If you have suggestions for other affordable European cities, let us know your favorites in the comments. Also, be sure to check out the travel guides for these amazing cities. The links are in the description. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Add Sorrento, Amalfi, Arezzo, and quite a few in Southern Italy to the mix. Also add Sicily to the mix. Of course add Turkiye...if you count Turkiye as part of Europe. Same for Yerevan, Tbilisi, Batumi, Tirana, Skopje, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Nicosia, and many more. Add Thessaloniki, and Athens to the list.
As a travel advisor, I love this list. I am always trying to get people to try new places. I am very interested in visiting Romania and Poland. I just returned from a Danube cruise where I stayed a few days before in Budapest (so gorgeous with amazing architecture), Bratislava was cute (though old town can be crowded when the ships are there), and the other town we saw, Krems, Linz and Passau are must sees as well. I plan to go back to the area and see more, including Prague. Lisbon is always a fav of mine and I love the whole Alentejo region. I call it the Tuscany of Portugal. Turin is on my list and luckily next month I will be visiting Umbria & Perugia. Also off the beaten path and I think they are a good value. Bulgaria and the Balkans are also places I want to visit. I am happy to see Croatia and Slovenia have there time in the limelight. I just attended a workshop with the tourist offices of these 2 countries. They are READY for visitors. Montenegro and Serbia are 2 other places that I think warrant discovery. Thanks and love your channel.
Thanks and so glad you are enjoying our channel. Thanks for the additional suggestions. Safe travels and many blessings, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I've already been to Ljubljana, Split, Budapest, Belgrade, Lisbon, Bratislava from your list and totally agree with you on these cities. The remaining ones are on my bucket list. It's a bit of a pity that you have left out Scandinavia/The Nordics completely. We have totally fallen in love with Lapland and have enjoyed the midnight sun several times. Safe travels!
All great cities. We didn't leave out the Nordics. We just finished a tour of Faroe Islands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Many beautiful places, we just didn't consider them as "affordable" in comparison to these cities. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Wow! I am going to use this list when I eventually get to Europe! What an epic video…so beautifully presented, and wonderful cinematography! Thank you for your wonderful content! ….Stay safe ….
Thanks so much. We hope you get to visit each of these wonderful cities at some point. Thanks for following along with us on our journey. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks so much. Hope you get to go to many of them! Feel free to share this video on your social media. Thanks. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Beautifully done video and Romania is a must see. You both capture these magical areas and make me want to go back and re- explore. Thank you for all the hard work that goes into this. I know it is a labor of love.
Thanks so much for the kind words and yes it is a labor of love. Safe travels and hope you can return to these wonderful places, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
What a great video! So timely too, since everyone is having to seek better value for their travel dollar. I've been to a few of these and look forward to hitting the full list over the next few years. Thank you for gathering this great list. I spent six weeks in Portugal earlier this year, and it's a country packed with wonders--natural beauty, good food, and lovely people. I can't wait to return.
Thanks. Glad it was helpful! We certainly could have added even more great cities, but we tried to limit to one per country for this video to show people there are many different country options. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
There are so many great affordable cities out there, part 2 is a distinct possibility. 😊 Thanks for following along with us. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
We've been to many of these cities and loved them all! Just wanted to share that 28 years ago today in my hometown the Dayton (Ohio) Peace Accords helped put an end to the Bosnian War. Traveling to these countries now it's hard to believe there was conflict in such idyllic places. Thanks for sharing your travels!
I just returned from 3 weeks in Lisbon, and cheap was not my experience. I thought it was very expensive, and I was surprised because so many talk about how inexpensive it is. It is a wonderful city, and I am glad I went despite the additional costs.
This is all comparatively speaking. All of these cities have a much lower cost of living than cities like Rome, Paris, London, Oslo, and Amsterdam as examples. We are seeing inflation hitting many parts of the world. Thanks for your feedback on your Lisbon travels. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelersSadly the cost of living has gone up drastically in Lisbon, such that many locals can no longer afford to live there. Per the cost comparison website Numbeo, the cost of renting a 1br apartment in Paris and Lisbon is nearly identical.
@@Flat_Earth_Addythat is a very limited belief. I hope that you can consider how you narrow your opportunities by believing in such ways. Believing that way will keep you from trying, because the belief keeps a person stuck. I've known people who aren't millionaires at all, some don't have a "pension", and they travel. They make choices that support their goals. They are intentional. They have a growth mindset. They see opportunity where others see obstacles. I hope you can zoom out, be curious, be humble, and consider that your narratives might be based off of limiting beliefs, not having all the facts. We create our reality based on our thoughts. I hope you can create more open, aware, empowered thoughts.
Lisbon is getting very expensive in the last few years. Many people from all over the world chose it as their retirement location. Locals can not afford it.
We’ve been watching your videos for quite a while. Thank you for all of the work you do to make these videos so good. This video is very useful to us - it helped us decide on upcoming travels. Stay well and thank you.
That's great. Glad you are enjoying our channel and website! You can't go wrong with any of these cities. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Another well done and informative piece. Spent some time in the mountains outside Brasov this summer. Beautiful and inexpensive. Hopefully make Slovenia, Croatia and Albania soon. This is splitting hairs but we really enjoyed Budapest but would put Prague above it (just not in August). Looking forward to your next piece.
Thank you! We like Prague, too, but we just had the best time in Budapest. You're right, it's a very close call and Prague has so much to offer. John & Bev
We (from AZ) had a family vacation (14 year old daughter) to Morocco and it was incredible. Cheap, safe, unique adventures, good transportation, a 2 hr trip from Madrid. You have to check it out.
Many of these cities are on my to visit list also. After visiting most of the western Europe countries, I recently began visiting the Eastern European countries (Greece, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria). Also recently, I been traveling to other adventurous place around the world, including Nepal, Mexico, Chile, and Ecuador.
Wow, I want to see ALL of those places! Would love to know more about your visit to Lisbon. We visited Gyrokaster in Albania and Chania in Crete during a cruise in 2022, and wished we could have stayed longer. I'm glad they made your list. I will have to look back on this video again and make my list! Thanks for the intro to these amazing looking cities.
Thanks and glad you enjoyed the video. Here is the link to our Lisbon blog that covers more things to do. retirementtravelers.com/how-t... It was during this time that we stopped making YT videos to work on our website. Hope you get to go to all 15 of these wonderful places. Safe travels and thanks for following along with us, John and Bev
Thanks for sharing this information especially for folks who love European vacations. You both are sharing first hand experiences that otherwise would take hours of research to figure out! We hope to be in your footsteps in the near future....
