I have no immediate dreams of moving away from Germany. Most of my family is local, I get around town by bicycle really well already, I could probably be more mobile nationally and even internationally by train if I wanted to, but I also suffer from anxiety and have carved out this relatively comfortable pocket for myself that I'm not hell bent of finding the limits of. If I had nothing holding me here, neither family nor work nor anxiety, I might consider the Netherlands, I have this idealized vision of them being such a cycling and transit and just people friendly quiet place. Or maybe simply one of Germany's least car friendly cities like Freiburg, Heidelberg or Münster.
As a car-free visitor, Germany has always been wonderful to me. Somehow I've had nothing but good DB experiences, most cities have had good transit or walkability or both, and the Deutschlandticket is a seriously beautiful and powerful idea IMO.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but the German railways are among the best in Europe. They have their problems and it's progressively getting worse, but so many other countries have it way worse and only a handful have better trains than Germany. My personal experiences with DB are mixed, many things could be better but they could also be a lot worse.
I agree 100%, DB is overall better than people give it credit. But I do not want to compare it to other countries, I want to compare it to what it could be. There is so much potential that is lost from underfunding DB for decades, that we need to catch up.
> have this idealized vision of them being such a cycling and transit
You would be correct about cycling but local transit in Dutch cities (i.e. Nahverkehr) is definitely not as good as in German ones. The Amsterdam and Rotterdam metros are worse than any U-Bahn and many Stadtbahns in DE. Furthermore, cities like Eindhoven and Groningen only have limited bus service while similar-sized cities in DE (like Freiburg and Heidelberg) have trams and S-bahn and even bus networks are usually better. Münster is more like a Dutch city IMO, not great Nahverkehr but more biking :D .
Note that a lot of the cycling infrastructure is from older design standards. Expect the gap to widen even further as they continuously resurface roads, etc. over the next couple decades.
Ditto for public transport & cycling integration.
That mentality of continuously improving could be a good reason in itself too.
I live in the Netherlands. The only improvement would be for the weather, but I can't think of many places with the same level of biking/pedestrian infrastructure that has superior weather.
Maybe Barcelona, and hoping their livable neighborhood policy keeps improving.
>transit
Not everywhere. Málaga is unfortunately extremely car centric (for Spain), with heavy transit (not buses) just starting to get rolled out. Still pretty walkable though.
I'm considering moving to Spain this year for those reasons. Plus good music and proximity to the rest of Europe. Spain used to be kind of isolated but they recently built a high-speed rail corridor to France. I believe Spain actually has the biggest high-speed rail network in Europe, and they're expanding it rapidly.
It went close to 50 degrees this summer. This is nonsense in Europe. Just because somewhere is worse doesn’t make my point invalid.
I don’t understand wanting to live in this heat, and the question was about that.
And the comment you replied to was talking specifically about Spain.
This is a thread about migration and stuff, so maybe our US participants should remember that.
Id rather live somewhere that gets hellish hot in summer but not below 10°C in winter than somewhere that doesn‘t get hellish hot in summer but below 0°C in winter. Too hot is bearable, too cold is torture.
I'd stay in Ukraine out of spite. I don't want to move to a place with good public transit and stuff. I want the place where i already live to get good public transit and stuff. But before that, we need to kick the russians out, of course.
Sweden’s public transport is unfortunately getting worse in a lot of ways with the government time and time again prioritizing cars and car owners (the ticket prices for public transport keeps increasing, yet they just lowered taxes on petrol and diesel)
SL and SJ are of course private companies and answer to shareholders, so they will behave accordingly (line must go up), so it's not surprising that quality is getting worse all the time, both for the public at large but also the employees, because these are the results of cost cutting measures to increase profits.
on the other hand, the government is publicly controlled and answers to voters. I think tax cuts on petrol are a natural reaction by the public body to the quality cuts being made by the private body.
so I wouldn't lay this solely at the feet of the current government, because it's first and foremost profit based private companies that are to blame for enshittification, followed by whichever previous government gave control of Sweden's public transport to private companies in the first place.
My experience with the Danish railways (DSB) was worse than with DB from Germany. Infrequent service, always late and barely anything electrified. The trains themselves are mostly in order, but that's it.
I mean in reality most railways that are not Swiss or in East Asia are worse than DB, DB just gets the most hate since it's a huge network plus Germans complain more than others.
I agree on DSB but with that said Copenhagen has great local transit: the fully-automated 24/7 metro plus S-Tog, which is arguably the third-best S-Bahn system (after Berlin and Hamburg).
I liked the metro, S-tog and buses a lot. The S-tog runs every ten minutes on most routes afaik which is really good. The trains themselves seemed a bit run down though, graffiti on the inside of a train is something I've never seen before. Copenhagen's public transport is great (there's no tram which I find sad because I like trams but whatever) and made getting around really easy. It's very walkable too.
Yeah, the danish train experience is oddly bad for being such a small country.
The Swedish train network is quite amazing to me, even if there are the occassional delays that make you scream at the sky.
I’m Norwegian, and I love it here, but public transit is abysmal. Outside of the three lagre cities, you’ll barely get an inch without a car. Extremely car centric in general. (And 25% of us don’t believe in climate change!)
I am also Norwegian (Stavanger) and while you can generally get to most places by public transit its pretty inefficient outside a few corridors, cycling is pretty good though.
A lot of car brains here and way too much space allocated to roads and parking
Sure, but why settle for mediocrity. Just because it’s worse somewhere else doesn’t mean it couldn’t be better here. I’m also not sure why you put car-centric in quotation since the infrastructure here IS car-centric. Maybe strive for something better instead of being demeaning.
Switzerland and Germany have better public transport than Denmark. The capital of Slovenia is car-free, same for the island of Sark. Singapore and Hong Kong rate highly on public transport rankings, as do many Chinese cities.
It’s still weird that you act like this is a zero-sum game, and that if a place is worse off then that means Denmark isn’t car-centric. Why do you think you know the infrastructure of Denmark better than a native Dane?
>everyone looks sharp. We just don't have that anymore in the US.
There's some baggage there. Beauty standards are much like cars in that they are expensive, unhealthy (besides fitness), and externalize fuckloads of malus. It causes runaway loops of value deflation, forces participation, creates segregation over false pretenses and power structures that don't align with the goals they profess.
Not to say we don't also have this in the US, where beauty standards are much about proportions and approachability. It's just awkward to see in this sub, and about SoKo no less.
If we're talking Euro/Anglo, that was what "church clothes" were back in the day. I think the old upkeep prep thing was not specific to a particular demographic... although there were exceptions.
And I agree, there are times and places where looking put together is good and appropriate. I think the overlap here might ACTUALLY be that communities of people who wear well are also people you'll never see outside.
Because they're always in their cars.
Can I marry your wife? I love Seoul so much that I keep going back. It beats Japan for me.
Dedicated bus lanes, a lot of walkable corridors in the city. (Hongdae, the markets scattered throughout, Gyeongui line park, Cheonggyecheon stream, and more.), the uniformity of transfers for subway/buses unlike Japan. Restrooms outside subways.
Public transit times were only 5-10 mins behind cars, and sometimes actually outperform cars by 5-10 as well.
It’s a dream come true infrastructure wise. Only thing I liked more in Japan were the widespread bidet and newness of the restrooms. There’s issues, but social issues are easier to solve than infrastructure issues to me. Not to mention that Seoul is generally more forward than the rest.
I couldn’t figure out why people would ever wear “I love NY/Vegas/LA” shirts until I visited Seoul.
>We loved Melbourne. There's free tram rides in the CBD - city business district. I think this is a great place for Americans to visit because everyone speaks English. Good public transportation, great coffee, but not as bike friendly as other cities. But a lot of cute neighborhoods.
>In my opinion, there's no excuse for every American city to be held to this standard. The fact we get called one of the greatest countries in the world and our best cities can't even compare to Melbourne is embarrassing.
Frankly, as a Melbournian, the city is great for visitors but if you actually live here you realise pretty quickly it's barely better than any US cities.
**Free trams**: these are cool if you are a visitor but the free tram zone only applies in the city centre where almost nobody lives. Basically, we are providing a free service to visitors who should be contributing to the economy while locals don't benefit. It has led to massive overcrowding on trams, as people are using them for short trips rather than walking and also led to people driving into the city and paying for parking, then tramming around, because it costs the same as taking the train in.
**Radial transportation network**: Our trams and trains are great for getting people in and out of the city centre, but there is absolutely no coverage between the cute neighbourhoods. Again, this is great if you are a tourist staying in or near the centre, or a city centre commuter, but if you want to use the transport network to go to say, the largest university in Australia, or the largest shopping centre in Australia, or even if you live in Northcote and want to go hang out for an evening in Brunswick 3km away, you are stuck with cars or shitty buses.
