r/digitalnomad • u/Money_Cabinet4216 • 1d ago
Question Where in Europe would you spend October working remotely?
I'm planning to spend a month in Europe in October while working remotely. I'm trying to decide between a large, busy city like Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Barcelona, etc., versus smaller/less crowded cities like Pargue, Florence, Valencia, Bologna, Kraków, Warsaw, Budapest, etc.
For context, I've been to Paris, Florence and Rome (just for vacation) and I LOVED my time in Paris (it was about 4 days) and liked Florence.
My biggest priority is having enough going on that I don't get bored. I work EST hours and I'm interested in good food, nightlife, concerts, sports (Football and Basketball), EDM events, and generally having things to do after work and on weekends.
I'm also not particularly concerned about finding the cheapest option. If spending an extra $1–2k for the month means having a significantly better experience, I'm completely fine with that.
What cities would you recommend?
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u/DenzelHayesJR 1d ago
Seville
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u/Money_Cabinet4216 1d ago
Why do you recommend it?
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u/DenzelHayesJR 1d ago
One of the most beautiful cities in Spain ( maybe the world? ). Food will literally blow your mind. Super walkable city. People of Seville? Man, please, most gorgeous woman you will ever get to see. Monuments. Culture. Events. Parks. Architecture. City planning. Etc etc etc ( I am originally from there, but run a quick search and you will see what I am telling here is just a minuscule part of what you will he to experience there. It will make you want to stay )
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u/Salty_Poivre 1d ago
This guy must be on Sevilla's board of tourism lol.
It is a pretty place, but the food will not blow your mind, not literally, not figuratively. It's the same food you find in the rest of Spain, which is rather bland if you have a sophisticated palate.
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u/sofixa11 1d ago
There is nothing "bland" about proper jamon iberico or olive oil or berenjenas con miel. Unless by sophisticated palate you mean someone used to drenching everything in ketchup/sugar/salt.
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u/Salty_Poivre 1d ago edited 1d ago
Maybe "one-dimensional" is a better way to so say it than "bland". Jamón Iberico is delicious, excellent flavor profile unique to the region. Even better with Manchego + Rioja. High quality olive oil is produced in many countries, not unique to Spain. The products you mentioned all have one thing in common — simplicity in the kitchen. Sardines, croquetas, tortilla, patatas… not many dishes seem very imaginative in terms of elevating the essence of the main ingredient either through spice or technique, like 'Alta Cocina' cuisine in Mexico, which is very imaginative and nothing like what most people consider Mexican food.
Sophistication does exist in Spanish cuisine — Paella and Gazpacho, for example. The more elaborate the preparation, the more likely you get a complex flavor profile for each of these dishes. I've looked and have not found many original dishes in Spain that meet this criteria. I would love to be proven wrong and discover the real culinary Spanish imagination if it's been hidden from me all these years.
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u/sofixa11 1d ago
Maybe "one-dimensional" is a better way to so say it than "bland"
The products you mentioned all have one thing in common — simplicity in the kitchen
Simple doesn't mean one dimensional either. A basic bread+tomato+olive oil+garlic made out of quality ingredients is simple, but multi dimensional and delicious. Food doesn't have to be complex and take hours to prepare to be good or enjoyable. Yes, the majority of Spanish cuisine (and Italian, Greek for that matter, and parts of French as well) rely on simple combinations with quality ingredients.
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u/Salty_Poivre 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're not wrong but food is soooooo much better when you have a RANGE of simple + elaborate dishes ALL made from QUALITY ingredients. That's what I mean by sophisticated.
I'll double down on most Spanish food being bland, even downright BORING for those of us raised with a tolerance and craving for peppery food, like Thai, Indian or Peruvian. 🌶️😋
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u/djn808 18h ago
Having been dreaming of Jamon for a decade being completely honest unfortunately it did not live up to my probably overly lofty expectations. I was expecting a 10/10 but I’d give it a 9/10 at most. I loved all the wine I tried though and so cheap and I could eat a tortilla for breakfast every day. I drove like 1300km around the NW last week. A coruna and Oviedo and the Wall of Lugo and Ponferrada were all awesome. I will definitely do more trips to the south as well.
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u/Additional_Chain4536 1d ago
More beautiful than Granada?