Our pleasure. Glad it was helpful! We want people to have great travels and live their retirement lives to the fullest. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I really appreciate your videos. I am planning a year of full-time travel in 2025, and so I am grabbing all the nuggets of information you two provide. Keep up the great work and maybe I'll meet you on the road some day. 😀
Thanks so much for following along with us. Congrats on your travel plans in 2025 and hopefully our paths will cross someday. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Good Morning Bev and John So Happy that you are making the most of your time - The new adventurous exciting life journey The video is so well made God bless you both with more happiness and joy
Greetings from Budapest 😍 This stunningly gorgeous city is currently sharing the number one spot in terms of beauty, history and culture right alongside Vienna Austria. We wanted to visit Bratislava while here, however it’s 2.5 hours train ride away and with the sun setting at 4:30pm , we feel it’s going to happen another time. Perhaps next time when we visit Vienna 😉 Currently we feel that Budapest is one of the cities we would recommend to visit first to a person who has never been to Europe before and has no expectations or nothing to compare it with. We also liked Ljubljana,Riga, Split, Lisbon, and Belgrade.
We love Budapest. Reasonably priced, beautiful and great food. Hard to go wrong with any of these 15 cities. Safe travels and thanks for following along and sharing. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
We are Hungarians born in Budapest ❤️we live in the US for 30 years,kids grandkids grown up 😢 ,we travel a lot , Budapest is my favorite city of corse and we spend every summer over there ( three months) escaping Vegas heat ( Our base home for 15 years,moved from Ca) and enjoy our vinery at lake Balaton we call the Hungarian sea :) Love to watch you guys ,VERY cute couple 😍Just can not imagine HOW can you travel full time 🤔it is awesome but must be tiring…..❤️❤️❤️
It's amazing how many travel videos are covering and recommending slavic countries to visit today. Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, etc. The scenery is awesome and the beauty of historic architecture is breathtaking. Thanks for another informative and well paced video...in a region of the world I've never seen.
Our pleasure! Hopefully you will get to visit some of these places in 2024. Thanks for following along with us. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
We love traveling in Europe but our favorite go to country is Slovakia. Very few tourists and amazing scenery. Many beautiful castles, caves, mountains (High Tatras). You need to get in country. You can travel by train but we have found a car works best. The best part is the people. We have found family and developed life long friendships.
I just came from Krakow Poland and Czech Republic, Prague and totally fell in love w Prague, it has everything and is centrally Located close To Many other Countries. Poland is best bang for your money. It is also fantastic! I will be staying in those countries for 90 days out of the year Every year
We have visited Ljubljana, Budapest, Bratislava, Auschwitz/Krakow and Crete/Chania. We enjoyed all these absolutely beautiful cities. Crete is our favorite Greek island…you’ve pulled at my heartstrings. Excellent video. ~Cara 🥰
Sometimes yes and sometimes no. It just depends on the location. It is illegal to fly a drone in many places. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks so much for the kind words and good luck with your travel adventure. We are cheering for you. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
It depend what you expect ... For me a sunny not windy and not too cold place in winter âne close to the beach is require so only Valencia is good for me ... But that more expensive than where iam living now in south of France along mediterannean sea. Today november 19th 2023 was 22 C at 2 pm and still 19 C at 5 pm .... Croatia can be good but i better choice Zadar or a small place like Sibenik instead of Split. I will considere Spain ans Portugal oversea territories
Another wonderful video which reminds me what a beautiful world we live in. If only the family of man could live together in peace instead of messing it up……
We did visit, we just hadn't finished our blog yet when we made this video. We had a great time in Vilnius. retirementtravelers.com/europes-best-kept-secret-the-unusual-vilnius-lithuania John and Bev
Great video. We would love to visit the restaurant you mentioned in Crete. However i can't find it. Can you respond with the name of the restaurant & city again? Thank you.
Thanks so much. It is a special place to us. It is called Ntounias Tavern and it is about 40 minutes south of Chania, up in the mountains. You will love it. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks for the suggestion. When we were in Asia, we did highlight our hotels, so check on some on those videos. If you have any specific cities, let us know. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Mostly European cities Good clean and reasonable places to stay are hard to find on internet So Do recommend your viewers Only the ones you liked Love
Can you say whether the internet reliability and speed was particularly good or bad in any of these towns? Staying connected is important for us to be able to travel extensively. Many thanks.
Internet speed is VERY important to us with our RUclips efforts. In general, it has been surprisingly good, but it depends on the specific place. We have generally found better in hotels, than Airbnb's for example. When we have struggled, we have generally been able to find a coffee shop with decent internet. There are a variety of rankings you can check by country, but again it is hit or miss with your particular place. On booking.com we always check the "wifi" ratings. Hope this helps, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Maybe it is not "cheap", but it is still lower cost than most cities in northern and western Europe. We use a cost of living by city index as our reference. Turin is one of the higher priced cities in the list of 15. Most people in the US seem to think of only Rome, Venice, Paris and London. We just try to encourage people to explore. Safe travels, John and Bev
Hello @retirementTravelers and fellow subscribers. I have been following your channel for a few months now, and Thank you for encouraging me to retire early (60) and my wife is 55. We are planning our trip to Europe and I am wondering if you could share your thoughts on doing the itinerary backwards? Meaning starting in southern Europe in low to shoulder season, if there's such a thing, for example Spain in February and traveling towards Northern Europe in June to be in Norway, Finland, etc? Our objective is to avoid the crowds and we prefer scenic locations over crowded cities that are filled with tourists. Any insight/advice on a 9 months slow travel itinerary is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for following along. You need to monitor your time in the Schengen Zone. (90 days max out of 180 day rolling) If you want to spend 9 months, we suggest 90 day in Greece, Italy, Malta, etc early, then go to the Balkans (Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, etc) We loved them all. You could then return to northern Europe in late summer for 3 months. Perhaps take a repositioning cruise back to the states in November. Just some thoughts. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Thank you very much! We just watched the "My MS story" video and what an inspiration Bev is! It encouraged my wife who is worried about her ability to travel with a back pack to be more open to the idea! Thank you both and happy and safe travels!
We typically get around on public transportation. Trains, buses, and ferries are all wonderful in Europe. We will occasionally get a rental for certain places, but it isn't our norm. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
That's a great question! We like to travel one week at a time. That is a good pace for us with making video content, not pushing ourselves too hard, ability to do some side trips, etc. Some places you may not need that long, so we think 3 months would be plenty to have an amazing trip and cover all these cities and more. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I have visited some of the cities from this list. And I can say, from my point of view, none of it is cheap. Maybe it is because I come from Croatia, one of poorest countries in European Union.