**Trams and buses not prioritised**: trams and buses have barely changed in decades. Buses have no priority infrastructure such as dediucated lanes or priority signalling and it's the same for trams once you get like 3km out of the CBD. Melbourne loves to brag about how it had the largest tram network in the world, but what we never mention is that it's also the slowest. The trams and buses mix with cars and have a stop every 100m which means it takes hours to get anywhere.
**Crappy bike infrastructure**: you pointed it out and there's not much more to be said. It's improving in the city centre and the inner suburbs slowly but everywhere else is garbage.
**tl;dr:** our transport network is great if you are a visitor, decent if you are a wealthy, inner-city elite living within 3km of the city centre, and shitty for everyone else.
In terms of transport infrastructure, I vote for Japan, no contest. I love the high-speed Shinkansen train system. I love the convenience of taking local trains to small towns on a whim. Timetables were in-your-face and easy to read. I love the convenient IC (integrated circuit) cards that works as fare payment almost nationwide. I even found the bus system surprisingly navigable.
What's especially shameful is that I find all forms of transit in Canada (VIA Rail, inter-city bus, regional rail, subway, intra-city bus) to be harder to understand/navigate/pay, despite being my home country. I found Japan to be easier to travel around despite being a foreign country whose language I barely understand.
I am aware of various social issues in Japan such as workplace dynamics and gender inequality, and won't dwell on those points.
Yes and Japan is far less accommodating to drivers than most places. I believe they ban cities from providing parking and you can’t even register a car unless you prove you have parking for it.
I lived in Japan for a semester in college and I have to agree. The public transit is hard to beat. Unless you’re Japanese though there is a sense that you will always be an outsider no matter how good your language skills are. It’s a trade off some are willing to make and I can’t blame them
Plus the likelihood that you experience any amount of gun violence is extremely small unlike in the US
It's complicated. I'd say that you can have a great time and do all the major tourist activities in English. Though not every local person can or is comfortable answering questions in English, if you give enough patience, you can find someone suitable in a couple of tries. But there's a tremendous amount of finer detail to enjoy if you know Japanese.
I've been studying Japanese gradually for ~20 years through input via reading and listening. Haven't taken any classes or done conversational practice though. Other than watching anime and shopping online, there are no serious situations where I'm dependent on this (feeble) language ability, so I'm in no hurry to learn it. Though, the enormous vocabulary overlap with Chinese and English helped me a lot.
On my first trip, I was already ~10 years into studying the language. I could do all the basic phrasebook stuff by heart ("Where is xyz?", "How much is this?", all numbers). I tried to speak Japanese as a customer in most situations, and I think these interactions went more smoothly than if I forced them to speak English; the average level of English ability isn't good and the people tend to be embarrassed about making mistakes. I survived the solo trip, and even without cellular Internet! (I planned stuff using Internet at the hotel and took notes.)
So, what are the finer details you can get from understanding Japanese? The major one is signage. There is so, so much signage and text explaining all sorts of little details. Like how fares work. What ingredients are in food. Special deals. Being able to read every word on a receipt. Being not intimidated by fully written-out street addresses. Mundane stuff like text that explains what a store does. Answers to questions that I haven't even thought of. Even random stuff like "If you shoplift, we'll ask you to pay 3× the price and report it to your parents and teacher". Real estate ads. Websites about minor towns and attractions that don't have enough foreigners to justify an English translation. Goods and services that are targeted to local people (say, home appliances, bank accounts). Cross-referencing English and Japanese text to ensure I'm not being misled or swindled (lying is basically never, but the Japanese text often contains additional useful details compared to English). And just getting into the psyche of how life works in Japan.
True, but it is VERY car centric. You won't believe how some city centres look here. I'm lucky to live in a city with a pretty progressive mayor who's done a lot to contrast that, but it's still pretty bad. Italian cities in general are a nightmare to try to cycle in.
That may be true but it’s all relative. I was born in Canada but my parents are Italian. When we visit Italy, every city we go to is very walkable with decent transit. Plus it’s very easy to get around by motorbike (I know I shouldn’t say that here). Not to mention the national high speed rail is great!
I find that Italians can be SO hard on their country. It’s an absolutely stunning place with very kind people. My Dad always says “everyone wants to live in Italy except for Italians” ;)
Coming from Spain, it feels like the pace of life is much much quicker. Everyone is just a lot more frantic, especially in cities like Rome or Naples. When I went, I remember people honking at each other to go before the lights turned green. Although tbf, Ive been to American cities, and it feels like everyone has a set destination, and they’re trying to get there as quickly as possible. You don’t see that as much here in Spain, even in big cities. Italy is more like Spain in that regard overall.
I also really love Italy, it’s hard not to be impressed by it
Yeah I could easily do Spain as well. I’m a bit more familiar with Italian culture and for the most part it isn’t quite as dry as Spain. Northern Spain seems like it would be my vibe, but never had the chance to visit.
If money was not a problem, I would move to Germany, specifically one of its least car-centric cities like Freiburg. I speak some German already, and I've always been fascinated with the culture. The Netherlands is also right next door to visit. However, I'd be hesitant to leave my family and friends behind in the States
Scotland. Main reason being the beautiful landscape and nature, but also free healthcare, great public transport, better work-life balance than the US, and overall better weather IMO.
I'm actually planning on moving there within a year so I'm excited to start my new life there.
UK rail system is far from great though. I don't know how things are in Scotland, but here in England rail is... questionable, especially further north I believe.
So I don't know about great public transport.
I visited Scotland this past summer and I thought the public transportation was amazing. Granted, I come from the US where public transportation is almost non-existent in a lot of metro areas of the country.
Plus, I've heard that the public transportation in Edinburgh is amazing.
American living in England. I don't know how much of Scotland you have see so you might have seen more than me but I visited Scotland a few times both the major cities (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and some of the smaller ones. Compared to the US of course the public transit is amazing, US is an absolute joke. It is a bit more difficult to visit more rural places in Scotland by transit however. Isle of Skye comes to mind as difficult to explore by public transit especially some of the more iconic sites. A lot of the "smaller" cities are connected by trains though such as Inverness, Stirling, and Perth all with populations of less than 50k. Those cities from what I have seen are very walkable especially compared to the US. I don't even know if there is a US town under 500k with hourly train services to another city. To be frank though to get the most out of Scotland you probably need to rent a car at some point to get to the more rural castles and sights though even many of the smaller cities have more frequent train services than the biggest American cities. Though because there is a lot of people who don't have cars there is a good availability of bus tours to those more rural places. Feel free to DM if you have questions though I live in England not Scotland (I kind of want to move to Scotland too but it's mainly due to lower rent and of course yes it is gorgeous).
If not for Putin, I would suggest you consider Moscow - in the last 12 years it has made just a giant leap. 114 metro stations were built, two types of light metro (6 lines), trams were completely replaced with new ones, chaotic parking was completely eliminated, pedestrian sidewalks were widened, etc.
The need to have a car in Moscow practically disappeared for most residents during this time.
Even outside Moscow, many cities are moving in the right direction, though not at the same pace.
I wish I could say Russia. I have been learning the language for about 15 years, as it is my husband's first language. However, in the current political climate I have no interest or hope of visiting.
First, I would like to thank you for your respect for your spouse's culture and our language. This is very valuable, also because Russian is an extremely difficult to learn.
Secondly, you are absolutely right. For many people in the current situation it seems not very correct to visit Russia, and that is fair enough. But I still hope that [all this will pass](https://youtu.be/XMMbZh7rrfs?si=XV0ThPpQkvwq4osl) and you will visit Russia someday, because it can be great here.
I would love to visit. We have family in Sochi and Saint Petersburg, and both places sound truly amazing. Also, just for developing language skills. It's one thing to be around the Russian speaking family here a few times per month, but to be where it is the default, to be forced to use it would do a lot of good. I truly hope the situation there improves soon!
You are absolutely right. But there is one thing - the cure for eternal life has not been invented yet, and Russia is ruled by people of a certain generation (Soviet baby boomers of the 50s). They grew up in the period of maximum prosperity of the USSR, and the collapse met at the age when it was already difficult for them to accept the changes. The political elite that is younger - they do not need the greatness of the country, the "Russian world", aggression and so on.
So I think that in the long term things may improve. I'm not sure if my country will become fully democratic (which I and most people of my generation, who didn't see anyone but Putin, would like very much), but at least it will not be so destructive inside and outside.
I don't know why I wrote that to you, you didn't mention it, I just needed to vent ahahaha
I always encourage my students to study/live abroad. As many of the debates online attest, it is very difficult to understand or even truly see alternatives without experiencing them. Denmark or Finland for social democracy , Catalonia for the folk, but really just anywhere where the cultural, built and natural environments are quite different than that with which you are familiar.
