you slapped a poor innocent bystander for no reason.
So yeah, I could easily live in boring Podgorica, rough around the edges Sofia or sterile and expensive Copenhagen all day long, but to constantly worry about being harassed, cheated or pickpocketed is definitely a hard NO from me.
Saddly is so true about Barcelona and it's getting worse day by day on top of that you've to watch where you place your foot as you walk or it may end on dog poop . Tourist are over charged in many restaurants and even some shops, in other words a bunch of thieves.Disgusting!
I live in Athens right now, and i can confirm; ...but in Greece, it is the only real city that you can have nearly the amenities, jobs, business and career opportunities of a big city in europe. All other small cities, islands and towns, all they can offer is a quiet rural life mostly.
Ah the bracelet thing has happened in Montmarte with me he grabbed my hand so hard to put the bracelet on I had to yell at him, "Dont you Touch me!!!" He freaked out, laughed and left. Also the same was happening all over Italy unfortunately...nothing is the same anymore. I have been followed in paris, florence, and Naples by these ppl not by the locals!
@@birdakasiakwvos How does Thessaloniki compare to Athens? I found it, despite the lack of top tier attractions like the Parthenon, to be a far more pleasant city and it's still a city of considerable size.
In Athens, most of the city centre is very bad, but the suburbs are very good. Stay at a beach area for a few days and you will want to stay forever, but 95% of visitors never visit the riviera( which is very big)
I’d have to say Dublin is just not very attractive to me. It’s crazy expensive, shabby in many places and the weather sucks. Public transport leaves much to be desired as well, and your air B&B’s are basically furnished closets unless you go deep into your pockets. That said, it’s got a few redeeming features like Temple bar district, a decent music scene and many restaurants although overpriced. I much prefer Galway or Cork in Ireland. Galway’s just crazy while Cork is a “pocket sized” city which is good for walking with pretty much everything you need and a great local brewery and whiskey scene.
I love living here in Belfast.
R u mad . Dublin is one of the best
Andrew, do you ever have a hard time revisiting friends and family in the U.S. after giving up your citizenship? Could you live in the U.S. if you wanted too after giving up your American citizenship?
Probably somewhat difficult to live there in my case.
You can live in the US if you apply (with a sponsor) for a Green Card, just like any other non citizen. I’m a renunciate.
In the next 5-10 years there won’t even be a USA. Just a bunch of regions and states. Then many places will relax the laws to make it much easier to live and stay there.
@@maverickgood5204 we could only be so lucky
@@donh1572 Luck is not required. As long as the powers that be continue their insanity the result is certain.
It's socially unacceptable in Scandinavia to say that you are unhappy.
People will outwardly maintain the appearance of a medium level of happiness because anything more or less makes you stand out from the crowd.
It's even in the language. "Lycklig" means both "Happy" and "Lucky".
To say you are unhappy is to suggest that something is different for you which is socially not ok in the stifling culture of Scandinavia
You should add Paris to the list, dirty city with rude policemen attacking pacific protesters, driving them mad, and giving 135€ fine to people that forgot their certificate (because you need a paper to allow yourself to get out)...
135 eur not 1135!
@@erichauschild5100 yep corrected
Wow, I thought only in Greece we needed a certificate to go out!!!
They have a crazy feminist mayor don't they?
Paris...three days there and that's it...add it to your I have been there list and no desire to return, ever.
For me, as a an EU citizen, Bulgaria is a baby step as I don't need a residence permit and citizenship through hiring is relatively easy and it's a nice passport to have as a plan B if west Europe starts to tax citizens overseas. Perhaps Varna or Burgas are better to spend time than Sofia but maybe these cities are not ideal for a base
Not really, Sofia has a lot more to offer, just maybe not what he was looking for or whatever. Varna is pretty boring and I don't like the people.
Plovdiv is the best base.
You want sea - 3hrs drive Burgas the most. It can be 2:30hrs.
Beautiful mountains - 1hr drive.
Varna - too much corruption + the local mafia controls the biggest part of the business activities there.