Thanks. Not much in the world is cheap anymore, but our point here is everyone from the US seems to want to go to Rome, Paris and London. These cities are significantly more expensive than the 15 we listed. We are encouraging people to explore other parts of Europe as well. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Is there a website where single travelers can find like minded travel buddy so you don't go solo and at least have a company? My wife is not too keen on places besides popular European cities. We have already covered Paris, London, Belgium, Portugal, most of Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Amalfi), Greece, some parts of Spain. While I like to visit Romania, Prague, Slovania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Monte Negro etc., it would ne nice to have a company or a group of no more than 4 to make the trip more enjoyable. Any one with info on such meet up sites please advise.
Thanks, we purposely didn't share costs in this video. We wanted to show that there were many less expensive options in Europe than cities like Rome, Paris, London, Copenhagen, etc. These are all wonderful cities with comparatively lower costs. Perhaps we can dig into specific cost comparisons in a future video. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I get that, & it's all very good to say they're relatively low cost, but relative to what exactly? Without any price comparisons, or demonstrations of this, it really isn't convincing...you should definitely do price comparisons along with conversion rates so we can see how low cost it is... low cost means different things to different people...
Yes, those are awesome places as well. We visited last year, but had to cap the list at 15. 🤣. I think we could do a part 2. We spent 3 months in the Balkans last year and loved it. Thanks for sharing, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you John and Bev for the video. We enjoyed visiting Istria Peninsula, Croatia last summer. We stopped at several cities and towns such as Opatija, Pula, Rovinj, and Motovun.
Our pleasure! Thanks for the additional suggestions. Croatia is definitely on our list of places to return. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I loved all the cities you suggested. I wanted to suggest a few cities in Southern Spain that we enjoyed. First, Cordoba, Spain. It has a wonderful Roman bridge and some old ruins. The old city is like something from Morocco. We were there during the Cordoba Patio Festival. Our rental was actually in one of the patios. It was amazing. The Mezquita has a basilica built within it. I think Granada and Saville get all the attention, but Cordoba really is worth a visit. The same can be said about Toledo, Spain. It's a hour outside of Madrid, but it's so worth a visit! Amazingly beautiful filled with lots of history. Thanks for sharing your travels and all of your thoughtful suggestions. (We traveled through Cabot the other day coming home to Texas. I thought about you. Cabot is really growing).
Thanks so much for the suggestions. We love all of those places in Spain and they certainly deserve a spot on the list. We were trying to mix it up and pick different countries. We may have to do one just on Spain, because we loved them all. We spent almost a month there last year. Thanks for sharing your travels through Cabot. Safe travels and many blessings, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I'm not sure how long ago you were in Kraków, Poland. Over the last year or so, Poland has taken in many thousands of refugees from Ukraine. If you were there since the war began, did you get a sense of unrest or any need for increased concern and vigilance for safety? It's wonderful that Poland has welcomed so many in need. There is always a period of adjustment as an area works to accommodate many new arrivals.
I am not brave enough to visit Ukraine now, but I would definitely visit Poland. When I saw on the news how Poland welcomes the Ukraine refugees, I would like to go there to lend a hand for a few weeks. I have a lot of Polish and Ukrainian friends, my heart aches for them.
We met several Ukrainians during our travels through the Baltic States and Poland. We didn't sense a need for increased concern in any of the areas. Our hearts do go out to all those affected by the wars right now. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Yes we do. Food is a great way to experience the culture of a country. Lots of wonderful memories for sure. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks. We loved our time in Valencia. Have you been to the Fallas Festival? It looked so interesting to us that we want to visit during that time at some point. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Been to Ljubljana, Berat, Bratislava, Split and Kotor. All great cities and I can't wait to go back (also enjoyed Ohrid, Skopje and Bansko!). Try Northen Greece lots of fantasic surpises !
Thanks. We do want to spend more time in Northern Greece. We made it up to Meteora, but not further north. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you for all the hours of research and content you use to keep your followers up to date. We begin our travels in October 2024 and are starting in Guatemala. I always look forward to your next video.
Our pleasure. Thanks for following along with us. Good luck with your travels next year. We loved our time in Antigua and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Safe travels and many blessings, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
I have been to Lisbon, Turin for long weekends and have stayed a month in Split, Budapest, and Valenica. My favorite is Split but like them all. I will try some of your others. I have been to several other places in Europe but I don’t like renting a car so limits me a bit for road trips!
Thanks for sharing. Trains are probably are favorite mode of transportation, but will do whatever it takes to get to some places. Agree with you on the car rentals. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
What a wonderful thorough list of cities to visit. 👍 Have you found a combination of 1-2 week stays with month long stays and Shengen compliance shuffle this list could be done in 6 months and $15,000?🤔
Unfortunately not. Also, with more countries joining the Schengen Zone, it will only get a little tougher to extend out stays. Happy journeys, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you so much John and Bev!! I have been following you two since the beggining of your journey!! Some of this destinations it’s on my mind…and others I been already!! I love your adventures!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks so much for following along on our journey. Glad you are enjoying our channel and website. Safe travels and many blessings, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Great List! Im wondering how one might use some of these to sit out that 3 months break needed to avoid overstaying the 6 months limit in EU. If so, what time of year is best for that. Sharing this with my cousin n hubby who travel a lot. Cheers!
Last year we spent 9 months in Europe. 3 in the Schengen Zone, then 3 months in the Balkans, and then 3 more in Schengen Zone. We think a summer in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro would be fabulous. Croatia is now part of the zone, so no longer can use that. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Spent August in Kotor, very affordable compared to USA prices, only 80 cents for a loaf of bread from a bakery. Old town gets a little crowded when a cruise ship comes in but quiet compared to Dubrovnik. Nearby Perast is is lovely also.
We loved Kotor and thought is was reasonable. Thanks for the suggestion of Perast. We definitely want to return to Montenegro and explore further. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Great vlog! thank you. Eastern Europe is definitely on the list for our next trip. Can you tell me when do you decide to rent a car for your road trips? Is it prior to arriving at the location or once your there and check things out? Finally, where do you look to book a car? Thanks!
Thanks. You will love any of these cities. First choice is almost always trains in Europe. Second choice is bus. Third choice is a private driver, especially if crossing borders. Last choice is car rental, and we usually just book through booking.com car rental. Some places like Faroe Islands, you just need a car to explore, but most places in Europe you don't. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
It is amazing how much of the world seems "more accessible" to me after I made my first transatlantic trip (to Paris) in 2019. We've done Caribbean, Mexico and Belize, but it's not the same. Been back to Europe twice since then and it has just opened up so many possibilities I would have never considered before. My husband and I are talking about him retiring in 2 years and have started putting plans in place to be able to travel the world full-time in retirement. Your videos have been incredibly helpful!!!
Fantastic recommendations! Unfortunately, I was stuck in Israel during the invasion of Hamas and after getting out through Jordan and Qatar I went to my last planned destination, Ireland for a couple weeks and just arrived back in the US. So, I will be going again, probably in April, so you have given me some stellar ideas! Thanks so much!!