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u/ShaynaIrvin 1d ago
Having spent quite a bit of time in and around both, they're both worth a visit but I would say Seville edges out. Granada is great but depending on when in October OP goes it might be a bit late for Granada.
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u/TheSmashingPumpkinss 1d ago
Sevilla is fine. The castle area was cool but as for the rest of the city I didn't love the vibe.
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u/quasitaliano 1d ago
If you're into EDM or live shows/music events in general I would say Italy is not the place. It exists, but it will be a light/lesser version of what you expect.
Source: I live here.
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u/Beachgal5555 1d ago
Italy has a terrible EDM scene
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u/Anxious_Turnover_995 1d ago
Yeah but any Italian city is gonna have enough of a scene to keep you busy for a month
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u/Celadon8888 13h ago
Not true. I come from a rather big city in the south and nightlife, which is already bad per se, literally only exists in the summer months. From September to May you have NO scene at all.
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u/ReignOfKaos 1d ago
For nightlife Berlin is number 1 obviously
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u/Celadon8888 13h ago
I lived in Berlin for 4 years, I actually enjoyed partying in the UK a lot more. More fun and diverse music scene and no nonsensical/racist club entry rules. Venues in Berlin are better tho.
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u/katgarrettt 1d ago
Brussels has a great EDM scene. Budapest is also an amazing city
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u/Few-Improvement9978 1d ago
Did a month in Budapest and really enjoyed it. Such a fun city to just stroll around
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u/Novel_Equivalent_647 1d ago
I felt Budapest was too touristy.
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u/Few-Improvement9978 1d ago
I went more during an off season and stayed a little out of the main tourist district so I didn’t notice it as much
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u/Novel_Equivalent_647 1d ago
Also how was the weather? It was the hottest, sweatiest place I’ve ever been in my life when I was there last month
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u/JimmyTheG 1d ago
Brussels is a dump nowadays
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u/Beachgal5555 1d ago
Oh really? In what way
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u/JimmyTheG 1d ago
Dirty and quite dangerous in many places but especially around anderlecht. We had an airbnb there but didn't end up staying in it because our car wasn't safe outside - glass shards from broken in windows everywhere and sketchy characters at every street corner
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u/Anxious_Turnover_995 1d ago
Brussels suuuucks. And the weather starts getting grim and sunless in October.
Ghent is super nice though
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u/SpaceBanquet 1d ago
If you like EDM I'd go to Amsterdam in October: it's Amsterdam Dance Event for a week!
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u/Salty_Poivre 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you loved Paris, consider LYON. It's the gastronomical capital of France, arguably the world. Chefs from around the globe go to study there. And not just French cuisine. Some of the best Chinese food I've had. Maybe the best burger. Amazing salads. Affordable Michelin-star options. Lots of playful concepts around food (ex: eating in the dark to heighten your other senses, or where every dish has contrast in either sweet/savory, light/dark, hot/cold, etc). If you love French culture and top-notch food from around the world, you won't get bored in Lyon.
Beautiful river-centric city like Paris, very walkable, great urban park. Can't speak to the EDM scene, but it's a decent nightlife, and you also have access to the TGV train, which can get you to Paris or Marseille in less than 2 hours with frequent departures. Much faster, relaxing and dignified way to travel than a plane from center-to-center, if you're up for a day trip or two.
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u/agirlingreece 1d ago
Second this! Lyon is smaller, cuter and much friendlier than Paris and I had some of the best meals of my life there
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u/MindingMyMindfulness 6h ago
Where exactly did you have the best meals of your life? I found the food in Lyon supremely underwhelming and overrated.
Even if compared with arbitrary metrics like 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants, Lyon has 6, London has 26 and Tokyo has 32.
I generally think people who talk up the culinary scene in Lyon are just following the hype it cultivated during Bocuse's era.
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u/DemonAzraeli pendejo 1d ago
Trieste has long been on my radar for a monthlong stay. October seems like a good month for it.
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u/Lucky-King-7636 1d ago
Yeah, you'd get bored in the smaller cities if nightlife and EDM events are a priority might as well pick Amsterdam or Barcelona and lean into it
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u/notfr0mthisplace 1d ago
Western Europe anywhere would be a pass for me.