As a Bulgarian, originally from Plovdiv, who's lived in a bunch of places over the last 15 years (Sofia, Bremen, Hamburg, Rotterdam, and currently Milan) and frequented a few others for work, I agree with you on Sofia - a lot of what it offers can be found in most other European cities, while there is little charm and uniqueness. The proximity to mountains is as much a blessing (winter sports after work) as a curse (pretty rough winters). It has a few things going for it, but those are very niche - such as a vibrant bulgarian-language theater and art scene. Plovdiv and Varna on the other hand offer a lot more charm and soul, as well as the same tax benefits. While I appreciate they may be a bit too small for an international nomad, I would need a very convincing reason to choose life in Sofia over either of those two for example.
what are the odds, I‘m from Bremen and considering moving to either Plovdiv, Burgas or Varna. Which do you like the most? I have an IT business and am hearing that Plovdiv is the „capital“ for IT expats, but I am a big fan of the sea. Then again from Plovdiv to the greek coast (which I assume is nicer than the black sea) is only a 2 hour drive.
@@maxf.8999 It really depends on how much you love the sea, since Plovdiv is definitely the best of the three.
Also keep in mind that you'll most likely have to travel all the way back to Sofia for your flights (unless you're lucky with the very limited destinations that Burgas and Plovdiv's airports have direct flights to), and Plovdiv at least has the benefit of being less than 2 hours away from Sofia Airport.
None of these is a "capital" for IT expats, but Plovdiv ticks all the boxes that a remote worker in need of a laid back town would need. Burgas is also quite pleasant to live in. Varna's overall vibe seems repulsive to me.
Is pollution really bad in Sofia? How about in Varna? Thanks
According to most air quality data websites, it's comparable to other southern European landlocked cities (I.e. Milan) and 40% worse than north German ones (I.e. Hamburg and Bremen).
@@maxf.8999 I am biased towards Plovdiv, I actually recently relocated back here for family reasons while running my business remotely. Plovdiv has plenty going for it and the practical reasons the other reply mentions are valid. However, it also feels overcrowded, while still somewhat provincial, to me as it's small in area but is now exploding due to work opportunities. With regards to the sea, I don't know whether the black Sea winter is worth it tbh. And Varna and Burgas do get overcrowded in the summer. The places where I enjoy going on the black Sea are in the extreme north and south, where it's a lot less crowded and wilder. Also very different, the South is forested while the north is more plains and cliffs.. The northern greek coast is relatively close too, chalkidi is pretty great. Frankly, the best would be to stay in Pld and spend 2 months in a camper / rented house on the sea coast.
Andrew: "I don't often drink beer, but when I do I pay 27 euros" (see dos Equis commercials)
Every couple of videos you really crack me up. This was one: "I go to a lot of countries. I see people that are pretty happy and they're not paying 27 euros for a beer."
😂😂😂
Yes the prices in Denmark are hard to get use to. The happiest people apply to the Danish people, not to the foreign worker... but overall I loved my time in Denmark and would go back. Always things to do lots of festivals and museums. Great beaches in the summer. You can swim in the capital city’s harbor and I think that’s great.
Andrew's look on thumbnail is superb...He's a complete natural when it comes to posing for photos : )
He is handsome and charmingly ugly at the same time.
And really interesting man.
Belgrade best capital, period. Cheap life. Most beautiful women (my girlfriend and future wife was born in Serbia) but yes taxes could be lower....like flat at 10% for example....which would be wonderful but it is possible only if everyone including all the oligarch close to the government was forced to pay it. Currently they simply don't pay anything......
I’d go as far as saying Paris should be on the list... dirty, over priced, crime ridden ghettos and unsafe in parts.
Copenhagen is actually alright, but go in the summer.
Paris is for those who can afford it,one of the most amazing place in the world
@@gabmano4877 I too love Paris . !!!!
I agree. Paris generally feel depressing.
Paris was already a very strange place when I went 20 years ago.
I remember going to a Chinese bar-disco type place, that was interesting lol.
But I'd like to visit Versailles again some day perhaps.
We need a compilation of all of Andrew's Trump impressions
yeah he has it down
I hope he doesn't stop doing them next year.
so funny hahah
@@maverickmadison7392 No he said he loves the uneducated people. He didn't want to leave you out.
Came here to say that. This is the first video of this guy's that I've seen, but that Trump impression was lo-key brilliant.
I've been to Europe and it's not on my list for my retirement due to the cost of living. Go to Asia where I'm treated best for my bucks. Peace!
