A Review and Ranking of the Best Countries and Cities to Visit or Live in Central Europe

INTRODUCTION

Are you considering a visit to Europe? Or you want to revisit Europe and would like to visit countries and cities other than those in Western Europe? In this post, I reviewed and ranked the best Central European countries and cities to visit or live using indices such as Quality of Life, Cost of Living and Safety. There are practically four (4) main sides to Europe:

1.The West

2.The East

3.The North, and

4.The South

With Western Europe being the most hyped part of Europe, a visit to other parts of Europe especially Central Europe as presented in this mini-booklet will balance your European Perspectives.

“There is much more to Europe than Paris and London!”

Vienna City at Night, Vienna, Austria

CENTRAL EUROPE

Geographically, Central Europe is the area between Western Europe and Eastern Europe. In this mini-booklet, hence the original blog post, I will be considering nine (9) countries as the main constituent of Central Europe. These countries in no particular order are:

1.Germany

2.Austria

3.Switzerland

4.Czech

5.Poland

6.Slovakia

7.Slovenia

8.Liechtenstein, and

9.Hungary

The best of these Central European countries was reviewed and ranked using their respective: Quality of Life Index and Cost of Living Index.

Quality of Life in Central Europe

The Quality of Life in the 9 Central Europe Countries was evaluated using an index that considers factors such as Purchasing Power, Safety, Healthcare, Climate, Cost of Living, Property Price, Traffic Commute Time and Pollution in each of the countries.

The result is represented in the chart below:

River Ljubljanica, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Market Hall, Budapest, Hungary

Best Countries in Central Europe

Overall, the Quality of Life in Central Europe can be regarded as Very High. Switzerland have the highest Quality of Life in Central Europe followed by Austria and Germany with a Quality of Life Index of 189, 186 and 178 respectively.

Poland is the Most Affordable (Least Expensive) country in Central Europe. Other affordable countries are Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Czech Republic.

From the review, the best 5 Central European Countries to Visit or Live in are ranked as:

1.Switzerland

2.Austria

3.Germany

4.Slovenia, and 5.Czech Republic

Town Square, Krakow, Poland

BEST CITIES TO VISIT OR LIVE IN CENTRAL EUROPE

In order to determine or rank which cities are best to visit in Central Europe, human development data from Numbeo was utilized. And the primary criteria for ranking is the Quality of Life, Affordability (Cost of Living) and Safety in these Central European cities.

Bratislava City, Slovakia

Quality of Life

The table presented below shows the ranks of 11 Central European Cities according to their respective Quality of Life Index.

Quality of Life in Central European Cities

Quality of Life in the cities presented ranges from Moderate to Very High, no city in the region have a low Quality of Life. They are all above average!

Marienplatz Town Hall, Munich, Germany

Cost of Living

Cost of Living in Central European Cities

Warsaw and Krakow both in Poland are the Most Affordable (cheapest) cities to visit or live in Central Europe. Both cities also have a Moderate Quality of Life.

There was no data for Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Trams in Warsaw, Poland

Safety

Munich is the safest city in Central Europe with a Safety Index of 81. This is closely followed by Zurich at 80. Ljubljana, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow and Vienna also rank high in terms of safety with an Index value above 70.

Berlin is the most unsafe city in Central Europe according to the data. Budapest and Bratislava are also on the lower end of the Safety Index. There was no data for Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Based on Safety, the 8 Safest cities in Central Europe are:

1.Munich

2.Zurich

3.Ljubljana

4.Prague

5.Warsaw

6.Krakow (Cracow)

7.Vienna, and

8.Bratislava

Combined Line Chart for Quality of Life, Cost of Living and Safety in Central European Countries

TOP 10 BEST CENTRAL EUROPEAN CITIES

Based on the above analysis considering factors such as Quality of Life, Affordability (Cost of Living) and Safety, the following are the Top 10 Best Cities to Visit or Live in Central Europe:

1. Vienna, Austria

2. Zurich, Switzerland

3. Munich, Germany

4. Ljubljana, Slovenia

5. Prague, Czech Republic

6. Berlin, Germany

7. Bratislava, Slovakia

8. Warsaw, Poland

9. Krakow (Cracow), Poland, and

10. Budapest, Hungary

To have an optimal experience in Central Europe, it is recommended that you plan your trip or itinerary to the region around this list.

Limmat River Flowing through Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

This Mini-Booklet presents the post on a Review and Ranking of the Best Countries and Cities to Visit or Live in Central Europe.

From the review, the best 5 countries to visit or live in Central Europe are:

1.Switzerland

2.Austria

3.Germany

4.Slovenia, and

5.Czech Republic

Panoramic View of Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany

CONCLUSION

Amidst the vast modernization that have taken place in most parts of Europe, Central Europe is still one of the best places on the continent where you can experience an authentic and unadulterated European culture and traditions with well-preserved history.

Cities from Central Europe have featured and been internationally recognized as some of the best to live in the world. Vienna (Austria) and Zurich (Switzerland) are currently the 1st and 3rd most livable cities in the World for 2023 respectively according to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) rankings.

From the review and rankings presented in this MiniBooklet and the original blog post, you can easily deduce which of the countries and cities are best for you to visit or live in an order that is most suitable to your travelling or visiting objectives. A feat that helps you come up with the most appropriate and effective Central European trip or itinerary plan.

Quote:

“

If you have not visited (or travel through) Central Europe at least once, your visit to Europe is incomplete.”