Sorry to hear that. We were supposed to go to Israel and Egypt on a cruise and working plan B right now. Hope this video gives you some good ideas for next year. We loved all of these places. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you John and Bev, it is so nice to watch you videos with so many beatiful places to visit. Since you are asking for suggestions here is one: Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The place where the Christianity in Europe starts with- the oldest church in Europe esablished by the Emperor Chonstantine The Great; as well if you dig a little bit in history you will find out that this is the oldest capital in Erope today. Any other European capital appears on the map after that. If this information has a merit in your tourist values it is woth of adding it ahead! Thank you.
Thanks so much. We spent a week in Sofia last year and loved it. It certainly belongs on the list, but we were looking for a variety of places. We also loved Veliko-Tarnovo in Bulgaria. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you once again. Your initiative is a splendid one and I am positive it may reach to both Veliko Tarnovo and Sofia; and many other Balkan places, sometimes little bit dusty but on the other hand still free of stiffness!
The oldest capital of Europe actually is Bratislava (~5000 BCE). The city in Bulgaria being even older is Plovdiv (~5500 BCE) , but it's not a current capital. Sofia was founded ~700 BCE.
True, Bratislava was established around 5000 BC but as a settlement, not as a capital even later on. Sofia, on its part was established as a settlement over 6000 BC. Sofia is the the oldest capital of Europe. Please refer to an independent historian source, who’s intellectual capacity is rich of simpletons toward anything telated to Bulgarian history; and indeed admitting that Sofia is the oldest city in Europe. Source On You Tube: “Sofia - The history of Europe; София - Историята на Европа” source : “Darth Dormas”
@@tpetkova7934 Just check your sources. Search for oldest cities of Europe. Plovdiv is the oldest settlement, then Bratislava. Sofia is a lot younger. I cannot put links here, unfortunately.
Our pleasure! There are so many great options in Europe that are affordable. Thanks for watching and commenting. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Question for you guys....do you have a difficult time taking your drone with you? Is it a small one or is it a bigger on for which you need your license? Thank you in advance. We absolutely love you guys and are planning on doing a slow travel version of your itinerary! Thank you for all that you do!
We have a small drone and a larger one. John has his license for the larger one. It all depends on the trip, which if either, drone we carry with us. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
With 5 kids and 8 grandchildren, we don't ever see ourselves moving overseas, but there are several of these we will go back to for 1-3 months at some point. Lake Bled is a pretty amazing place to spend the summer, but any of the 15 we would enjoy. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
John and Bev, I know you want to continue traveling the world, but if you were forced to choose a non-US city or town to call home, which would you choose?
wow, that's a tough one. We like the "flexpat" mentality where you go spend a month or two at a time in places. It would need to be warm. If cost wasn't an issue, we sure do like Singapore, but it is a long way from US. Safe travels and thanks for the hard question.🤣 John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
We spent a week in Valetta last Christmas and loved it. By coincidence, we are visiting again now for a day while on a cruise. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
When in Krakow skip the dark history of Auchwitz and take the same train in the opposite direction to the massive Cathedral carved completely of the salt in the caves. Even the crystals on the massive chandeliers are carved fron the opaque green salt.
Yes, we realized that, but Chania isn't in-and-of-itself our favorite city. It's the experience around it that we wanted to highlight. Naming all the small towns didn't make sense for this video. But, most people get the idea! Thanks for your comment. John & Bev
If you have suggestions for other affordable European cities, let us know your favorites in the comments. Also, be sure to check out the travel guides for these amazing cities. The links are in the description.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Add Sorrento, Amalfi, Arezzo, and quite a few in Southern Italy to the mix. Also add Sicily to the mix. Of course add Turkiye...if you count Turkiye as part of Europe.
Same for Yerevan, Tbilisi, Batumi, Tirana, Skopje, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Nicosia, and many more. Add Thessaloniki, and Athens to the list.
@@rahuliyer7456 Sorrento, and Amalfi are not affordable places to visit.
As a travel advisor, I love this list. I am always trying to get people to try new places. I am very interested in visiting Romania and Poland. I just returned from a Danube cruise where I stayed a few days before in Budapest (so gorgeous with amazing architecture), Bratislava was cute (though old town can be crowded when the ships are there), and the other town we saw, Krems, Linz and Passau are must sees as well. I plan to go back to the area and see more, including Prague. Lisbon is always a fav of mine and I love the whole Alentejo region. I call it the Tuscany of Portugal. Turin is on my list and luckily next month I will be visiting Umbria & Perugia. Also off the beaten path and I think they are a good value. Bulgaria and the Balkans are also places I want to visit. I am happy to see Croatia and Slovenia have there time in the limelight. I just attended a workshop with the tourist offices of these 2 countries. They are READY for visitors. Montenegro and Serbia are 2 other places that I think warrant discovery. Thanks and love your channel.
Thanks and so glad you are enjoying our channel. Thanks for the additional suggestions.
Safe travels and many blessings,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
John and Bev you are my newest heros. Thank you for sharing travel tips and your ongoing journey. 🙂
Wow, thank you! It is our pleasure. Hope you enjoy our channel and website.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
I've already been to Ljubljana, Split, Budapest, Belgrade, Lisbon, Bratislava from your list and totally agree with you on these cities. The remaining ones are on my bucket list. It's a bit of a pity that you have left out Scandinavia/The Nordics completely. We have totally fallen in love with Lapland and have enjoyed the midnight sun several times.
Safe travels!
All great cities. We didn't leave out the Nordics. We just finished a tour of Faroe Islands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Many beautiful places, we just didn't consider them as "affordable" in comparison to these cities.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Wow! I am going to use this list when I eventually get to Europe! What an epic video…so beautifully presented, and wonderful cinematography! Thank you for your wonderful content! ….Stay safe ….
Thanks so much. We hope you get to visit each of these wonderful cities at some point.
Thanks for following along with us on our journey.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great video as always. So many wonderful destination ideas.
Thanks so much. Hope you get to go to many of them! Feel free to share this video on your social media. Thanks.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you for the outside-the-box destination recommendations. They all look incredible!
Our pleasure! We love all of these places!
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
What an incredible list of beautiful places! Thanks for sharing your experiences & takeaways from each too 🙌
Our pleasure! Glad you found the list helpful. We do love these cities.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Oh my, now how do I decide where to go first?!? Lovely video as usual.
Thanks so much. Our suggestion is eeny meeny miney mo 🤣. You really can't go wrong.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Beautifully done video and Romania is a must see. You both capture these magical areas and make me want to go back and re- explore. Thank you for all the hard work that goes into this. I know it is a labor of love.
Thanks so much for the kind words and yes it is a labor of love.
Safe travels and hope you can return to these wonderful places,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Romania seems like a perfect destination in this region
I would love to go !
And affordable!
