whats your favourite European country ?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Holland

I like its , shall we say , laid back vibe man

Amsterdam is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world due to its past trading links and the food is superb

Some bloody great pike , perch and zander fishing over there in the canals too

And its flat , going up and down mountains is a young man's game

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Having visited every single one of them I would say:
Slovenia: it was an undiscovered gem when I visited the place about 20 years ago.
Romania: as above
Italy: oozes history, character and atmosphere.
Spain: I avoided the place for many years after images in my head of the tourist resorts. Great country, especially Andalucia.
Iceland: magical
Holland: the people. It's like home.
Germany: Lived there and became hooked on the people (straight as a dye), culture and language.
San Marino: very chocolate box.
Austria/Switzerland: stunning scenery
France: a delight on the eye.

Weirdest European countries visited:
The eastern strip of Moldova which is still under the control of Russia. Very eerie.
Northern Macedonia: very poor bit with a regime that pumps money into very vulgar and ostentatious statues in the centre of the capital city.
Azerbaijan: oil money seems to have trickled down to a very small minority and the rest of the population seemed very poor.
Albania: I went there when it first opened up and there was nothing to buy. There were hardly any vehicles on the road and some of them I saw had replacement side windows made from plywood! It was not uncommon to see ground floor flats surrounded by pigs.

Surprises:
Odessa in The Ukraine: almost Parisian in nature.
Minsk, Belarus: incredibly sophisticated despite being ruled by a despot
Bosnia: a beautiful, non-functional* country. (*Still beset with profound factionalism)

[chris lee]

I have been to a fair few, but always keep going back to Spain, just has a bit everything

[Moodybluebird]

I love Cyprus. The island is beautiful and the people are so friendly. Last year was the first time for 7 years that we haven't gone back there.

[Majorblue]

France , mainly because I work there a lot and have got past the frustrations that its bureaucratic nature can throw up but it can be a stunning place to discover.
Obviously, there are issues ,especially in the outer suburbs of the main cities but rural France is stunning.
I actually quite like Russia and Germany as alternatives.

[Pearcey3]

Croatia. So many stunning places to visit. Loads of lovely islands. The people are generous. Food decent. Climate good.

[xsnaggle]

Germany. Lovely clean country. good people.

[JumpersforGoalposts]

Wales. Although I've not been there since Feb 2020 I usually make around 30 trips a year - must be something about the place to go so often

[Kind of Blue]

France. I’ve been to Paris in particular more times than I can remember and it strangely feels like a second home. Learned the language a bit which helps too.

Although I’ve not been to every country in the “region” (however you want to define it) but I’ve always been fascinated by the Balkans (western in particular but also what could be described as the eastern part more broadly too). I’ve probably read more history/travelogue books or articles about this region than anywhere else in the world minus perhaps Wales. Could say the same for Central Europe of a particular time in history too (basically from the old Habsburg empire up to the WW1 and between the wars).

Always had a strange fondness for Belgium too.

[198bore]

Croatian coast is lovely; Pula, Split, Dubrovnik and the Adriatic islands. Amazing.

[MOZZER2]

Poland particularly the Krakow area

wanted to go back last year , think this year is out of the question maybe next year now who knows

[jon1959]

Iceland.

The cleanest air in the world, wild landscape, bubbling mud pools, frozen volcano lakes, clean attractive towns, Grimsey Island above the arctic circle, good food (especially fish) and friendly people. The only downside is you need a major bank loan to buy a beer!

[The Bob Banker Spanker]

Italia - Specifically the Tuscan countryside. Such a laid back, relaxed feel to the place. Stunning as well.

[Shrewsbury Blue]

Croatian coast is lovely; Pula, Split, Dubrovnik and the Adriatic islands. Amazing.

Me too for Croatia. Did one of those small boat cruising holidays round the Islands amazing holiday. Problem with Dubrovnik though as its always absolutely rammed with tourists. Not now though.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Sweden , Denmark are nice but cold in the winter

My nads were like peas

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Me too for Croatia. Did one of those small boat cruising holidays round the Islands amazing holiday. Problem with Dubrovnik though as its always absolutely rammed with tourists. Not now though.

Great white sharks off adriatic

Be careful when swimming

[Optimistic Nick]

Germany

[xsnaggle]

Me too for Croatia. Did one of those small boat cruising holidays round the Islands amazing holiday. Problem with Dubrovnik though as its always absolutely rammed with tourists. Not now though.

Wasn't the main city in Game of Thrones actually Debrovnik?

[Mr Soul '68]

Spain, off the beaten track. I motored right across it, nearly 30 years ago. I love the food, the culture, the weather. Obviously I stayed away from the places that are full of Brit chavs, the ones having an English breakfast, fish n' chips for tea, and drinking shite British beer like John Smiths.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Poland particularly the Krakow area

wanted to go back last year , think this year is out of the question maybe next year now who knows

Sludge often goes to Krakow....

[life on mars]

Portugal very friendly .

[ToTaL ITK]

Holland

I like its , shall we say , laid back vibe man

Amsterdam is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world due to its past trading links and the food is superb

Some bloody great pike , perch and zander fishing over there in the canals too

And its flat , going up and down mountains is a young man's game

Most cosmopolitan cities in the world

1 Dubai 83
2 Brussels 62
3 Toronto 46
4 Auckland 39
4 Sydney 39
4 Los Angeles 39
5 Singapore 38
6 London 37
6 New York 37
7 Melbourne 35
8 Amsterdam 28
9 Frankfurt 27
10 Paris 25

surprised by dubai

[UNDERHILL1927]

Germany. Lovely clean country. good people.

Same, lovely people, Berlin my favourite city

[Swiss Peter]

Same, lovely people, Berlin my favourite city

This always amuses me. My sister has lived in Berlin since 1978 and now even carries German citizenship, but she would say the locals tend to be brusque, borderline rude. Fantastic city though, agreed.

As a German speaker I'm very comfortable in Germany, but favourite non-British places in Europe (as opposed to favourite countries which I know is the question - but much harder!) would be west coast of Ireland, north west coast of Portugal/Spain and
- my favourite place of all - Corsica.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Most cosmopolitan cities in the world

1 Dubai 83
2 Brussels 62
3 Toronto 46
4 Auckland 39
4 Sydney 39
4 Los Angeles 39
5 Singapore 38
6 London 37
6 New York 37
7 Melbourne 35
8 Amsterdam 28
9 Frankfurt 27
10 Paris 25

surprised by dubai

Surprised frankfurt is more cosmopolitan than Hamburg

Brussels doesn't surprise me , great city

Mayonnaise and Chips

Have it