For sure, I absolutely love traveling around Thailand and Malaysia. Can't beat the delicious food and low prices of everything. Real estate is so affordable there. If you're willing to live in a less modern area then the real estate value is even better in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
@@tklown I've owned some business in Cambodia. It's been doing very good!
@@tklown Philippines?
@@danluzurriaga6035 Philippines used to be a great place to live. I know quite a few expats have left there in the past few years because either they didn't feel as safe as they used to or simply because it wasn't a place where they felt they were treated best anymore. One person I know went to Thailand instead.
Loose cannon Duterte is one of the problems, hopefully a new leader will make it a more inviting place for expats.
@@danluzurriaga6035 Ugh, you couldn’t pay me to live in the Philippines. I was there about ten years ago and it was a constant hassle, with virtually everyone trying to rip me off everywhere because I am American. I even had $40 cash stolen by airplane cleaners. It fell out of my pants pocket, I noticed right after deboarding and rushed back to find it. It was not in the seat. The three cleaners denied taking it, even though I could tell they were lying. I loathe that place.
I am with Andrew about Cph and Sofia. Every year i have to go to Cph, and i try to go away asap. Yes, it is beautiful, i call it a boutique city, completely over priced. I prefer to cross the bridge and go to Malmostan haha... After live in Bulgaria around 3 months i don't feel any attraction for Sofia. Grey city with heavy atmosphere. I love Plovdiv and Veliko Tornovo in Bulgaria. Never been in Pogdorica so my third choice could be Bucharest. Dirty, old, weird city, while the rest of Romania is a diamond. I love Brasov. Helsinki? Pff so boring, only to party with friends but at a high price again. I don't like either Paris, cool for 3,4 days but more than that i feel not comfortable.
Romanian (originally) here from Brașov, and frankly I'm surprised there is only one mention of Bucharest :). I guess the city has improved a bit over the last decade or so.
Anyway, most Romanians don't like Bucharest either.
I totally agree with this - Podgorica is one of my least favorite capitals - it's quite boring and HOT. It also feels pretty isolated, the internet is sluggish, and amenities are lacking. Sofia I have mixed feelings about... It has its attributes. I like the food/bar scene, low cost of living, and affordable luxury hotels. I also like the view of the ski slopes in the winter. But I'd rather live in other parts of Bulgaria. Haven't been to Copenhagen yet, but I love the surrounding capitals of Oslo, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.
Paris is definitely on my list along with Brussels. Paris is at least somewhat aesthetic but Brussels is just depressing. 😅
The EU bureaucrats are depressing, but the food and architecture of Brussels is pretty nice, and other interesting places not too far. You could live in Omaha and be depressed and miles from anything (not to mention the only train that goes through arrives in the middle of the night)! NO place in Europe is THAT depressing!
Paris is ok but without the french.
It's TRUE as far as Brussels is concerned, so depressed and rickety houses and a lot of crime. I would never spend there a day not even in million years.
Paris was awesome
French are ok
I’ve been living in Brussels for the last three years, and it it great. Beautiful architecture, great public transport, fantastic restaurants and a great live music scene.
Sofia is a city without a river and , obviously , is not near the sea and , for some reason cities with water always seem more interesting to live in. It is cheap to live in for nomads . Tax rate is attractive. Cyrillic and language are challenge . I personally like the city as I know it very well. Someone said don’t take a bus in Bulgaria. Weird, as bus travel is safe; clean; cheap and punctual. Overall, for me personally, there are many worse cities in Europe. Bulgaria deserves more attention for Nomads and is a good choice for business setup , for EU citizens.
There are rivers in Sofia but very small ones and infamous. The only most notable river that passes through is Iskar but it is like at the most east side of Sofia and not in the Central just like in some other smaller cities here. But I agree it is kinda boring here.
Not to mention that Sofia at some point in the history it used to be a village but here is now - the biggest city with over a million and it has very like socialist buildings that might feel like you are in Russia. And because it is surrounded by 4 mountains it is very bad to live in the winter - bad air, cold. And because of the geographic location usually here is colder compared to the other cities. If you want historical cities there are so much better ones like Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Melnik (the smallest town even if it has 300 people but because of historical reasons it is a town) and more.
I mean Sofia is improving its architecture with the new flats that are being build here and some neibourghoods have nice beautiful view towards Vitosha. Slowly but surely it is improving (even though I still live in a socialist flat from the 50s).