What a great video! So timely too, since everyone is having to seek better value for their travel dollar. I've been to a few of these and look forward to hitting the full list over the next few years. Thank you for gathering this great list. I spent six weeks in Portugal earlier this year, and it's a country packed with wonders--natural beauty, good food, and lovely people. I can't wait to return.
I totally agree. We can communicate with English in Portugal which is a big plus.
Thanks. Glad it was helpful! We certainly could have added even more great cities, but we tried to limit to one per country for this video to show people there are many different country options.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks. Looking forward to watching part 2.
There are so many great affordable cities out there, part 2 is a distinct possibility. 😊
Thanks for following along with us.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We've been to many of these cities and loved them all! Just wanted to share that 28 years ago today in my hometown the Dayton (Ohio) Peace Accords helped put an end to the Bosnian War. Traveling to these countries now it's hard to believe there was conflict in such idyllic places. Thanks for sharing your travels!
Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed the video.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I just returned from 3 weeks in Lisbon, and cheap was not my experience. I thought it was very expensive, and I was surprised because so many talk about how inexpensive it is. It is a wonderful city, and I am glad I went despite the additional costs.
This is all comparatively speaking. All of these cities have a much lower cost of living than cities like Rome, Paris, London, Oslo, and Amsterdam as examples. We are seeing inflation hitting many parts of the world. Thanks for your feedback on your Lisbon travels.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelersIt only works when you travel on a millionaire's Amerocan pension.
@@RetirementTravelersSadly the cost of living has gone up drastically in Lisbon, such that many locals can no longer afford to live there. Per the cost comparison website Numbeo, the cost of renting a 1br apartment in Paris and Lisbon is nearly identical.
@@Flat_Earth_Addythat is a very limited belief.
I hope that you can consider how you narrow your opportunities by believing in such ways.
Believing that way will keep you from trying, because the belief keeps a person stuck.
I've known people who aren't millionaires at all, some don't have a "pension", and they travel. They make choices that support their goals. They are intentional. They have a growth mindset. They see opportunity where others see obstacles.
I hope you can zoom out, be curious, be humble, and consider that your narratives might be based off of limiting beliefs, not having all the facts. We create our reality based on our thoughts.
I hope you can create more open, aware, empowered thoughts.
Lisbon is getting very expensive in the last few years. Many people from all over the world chose it as their retirement location. Locals can not afford it.
We’ve been watching your videos for quite a while. Thank you for all of the work you do to make these videos so good. This video is very useful to us - it helped us decide on upcoming travels. Stay well and thank you.
That's great. Glad you are enjoying our channel and website! You can't go wrong with any of these cities.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Another well done and informative piece. Spent some time in the mountains outside Brasov this summer. Beautiful and inexpensive. Hopefully make Slovenia, Croatia and Albania soon. This is splitting hairs but we really enjoyed Budapest but would put Prague above it (just not in August). Looking forward to your next piece.
Thank you! We like Prague, too, but we just had the best time in Budapest. You're right, it's a very close call and Prague has so much to offer. John & Bev
Thank you for sharing details on your visit to each of these places. Definitely updating our travel bucket list to include them! Safe travels! --M
Our pleasure! Hope you get to visit each and every place.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We (from AZ) had a family vacation (14 year old daughter) to Morocco and it was incredible. Cheap, safe, unique adventures, good transportation, a 2 hr trip from Madrid. You have to check it out.
Thanks for sharing. We spent time in Morocco last year and definitely want to return.
Happy trails,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Many of these cities are on my to visit list also. After visiting most of the western Europe countries, I recently began visiting the Eastern European countries (Greece, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria). Also recently, I been traveling to other adventurous place around the world, including Nepal, Mexico, Chile, and Ecuador.
Thanks for sharing. Adventure is always more fun. Those are all some great places.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Wow, I want to see ALL of those places! Would love to know more about your visit to Lisbon. We visited Gyrokaster in Albania and Chania in Crete during a cruise in 2022, and wished we could have stayed longer. I'm glad they made your list. I will have to look back on this video again and make my list! Thanks for the intro to these amazing looking cities.
Thanks and glad you enjoyed the video. Here is the link to our Lisbon blog that covers more things to do.
retirementtravelers.com/how-t...
It was during this time that we stopped making YT videos to work on our website.
Hope you get to go to all 15 of these wonderful places.
Safe travels and thanks for following along with us,
John and Bev
Thanks for the recommendations! I've added these to my list!! Love them all!
You're so welcome! Hope you love these places as much as we do.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Another wonderful video, thank you both. I've added many places to my travel plans.
Thanks so much for following along with us. Glad you have found some new places.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks for sharing this information especially for folks who love European vacations. You both are sharing first hand experiences that otherwise would take hours of research to figure out! We hope to be in your footsteps in the near future....
Our pleasure. Glad it was helpful! We want people to have great travels and live their retirement lives to the fullest.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great show!
Thanks.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I really appreciate your videos. I am planning a year of full-time travel in 2025, and so I am grabbing all the nuggets of information you two provide. Keep up the great work and maybe I'll meet you on the road some day. 😀
Thanks so much for following along with us. Congrats on your travel plans in 2025 and hopefully our paths will cross someday.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Every video is very interesting, with so much information.
Thanks so much. Glad you are enjoying our channel.
Safe travels and many blessings,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
No other channel like you two!
No other viewer like you! 😊
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Good Morning Bev and John
So Happy that you are making the most of your time - The new adventurous exciting life journey
The video is so well made
God bless you both with more happiness and joy
Thanks so much. We are having an amazing adventures around the world.
Many blessings,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
In Bratislava there are statues placed around old town with a guide to help you find them. The Dandy and Rubberneck are just 2.
That sounds really cool. Thanks for the suggestion.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Love you two!
Thanks so much. Glad you are enjoying our channel.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Fantastic video, thank you !!
Glad you liked it! Thanks so much.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great information and inspiration.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Greetings from Budapest 😍 This stunningly gorgeous city is currently sharing the number one spot in terms of beauty, history and culture right alongside Vienna Austria. We wanted to visit Bratislava while here, however it’s 2.5 hours train ride away and with the sun setting at 4:30pm , we feel it’s going to happen another time. Perhaps next time when we visit Vienna 😉 Currently we feel that Budapest is one of the cities we would recommend to visit first to a person who has never been to Europe before and has no expectations or nothing to compare it with. We also liked Ljubljana,Riga, Split, Lisbon, and Belgrade.