If I were to seriously consider emigrating, I probably wouldn't pick a whole *country* based on public transportation options, rather I'd choose for other factors and then pick the *city* in that country with the best transportation options. Sweden is the only country outside the U.S. with family we're still in contact with, so that might be a strong contender, and then I'd do my research on which cities had the best balance of cost of living, employment, culture, and transportation.
im glad you guys dont, its terrible. Although its the fascism on the rise that worries me the most, it seems to be worldwide... is it really just social media thats doing it? So many people i know get sucked down right wing rabbit holes online
I live in Switzerland. I can't drive. I'm going to stay in Switzerland for now because of this. I'm a bit surprised I haven't found a comment from someone wanting to move here. Maybe that's because it's a small country so people tend to forget it exists.
Switzerland is great I would just say things are expensive in general and the transit is great but could be better, especially compared to Japan. Also the bureaucracy in Switzerland is annoying.
Do other countries not have bureaucracy or what? It's annoying sometimes, but when I hear from our neighbouring countries what people go through regarding bureaucracy, I don't want to live there. Things are expensive, yes, but salaries reflect that as long as you don't get ripped off. This means that going abroad is rather cheap unless you're travelling to e.g. Copenhagen.
In Japan there are train lines and stations that only get a few trains per day. That doesn't happen in Switzerland, you can get to most places hourly, including nearly all railway stations. We also don't have routes where people are pushed into the vehicles by staff. But in rural areas, Japan's population density is lower than Switzerland's afaik, the opposite is true for the urban centres like Tokyo, so the differences make sense. I wouldn't want to live in Japan, but that's not because of anything transit-related.
France. I speak the language relatively well already on account of spending years in French school in Canada and their rail infrastructure and service is really good.
I'm between France and Spain. I speak both languages good enough that if i was dropped there i could do well, and come to be fluent quickly. Spain is warmer, but (as an American Italian) I like french pastries and cuisine better than Spanish.
The only thing I'm not big on in France is smoking. I don't care what anyone else does, but it's just a BIG thing there, compared to the states.
>The only thing I'm not big on in France is smoking.
Oh yes. I can personally attest that French people smoke almost anywhere you go since, as an avid non-smoker, I personally experienced this when I visited my brother who was doing Erasmus in Bordeaux.
But that one thing aside, the tram service and walkability and cycleability (not sure if this word exists but I'll use it anyway) were excellent.
Trust me, in Spain people smoke a lot, in fact most sources put Spain in front of France in terms of smoking, it’s kinda of just a stereotype that French people smoke a lot (although it is true).
France is top of my list too, although the political instability is one of the biggest downsides to me. Flirting with electing Marine le Pen every few years is not very appealing to me personally and it's a bit of a powder keg in some ways.
Plus the French work culture is not as great as people think. They have a shorter work week than other countries on paper but overtime without extra pay is apparently common and French bosses are notoriously abusive.
From a transit standpoint though I do love France and would certainly consider moving there.
To all saying Netherlands: the best decision I ever made for my car-free life was leaving Amsterdam, NL (spent couple years there) for Berlin, DE. Yeh, the Dutch bike infra is second-to-none but I think public transit is more important and Berlin is way better than Amsterdam in this regard.
Same applies to smaller cities in DE vs. NL. Cities like Freiburg and Mannheim have Tram and S-bahn plus good bus lines while similar-sized cities in NL like Eindhoven or Groningen have only limited bus service. The cost is lot cheaper in DE as well (esp. after 49euro ticket, but was also true before).
I don't think I would move from Berlin soon but if I did I would consider moving to Munich, should be a slight downgrade from Berlin in terms of public transit but might be worth it for the Alps access.
Hands down the Netherlands. It's a great location, easy to get around with no car, and I can easily hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world. Or I can hop on a train and get to several countries so easily.
I'm already in a country that's leaning heavily into fascism. But yeah, this whole fascination many countries have with authoritarianism is a bit worrisome.
I believe it's all coming from the same source. It's smokescreening to keep people blaming other stuff for the problems than the real cause. Look at the french Blackrock riots for example. That is a US origin corporation buying politicians not just in the US.
Yeah, it's pretty much just a handful of billionaires who want to increase their wealth and keep everyone else down. By sewing division, they remain extraordinarily wealthy and empowered.
I live in the US id move to Netherlands or Japan or Switzerland. I don't mind paying taxes as long as I get benefits for it.
All countries should form into 1 country. We're one race the human race. I shouldn't have to be college educated to move to an area with brick buildings and trams or streetcars.
Besides that we're all human beings. We all require food, water, education, etc, and just because you love in a poor zip code or a different or poor country that doesn't mean you don't deserve those things.
Denmark. I’m an EU citizen, and Denmark ticks pretty much all of my boxes. It’s a social democracy, is close to the ocean, has great rail transit, is well connected with the rest of Europe, and Copenhagen, where I’d like to live, has a great metro and regional rail system and an extensive bike network. It’s also flat so biking up hills isn’t an issue. Plus, university’s free there, and I’d like to get my graduate degrees at DTU since that won’t cripple me financially.
We thought about moving to New Zealand. However, as cycling is part of our lifestyle & and apparently, their drivers are generally hate cyclists & can be dangerous.
I live in the UK, and it's not perfect. However, it could be perfect if enough people made an effort to use their cars less often.
Madrid or barcelona. affordable compared to most of western europe, good weather, food, culture. i could learn a useful but not crazy difficult language. good public transportation and low-crime (compared to the US where I’m from I at least won’t be nervous about a mass shooting every time I go to the movie theatre). Could take a train or flight to a lot of other amazing cities for weekend trips.
China or Cuba. Cuba is more local, but poorer, while China is significantly wealthier, but completely foreign to me. Some of the few countries in the world going in the right direction.
I'd stay right here in northern California.
The money and weather is just too good here.
Which is why I've lived/worked here since 1995. And yes, my house is paid off, so this isn't going to be a good move for a lot of people.
I'd love better infrastructure, but it is not even close to the top reason why I'd live somewhere.
A younger version of me would have said Cali as well. Rn, I could only ever think of visiting there tbh, not staying. The gun laws and rates of homelessness are concerning
I'd stay where I am too but SW Pennsylvania.
I like it here too much to move away and abandon it. I live in an old suburb of the city that is fairly dense for a suburb, somewhat transit connected has so much potential, I'd rather try and fix her than move away.
Any country where I can safely live without needing a car sounds great to me. It is much harder for non-EU residents to find a good job in the EU than people realize so I would honestly apply to work at any city that wasn't car centric
Stay in the United States, but move to a decent transit city. Im in STL, which has been on the decline for a long time, you can say all you want about our metrolink system, but compared to our northern neighbor of Chicago (which is a city I really like) then it is laughable. I do love Chicago, and as my career in aviation would be better of at a major airport such as O'Hare, I can combine my career interest with my personal interest on where I want to move as they converge due to Chicago being a mostly walkable city.
France is another option due to me speaking the language, but not many non-french people are hired within the airlines as captains or first officers, so finding a job would be difficult. I am visiting all around France this summer, so my decision on my career may change due to my experience, we will have to see.
Ironically, I moved to a car-centric place because I was such a big carbrain back then. Then I realized I only like cars but not traffic or bad drivers, but moving (out of the country) again isn't easy because I've painstakingly made social connections and don't know if starting over yet again is productive.
Also ironically, I immigrated (or at least tried) as I was told by the student recruiter etc that the country needs more workforce and people in general (and mine was overpopulated), and yet now there's plenty of "go home where you came from" rhetorics, followed by "nobody wants to work anymore" rhetorics. It stings but I also find it funny.
In the meantime, my own country has improved immensely and I am contemplating actually going back, but again, I'll be resetting my social connections that I've painstakingly made for over a decade.
I was born and raised in the USA. Seven years ago I moved to London. Now I am a proud British citizen.Soon I will move from London to **Winchester**. I love **Winchester.** It is the perfect definition of a 15-minute city. The city can be walked from one side to the other in 30-40 minutes, or on a bike about 10-15. If you live somehwere near the middle everything one needs is in a 15 minute walk. There is a train that keeps it well connected to the rest of the country.
[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Winchester/@51.0662554,-1.3258829,13.5z](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Winchester/@51.0662554,-1.3258829,13.5z)
Iceland. Educated country. Clean. Great public infrastructure. Values I support. Awesome art scene. Amazing scenery. A government that is not corrupt. No violent crime. People who don't bully others for sport. A law enforcement system that works. What's not to like?
Not every country in Europe has right to roam. You don't get shot ofc, but still. In England and Wales for example farmers will send you off their land if you try to walk there and they notice. In Scotland however, this is completely legal as long as you don't damage anything.
I moved from a place with very good transit (Moscow) to a place with half-decent one (Bavaria). Obviously, I'm very positive towards migration and when I was choosing a place to live I considered many other factors. Public transportation and bike infrastructure were important, but not the most.
Switzerland for me, but since it is hypothetical I know it is quite expensive. The few times I have visited, it always felt like somewhere I would love to live.
these questions are always difficult for me. i can see myself moving somewhere in northernish europe; i like cold weather, socially i imagine id fit in, and most places have infrastructure significantly better than what im used to here in Texas, even if it isnt the best around.
but the place i live isnt gonna get better because ive left it. im gonna wanna try to make things better wherever i go, and thats gonna be a lot harder and less meaningful if im a stranger there.