Brussels is pretty appalling, expensive and charmless (other than the central square). Nordic cities are irritating for the reasons stated, high taxes and high prices and Paris, for all it's beauty gets sadly more and more unlivable as the years go by. Good capital cities to live in in Europe for me are: Prague, Vienna, Madrid.
Agree with this. Just wanted to express how bad I thought Paris is. Might have been nice 30 years ago and still has nice architecture. But apart from that the place sucks and is fast becoming the most unlivable city in Europe. Especially if you are European or French and value your safety.
What about Budapest and Warsaw ?
@@towaritch I think Warsaw is great, wonderful city and people, just a bit far from everywhere else. Generally I really like Poland. Budapest is ok, the people aren't maybe so friendly. At least that's been my impression.
I live in Burgas and love it there. Sofia is great, too. It is not just low taxes, but also a low cost of living, good climate, and great nature. My least favorite capital cities in Europe are 1. Skopje 2. Sarajevo and 3. Copenhagen.
My worst in the list - Paris (sorry...) The central part is grand and beautiful, but too crowded for my taste. I fall in love with Budapest and Edinburgh.
@@rrajan5476 We like Jakarta.
I fell in love with Budapest years ago. Long story short, I can be grandfathered in as a citizen. Just have to learn the language at this point.
Budapest is a lovely city.
No what nonsense. Paris is the best city in Europe if not best cities in Europe are
1. Rome
2. Paris
3. London
4. Berlin
5. Amsterdam
6. Moscow
Podgorica is the most boring city.
Helsinki : Hold my beer.
Stockholm: Bite me!!
😂
@@ivandaniel08 Stockholm is far more interesting than Helsinki.
Yeah Espoo much more fun
No. Sofia, Bratislava & Belgrade ( only 5/7 more left to vist) . Chisnau ? Well, there's vineyards & Transnistria nearby.., I bemused how one cannot complain about prices & lack of sunlight ( if these are the only 2 comparisons) & favour anywhere in Norway over Denmark.
As a Dane I agree that life in Scandinavia/Denmark is pricy(high tax+vat), but When Andrew said that he has been to Norway and then went on as if Alcohol is more expensive in Denmark than it is in Norway...that's where he lost me: In Norway you pay at minimum the price Andrew mentioned from Copenhagen(must have been a fancy restaurant) and in Norway you can't even buy alcohol in regular stores - only in Government controlled special stores that are not open for too many hours. And if you want a pack of smokes to go with your beer in Norway, well that's gonna be like 16-18 euros. People who has never been to Scandinavia will get a wrong impression of the cost of living in Denmark vs. living in Norway from this video. Alcohol in general costs very little in Denmark, especially when compared to Norway.
All scandinavians know of family members and friends who pilgrimage through denmark to raid the German shores for their cheap beer, whine and liquor.
As a Dane... Beer does not cost €27. Anywhere in Denmark. At the high end, you may pay up to €7-8 and that's still really expensive by Danish standards. So fair play that you don't 'vibe' with Copenhagen, but that statement is a straight up lie.
There's a lot of European cities that are on the boring end. I found Zagreb and Bratislava to be pretty meh though they had some neat things. Copenhagen has plenty of charm with its historical architecture mixed with modern Scandinavian design, bridges, canals, and reserved Scandinavians biking everywhere. Freetown Christiania is also there to add to some paradoxical interest.
Lots of cities are overrated though. Barcelona for example is nice but it's like everyone is out to get you if you're a tourist. From beggars and scammers, to store clerks up charging tourists for basic items. I even saw people impostering as train station personnel and "helping" people to then beg for cash.
Barcelona is so good
London and Paris are both tremendously overrated. I lived in the former for nearly 20 years as well as lived and worked with people from the latter. I reckon that the romantic, chic and sophisticated European fairytale the world has been sold on lost its charm and became a tinderbox like dystopian nightmare both socially and monetarily. As always there are exceptions but rather a few.
If you were mayor of Paris, what would you do (im french)
Are u mad . In what way its overated . That's jealousy not overated. Paris and London are best cities in Europe
@@pierren___ Helping small businesses and schools should be my first priority.
A few are dumping on Paris. My wife and I visited the city in Oct. 2012 for six nights. From what we saw, certainly no worst that most cities in the States and IMO a lot better than Brussels. The French we encountered were generally friendly and helpful. We were warned that trash was common on the streets, but the parts of the city we visited were uniformly clean. Kind of pricey, but where in Europe is it not?
