Which of these European countries should I visit that I haven't already? Besides Belarus/Russia/Ukraine for obvious reasons
Depends what you're interested in or want to do. The baltics are cool though.
>>2821326I like to see the cities mostly. I prefer places that have a distinct character to them. I'm pretty social but I've been able to make friends in even stereotypically quiet Finland so it's fine for me. Good food scene is a plus. The cities should be clean and/or have a lot of history.
>>2821202The remaining Balkan countries without a doubt. They are the last countries in Europe that haven't been completely killed by mass tourism and globalization, though it is changing quickly. You can still find "authenticity" outside of the 2-3 major attractions that the countries have. Would recommend. Baltics are bit boring desu.
>>2821424Scotland (specifically Edinburgh) is an excellent and beautiful city. Clean with lots of history, however the good food scene is lackingI enjoyed Bulgaria - decent food, both Plovdiv and Sofia have their own distinct vibes and cultures. Former especially is very rich in history
I'm kinda in a similar situation except I didn't visit the UK, Scandinavia, and Greece and instead visited more countries in the Balkans and also Latvia, Turkey and some of the North Caucasus.The Balkans obviously would be my first choice, I want to go back there again to explore what I couldn't during my last trip.You could start a trip from Ljubjlana in Slovenia, which is pretty similar to a small cute Austrian city, and increasingly go further down south and/or east.Or start from a country like Albania -- best in spring or summer -- Macedonia (Ohrid), or Bulgaria, and go northwest to gradually reacclimate to the grimness of western civilization.If you have a good western salary it's relatively cheap, they have second-world salaries (i.e. shit) but their prices aren't that far off from the west depending on the region.People are generally nice, there is very little crime. In some countries like Albania, you might have to deal with stray dogs, which is mostly fine if you have experience with dogs as pets and don't do anything stupid, like don't approach them and look at them insistently for example.The nature is great, climbing the mountain in Krujë was the highlight of my trip in Albania. Next time, I want to go to Bajina Bašta, a city near a natural park in Serbia.Some cities are pretty fun too, Belgrade has pretty badass buildings and alternative music shows (+ student protests). People told me Mostar, Banja Luka, Trebinje and of course Sarajevo in Bosnia are all worth visiting and that's what I plan to do next timeFood is great. Try everything.Romania is also cool, there are student cities like Cluj or Timișoara worth visiting, Brașov is in Transylvania which can be scenic as fuck. There are a few places to party in Bucharest.The transport system varies from country to country, sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's messy so plan accordingly. There are two bus stations in Tirana for example, and reaching one of them from the other is a nightmare.
>>2821202So obviously the Balkans and it's not even close.
>>2821741 (cont.)About the other countries I went to:- Switzerland is expensive as fuck. The architecture is rather boring. They have the best air quality of Europe though. Only worth it if you are rich.- Belgium is weird, Brussels is a mess but can be fun in parts, Antwerp is more Dutch so more civilized and cute, there are interesting villages/towns to visit there and there, but it's not terribly epic.- Riga in Latvia is an interesting cute little city with a mix of Prussian and Russian architecture, and it's fresh during summer. It's a bit depressing though, it's the only time in my life I saw an obviously beaten wife boarding a train like it's nothing...- Turkey is big, it has basically the West part of it centered around Istanbul, which I didn't visit but is a big global city bigger than NYC actually, the Middle which I also didn't visit, and the East which is Kurd and much closer to the Arab Islamic world. It's really the limits of "Europe", very interesting place.Turkey is a pretty unique country in general, worth visiting several times.- Armenia is great if you go there with the intent of renting a car and go all around the country to visit all the natural wonders, sacred places and the occasional thing that catches your eye on the road. Otherwise the cities are meh.- Tbilisi is a fun city, not unlike Belgrade but different, I didn't explore the rest of Georgia.Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria; Scotland, Ireland and Lebanon are all places I would like to visit one day.
>>2821760>Turkey>didn't visit the west>didn't visit the middle>Kurdish>Arab>Istanbul>westernsolid advice.
>>2821762Yes, I went with a couple of friends who primarily wanted to visit Armenia, and flying to East Turkey was the cheapest option, our plan was to visit a few cities like Diyarbakir, Gaziantep and Mardin then reach Gyumri by going to the north, crossing the Georgian border and then the Armenian border because Turks are butthurt when someone calls them out on their past war crimes (like the Japanese).In these regions, they say "salam" to greet, not whatever they say when you translate "hello" to Turkish with an app. It's more influenced by Arab culture because it's literally 100 km away from Syrian border. I know Kurds have a distinct culture and language though.I definitely want to visit Istanbul and the south Med coast, I don't pretend to be an expert on Turkey, on the contrary, that's why I said it's worth visiting several times, because there is so much I don't know.
>>2821202Ghent and Bruges in Belgium.