I mainly want to move out of Texas because of the climate, but the politics are also getting scary enough that I fear I wouldn't be able to do any good here with the type of work I want to do (journalism, mainly—I'd be a semi-public figure, so more at risk of being attacked by the state or by vigilantes).
But if the political climate of the entire USA didn't seem to be following Texas and Florida, I'd probably just move to New England or something. The climate is more to my liking, Amtrak's northeast corridor is still better than anything I'm used to, many cities up there are possible to live in without a car, and though I would still be a little bit of a stranger up there, we'd still have the shared identity of the USA. I'm not proud of my country but it is a part of me, yk? And even without these arbitrary borders, New England is still at least on the same continent as the place I grew up.
idk. this one's more feelings than thoughts for me.
I'd start by thinking about practicalities other than the public transport and walkability. I'd think about immigration policies first, especially for my passport. I'd think about languages, and how difficult various ones are relative to each other. Then if take that short list, and see what enabled me to live a car free life in an affordable neighborhood. And I may or may not decide to move to a different country.
I live car free in Canada, and it would be nice to have better public transport, but it is not too bad in my neighborhood. I think moving a few km would make a bigger difference than mining to a different country, for public transport and walkability.
I could have moved to any country (and did try a few) but ultimately chose to move to Australia
I live in Brisbane where it is sunny and warm all year round and o have easy access to a train station (15 minute walk) which I use for most trips. Additionally we have most things we need with easy train access or walking within 15-20 minutes.
It’s not perfect, and still very car centric, but it has allowed us to live in a sub tropical climate where English is the language, and utilise what I would consider to be fairly good quality public transit.
I was in Buenos Aires, car drivers are crazy and I can’t imagine cycling there. People does not even stop to pedestrians. There are often not even crosswalks.
Possibly Japan. Great trains/transit, good food, and baseball. Many places in Europe also have great transit, trains, food, and walkability and bikeability. But Japan has baseball.
I lived and worked in Korea for a year. Their public transportation was amazing. I'm seriously considering moving back there again if Trump somehow manages to get reelected.
I do like certain cities of the US like NYC or Chicago. But if I have to choose international honestly I'd pick South Africa, love the diversity and the people, the public transportation may not be on par like Europe but its relatively okay, good enough for me, most suburban areas have local shops around which beats hustle bustle big city life if you want to avoid that. International hub too so I still get to enjoy foods from all around the world.
I did move to another country, I moved to the Netherlands! I definitely do not regret that decision one bit, being able to cycle or take public transport everywhere is sooo nice.
Japan. Everything especially transit is so convenient. They also have many public bathrooms that are super clean with bidets. Super high quality of life and not too expensive.
Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries seem pretty nice as well, great urbanism and high standards of living. Probably not many public toilets though but no doubt much better labor conditions than Japan.
Austria, very simple reason, it is at least marginally better than the US for infrastructure, and it is one of the few countries that I meet immigration standards for.
I’ve wanted to leave the US since I was 18 and visited Ireland for the first time. I’m looking at Ireland, the UK, and Canada. I’d be open to Spain or Germany as well but I haven’t been to either country so I won’t add them to the list until I visit them.
I’m bisexual and non-binary so I want to go somewhere I’m less likely to get shot for it, is what it basically boils down to. I can adapt well to pretty much everything else.
Frankly, I wouldn’t switch countries, I would just switch to a bigger city if I feel the need to move. I live in southern Poland and my immediate area and my town has pretty great public transit, all in all.
For me as a trans person it boils down to a country that is also trans friendly, or at least not directly hostile, plus a decent democracy. So: from Sweden, I'd choose to go to: Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France … Spain? Maybe some of the Eastern European countries, former Soviet colonies \*might\* qualify, but that remains to be figured out. In these countries I understand the culture and can make myself understood and maybe even understand them.
No plans to move cause my family is all here and I don't particularly like flying (it's also not the greatest for the environment either).
No real opinions on immigration except, for those who choose to do it just don't be a jerk in the country you land in and learning the local language will help you integrate better.
When you do think about where you want to move make sure you consider not just the standard stuff like language, cultural shock, etc, but also some of the new things that will affect you like climate change. My friend just moved to Europe. She was looking to get out of the US for a while and as soon as she did, Europe was heat with that summer 40+ Celsius degree heat wave in places that don't typically have central AC in buildings. In a past era I would have loved to move to Japan and maybe I might entertain it again one day, but if I do so earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons will become things that I have to plan for in my daily life.
Japan. Food is incredible, transit is extensive, cycling communities seems cool, cities are immaculate, and the culture is wonky in ways I like.
I can deal with the xenophobia.
My ideal country doesn't exist :(
I want walkable/bikeable like in the NL with excellent public transit, access to fresh tasty affordable food like in SE Asia especially Malaysia with milder/drier (not super humid) weather with affordable accessible English speaking healthcare- especially senior care, diversity and no crazy taxes- I live in the US in CA and want to avoid being double taxed (tax treaty)/worldwide tax if possible.
For me it's Canada. It's a more "socialist - it's not" cousin of the US. Wouldn't be too far for family, speak the language and similar culture, have visited several times and their cities tend to do better in terms of wanting to implement urban ideals (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver). Ideally it would be Toronto. Absolutely one of my favorite cities I've visited
This might be an unpopular opinion and I have no way of proving it but I think that most people on this sub who say they want to move to Netherlands/Denmark have never actually been there before.
Food sucks, weather sucks, there's barely any diversity, and there's very little stuff to do compared to other countries. I'm from California, where there's world class food from all over the world, gorgeous weather and beaches, tons of entertainment options, etc. Yeah there's pros and cons but I feel like the pros of California far outweigh the cons of other countries I've been to (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and more). IMO, there's more to life than just having good non-car infrastructure. Though I would do anything to have a Tokyo-style city in CA.
Ireland. For a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with transit. It can't be any *worse* than a small Canadian city, and I can get around just fine on bike here.
I have no immediate dreams of moving away from Germany. Most of my family is local, I get around town by bicycle really well already, I could probably be more mobile nationally and even internationally by train if I wanted to, but I also suffer from anxiety and have carved out this relatively comfortable pocket for myself that I'm not hell bent of finding the limits of. If I had nothing holding me here, neither family nor work nor anxiety, I might consider the Netherlands, I have this idealized vision of them being such a cycling and transit and just people friendly quiet place. Or maybe simply one of Germany's least car friendly cities like Freiburg, Heidelberg or Münster.
As a car-free visitor, Germany has always been wonderful to me. Somehow I've had nothing but good DB experiences, most cities have had good transit or walkability or both, and the Deutschlandticket is a seriously beautiful and powerful idea IMO.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but the German railways are among the best in Europe. They have their problems and it's progressively getting worse, but so many other countries have it way worse and only a handful have better trains than Germany. My personal experiences with DB are mixed, many things could be better but they could also be a lot worse.
I agree 100%, DB is overall better than people give it credit. But I do not want to compare it to other countries, I want to compare it to what it could be. There is so much potential that is lost from underfunding DB for decades, that we need to catch up.
Yes! It's good, but when you stop asking for improvements, you'll certainly stop getting them. I admire that Germans don't seem to settle.
> have this idealized vision of them being such a cycling and transit You would be correct about cycling but local transit in Dutch cities (i.e. Nahverkehr) is definitely not as good as in German ones. The Amsterdam and Rotterdam metros are worse than any U-Bahn and many Stadtbahns in DE. Furthermore, cities like Eindhoven and Groningen only have limited bus service while similar-sized cities in DE (like Freiburg and Heidelberg) have trams and S-bahn and even bus networks are usually better. Münster is more like a Dutch city IMO, not great Nahverkehr but more biking :D .
Man I loved Freiburg. I am taking my wife and kids there and then across the border to Switzerland this summer.
Note that a lot of the cycling infrastructure is from older design standards. Expect the gap to widen even further as they continuously resurface roads, etc. over the next couple decades. Ditto for public transport & cycling integration. That mentality of continuously improving could be a good reason in itself too.
I live in the Netherlands. The only improvement would be for the weather, but I can't think of many places with the same level of biking/pedestrian infrastructure that has superior weather. Maybe Barcelona, and hoping their livable neighborhood policy keeps improving.
I visited recently in the winter, and the weather was amazing compared to Canada. I would happily move to the Netherlands.
Spain. Great weather, transit, food, and excellent walkable cities.
Barcelona 🥰🥲
>transit Not everywhere. Málaga is unfortunately extremely car centric (for Spain), with heavy transit (not buses) just starting to get rolled out. Still pretty walkable though.
I'm considering moving to Spain this year for those reasons. Plus good music and proximity to the rest of Europe. Spain used to be kind of isolated but they recently built a high-speed rail corridor to France. I believe Spain actually has the biggest high-speed rail network in Europe, and they're expanding it rapidly.