Try going now. Also, most complaints are about it being overpriced and bad value for money. But as an american high earner you might not feel the pinch.
I loved Copenhagen it’s one of my favourite capital cities (better than Berlin, Madrid or Brussels)
Having lived in Aarhus, Denmark (3 hours from Copenhagen) for over 5 years I agree it's a tough place to live financially (akin to NYC). But Copenhagen is pretty vibrant, it's not as great as Southeast Asia and it's not as happy as Cuba. I prefer Germany. The US is CHEAP compared!
Depends on WHERE in the US! Stay out of the "Red" states run by autocrats!
Never liked Denmark. Boring, expensive and most of the people I met were not friendly. Regarding Nordic countries Norway and Iceland are at the top. But only as a tourist.
Well, Iceland and Norway have better scenery and friendlier locals than other Nordic countries, but they aren't good places to live being too cold and expensive
I am an American who have lived in Sofia for many years. Your right about most of your comments. BUT our family is here and they are awesome, as is the food, the red wine and the climate.... Communism f'd up the architecture in Sofia, but the people are awesome when they are not at work.
Well, if you are a property speculator you should not be welcomed anywhere in the world. Real Estate speculators are the reason why the number of homeless people is growing everywhere in the world.
I hear you about Sofia, but I also disagree. How exactly do you imagine living in a place without taking taxes, cost of living, bureaucracy and business/job opportunities for you and your family into consideration. Your favourite Belgrade falls short in all of these categories. Sofia has quite developed IT/Outsourcing sector, the biggest business park in Central/Eastern Europe, lower taxes, less bureaucracy and you definitely get more for your money as salaries are higher and cost of living is same/slightly cheaper. "Enjoy" that hustle and bustle of 2-million Belgrade with no underground vs 52 stations in Sofia. Another thing to mention - connectivity - Sofia is better connected to the rest of Europe/World. Not to mention faster i-net speed and other little treats that come from being an EU member. So I am confused? I do agree Belgrade is the more pleasing to look at, but living in a place is not the same as visiting the place for a week. Otherwise, Bulgaria has plenty to offer, city wise - I'd recommend Plovdiv with both hands for freelancers/digital nomads.
I disagree about Sofia being better connected. Connected to whom? Turkey and Russia? Bulgarians still have to travel through Serbia to get to the rest of EU, if you go by car/bus, and Belgrade airport is not less connected than Sofia airport.
@@prosquatter You could disagree, but it's the truth. Numbers are numbers. Sofia is considerably better connected by air to the rest of Europe and not only. Just compare the total destinations provided by WizzAir, Ryanair and the amount of passengers that pass through the Sofian and Belgrade airport. Sofian airport is the third busiest on the Balkans after Athens and Heraklion. Also, Sofia is closer, better connected to touristic hotspots such as Greece/Turkey.
@@Kurrkabin Wizzair?? Ryanair??? Yes, connecting to Vaxjo and Memmingen, lol. It's embarrasing that these companies even fly from SOF and BEG. A flight to Sofia via Wizzair should land no closer than Kyustendil. That's poverty airlines.
@@prosquatter Are you being serious or you are trolling? Once again, the Sofian airport is the third busiest on the Balkans with roughly 1 million more passengers than the Belgrade one. When you land in Sofia (regardless of the company), you land in town and have a direct connection to the metro system (52 stations) that can take you anywhere in the city. When we account for the Burgas/Varna/Plovdiv airports the total amount of passengers greatly outnumbers the Serbian airports despite the two countries have roughly the same population. So yes, my friend, Sofia and Bulgaria (on a country to country basis) is more connected and busier destination than Serbia. You can disagree all you want from here, but it's nothing but bitter, self-delusional talk.
@@Kurrkabin there's litteraly no difference in the destinations other than BEG has a direct NY flight. One million more gastarbeiters flying to Sofia on Ryanair is of no concern to a foreigner.
The people are so polite and friendly, the food is wonderful. English is well-spoken by young people but the older Russian speakers are very kind and helpful.Bulgaria in general, is absolutely beautiful. I can't wait until I can go back again post COVID. Yes, it is good to know someone there when doing business but overall, in my short stay, I was impressed.
