Oslo’s waterfront has never been hotter and locals are literally sweating the details. The city’s floating-sauna scene keeps expanding, now with universal access baked in. Trosten, the aluminum-and-terrazzo showpiece moored in Bjørvika, set a new bar for inclusive design and put Oslo’s year-round fjord dips on the global map. The city’s active lifestyle and low-emission habits underpin its high rank for Health (#17), while a nearly six-mile harbor promenade, pocket parks and quick escapes into the forested Marka sustain Oslo’s standout Green Space (#16) and Walkability (#19) credentials.
Transit is the 2025 headline. To stitch the new Fornebubanen into the network, Oslo is executing its biggest metro works in 60 years: summer closures and a rebuilt Majorstuen hub will unlock a 4.8-mile line later this decade. The payoff is massive: faster commutes, new jobs and a surge of mixed-use development at Fornebu, all aligning with the city’s coveted workforce and bike-first mobility push.
Culture also matters here, with the MUNCH and National Museum keeping the exhibition calendar packed through 2026 and the reimagined Museum of the Viking Age reopening in 2027.