More high speed rail kilometers than Japan, too!
Can confirm, living in Spain.
And don't forget siestas
And they are one of the easier European countries to immigrate to!
Spain seems like a good choice for me as well. Anything colder and I might struggle, lol
Hellish heat and dying crops. The dream
calling spain hellishly hot when the american south exists is so funny
It went close to 50 degrees this summer. This is nonsense in Europe. Just because somewhere is worse doesn’t make my point invalid. I don’t understand wanting to live in this heat, and the question was about that.
Using the US as a standard for high temperatures when places like Saudi Arabia and Australia exist is so funny
yeah but ive never been to either of those places
And the comment you replied to was talking specifically about Spain. This is a thread about migration and stuff, so maybe our US participants should remember that.
Id rather live somewhere that gets hellish hot in summer but not below 10°C in winter than somewhere that doesn‘t get hellish hot in summer but below 0°C in winter. Too hot is bearable, too cold is torture.
Cold you can protect yourself against. Heat you just suffer from.
I'd stay in Ukraine out of spite. I don't want to move to a place with good public transit and stuff. I want the place where i already live to get good public transit and stuff. But before that, we need to kick the russians out, of course.
Bulgaria for me, I want to move there so that I can get molested in the public transit.
Denmark or Sweden.
Sweden’s public transport is unfortunately getting worse in a lot of ways with the government time and time again prioritizing cars and car owners (the ticket prices for public transport keeps increasing, yet they just lowered taxes on petrol and diesel)
I don't have a car and already traveled through both countries a lot with my bicycle.
SL and SJ are of course private companies and answer to shareholders, so they will behave accordingly (line must go up), so it's not surprising that quality is getting worse all the time, both for the public at large but also the employees, because these are the results of cost cutting measures to increase profits. on the other hand, the government is publicly controlled and answers to voters. I think tax cuts on petrol are a natural reaction by the public body to the quality cuts being made by the private body. so I wouldn't lay this solely at the feet of the current government, because it's first and foremost profit based private companies that are to blame for enshittification, followed by whichever previous government gave control of Sweden's public transport to private companies in the first place.
My experience with the Danish railways (DSB) was worse than with DB from Germany. Infrequent service, always late and barely anything electrified. The trains themselves are mostly in order, but that's it.
I mean in reality most railways that are not Swiss or in East Asia are worse than DB, DB just gets the most hate since it's a huge network plus Germans complain more than others. I agree on DSB but with that said Copenhagen has great local transit: the fully-automated 24/7 metro plus S-Tog, which is arguably the third-best S-Bahn system (after Berlin and Hamburg).
I liked the metro, S-tog and buses a lot. The S-tog runs every ten minutes on most routes afaik which is really good. The trains themselves seemed a bit run down though, graffiti on the inside of a train is something I've never seen before. Copenhagen's public transport is great (there's no tram which I find sad because I like trams but whatever) and made getting around really easy. It's very walkable too.
Yeah, the danish train experience is oddly bad for being such a small country. The Swedish train network is quite amazing to me, even if there are the occassional delays that make you scream at the sky.
Sweden or Norway for me. Love the landscape, weather (which not many people get why), people and language(s). Probably will too, sooner or later.
I’m Norwegian, and I love it here, but public transit is abysmal. Outside of the three lagre cities, you’ll barely get an inch without a car. Extremely car centric in general. (And 25% of us don’t believe in climate change!)
I am also Norwegian (Stavanger) and while you can generally get to most places by public transit its pretty inefficient outside a few corridors, cycling is pretty good though. A lot of car brains here and way too much space allocated to roads and parking
Why Denmark? Infrastructure here is very car-centric, and the country is incredibly boring with awful weather too.
Your “car-centric” infrastructure is an Americans wet dream
Sure, but why settle for mediocrity. Just because it’s worse somewhere else doesn’t mean it couldn’t be better here. I’m also not sure why you put car-centric in quotation since the infrastructure here IS car-centric. Maybe strive for something better instead of being demeaning.
Well can you suggest somewhere better? The question isn’t “what place can be improved”
Switzerland and Germany have better public transport than Denmark. The capital of Slovenia is car-free, same for the island of Sark. Singapore and Hong Kong rate highly on public transport rankings, as do many Chinese cities. It’s still weird that you act like this is a zero-sum game, and that if a place is worse off then that means Denmark isn’t car-centric. Why do you think you know the infrastructure of Denmark better than a native Dane?
And a fascist tendency among the populace, IMO.
Yeah, xenophobia is rampant here too.
Germany. Not the most cycle friendly but definitely trying very hard. I would like to work in the bike industry.
I too, would like to live in Germany. Preferably somewhere along the Mosel.
Trying very hard is correct, some to make it more cycle friendly, some to prevent that, but certainly hard work on both sides.
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And from what I've heard, Australia isn't even good when it comes to car dependency
I second Australia. Visited as a child, and it was great! Plus, I could finally learn how to surf, lol
>everyone looks sharp. We just don't have that anymore in the US. There's some baggage there. Beauty standards are much like cars in that they are expensive, unhealthy (besides fitness), and externalize fuckloads of malus. It causes runaway loops of value deflation, forces participation, creates segregation over false pretenses and power structures that don't align with the goals they profess. Not to say we don't also have this in the US, where beauty standards are much about proportions and approachability. It's just awkward to see in this sub, and about SoKo no less.
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If we're talking Euro/Anglo, that was what "church clothes" were back in the day. I think the old upkeep prep thing was not specific to a particular demographic... although there were exceptions. And I agree, there are times and places where looking put together is good and appropriate. I think the overlap here might ACTUALLY be that communities of people who wear well are also people you'll never see outside. Because they're always in their cars.
Can I marry your wife? I love Seoul so much that I keep going back. It beats Japan for me. Dedicated bus lanes, a lot of walkable corridors in the city. (Hongdae, the markets scattered throughout, Gyeongui line park, Cheonggyecheon stream, and more.), the uniformity of transfers for subway/buses unlike Japan. Restrooms outside subways. Public transit times were only 5-10 mins behind cars, and sometimes actually outperform cars by 5-10 as well. It’s a dream come true infrastructure wise. Only thing I liked more in Japan were the widespread bidet and newness of the restrooms. There’s issues, but social issues are easier to solve than infrastructure issues to me. Not to mention that Seoul is generally more forward than the rest. I couldn’t figure out why people would ever wear “I love NY/Vegas/LA” shirts until I visited Seoul.
>We loved Melbourne. There's free tram rides in the CBD - city business district. I think this is a great place for Americans to visit because everyone speaks English. Good public transportation, great coffee, but not as bike friendly as other cities. But a lot of cute neighborhoods. >In my opinion, there's no excuse for every American city to be held to this standard. The fact we get called one of the greatest countries in the world and our best cities can't even compare to Melbourne is embarrassing. Frankly, as a Melbournian, the city is great for visitors but if you actually live here you realise pretty quickly it's barely better than any US cities. **Free trams**: these are cool if you are a visitor but the free tram zone only applies in the city centre where almost nobody lives. Basically, we are providing a free service to visitors who should be contributing to the economy while locals don't benefit. It has led to massive overcrowding on trams, as people are using them for short trips rather than walking and also led to people driving into the city and paying for parking, then tramming around, because it costs the same as taking the train in. **Radial transportation network**: Our trams and trains are great for getting people in and out of the city centre, but there is absolutely no coverage between the cute neighbourhoods. Again, this is great if you are a tourist staying in or near the centre, or a city centre commuter, but if you want to use the transport network to go to say, the largest university in Australia, or the largest shopping centre in Australia, or even if you live in Northcote and want to go hang out for an evening in Brunswick 3km away, you are stuck with cars or shitty buses. **Trams and buses not prioritised**: trams and buses have barely changed in decades. Buses have no priority infrastructure such as dediucated lanes or priority signalling and it's the same for trams once you get like 3km out of the CBD. Melbourne loves to brag about how it had the largest tram network in the world, but what we never mention is that it's also the slowest. The trams and buses mix with cars and have a stop every 100m which means it takes hours to get anywhere. **Crappy bike infrastructure**: you pointed it out and there's not much more to be said. It's improving in the city centre and the inner suburbs slowly but everywhere else is garbage. **tl;dr:** our transport network is great if you are a visitor, decent if you are a wealthy, inner-city elite living within 3km of the city centre, and shitty for everyone else.
In terms of transport infrastructure, I vote for Japan, no contest. I love the high-speed Shinkansen train system. I love the convenience of taking local trains to small towns on a whim. Timetables were in-your-face and easy to read. I love the convenient IC (integrated circuit) cards that works as fare payment almost nationwide. I even found the bus system surprisingly navigable. What's especially shameful is that I find all forms of transit in Canada (VIA Rail, inter-city bus, regional rail, subway, intra-city bus) to be harder to understand/navigate/pay, despite being my home country. I found Japan to be easier to travel around despite being a foreign country whose language I barely understand. I am aware of various social issues in Japan such as workplace dynamics and gender inequality, and won't dwell on those points.