I am bulgarian and i dont like Sofia too
But it is far from top of the list
Quite frankly
I am a young Bulgarian living in Sofia and I have also lived in the UK as a student and travelled to several different countries. I personally find Sofia to be a perfect mixture of city size, job opportunities and entertainment options(most of them are closed now due to Covid but still hoping they will return). Plus the city has become sort of an IT hub in the region over the last ten years or so. Of course, it has negatives, but still prefer it over bigger cities such as London. And to be honest, I would say that the positive things for the city are happening despite the mayor who has been in power for about 15 years. Hopefully a more competetent leadership will come in the next local elections and the city will become even better.
Looking at houses in Bulgaria at the moment (I’m an Englishman) The positives outweigh the negatives and from my research one of the main attractions for me is the friendliness of the Bulgarian people. Full credit to Bulgaria (Oh yeah, beautiful houses in beautiful villages are a plus)
The downside of all the wealth flowing into sofia? Apartments are now averaging 2/300k euros... really really expensive!
I have never as a frequent visitor of Scandinavia payed € 27 for a beer. Unless you go to a posh club perhaps, you pay around € 6. These are just these hyped stories that go around on the internet. And yes, alcoholic drinks are expensive in Scandinavia, compared to the rest of Europe, but not in the way it is depicted here and elsewhere ... I do doubt if he has really been to these places ...
Honestly for all 3 I did not expect to see them on this list. As someone living in Sofia, I disagree - there are more than enough cultural events, places, green areas, shopping malls, etc. Not sure what criteria you are using for that list but seems like you had subpar experience that painted in bad light the whole city for you.
Living for a year in London for me was much more boring and tedious - aside from shopping and some subway fun, none of the in city landmarks were worth my time or left an impression and locals were such snobs 🙄
Lol, london more boring than sofia? Get your head out of your ass, sofia could never be as exciting or dynamic as london
I agree about sofia not about london. Love london.
@@c3realK1ll4h you understand that is personal opinion? Secondly, exactly how overcrowded and the clear divide between low and high income people is a huge drawback. Yes sure, if you want to go for a drink or a football fan, or maybe you like going to cultural events and such, London is definitely the place to look. Not my thing and god forbid to give 100£ for a play ticket. As already mentioned shopping is the best there - you can find anything. Even though i did not like the sightseeing spots, the palace, ferry-wheel and whats not are world famous. Nothing worth mentioning after actually going once but famous. Must thank the Crown for making it clear why English people love granny Elizabeth or would still think of the royal family as born celebrities and mascots. Honestly biggest reason why i dislike the city: I did not feel safe at places with many people. Police everywhere - remember closing of Oxford station cause of terrorist attack. Transportation cost is ridiculous especially if you need to take less than 4 rides a day or you live in 5 zone up and you need to go to zone 1. Monthly oyster costs for me in zone 3 was 140£. Just a quick compare: buying annual card for Sofia transportation cost 150€ and it is possible to go to city centre with a car if you want. Parking is reasonable.
London is also the only place where I was mugged in day broad light 5 meters from the entrance of Tesco at an ATM while passers by were actively coming and going from. I guess that was exciting even though I much prefer a mundane day over it. Btw when I shared with co workers it turned out almost everyone has had similar experiences.
So do you still think I don’t know what i am talking about? Just curious where your head is.
You should add London to the list. It used to be lovely..but now is not only expensive but very dirty and requires a stab vest! I live 20 mins North of the centre and try to go in as little as possible! 😕
A stab vest 😆 sounds funny but I know it's getting there ,sad.
Stab vest ? Oh fucc . I am now living in london .
Give me a country that has:
great jobs ✔️
Decent rent ✔️
Sunny✔️
Culture✔️
English speaking. ✔️
Can you do a top 10 of the most unpleasant?
Yes. I'd like that too. 2 of the 3 cities I had never heard of, so I was a bit disappointed. Top 5 or 10 would have been good just to know his reasoning of why he didn't care for the city.
@@luv2travel2000 Lmao if you ve never heard of Sofia tf are you doing in this channel
Stockholm
It is expencive and the crime really high.
World almost highest taxes
Worst: London (too busy, too expensive, too many tourists), Paris (not friendly, too much traffic, overrated) and Edinburgh (too many tourists, too cold in the winter). Best: Lisbon - close to the beach, warm, friendly/fun, Ljubiania - good food, great countryside, friendly people, and little Valetta - our honeymoon destination, easy to walk around/ a lot of history and they like British people!!
