Best city/country in Eastern Europe for remote workers/digital nomads?

I'm heading to Europe this summer and am looking for the ideal spot in Eastern Europe for remote workers/digital nomads. Sort of the place that has it all. Close to water, good summer weather, nice culture, good night life.

Not very many places in Eastern Europe close to the water like a sea. Gdansk, Riga, Tallin. Many cities with rivers.

Portugal have scheme for digital nomads. It’s not Eastern Europe but it’s the cheapest country in Western Europe.

Numerous countries in Europe are promoting digital nomad schemes and visas. I suggest some reviewing of what you can comply to...because you know you are working, not being a tourist...fine legal line there.
We are a tourist sight and most won't have the luxury of assessing a location for living there several months.
Numerous YouTube to help you assess.
Also try expat FB sites or even expat websites like International Living.

In Greece which is "sort of the place that has it all. Close to water, good summer weather, nice culture, good night life", you can obtain a "Nomad Visa" which allows you to stay for 1 year if you are non-European , on condition of justifying a net income of 3500€ per month. You wont be allowed to work for a Greek company during this period.

This year can be extended by 2 years on request

If only staying for two or three months, you cannot get one of the Digital Nomad visas or utilize those programs, you need to be there long enough to be resident (Six months, minimum) for those to work (so they can levy taxes on you).

But, if you stay within the limits of the Schengen agreement (90 days in any 180)), you do not need a special visa, provided that your work is derived from a non-EU country, are paid in that non-EU country, and are not resident in an EU country.

Not sure how you are defining Eastern Europe, but with water and summer weather, both Croatia and Greece fit that bill, maybe more expensive than what you were thinking; if so, maybe look at Romania and Bulgaria, along the Black Sea coast. Bulgaria and Romania are EU, but not Schengen, but offer the same terms 90 days in 180, but for each country.

So just what makes a someplace ideal for a remote worker/digital nomad, besides proximity to water, good summer weather, nice culture, and good night life? Access to electricity and decent WiFi, at the least, I suspect. What else?

Do nomads wander elsewhere for fall, then winter, then spring, always on the move? And what are the ideal conditions for those other parts of the world? Is nightlife essential, and everything else comes after that? Is cheap lodging desirable, or is it prestigious neighborhoods that are sought?

In Eastern Europe, does the local language factor into the decision? How about likelihood of locals speaking English, or some other langauge?

Poland sounds like a great country to be in. So is Estonia.
THeir standards of English are very high. Internet connections are fast and reliable. Poland is very affordable and the food is awesome. Estonia is a little more expensive, but the scenery is nice too.

Greece--nice place to visit, but not for work, at least on the islands. Internet connections are not that reliable.

Thanks for all your suggestions! A few places you guys mentioned I had never considered, especially black sea area. Croatia sounds promising and I've heard good things about it. Might even venture south to Montenegro.

I'd have more confidence in things working as expected in Poland or Estonia as opposed to Bulgaria or Romania. I very much enjoyed my time in Bulgaria and Romania in 2015, but English wasn't as widely spoken in those countries, and I missed the variety of food readily available in other European countries. For a long stay, I think those could be issues for you. Be especially careful about the Black Sea coast. Some of those towns cater to low-end package tourism.

Romanian is a Romance language, but it's geographically isolated from its linguistic brethren (French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese), and it seems to have taken on some structural characteristics from the surrounding Slavic languages (and perhaps also from Hungarian).

It is up to what you need, but you can take Szczecin, Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Kołobrzeg, Ińsko, Czaplinek, Szczecinek, Darłowo, Łeba, Gdynia, Sopot, Gdańsk, Malbork, Elbląg, Iława, Serock, Olsztyn, Mrągowo, Mikołajki, Ryn, Giżycko, Kaunas, Trakai, Klaipeda, Liepāja, Riga, Parnu and Tallin into consideration. Other cities and towns also have water in the landscape, but in smaller degree, e.g. Zalew Zemborzycki in Lublin, Zalew Sulejowski near Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Jezioro Drzewickie with kayak course with obstacles in Drzewica near Opoczno and Radom, Jezioro Czorsztyńskie near Czorsztyn and Niedzica, Jezioro Czchowskie near Czchów, Jezioro Nyskie near Nysa and jezioro Gopło near Kruszwica. Jezioro means lake in Polish.

A little correction to something above: in most of the countries you can do occasional, minimal work while on a tourist visa— business meeting on Zoom, finishing up a report to submit—but you are not allowed to do regular work no matter where your salary is coming from. You are required to get the appropriate visa, not a tourist visa. That’s why these visas exist.

I used to work for a couple of months in North Macedonia.The country is small but rich in culture, breathtaking landscapes and super friendly people..my recommendation is definitely lake Ohrid. I was surprised by its size and depth, many people refer to is as the sea..
you can swim there, go paddleboarding, enjoy scuba diving, hiking in the mountains,exploring old monasteries and savour the local wine and organic food which were splendid.
It was definitely something authentic and a unique experience working and living in this part of Europe.

A little correction to something above: in most of the countries you can do occasional, minimal work while on a tourist visa— business meeting on Zoom, finishing up a report to submit—but you are not allowed to do regular work no matter where your salary is coming from.

If this were the case, there is no such thing as breaking the law a "little bit" if you can attend a meeting, but not 10, or "finish up" a report, but not generate an entire one, where is this formula that dictates what is, and is not allowed? I traveled for Business internationally for over 10 years, even at the border stating I was there, on business, under the 90/180 Schengen Visa Waiver (and under the standard 6 month UK entry). I worked 5/80 plus for up to several weeks at a time, on my computer, attended numerous meetings with local companies, did training, performed quality and process audits, did a good share of my job remotely (before that was a thing), attended conferences, gave presentations, there really were no limits. My activities were always reviewed by a legal department that watched this and other interactions with foreign companies and governments. (Worked for a major aerospace company) They took their job very seriously, since the penalty for being wrong was very high fines levied on a company with deep pockets and contracts or business ventures at stake.

You are required to get the appropriate visa, not a tourist visa. That’s why these visas exist.

The Visa waiver program is not only for tourists, it covers business travelers as well. There is no Visa available for less than 90 days of travel. We did need a visa if we were to stay over 90 days in 180, or if we were to become resident, over 6 months. The concern is not allowed "work" but money, taxes. Even the much talked about "Digital Nomad" visas only apply to people who plan on an extended stay and being "resident", so that taxes can be collected.