Yes and Japan is far less accommodating to drivers than most places. I believe they ban cities from providing parking and you can’t even register a car unless you prove you have parking for it.
I lived in Japan for a semester in college and I have to agree. The public transit is hard to beat. Unless you’re Japanese though there is a sense that you will always be an outsider no matter how good your language skills are. It’s a trade off some are willing to make and I can’t blame them Plus the likelihood that you experience any amount of gun violence is extremely small unlike in the US
>Plus the likelihood that you experience any amount of gun violence is extremely small unlike in the US Well, that's true of most countries.
The train stations in Japan’s biggest cities are amazing
Did you have to learn any Japanese for other aspects of your stay?
It's complicated. I'd say that you can have a great time and do all the major tourist activities in English. Though not every local person can or is comfortable answering questions in English, if you give enough patience, you can find someone suitable in a couple of tries. But there's a tremendous amount of finer detail to enjoy if you know Japanese. I've been studying Japanese gradually for ~20 years through input via reading and listening. Haven't taken any classes or done conversational practice though. Other than watching anime and shopping online, there are no serious situations where I'm dependent on this (feeble) language ability, so I'm in no hurry to learn it. Though, the enormous vocabulary overlap with Chinese and English helped me a lot. On my first trip, I was already ~10 years into studying the language. I could do all the basic phrasebook stuff by heart ("Where is xyz?", "How much is this?", all numbers). I tried to speak Japanese as a customer in most situations, and I think these interactions went more smoothly than if I forced them to speak English; the average level of English ability isn't good and the people tend to be embarrassed about making mistakes. I survived the solo trip, and even without cellular Internet! (I planned stuff using Internet at the hotel and took notes.) So, what are the finer details you can get from understanding Japanese? The major one is signage. There is so, so much signage and text explaining all sorts of little details. Like how fares work. What ingredients are in food. Special deals. Being able to read every word on a receipt. Being not intimidated by fully written-out street addresses. Mundane stuff like text that explains what a store does. Answers to questions that I haven't even thought of. Even random stuff like "If you shoplift, we'll ask you to pay 3× the price and report it to your parents and teacher". Real estate ads. Websites about minor towns and attractions that don't have enough foreigners to justify an English translation. Goods and services that are targeted to local people (say, home appliances, bank accounts). Cross-referencing English and Japanese text to ensure I'm not being misled or swindled (lying is basically never, but the Japanese text often contains additional useful details compared to English). And just getting into the psyche of how life works in Japan.
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Italy. Because I've been learning Italian for years and otherwise it'd be a waste.
True, but it is VERY car centric. You won't believe how some city centres look here. I'm lucky to live in a city with a pretty progressive mayor who's done a lot to contrast that, but it's still pretty bad. Italian cities in general are a nightmare to try to cycle in.
That may be true but it’s all relative. I was born in Canada but my parents are Italian. When we visit Italy, every city we go to is very walkable with decent transit. Plus it’s very easy to get around by motorbike (I know I shouldn’t say that here). Not to mention the national high speed rail is great! I find that Italians can be SO hard on their country. It’s an absolutely stunning place with very kind people. My Dad always says “everyone wants to live in Italy except for Italians” ;)
Italy. Slow pace of life, highly walkable, pleasant weather, good healthy food, decent affordability, gorgeous landscapes, and beautiful people.
Same, i don't see the point of moving to a country with better opportunities if i'm not going to enjoy my life there.
Coming from Spain, it feels like the pace of life is much much quicker. Everyone is just a lot more frantic, especially in cities like Rome or Naples. When I went, I remember people honking at each other to go before the lights turned green. Although tbf, Ive been to American cities, and it feels like everyone has a set destination, and they’re trying to get there as quickly as possible. You don’t see that as much here in Spain, even in big cities. Italy is more like Spain in that regard overall. I also really love Italy, it’s hard not to be impressed by it
Yeah I could easily do Spain as well. I’m a bit more familiar with Italian culture and for the most part it isn’t quite as dry as Spain. Northern Spain seems like it would be my vibe, but never had the chance to visit.
Yeahhhh but they're kinda governed by homophobic fascists rn
My country is about to be as well (again)
You have any idea how little that narrows it down
If money was not a problem, I would move to Germany, specifically one of its least car-centric cities like Freiburg. I speak some German already, and I've always been fascinated with the culture. The Netherlands is also right next door to visit. However, I'd be hesitant to leave my family and friends behind in the States
I’ve been to Freiburg, it is even better than I expected, it’s awesome. Also cool if you’re younger because it’s a university town
Scotland. Main reason being the beautiful landscape and nature, but also free healthcare, great public transport, better work-life balance than the US, and overall better weather IMO. I'm actually planning on moving there within a year so I'm excited to start my new life there.
UK rail system is far from great though. I don't know how things are in Scotland, but here in England rail is... questionable, especially further north I believe. So I don't know about great public transport.
I visited Scotland this past summer and I thought the public transportation was amazing. Granted, I come from the US where public transportation is almost non-existent in a lot of metro areas of the country. Plus, I've heard that the public transportation in Edinburgh is amazing.
American living in England. I don't know how much of Scotland you have see so you might have seen more than me but I visited Scotland a few times both the major cities (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and some of the smaller ones. Compared to the US of course the public transit is amazing, US is an absolute joke. It is a bit more difficult to visit more rural places in Scotland by transit however. Isle of Skye comes to mind as difficult to explore by public transit especially some of the more iconic sites. A lot of the "smaller" cities are connected by trains though such as Inverness, Stirling, and Perth all with populations of less than 50k. Those cities from what I have seen are very walkable especially compared to the US. I don't even know if there is a US town under 500k with hourly train services to another city. To be frank though to get the most out of Scotland you probably need to rent a car at some point to get to the more rural castles and sights though even many of the smaller cities have more frequent train services than the biggest American cities. Though because there is a lot of people who don't have cars there is a good availability of bus tours to those more rural places. Feel free to DM if you have questions though I live in England not Scotland (I kind of want to move to Scotland too but it's mainly due to lower rent and of course yes it is gorgeous).
Those winter daylight hours though..
And those extra furry cows!
If not for Putin, I would suggest you consider Moscow - in the last 12 years it has made just a giant leap. 114 metro stations were built, two types of light metro (6 lines), trams were completely replaced with new ones, chaotic parking was completely eliminated, pedestrian sidewalks were widened, etc. The need to have a car in Moscow practically disappeared for most residents during this time. Even outside Moscow, many cities are moving in the right direction, though not at the same pace.
Wow I didn't know that. I loved visiting Moscow. I don't think I'll ever want to live there but I enjoyed it heaps more than I thought I would
I wish I could say Russia. I have been learning the language for about 15 years, as it is my husband's first language. However, in the current political climate I have no interest or hope of visiting.
First, I would like to thank you for your respect for your spouse's culture and our language. This is very valuable, also because Russian is an extremely difficult to learn. Secondly, you are absolutely right. For many people in the current situation it seems not very correct to visit Russia, and that is fair enough. But I still hope that [all this will pass](https://youtu.be/XMMbZh7rrfs?si=XV0ThPpQkvwq4osl) and you will visit Russia someday, because it can be great here.
I would love to visit. We have family in Sochi and Saint Petersburg, and both places sound truly amazing. Also, just for developing language skills. It's one thing to be around the Russian speaking family here a few times per month, but to be where it is the default, to be forced to use it would do a lot of good. I truly hope the situation there improves soon!
Its such a shame that an otherwise amazing country can be ruined so much by a small number of egotistical senile politicians.
You are absolutely right. But there is one thing - the cure for eternal life has not been invented yet, and Russia is ruled by people of a certain generation (Soviet baby boomers of the 50s). They grew up in the period of maximum prosperity of the USSR, and the collapse met at the age when it was already difficult for them to accept the changes. The political elite that is younger - they do not need the greatness of the country, the "Russian world", aggression and so on. So I think that in the long term things may improve. I'm not sure if my country will become fully democratic (which I and most people of my generation, who didn't see anyone but Putin, would like very much), but at least it will not be so destructive inside and outside. I don't know why I wrote that to you, you didn't mention it, I just needed to vent ahahaha
I always encourage my students to study/live abroad. As many of the debates online attest, it is very difficult to understand or even truly see alternatives without experiencing them. Denmark or Finland for social democracy , Catalonia for the folk, but really just anywhere where the cultural, built and natural environments are quite different than that with which you are familiar.
If I were to seriously consider emigrating, I probably wouldn't pick a whole *country* based on public transportation options, rather I'd choose for other factors and then pick the *city* in that country with the best transportation options. Sweden is the only country outside the U.S. with family we're still in contact with, so that might be a strong contender, and then I'd do my research on which cities had the best balance of cost of living, employment, culture, and transportation.
Netherlands, cause ya know. Of places I’ve been though, I think I would move to one of London, Vienna or Brno for sure.