Europe is a continent and London and Edinburgh are not on any contient...
valetta malta? How about budapest?
Lisbon, Portugal reminds me of San Francisco. Lots of hills, trolley cars, temperate climate...
Ljubljana is amazing. The Ljubljana Castle is worth the visit and the long uphill walk.
@@775.- It was nice to visit but unfortunately we did not feel welcome by local people when the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016.
Vienna...the flair and culture of Paris without the tumult and everything that comes along with it. Sophisticaded, safe, affordable and very livable. Period. Oslo? HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE, boring, depressing. Copenhagen slams down Oslo in every category...no doubt.
high cost of living doesnt mean standard of living is good...
From Copenhagen and I am personally offended haha. In all honesty though, it do sound like you’ve been in a heavily touristy part of town. No way I myself as a local would ever pay those prices. Sorry mate.
I completely agree with you on Copenhagen. This permanent we are the happiest people in the world attitude can really get on your nerves. Their longing for constant compliments is so annoying. I was actually so surprised you mentioned Copenhagen I still can't believe it.
I am Greek and I consider the cities of Greece one of the ugliest cities in Europe in all areas
I love hearing your opinion on these places, as you are a world citizen!
I can not judge Podgorica, but I would pick Sofia anytime over Belgrade. The only advantage Belgrade has is Donau. I did had a great time there though. The problem with Copenhagen is it looks the same everywhere you look :D You can get lost simply because each building has the same color and each street looks the same. On the other note, I'm not sure if you have kids, but I would definitely prefer to raise children in Copenhagen compared to many other cities. And Asia really does not even come to play when it comes to raising children, especially those poor cheap countries like Thailand, Philippines etc. I would not handle that for sure.
I feel this way with Paris. No hard feelings but I think Paris is WAY over exaggerated. I mean, it's a beautiful city and iconic, but certainly not a place that I would consider calling home.
Great content !
Norwegians (Bergen and Oslo) actually travel to Denmark to have cheap beer - are you sure you did not get too many of these "cheap beers" and mixed up the cities?
Paris. Dirty, noisy, lots of social problems, unfriendly vibe, some parts very unsafe. Pre covid the tourist crowds were unbearable, not sure what it is like now.
I would sadly say Bucharest. Otherwise I love Romania... it's one of the most beautiful countries in Europe with charming and picturesque locations such as Sighișoara and Brașov.
Bucharest is not beautiful, and the traffic is appalling, but it has great bars, restaurants and shops with low prices.
As a Romanian, I can confirm this. But the living standard in Bucharest is very high and the people who live there seem to love it. Especially the night life and the fact they have acces to anything, anytime. I spent 2 weeks in Bucharest and I was exhausted.
But Bucharest is a peach compared to Brussels, my least favorite city in Europe.
30 USD (27 Euros) for a beer?! I can buy 2 cases of beer where I live in California USA. Anyway as I get older, and I am already 60, dry 2 season WEATHER is one of the most important things in my environment. Being born and raised in CANADA I can't do weather anymore.
Finally Andrew tossing around some trash talk. More please!
As a Greek who lived in both Denmark and Norway, I definitely vote for Norway! I don't know why, I loved more the people I guess.
Depends on what is important to you! Sofia and Podgorica are close to nature and beautiful mountains, which is a solid factor in my opinion, if you want to choose a place to live in. I haven't been to Podgorica, but would love to! But Sofia has it's charme as well, even though I prefer Plovdiv and the smaller mountain towns of Bulgaria, too. My country is a lovely one and has much more potential than most of the foreigners may think!
Is pollution really bad in Sofia? How about in Varna? Thanks
Mate,
I love your videos. I can’t wait until I get in touch with you. You’ve really opened up my eyes. 👍🍻
Personally I think that Berlin is aweful. You don’t even know what country you’re in. Lots of ghettos and projects. Add to that the fact that I was German and grew up in Germany...
Yeah, especially East Berlin I imagine
Sofia definitely have potential if you know the right people and have time to get enough information. I relocated in Sofia from Sweden for business and do not regret it.
Quick question, what do you think of Zürich or Geneva? I lived in Zürich off and on for three years (3 to 4 months at a time) and have grown very fond.