We love Budapest. Reasonably priced, beautiful and great food. Hard to go wrong with any of these 15 cities. Safe travels and thanks for following along and sharing.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We are Hungarians born in Budapest ❤️we live in the US for 30 years,kids grandkids grown up 😢 ,we travel a lot , Budapest is my favorite city of corse and we spend every summer over there ( three months) escaping Vegas heat ( Our base home for 15 years,moved from Ca)
and enjoy our vinery at lake Balaton we call the Hungarian sea :)
Love to watch you guys ,VERY cute couple 😍Just can not imagine HOW can you travel full time 🤔it is awesome but must be tiring…..❤️❤️❤️
It's amazing how many travel videos are covering and recommending slavic countries to visit today. Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, etc. The scenery is awesome and the beauty of historic architecture is breathtaking. Thanks for another informative and well paced video...in a region of the world I've never seen.
Our pleasure! Hopefully you will get to visit some of these places in 2024. Thanks for following along with us.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We love traveling in Europe but our favorite go to country is Slovakia. Very few tourists and amazing scenery. Many beautiful castles, caves, mountains (High Tatras). You need to get in country. You can travel by train but we have found a car works best. The best part is the people. We have found family and developed life long friendships.
I just came from Krakow Poland and Czech Republic, Prague and totally fell in love w Prague, it has everything and is centrally
Located close
To
Many other
Countries.
Poland is best bang for your money. It is also fantastic! I will be staying in those countries for
90 days out of the year
Every year
Romania is Slavic! Ok! Victim of US education?
We have visited Ljubljana, Budapest, Bratislava, Auschwitz/Krakow and Crete/Chania. We enjoyed all these absolutely beautiful cities. Crete is our favorite Greek island…you’ve pulled at my heartstrings. Excellent video. ~Cara 🥰
Thanks so much and hope you get to visit all of these places.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I visited Bratislava and Prague this summer. I loved both cities so much. Heartbreaking history and proud citizens.
Thank you Retirement Travelers for this magnificent video. I love traveling and want to move to Europe next year. Again, thanks❤😊
Our pleasure! Glad you found it helpful and hope you get to visit all of them.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Another great share - thank you! Wondering, do you capture your own drone footage?
Sometimes yes and sometimes no. It just depends on the location. It is illegal to fly a drone in many places.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
You guys are awesome and living our dream. We can’t wait to start our own adventure next year.
Thanks so much for the kind words and good luck with your travel adventure. We are cheering for you.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
What a great list of options! Thank you
You are so welcome! Hope you get to see all of these wonderful cities.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Beautifully executed video. You are inspiring!
Wow, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
It depend what you expect ... For me a sunny not windy and not too cold place in winter âne close to the beach is require so only Valencia is good for me ... But that more expensive than where iam living now in south of France along mediterannean sea. Today november 19th 2023 was 22 C at 2 pm and still 19 C at 5 pm .... Croatia can be good but i better choice Zadar or a small place like Sibenik instead of Split. I will considere Spain ans Portugal oversea territories
Thanks for sharing. We really enjoyed Zadar as well, so making choices was tough.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great production and valuable info, thank you👍🤙
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Love this list - well done! Thank you!!
Thanks so much. Glad you found it helpful.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Another wonderful video which reminds me what a beautiful world we live in. If only the family of man could live together in peace instead of messing it up……
Add İstanbul and Izmir as well.
We look forward to adding those cities as well. Thanks for sharing.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Please visit Vilnius, Lithuania.
We did visit, we just hadn't finished our blog yet when we made this video. We had a great time in Vilnius.
retirementtravelers.com/europes-best-kept-secret-the-unusual-vilnius-lithuania
John and Bev
Great video. We would love to visit the restaurant you mentioned in Crete. However i can't find it. Can you respond with the name of the restaurant & city again? Thank you.
Thanks so much. It is a special place to us. It is called Ntounias Tavern and it is about 40 minutes south of Chania, up in the mountains. You will love it.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
My one suggestion Would it possible to mention in your videos the hotels you stay in As this can be very helpful
Love
Thanks for the suggestion. When we were in Asia, we did highlight our hotels, so check on some on those videos. If you have any specific cities, let us know.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Mostly European cities
Good clean and reasonable places to stay are hard to find on internet
So Do recommend your viewers Only the ones you liked
Love
Can you say whether the internet reliability and speed was particularly good or bad in any of these towns? Staying connected is important for us to be able to travel extensively. Many thanks.
Internet speed is VERY important to us with our RUclips efforts. In general, it has been surprisingly good, but it depends on the specific place. We have generally found better in hotels, than Airbnb's for example. When we have struggled, we have generally been able to find a coffee shop with decent internet. There are a variety of rankings you can check by country, but again it is hit or miss with your particular place. On booking.com we always check the "wifi" ratings.
Hope this helps,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
My understanding re Latvia is that it has the 7th fastest internet speed in Europe.
interesting
Thanks.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Is Turin cheap?? I really doubt it. I think even a city like Berlin is cheaper. Thanks for a nice informativ video.
Maybe it is not "cheap", but it is still lower cost than most cities in northern and western Europe. We use a cost of living by city index as our reference. Turin is one of the higher priced cities in the list of 15. Most people in the US seem to think of only Rome, Venice, Paris and London. We just try to encourage people to explore.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
Hello @retirementTravelers and fellow subscribers. I have been following your channel for a few months now, and Thank you for encouraging me to retire early (60) and my wife is 55. We are planning our trip to Europe and I am wondering if you could share your thoughts on doing the itinerary backwards? Meaning starting in southern Europe in low to shoulder season, if there's such a thing, for example Spain in February and traveling towards Northern Europe in June to be in Norway, Finland, etc? Our objective is to avoid the crowds and we prefer scenic locations over crowded cities that are filled with tourists. Any insight/advice on a 9 months slow travel itinerary is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for following along. You need to monitor your time in the Schengen Zone. (90 days max out of 180 day rolling) If you want to spend 9 months, we suggest 90 day in Greece, Italy, Malta, etc early, then go to the Balkans (Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, etc) We loved them all. You could then return to northern Europe in late summer for 3 months. Perhaps take a repositioning cruise back to the states in November. Just some thoughts.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Thank you very much! We just watched the "My MS story" video and what an inspiration Bev is! It encouraged my wife who is worried about her ability to travel with a back pack to be more open to the idea! Thank you both and happy and safe travels!
I'm curious how you get around. Did you buy a car in Europe? Or do you use public transport and occasional rentals?
We typically get around on public transportation. Trains, buses, and ferries are all wonderful in Europe. We will occasionally get a rental for certain places, but it isn't our norm.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Bratislava won my heart…..
Ours as well. We loved Bratislava.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks so much for your video. 🙏 How long would it take to comfortably visit all of these cities on one trip ?
That's a great question! We like to travel one week at a time. That is a good pace for us with making video content, not pushing ourselves too hard, ability to do some side trips, etc. Some places you may not need that long, so we think 3 months would be plenty to have an amazing trip and cover all these cities and more.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Awesome. Thanks! You have a beautiful family
I have visited some of the cities from this list. And I can say, from my point of view, none of it is cheap. Maybe it is because I come from Croatia, one of poorest countries in European Union.