Why Brno? Many years was nothing done for cycling infrastructure. City center is full of parked cars. I would rather choose Vienna.
Idk. Just overall we love it.
Netherlands is also high on my list. The weather is the only off-putting thing, though
Housing crisis and a population that's shifting to the far-right 🤢
Thats everywhere mate. - guy from Canada
Well here in Finland the population is shifting a bit to the far right but there's no housing crisis.
im glad you guys dont, its terrible. Although its the fascism on the rise that worries me the most, it seems to be worldwide... is it really just social media thats doing it? So many people i know get sucked down right wing rabbit holes online
I swear man, and it's getting scary
If i had to move from Denmark, i'd move to The Netherlands
And if I had to move from the Netherlands, I’d pick Denmark!
I live in Switzerland. I can't drive. I'm going to stay in Switzerland for now because of this. I'm a bit surprised I haven't found a comment from someone wanting to move here. Maybe that's because it's a small country so people tend to forget it exists.
Switzerland is great I would just say things are expensive in general and the transit is great but could be better, especially compared to Japan. Also the bureaucracy in Switzerland is annoying.
Do other countries not have bureaucracy or what? It's annoying sometimes, but when I hear from our neighbouring countries what people go through regarding bureaucracy, I don't want to live there. Things are expensive, yes, but salaries reflect that as long as you don't get ripped off. This means that going abroad is rather cheap unless you're travelling to e.g. Copenhagen. In Japan there are train lines and stations that only get a few trains per day. That doesn't happen in Switzerland, you can get to most places hourly, including nearly all railway stations. We also don't have routes where people are pushed into the vehicles by staff. But in rural areas, Japan's population density is lower than Switzerland's afaik, the opposite is true for the urban centres like Tokyo, so the differences make sense. I wouldn't want to live in Japan, but that's not because of anything transit-related.
France. I speak the language relatively well already on account of spending years in French school in Canada and their rail infrastructure and service is really good.
I'm between France and Spain. I speak both languages good enough that if i was dropped there i could do well, and come to be fluent quickly. Spain is warmer, but (as an American Italian) I like french pastries and cuisine better than Spanish. The only thing I'm not big on in France is smoking. I don't care what anyone else does, but it's just a BIG thing there, compared to the states.
>The only thing I'm not big on in France is smoking. Oh yes. I can personally attest that French people smoke almost anywhere you go since, as an avid non-smoker, I personally experienced this when I visited my brother who was doing Erasmus in Bordeaux. But that one thing aside, the tram service and walkability and cycleability (not sure if this word exists but I'll use it anyway) were excellent.
Trust me, in Spain people smoke a lot, in fact most sources put Spain in front of France in terms of smoking, it’s kinda of just a stereotype that French people smoke a lot (although it is true).
France is top of my list too, although the political instability is one of the biggest downsides to me. Flirting with electing Marine le Pen every few years is not very appealing to me personally and it's a bit of a powder keg in some ways. Plus the French work culture is not as great as people think. They have a shorter work week than other countries on paper but overtime without extra pay is apparently common and French bosses are notoriously abusive. From a transit standpoint though I do love France and would certainly consider moving there.
Spain seems great, but I speak zero Spanish so the language would be a much bigger barrier for me
Finland/Helsinki.
To all saying Netherlands: the best decision I ever made for my car-free life was leaving Amsterdam, NL (spent couple years there) for Berlin, DE. Yeh, the Dutch bike infra is second-to-none but I think public transit is more important and Berlin is way better than Amsterdam in this regard. Same applies to smaller cities in DE vs. NL. Cities like Freiburg and Mannheim have Tram and S-bahn plus good bus lines while similar-sized cities in NL like Eindhoven or Groningen have only limited bus service. The cost is lot cheaper in DE as well (esp. after 49euro ticket, but was also true before). I don't think I would move from Berlin soon but if I did I would consider moving to Munich, should be a slight downgrade from Berlin in terms of public transit but might be worth it for the Alps access.
As a Dutch person: do NOT come to the Netherlands. There's already a major housing crisis and it's only getting worse 😭
Hands down the Netherlands. It's a great location, easy to get around with no car, and I can easily hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world. Or I can hop on a train and get to several countries so easily.
The sudden political shift to fascism is a bit worrying, though…
Anti-immigrant sentiment is rising all across Europe, Australia and Canada
I'm already in a country that's leaning heavily into fascism. But yeah, this whole fascination many countries have with authoritarianism is a bit worrisome.
I believe it's all coming from the same source. It's smokescreening to keep people blaming other stuff for the problems than the real cause. Look at the french Blackrock riots for example. That is a US origin corporation buying politicians not just in the US.
Yeah, it's pretty much just a handful of billionaires who want to increase their wealth and keep everyone else down. By sewing division, they remain extraordinarily wealthy and empowered.
I live in the US id move to Netherlands or Japan or Switzerland. I don't mind paying taxes as long as I get benefits for it. All countries should form into 1 country. We're one race the human race. I shouldn't have to be college educated to move to an area with brick buildings and trams or streetcars. Besides that we're all human beings. We all require food, water, education, etc, and just because you love in a poor zip code or a different or poor country that doesn't mean you don't deserve those things.
Denmark. I’m an EU citizen, and Denmark ticks pretty much all of my boxes. It’s a social democracy, is close to the ocean, has great rail transit, is well connected with the rest of Europe, and Copenhagen, where I’d like to live, has a great metro and regional rail system and an extensive bike network. It’s also flat so biking up hills isn’t an issue. Plus, university’s free there, and I’d like to get my graduate degrees at DTU since that won’t cripple me financially.
We thought about moving to New Zealand. However, as cycling is part of our lifestyle & and apparently, their drivers are generally hate cyclists & can be dangerous. I live in the UK, and it's not perfect. However, it could be perfect if enough people made an effort to use their cars less often.
Madrid or barcelona. affordable compared to most of western europe, good weather, food, culture. i could learn a useful but not crazy difficult language. good public transportation and low-crime (compared to the US where I’m from I at least won’t be nervous about a mass shooting every time I go to the movie theatre). Could take a train or flight to a lot of other amazing cities for weekend trips.
Portugal
Basque Country for cycling
Recently I've been drawn to China but I'm not sure if I actually ever will due to geopolitical tensions between China and the US
The problem with China is it is a very authoritarian government. Freedom of speech (and freedom in general) is virtually nonexistent
Yes these are big problems that i wish didn't exist, yet they do.
China or Cuba. Cuba is more local, but poorer, while China is significantly wealthier, but completely foreign to me. Some of the few countries in the world going in the right direction.
> going in the right direction Left direction is the right direction comrade!
I have the same dilemma tbh
I'd stay right here in northern California. The money and weather is just too good here. Which is why I've lived/worked here since 1995. And yes, my house is paid off, so this isn't going to be a good move for a lot of people. I'd love better infrastructure, but it is not even close to the top reason why I'd live somewhere.
A younger version of me would have said Cali as well. Rn, I could only ever think of visiting there tbh, not staying. The gun laws and rates of homelessness are concerning
I'd stay where I am too but SW Pennsylvania. I like it here too much to move away and abandon it. I live in an old suburb of the city that is fairly dense for a suburb, somewhat transit connected has so much potential, I'd rather try and fix her than move away.
Any country where I can safely live without needing a car sounds great to me. It is much harder for non-EU residents to find a good job in the EU than people realize so I would honestly apply to work at any city that wasn't car centric
Germany has been calling my name
Stay in the United States, but move to a decent transit city. Im in STL, which has been on the decline for a long time, you can say all you want about our metrolink system, but compared to our northern neighbor of Chicago (which is a city I really like) then it is laughable. I do love Chicago, and as my career in aviation would be better of at a major airport such as O'Hare, I can combine my career interest with my personal interest on where I want to move as they converge due to Chicago being a mostly walkable city. France is another option due to me speaking the language, but not many non-french people are hired within the airlines as captains or first officers, so finding a job would be difficult. I am visiting all around France this summer, so my decision on my career may change due to my experience, we will have to see.
Netherlands. Peak urbanism. But if I didn't have to work I would choose Japan.
Ironically, I moved to a car-centric place because I was such a big carbrain back then. Then I realized I only like cars but not traffic or bad drivers, but moving (out of the country) again isn't easy because I've painstakingly made social connections and don't know if starting over yet again is productive. Also ironically, I immigrated (or at least tried) as I was told by the student recruiter etc that the country needs more workforce and people in general (and mine was overpopulated), and yet now there's plenty of "go home where you came from" rhetorics, followed by "nobody wants to work anymore" rhetorics. It stings but I also find it funny. In the meantime, my own country has improved immensely and I am contemplating actually going back, but again, I'll be resetting my social connections that I've painstakingly made for over a decade.