That you are fond is all that matters😌
@@jdhjimbo thanks Jim, yeah the train system is amazing. Although I’m not too keen on the first class second class thing. I like the fact that on some parts of the train they have designated play areas for toddlers. I thought that was so cool and so thoughtful for long extended rides.
These are not the country's capital, but anyway, I would say it has a high quality of life but I find the cities pretty boring and dull. Not sure why, I don't find the excitment et dynamism I see in Citiies like Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. As a Swiss, I always find that we are a bit too negative and so much outward looking. But of course, there are exceptions everywhere.
Zürich is taken over by foreigners, country pumpkins, socialists and lemmings. We the natives moved out and avoid it as much as possible.
@@tinolino58 As a Swiss, I do like to see more foreigners. It means less narrow minded people, less SVP talking points and more sensible people.
Spent a month in winter last year in Sofia. I agree, out of every eastern capital I've been, it's probably the least charming. The architecture is ugly, very few interesting places and the food scene kind of sucks. People were pretty nice and helpful, although most people I talked to was through the gym. They take the fitness very seriously there , I saw no overweight people at the gym, everyone was super buff and the gyms were cheap and efficient. I guess since there's not much to do , it's a decent place to get in shape haha but besides that, I wouldn't come back.
Lotso of outdoor sports there. Nothing to do? If you like the indoors i guess not
Ha ha! I picked all three! However, I don't like the feel overall in Montenegro either despite the scenery, filled with weird people. Parts of Bulgaria are ok like Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo. Kosovo is a shthole too. For the Former Yugoslavia, I find Bosnians and Kosovars the weirdest, but I do know a few good Bosnians too. Slovenians and Serbians are the best.
Threaten with death from a waiter for saying “this isn’t chicken, it’s beef.” That’s one tough place. Had you ordered a leg of lamb, the waiter would have broken the leg bone just to impress you.
Copenhagen is soooo overrated. It's soooo expensive. And frankly offers miserable weather and pretty unfriendly, distant people aplenty.
Miserable weather? :D You've clearly never been to western Norway.
@@csabi115 Actually I have, many times. Agree about the weather. But Norway is a stunningly magnificent country, with breathtaking landscapes. Denmark??? No way. Boring, flat, uninspiring, wholly and entire forgettable....
@@danieleregoli812 Totally agreed.
Sofia - fast modern metro, close to the mountains, and above all - cheap
Where did you find a beer for 27 euro? I lived in Copenhagen for more than 2 years. The most I ever paid was 12 euro - and that was special beer at Mikkeller. Average price was 7-10 (still pretty expensive, but not that crazy).
Maybe he bought a 1 l pint?
I don't like big cities at all. Born in Innsbruck (123.000 inhabitants), capitol of Tyrol. In my 30ies moved to
Athens, an awful city, now being retired, living in the country close to the sea, big house, big garden (needs much work though) two dogs and a cat, that's all I need. And not to forget my wife.
I like how the wife comes at the last haha
@@wolfzai786 last but not least! If you are married for 4 centuries it can happen that you forget about. lol
😄😄 i expected to hear about London, Paris, Berlin & possibly Stockholm
Dont suppose there is a right or wrong, but cant see why Sofia is offensive or without charm,maybe not on a love list but a dislike? personally for me London is a disaster, and would be followed by Brussels and Paris
May I ask why you listed Brussels ? Thanks in advance.
@@felipehandro4969 pretty much the same reasons as the other two cities ,take a wild guess.
I live in Kyiv now but I would say Sofia is nice and cosy and not so overwhelmed as Kyiv. It struck me as being a cozy capital city. Neither Amsterdam nor Prague can boast this, being too touristy. Sofia is the like of Lviv: not too small not too big.
Profoundly useful - of all your videos
Don’t know why, but somehow hoped my own city would make the list. (Helsinki)
Helsinki is fine, nothing special though imo. Turku and Tampere are better imo
Hilarious comment!
@@marcusmazdaboy Helsinki is boring
Yes, same fear.
the young women there are so stunning that it would be hard to be in the bottom three, oops that should rule kopenhavn out too
So, one time at Hotel Admiral in Copenhagen, I came back to the hotel to find some drunk dude in my bed that the maid had let in. I had them get that guy out and clean the room in the middle of the night