Thinking about making Europe home?
Where Americans Actually Thrive in Europe:The 2026 Guide
Discover the places Americans overlook, the dream cities that disappoint, and which ones could be right for you.
Go beyond the familiar names with an exclusive insider perspective on where to live in Europe, broken down by seven American profiles so you can find the places that fit your income, family, and stage of life.
Special preorder price
$79$19
$79 on release. Save $60 when you preorder.
The guide will be delivered by email on October 15, 2026.
You know the famous places. Which ones would you want to call home?
Lisbon. Barcelona. Paris. Tuscany.
You already have a picture of the life. The apartment, the morning coffee, the walk home through streets you’ve wanted to live on for years.
But choosing a school, living on a pension, or having a community through the winter can change what you want from a place.
Somewhere you have barely considered might offer much more of the life you came for.
The places you’d want someone who knows Europe to tell you about
Considering Paris? Look at Lyon, Montpellier, and Pau.
A working city, a southern university city, and a quieter base near the mountains. Ale explains why each belongs on a different reader’s shortlist.
The Portugal beyond Lisbon.
Porto, Braga, and the coast offer different versions of Portuguese life. Discover what draws Ale back, who should look more closely, and what the winter could change.
The part of island life you can’t see in a photograph.
In Chania, the guide looks at an established community as part of the appeal. It also asks what island life means when family is far away and the summer visitors have gone home.
These are part of 27 destination entries, from familiar names to second cities and overlooked options. Each brings together the appeal, the people it may suit, and the compromises worth knowing.
The right place depends on the life you’re bringing with you
You might be retiring on a pension, keeping your American job, or starting a new chapter with your family.
The same city can look very different in each situation.
Retiring?
An established community and access to healthcare may put a place higher on your list than its beaches or restaurants.
Working remotely?
A reliable place to work, connections home, and a residency route that fits how you earn become part of the decision.
Moving with children?
Schools, language, and your children’s ages can change which places deserve a closer look.
Even two retirees can need different answers if one lives on a pension and the other on investments.
That’s why the guide connects each recommendation to the people it could suit. You can see what makes a place worth considering, what might rule it out, and which alternatives to explore.
Start with the American you are
Your income, household, and stage of life shape the search. Find yourself in the guide’s seven profiles:
- The retiree
- Healthcare, retirement income, and a community to settle into.
- The early retiree
- Living on investments, securing health cover, and finding a suitable route.
- The descent citizen
- Checking whether your ancestry could change your options.
- The remote earner
- Keeping your US work while finding a place where the arrangement fits.
- The family
- Schools, children’s ages, language, and the life around the school day.
- The safety mover
- Rights, acceptance, community, and a workable route to residence.
- The career mover
- Weighing the opportunity against salary, housing, and everyday life.
You may fit more than one. Use the profiles to narrow your reading, then explore the places that interest you.
$79 on release. Delivered by email on October 15, 2026.
Written from the local side
I’m Alessandro Palombo. I’m Italian, a lawyer by training, and I’ve built companies in seven jurisdictions and lived in six countries. Today, I’m raising my family in Cascais, Portugal.
When I wrote about where the Americans I know are happy, readers asked about the practicalities: which visa, what happens to retirement income, whether healthcare will work for them. This guide grew out of those questions.
I’ll tell you what draws me to a place, what would make me hesitate, and where I’d recommend instead. Then I’ll take you through the practical questions to investigate before you go further.
I also work in residency and citizenship through Bitizenship. Business interests and disclosures
One guide. A much more useful shortlist.
Your preorder includes the completed 2026 guide
Find your profile. Explore the places. Use the practical chapters to prepare your next step.
A few things you may be wondering
What does this add to the articles I can read for free?
The guide brings the destinations together around seven American profiles, with specific local recommendations, the reasons behind them, and the practical questions that could change your decision. You can compare the options in one place and follow the parts relevant to you.
Is it useful if I’m only exploring?
Yes. You can use it to find places worth researching or visiting before you have a moving date.
Do I need to read it all?
Start with your profile and its recommendations. Then read the destination entries and practical chapters that matter to you.
Does it include personal advice or help with an application?
This purchase is a research guide. Individual legal, tax, financial, and immigration advice, consultations, and application services are separate.
When will I receive it, and why is it $19?
The guide is being completed. You can preorder it for $19 before the price becomes $79 on release. It will be delivered by email on October 15, 2026. This is a one-time purchase.
What if I change my mind?
Until the guide is delivered you can cancel for a full refund: reply to your confirmation email and it is done the same day. Once delivered it is digital content, and the terms of sale apply.
Your place in Europe might be one you haven’t considered yet.
Find the places worth a closer look, understand who they suit, and plan a trip with a much better idea of what you’re looking for.
Special preorder price
$79$19
$79 on release. Save $60 when you preorder.
The guide will be delivered by email on October 15, 2026.
Research and commentary, not advice. Terms in the terms of sale; independence and financial interests on the legal page.