
Ask HN: Best places in Europe to leave city life and work on your projects? - thrrrrr
I&#x27;m in UK at the moment. I just want to quit and go somewhere to nature, seeing mountains and stuff, and work on a few projects. What are the best places? Thinking Switzerland, but it&#x27;s really expensive, any other options?
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mhoad
Can I very strongly recommend this [http://sende.co/](http://sende.co/)

I was looking for exactly the same thing about 9 months ago and came across
this. My girlfriend and I visited and we weren't sure what to expect at all.
We immediately fell in love with the place and ended up buying a house there
(for under $10k).

The couple who are 'running' it are amazing people and are looking to turn
this entire Spanish village into one big makerspace.

~~~
J-dawg
This place looks interesting! Are you running a business from there / living
there full time?

Also, you bought a house, outright, for under $10k? I know Spanish property
values have taken a hit but that sounds insane!

~~~
mhoad
I am on the road more or less full time, the plan is to just spend a few
months a year there at the moment.

As for the property values, this is worth checking out
[http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/08/23/433228503/i...](http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/08/23/433228503/in-
spain-entire-villages-are-up-for-sale-and-theyre-going-cheap)

~~~
J-dawg
Thanks for the link. So was the Sende project one of these abandoned villages?

I'm curious about what you get for less than $10k, did your house need a lot
of renovation or was it ready to live in? Did you buy it through the Sende
people or independently?

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Leander_B
Tarifa (ES), has some small 'digital nomad' scene and nature, sea and
mountains. Other option is Granada (ES), some of the highest mountains of
Europe, good weather but nature/mountains a bit dry compared to Switzerland

Brasov (RO), fast internet (faster than UK), good food, friendly people and
more nature and mountains (Carpates) than you can hope for (and bears for
bonus points). Also good priced vs Switzerland and nature wise looking very
similar, Brasov and surroundings being more unspoiled. With what you would
spend in Switzerland you'll be able to live 3-4 months in Brasov in the same
conditions.

~~~
thrrrrr
Thank you! Although I don't think I'd like to live in Spain as I hate when it
gets too hot.

~~~
switch007
Don't rule out of all of Spain! Northern Spain is nice and parts have a
similar climate to the UK. But yes some places in mid and southern Spain can
be hell in summer.

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trumbitta2
Cagliari - Sardinia - Italy

Lovely city, optic fiber (not everywhere), LTE/4G, Sardinia is a paradise for
beaches and mountains alike.

[http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/cagliari-
tra...](http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/cagliari-travel-tips-
where-to-go-and-what-to-see-in-48-hours-10331310.html)

Also: [https://www.guidemeright.com/](https://www.guidemeright.com/) was born
in Cagliari

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emmasz
Just come to Romania. There is a town called Sfantu Gheorghe near Brasov.
There really isn't much to do here. You can have all the quiet you want, even
more. When I moved here from a big city, it took me a while to get used to it
and literally stop hearing quietness. And there's plenty of nature and
mountains and stuff.

~~~
emmasz
(And there aren't so many children begging on the streets :) )

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thecupisblue
Croatia! Flights from UK can cost around 10 euros sometimes, you can get a
place for real cheap (under 100 GBP per month), beer costs about 1-1.5 GBP in
bars, lunch in a restaurant can be as low as 2.5 GBP and life in general is
pretty cheap (most people here live on 300-350 GBP per month). You can live on
the seaside, on an island, in the mountains, in a city or combination of any
of those. Literally, pick any 2 and you can find a place like that.

~~~
thrrrrr
Croatia is beautiful, but I think it can get a little bit too hot. However,
300-400 GBP is indeed extremely cheap.

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dwgetjg
Pomorie, Bulgaria. Try a quick Google image search and you'll get the picture.
Small town colonized since ancient Thracian times with beautiful beaches, a
salt lake of unique biodiversity, and magnificent vineyards - quiet even
during peak tourist season.

Fast internet, delicious food, cheap rent, and an abundance of talented
programmers.

A 2hr drive takes you into one of 3 mountain ranges (Balkan, Rila, Pirin), a 5
minute walk takes you to windsurfing or any variety of watersports.

(If you're looking for a place to stay or have any questions --
okolobeta@gmail.com)

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thorin
Don't go to Switzerland. Flying into Malaga southern Spain there are lovely
mountain areas between seville and Granada, Google el chorro for example. Or
east of Rome about an hour or two are some wonderful mountain regions-you
might find a hotel near sulmona. Or mallorca, sardinia, sicily all have
fabulous scenery, history, lifestyle.

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phillc73
How big do the mountains need to be?

I moved from London to Graz, Austria[0] a couple of years ago. The city has a
population of roughly 300k and is surrounded by large hills.

There are some really good universities here, so quite a lot of interesting
research happening, and a decent night life (although with a young family I
don't get to see much of it).

A car would be useful for exploring the countryside, but a bicycle would
certainly see you in the middle of "nature" easily within 30 minutes ride.

Speaking German would help, but not mandatory, as almost everyone speaks some
English. If you have your own projects to work on, then you're in a good
position. Trying to find employment here, without speaking German, is quite
difficult, mostly due to the small population base.

There is an English speaking language group that meets at a bar on Thursday
nights.[1]

There are around half a dozen co-working spaces which charge in the region of
€20-€25 per day, with discounts for monthly commitments.[2]

Transport to and from the UK isn't brilliant. There are no cheap direct
flights (some might see this as a positive!), so your options are Lufthansa
with a connection somewhere, or train to Vienna and direct on Austrian or
Easyjet from there.

In short, it's a nice little city, reasonable climate, good architecture,
decent cultural attractions especially in semester, good natural surroundings,
but if you're from somewhere big in the UK, like London, it'll seem very, very
quiet.

Happy to help if you want more info.

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graz)

[1] [http://www.anglo-austrian.at/](http://www.anglo-austrian.at/)

[2] [http://coworkinggraz.net/](http://coworkinggraz.net/)

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ponyous
If you like Switzerland you will like Slovenia, countryside is not that much
different, it's not expensive to live and you have lots of nice places to
visit. There are not lots of meetups though...

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roryisok
West of Ireland! Ok, I'm biased, I live here. But the scenery is nice, the
pace is easy going, and everyone speaks english. It's also not going to break
the bank to get here. It's not nearly as expensive here as Switzerland /
Norway / Sweden etc. Westport in Co. Mayo is surrounded by beautiful scenery
and was voted best place to live in Ireland. Pretty views, nice friendly
people and great food. Internet can be slow if you venture away from towns,
but most towns have decent speeds.

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yetanotheracc
2.5 hour flight to Krakow or Warsaw, then take EIC train to
[https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Zakopane--
Poland](https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Zakopane--Poland)

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marvel_boy
Barcelona & Lisbon.

~~~
spectaclepiece
Hard to focus on work there...

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atmosx
Greek Islands (e.g. Crete) can be both cheap and beautiful.

Central Europe, from _Lago di Como_ (IT) to Konstanz (DE) - _breathtakingly
beautiful German city that borders with Switzerland_ \- there are lots of
amazing places.

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thorin
Morocco, marrakesh or essourira would also be a cheap option.

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stuaxo
Wales near Snowdonia ?

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gspyrou
Santorini , Greece.

~~~
atmosx
Santorini is top-notch at every level but I'm not sure if it can be considered
_cheap_ and how's the internet connection speed?

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jekbao
Outside of Europe.

What about Asia like Thailand and Indonesia?

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rbeard
West of Scotland is worth considering.