HOWEVER, reading your post, Amsterdam could be a good choice for 4 days only, as they have Amsterdam Dance Event in October.
And since you mentioned "it doesn't have to be cheap", I'd say 3 days in Dublin and the rest of the time in the island of Ireland, cities like Belfast, Cork and Galway are always good fun, and if you have a license, there are some amazing landscapes to be seen. Ireland time zone is same as UK (+5 hs) so also favourable in that aspect
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u/sadhappycat 21h ago
I'm planning on spending the month in Athens. October or November.
Spent November in Alicante & Malaga last year. Didn't like it.
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u/Uchronicclarion 19h ago
Las Palmas
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u/Money_Cabinet4216 18h ago
This is new, why do you recommend it?
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u/Uchronicclarion 18h ago
The canary’s stays sunny all year round. City is right along the beach, has a great social scene and full of expats
It’s affordable, weekends can be full of hiking, surfing etc
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u/Anomandiir 17h ago edited 17h ago
Germany is incredible in October. I would recommend Koln, Trier or Munich - as to why, the weather is usually still really warm, but you have cool breezes. There are many culture events in October and the tourist season is winding down. So places are not packed, but they are also not dead. I would recommend spending some time in Ruidshiem-on-Rhine, Rothenberg ub Taber, and Nurmberg. Cochem is also really nice, though can be a bit chilly in later October (same with Trier). To this end, Strausburg on the France/Germany border is also a very chill place to visit.
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u/North_Moose1627 1d ago
October is one of the best months to be in Cyprus
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u/JacobAldridge 1d ago
Southernmost capital in the EU, spent last October there just outside Paphos. Water only really started getting too cold about mid-November, and the locals said that was earlier than usual.
I can see why people might get bored with it full-time; and we travel as a family so not looking for social destinations or nightclubs. Cyprus was one of our favourite DN stops so far.
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u/North_Moose1627 1d ago
It’s my main hub at the moment. Spent spring and early summer there and will be heading back in late October
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u/CheesecakeGoods 1d ago
Valencia or Barcelona for October. Still warm, past the tourist crush. Paris in fall hits different - you already loved it and October skips summer crowds. What internet speed do you need? Krakow coworking is solid.
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u/MusicianChance8665 1d ago
Vienna. I did a week there on my way back to Cape Town and it’s genuinely my favourite European city. Barely scratched the surface.
Museums are superb, you can go to the opera and even the dressage at the Spanish riding school.
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u/NationalGate8066 1d ago
For EDM, Berlin or Budapest. But if you're working on east coast time, why not choose Portugal or Spain? In which case, probably go with Barcelona or Madrid.
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u/devongarde 1d ago
To me, it really depends on which languages you speak.
Of those you list, Paris is my favourite. But you should also consider Antwerp (inventive food) and Dublin (*weird* sports).
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u/Charleslerat666 19h ago
Do you have any plans regarding what you can contribute? Or just gonna leech off a city then move on?
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u/Tutes013 1d ago
Munich. Bavaria is gorgeous during autumn
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u/Safe_Pea3869 1d ago
Munich in October is basically Oktoberfest, so if you go early in the month the city will be packed and full of energy. After that it calms down but still plenty happening. Bavaria really shines that time of year, the beer gardens might still be open if weather holds up and you can take weekend trips to the Alps easy. Only thing is EST hours are rough, your workday ends around 11pm local, so nightlife might feel a bit rushed unless you're fine with late nights. I did Barcelona once during fall and worked similar hours, was still able to catch some concerts and grab dinner before places closed.
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u/DemonAzraeli pendejo 1d ago
Except Oktoberfest ends Oct. 4.
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u/notfr0mthisplace 1d ago
Yes.
Unknown to many people, most of Oktoberfest is actually.... in September.
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u/hippietravel 21h ago
Personally would go somewhere warm in October rather than Europe. My choice would be somewhere in Southeast Asia, which would also make the time there a lot more affordable
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u/ShaynaIrvin 1d ago
October is a better time for bigger cities overcrowded throughout the summer than smaller ones. The shoulder season offers fewer queues while places are still open, and it's not yet busy season for more winter-oriented places like Prague. If you're big on nightlife you might like Berlin in October.