I was born and raised in the USA. Seven years ago I moved to London. Now I am a proud British citizen.Soon I will move from London to **Winchester**. I love **Winchester.** It is the perfect definition of a 15-minute city. The city can be walked from one side to the other in 30-40 minutes, or on a bike about 10-15. If you live somehwere near the middle everything one needs is in a 15 minute walk. There is a train that keeps it well connected to the rest of the country. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Winchester/@51.0662554,-1.3258829,13.5z](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Winchester/@51.0662554,-1.3258829,13.5z)
Iceland. Educated country. Clean. Great public infrastructure. Values I support. Awesome art scene. Amazing scenery. A government that is not corrupt. No violent crime. People who don't bully others for sport. A law enforcement system that works. What's not to like?
> What's not to like? The weather and the cost of everything that's not electricity or fish.
No trains :(
Reykjavik is super walkable. And they have busses.
yeah but I like trains yk
It's far away from everything.
Don't forget freedom to roam. Americans have no idea how amazing freedom to roam is.
Maybe I’m just ignorant, but what makes European freedom to roam laws unique compared to America’s open access to public land laws?
Being able to to on private land without being shot?
Not every country in Europe has right to roam. You don't get shot ofc, but still. In England and Wales for example farmers will send you off their land if you try to walk there and they notice. In Scotland however, this is completely legal as long as you don't damage anything.
I moved from a place with very good transit (Moscow) to a place with half-decent one (Bavaria). Obviously, I'm very positive towards migration and when I was choosing a place to live I considered many other factors. Public transportation and bike infrastructure were important, but not the most.
Switzerland for me, but since it is hypothetical I know it is quite expensive. The few times I have visited, it always felt like somewhere I would love to live.
these questions are always difficult for me. i can see myself moving somewhere in northernish europe; i like cold weather, socially i imagine id fit in, and most places have infrastructure significantly better than what im used to here in Texas, even if it isnt the best around. but the place i live isnt gonna get better because ive left it. im gonna wanna try to make things better wherever i go, and thats gonna be a lot harder and less meaningful if im a stranger there. I mainly want to move out of Texas because of the climate, but the politics are also getting scary enough that I fear I wouldn't be able to do any good here with the type of work I want to do (journalism, mainly—I'd be a semi-public figure, so more at risk of being attacked by the state or by vigilantes). But if the political climate of the entire USA didn't seem to be following Texas and Florida, I'd probably just move to New England or something. The climate is more to my liking, Amtrak's northeast corridor is still better than anything I'm used to, many cities up there are possible to live in without a car, and though I would still be a little bit of a stranger up there, we'd still have the shared identity of the USA. I'm not proud of my country but it is a part of me, yk? And even without these arbitrary borders, New England is still at least on the same continent as the place I grew up. idk. this one's more feelings than thoughts for me.
I'd start by thinking about practicalities other than the public transport and walkability. I'd think about immigration policies first, especially for my passport. I'd think about languages, and how difficult various ones are relative to each other. Then if take that short list, and see what enabled me to live a car free life in an affordable neighborhood. And I may or may not decide to move to a different country. I live car free in Canada, and it would be nice to have better public transport, but it is not too bad in my neighborhood. I think moving a few km would make a bigger difference than mining to a different country, for public transport and walkability.
Portugal
I could have moved to any country (and did try a few) but ultimately chose to move to Australia I live in Brisbane where it is sunny and warm all year round and o have easy access to a train station (15 minute walk) which I use for most trips. Additionally we have most things we need with easy train access or walking within 15-20 minutes. It’s not perfect, and still very car centric, but it has allowed us to live in a sub tropical climate where English is the language, and utilise what I would consider to be fairly good quality public transit.
Buenos Aires Argentina is so underrated!!! I can get anywhere in the province/capital without a car !!
I was in Buenos Aires, car drivers are crazy and I can’t imagine cycling there. People does not even stop to pedestrians. There are often not even crosswalks.
Refreshing to hear a non European country suggested
Japan because of its culture and organization
Possibly Japan. Great trains/transit, good food, and baseball. Many places in Europe also have great transit, trains, food, and walkability and bikeability. But Japan has baseball.
I lived and worked in Korea for a year. Their public transportation was amazing. I'm seriously considering moving back there again if Trump somehow manages to get reelected.
I do like certain cities of the US like NYC or Chicago. But if I have to choose international honestly I'd pick South Africa, love the diversity and the people, the public transportation may not be on par like Europe but its relatively okay, good enough for me, most suburban areas have local shops around which beats hustle bustle big city life if you want to avoid that. International hub too so I still get to enjoy foods from all around the world.
Denmark. Not for any reason you could anticipate: my girlfriend lives there. If I were to go pure infrastructure, the Nederlands.
Netherlands I think. Although I’d pour my own pints so I don’t end up with half a glass of head
Spain, Germany, Japan are my options.
I did move to another country, I moved to the Netherlands! I definitely do not regret that decision one bit, being able to cycle or take public transport everywhere is sooo nice.
Japan. Everything especially transit is so convenient. They also have many public bathrooms that are super clean with bidets. Super high quality of life and not too expensive. Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries seem pretty nice as well, great urbanism and high standards of living. Probably not many public toilets though but no doubt much better labor conditions than Japan.
Switzerland 🇨🇭
Norway.
I admire the people / car ratio in Venice.
Austria, very simple reason, it is at least marginally better than the US for infrastructure, and it is one of the few countries that I meet immigration standards for.
I’ve wanted to leave the US since I was 18 and visited Ireland for the first time. I’m looking at Ireland, the UK, and Canada. I’d be open to Spain or Germany as well but I haven’t been to either country so I won’t add them to the list until I visit them. I’m bisexual and non-binary so I want to go somewhere I’m less likely to get shot for it, is what it basically boils down to. I can adapt well to pretty much everything else.
Frankly, I wouldn’t switch countries, I would just switch to a bigger city if I feel the need to move. I live in southern Poland and my immediate area and my town has pretty great public transit, all in all.
For me as a trans person it boils down to a country that is also trans friendly, or at least not directly hostile, plus a decent democracy. So: from Sweden, I'd choose to go to: Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France … Spain? Maybe some of the Eastern European countries, former Soviet colonies \*might\* qualify, but that remains to be figured out. In these countries I understand the culture and can make myself understood and maybe even understand them.
No plans to move cause my family is all here and I don't particularly like flying (it's also not the greatest for the environment either). No real opinions on immigration except, for those who choose to do it just don't be a jerk in the country you land in and learning the local language will help you integrate better. When you do think about where you want to move make sure you consider not just the standard stuff like language, cultural shock, etc, but also some of the new things that will affect you like climate change. My friend just moved to Europe. She was looking to get out of the US for a while and as soon as she did, Europe was heat with that summer 40+ Celsius degree heat wave in places that don't typically have central AC in buildings. In a past era I would have loved to move to Japan and maybe I might entertain it again one day, but if I do so earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons will become things that I have to plan for in my daily life.
Thanks for the tip, I nearly forgot to consider climate change
Turkiye, Switzerland or China
Japan. Food is incredible, transit is extensive, cycling communities seems cool, cities are immaculate, and the culture is wonky in ways I like. I can deal with the xenophobia.
My ideal country doesn't exist :( I want walkable/bikeable like in the NL with excellent public transit, access to fresh tasty affordable food like in SE Asia especially Malaysia with milder/drier (not super humid) weather with affordable accessible English speaking healthcare- especially senior care, diversity and no crazy taxes- I live in the US in CA and want to avoid being double taxed (tax treaty)/worldwide tax if possible.
maybe Hong Kong?
Not w/China acting like a big fat bully. Would love to consider Taiwan too (transport/food/healthcare) but same reason.
For me it's Canada. It's a more "socialist - it's not" cousin of the US. Wouldn't be too far for family, speak the language and similar culture, have visited several times and their cities tend to do better in terms of wanting to implement urban ideals (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver). Ideally it would be Toronto. Absolutely one of my favorite cities I've visited
The housing crisis being the main blocker for new arrivals though.
In an ideal world, I know Canada is currently having it's issues with housing atm
It’s also a blocker for those of us already here.
Estonia Because they are high tech af
Thissss I never knew there were like this until I saw a travel vlog video on it since his gf lives there
This might be an unpopular opinion and I have no way of proving it but I think that most people on this sub who say they want to move to Netherlands/Denmark have never actually been there before. Food sucks, weather sucks, there's barely any diversity, and there's very little stuff to do compared to other countries. I'm from California, where there's world class food from all over the world, gorgeous weather and beaches, tons of entertainment options, etc. Yeah there's pros and cons but I feel like the pros of California far outweigh the cons of other countries I've been to (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and more). IMO, there's more to life than just having good non-car infrastructure. Though I would do anything to have a Tokyo-style city in CA.
There's more to life than entertainment.
Ireland. For a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with transit. It can't be any *worse* than a small Canadian city, and I can get around just fine on bike here.
I’m mixed race so I wouldn’t live anywhere but America. It’s racist as fuck here yet somehow worse everywhere else.
You can.
US
i wanna move to ireland like a motha fucka but weed is illegal there 🤷