Thanks. Not much in the world is cheap anymore, but our point here is everyone from the US seems to want to go to Rome, Paris and London. These cities are significantly more expensive than the 15 we listed. We are encouraging people to explore other parts of Europe as well.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Nice but it would have been great if you have mentioned prices, after all the title was about affordability
Noted. Thanks.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Lisboa was cheap when I lived there in 2015, now it’s the SF of Europe. Maybe swap it with Porto or Faro…
Thanks for sharing.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Note mostly Eastern Europe. As nice as western but half the price or less.
We agree completely. We love everything about Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Is there a website where single travelers can find like minded travel buddy so you don't go solo and at least have a company? My wife is not too keen on places besides popular European cities. We have already covered Paris, London, Belgium, Portugal, most of Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Amalfi), Greece, some parts of Spain. While I like to visit Romania, Prague, Slovania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Monte Negro etc., it would ne nice to have a company or a group of no more than 4 to make the trip more enjoyable. Any one with info on such meet up sites please advise.
We aren't familiar with sites for single travelers.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Except they are too cold for my liking
Most all of these places are quite warm in the summer months!!!
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Not hearing anything about how much anything costs in any of these places to give me some idea of what you're idea of 'cheap' is...
Thanks, we purposely didn't share costs in this video. We wanted to show that there were many less expensive options in Europe than cities like Rome, Paris, London, Copenhagen, etc. These are all wonderful cities with comparatively lower costs. Perhaps we can dig into specific cost comparisons in a future video.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I get that, & it's all very good to say they're relatively low cost, but relative to what exactly? Without any price comparisons, or demonstrations of this, it really isn't convincing...you should definitely do price comparisons along with conversion rates so we can see how low cost it is... low cost means different things to different people...
@@Road_Rash Thanks for the feedback.
Is everyone a vlogger now? Jeez
If you mean, are old people doing it, too? Well, yeah, I guess we are! Jeez! John & Bev
Good answer👍😍
I really appreciate this video and the great information!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for following along with us.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I highly recommend Skopje and Lake Ohrid Macedonia! STUNNING architecture in the former and natural serenity in the latter.
Yes, those are awesome places as well. We visited last year, but had to cap the list at 15. 🤣. I think we could do a part 2. We spent 3 months in the Balkans last year and loved it.
Thanks for sharing,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@RetirementTravelers a part 2 is a great idea and would be appreciated. Thank you.
Thank you John and Bev for the video. We enjoyed visiting Istria Peninsula, Croatia last summer. We stopped at several cities and towns such as Opatija, Pula, Rovinj, and Motovun.
Our pleasure! Thanks for the additional suggestions. Croatia is definitely on our list of places to return.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I loved all the cities you suggested. I wanted to suggest a few cities in Southern Spain that we enjoyed. First, Cordoba, Spain. It has a wonderful Roman bridge and some old ruins. The old city is like something from Morocco. We were there during the Cordoba Patio Festival. Our rental was actually in one of the patios. It was amazing. The Mezquita has a basilica built within it. I think Granada and Saville get all the attention, but Cordoba really is worth a visit. The same can be said about Toledo, Spain. It's a hour outside of Madrid, but it's so worth a visit! Amazingly beautiful filled with lots of history. Thanks for sharing your travels and all of your thoughtful suggestions. (We traveled through Cabot the other day coming home to Texas. I thought about you. Cabot is really growing).
Thanks so much for the suggestions. We love all of those places in Spain and they certainly deserve a spot on the list. We were trying to mix it up and pick different countries. We may have to do one just on Spain, because we loved them all. We spent almost a month there last year.
Thanks for sharing your travels through Cabot.
Safe travels and many blessings,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Krakow is especially nice at Easter--they have an Easter market in the main square, similar to a Christmas market but Easter-y.
Thanks for the tips! We thought Krakow was wonderful and would love to visit at Easter sometime.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I'm not sure how long ago you were in Kraków, Poland. Over the last year or so, Poland has taken in many thousands of refugees from Ukraine. If you were there since the war began, did you get a sense of unrest or any need for increased concern and vigilance for safety? It's wonderful that Poland has welcomed so many in need. There is always a period of adjustment as an area works to accommodate many new arrivals.
I am not brave enough to visit Ukraine now, but I would definitely visit Poland. When I saw on the news how Poland welcomes the Ukraine refugees, I would like to go there to lend a hand for a few weeks. I have a lot of Polish and Ukrainian friends, my heart aches for them.
We met several Ukrainians during our travels through the Baltic States and Poland. We didn't sense a need for increased concern in any of the areas. Our hearts do go out to all those affected by the wars right now.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Thank you. Safe travels to you also!
Thanks. Adding these to my list. So many places so little time!
Thanks and enjoy these wonderful destinations.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Some really lovely scenic memories right there. You really like to try all the food it seems.
Yes we do. Food is a great way to experience the culture of a country. Lots of wonderful memories for sure.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
There's some good suggestions in this video. I'll hang onto it for future ideas. We live near Valencia and love it here.
Thanks. We loved our time in Valencia. Have you been to the Fallas Festival? It looked so interesting to us that we want to visit during that time at some point.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Been to Ljubljana, Berat, Bratislava, Split and Kotor. All great cities and I can't wait to go back (also enjoyed Ohrid, Skopje and Bansko!). Try Northen Greece lots of fantasic surpises !
Thanks. We do want to spend more time in Northern Greece. We made it up to Meteora, but not further north.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you for all the hours of research and content you use to keep your followers up to date. We begin our travels in October 2024 and are starting in Guatemala. I always look forward to your next video.
Our pleasure. Thanks for following along with us. Good luck with your travels next year. We loved our time in Antigua and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Safe travels and many blessings,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I have been to Lisbon, Turin for long weekends and have stayed a month in Split, Budapest, and Valenica. My favorite is Split but like them all. I will try some of your others. I have been to several other places in Europe but I don’t like renting a car so limits me a bit for road trips!
Thanks for sharing. Trains are probably are favorite mode of transportation, but will do whatever it takes to get to some places. Agree with you on the car rentals.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I wish I could have spent more time in Valencia. I went by bus in September. I did get to sample their oranges.
Valencia is amazing.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
What a wonderful thorough list of cities to visit. 👍
Have you found a combination of 1-2 week stays with month long stays and Shengen compliance shuffle this list could be done in 6 months and $15,000?🤔
Unfortunately not. Also, with more countries joining the Schengen Zone, it will only get a little tougher to extend out stays.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you so much John and Bev!! I have been following you two since the beggining of your journey!! Some of this destinations it’s on my mind…and others I been already!! I love your adventures!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks so much for following along on our journey. Glad you are enjoying our channel and website.
Safe travels and many blessings,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Andorra in the Pyrenees mountains great travel!
Thanks. We can't wait to visit.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you so much this is exactly what I we are looking for. ❤
Perfect. Glad you found it helpful. You can't go wrong with any of these cities.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great List! Im wondering how one might use some of these to sit out that 3 months break needed to avoid overstaying the 6 months limit in EU. If so, what time of year is best for that. Sharing this with my cousin n hubby who travel a lot. Cheers!
Last year we spent 9 months in Europe. 3 in the Schengen Zone, then 3 months in the Balkans, and then 3 more in Schengen Zone. We think a summer in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro would be fabulous. Croatia is now part of the zone, so no longer can use that.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers thanks for reply, gives me ideas. Yes seems like more countries joining complicating our “plan” hehe.😉
Spent August in Kotor, very affordable compared to USA prices, only 80 cents for a loaf of bread from a bakery. Old town gets a little crowded when a cruise ship comes in but quiet compared to Dubrovnik. Nearby Perast is is lovely also.
We loved Kotor and thought is was reasonable. Thanks for the suggestion of Perast. We definitely want to return to Montenegro and explore further.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Go there in february to see if you still like it
Great video and we are looking forward to getting a number of those places in 2024.
EXCELLENT VIDEO! Travel Safely.❤
Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great vlog! thank you. Eastern Europe is definitely on the list for our next trip. Can you tell me when do you decide to rent a car for your road trips? Is it prior to arriving at the location or once your there and check things out? Finally, where do you look to book a car? Thanks!
Thanks. You will love any of these cities.
First choice is almost always trains in Europe. Second choice is bus. Third choice is a private driver, especially if crossing borders. Last choice is car rental, and we usually just book through booking.com car rental. Some places like Faroe Islands, you just need a car to explore, but most places in Europe you don't.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers thanks I appreciate the reply.
It is amazing how much of the world seems "more accessible" to me after I made my first transatlantic trip (to Paris) in 2019. We've done Caribbean, Mexico and Belize, but it's not the same. Been back to Europe twice since then and it has just opened up so many possibilities I would have never considered before. My husband and I are talking about him retiring in 2 years and have started putting plans in place to be able to travel the world full-time in retirement. Your videos have been incredibly helpful!!!
Fantastic recommendations! Unfortunately, I was stuck in Israel during the invasion of Hamas and after getting out through Jordan and Qatar I went to my last planned destination, Ireland for a couple weeks and just arrived back in the US. So, I will be going again, probably in April, so you have given me some stellar ideas! Thanks so much!!
Sorry to hear that. We were supposed to go to Israel and Egypt on a cruise and working plan B right now. Hope this video gives you some good ideas for next year. We loved all of these places.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thanks so much John and Bev! Hopefully you can also do your cruise as well....soon! :) @@RetirementTravelers
Thank you John and Bev, it is so nice to watch you videos with so many beatiful places to visit. Since you are asking for suggestions here is one: Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The place where the Christianity in Europe starts with- the oldest church in Europe esablished by the Emperor Chonstantine The Great; as well if you dig a little bit in history you will find out that this is the oldest capital in Erope today. Any other European capital appears on the map after that. If this information has a merit in your tourist values it is woth of adding it ahead! Thank you.
Thanks so much. We spent a week in Sofia last year and loved it. It certainly belongs on the list, but we were looking for a variety of places. We also loved Veliko-Tarnovo in Bulgaria.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you once again.
Your initiative is a splendid one and I am positive it may reach to both Veliko Tarnovo and Sofia;
and many other Balkan places, sometimes little bit dusty but on the other hand still free of stiffness!
The oldest capital of Europe actually is Bratislava (~5000 BCE). The city in Bulgaria being even older is Plovdiv (~5500 BCE) , but it's not a current capital. Sofia was founded ~700 BCE.
True, Bratislava was established around 5000 BC but as a settlement, not as a capital even later on.
Sofia, on its part was established as a settlement over 6000 BC.
Sofia is the
the oldest capital of Europe. Please refer to an independent historian source, who’s intellectual capacity is rich of simpletons toward anything telated to Bulgarian history; and indeed admitting that Sofia is the oldest city in Europe.
Source On You Tube:
“Sofia - The history of Europe; София - Историята на Европа”
source : “Darth Dormas”
@@tpetkova7934 Just check your sources. Search for oldest cities of Europe. Plovdiv is the oldest settlement, then Bratislava. Sofia is a lot younger.
I cannot put links here, unfortunately.
Thank you!!
You're welcome! Glad you liked it.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We visited Portugal and Spain. All the other cities/countries you mentioned seem like great options. Muchas gracias!
Our pleasure! There are so many great options in Europe that are affordable. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Question for you guys....do you have a difficult time taking your drone with you? Is it a small one or is it a bigger on for which you need your license? Thank you in advance. We absolutely love you guys and are planning on doing a slow travel version of your itinerary! Thank you for all that you do!
We have a small drone and a larger one. John has his license for the larger one. It all depends on the trip, which if either, drone we carry with us.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Terrific video. Think it’s a good list. They all look like places I might like to stay for extended periods of time too.
Thanks so much. We could definitely stay at any of these places for awhile. Thanks for watching.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
What a great video!! Crete has been on my short list. The short list is getting longer, lol.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video. Crete is a beautiful island for sure.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Which do you see yourself living in?
With 5 kids and 8 grandchildren, we don't ever see ourselves moving overseas, but there are several of these we will go back to for 1-3 months at some point. Lake Bled is a pretty amazing place to spend the summer, but any of the 15 we would enjoy.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Another wonderful video! Thank you!
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for following along on our adventure.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Great video! I hope to see all of these places.
Thanks for watching. We hope you get to visit them all.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
John and Bev, I know you want to continue traveling the world, but if you were forced to choose a non-US city or town to call home, which would you choose?
wow, that's a tough one. We like the "flexpat" mentality where you go spend a month or two at a time in places. It would need to be warm. If cost wasn't an issue, we sure do like Singapore, but it is a long way from US.
Safe travels and thanks for the hard question.🤣
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Visit the islands of Malta
We spent a week in Valetta last Christmas and loved it. By coincidence, we are visiting again now for a day while on a cruise.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
When in Krakow skip the dark history of Auchwitz and take the same train in the opposite direction to the massive Cathedral carved completely of the salt in the caves.
Even the crystals on the massive chandeliers are carved fron the opaque green salt.
Thanks for the suggestion. We hope to return to Krakow and will plan to do that.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Crete is not a city
Yes, we realized that, but Chania isn't in-and-of-itself our favorite city. It's the experience around it that we wanted to highlight. Naming all the small towns didn't make sense for this video. But, most people get the idea! Thanks for your comment. John & Bev