Oslo · for newcomers, students, visitors and locals
Find a place for how you feel.
Tell us your mood, who you're with and what you can spend. HAPPY MAP shows the places in Oslo that fit, from free chess bars and language cafés to lakes, saunas and sculpture parks.
How do you feel today?
Social
Fight loneliness
Low-threshold places where coming alone is normal, and every place tells you how it is to show up solo.
Alone time
Calm counts too
Happiness isn't only about crowds. Lakes, gardens and museums are here for when you need space.
Budget
Plenty is free
Filter for free places. Oslo has more of them than most people think.
Community
Built by users
Know a good spot? Send us a tip and help the next person find it.
Suggest a place
Know a spot that makes people happier?
Tell us about a place or activity in Oslo. We check every tip before it goes on the map. The more you tell us about coming alone, the more useful it is for newcomers.
Feedback
How was HAPPY MAP for you?
Three quick questions. Your answers help us improve the site and are part of our course project.
About HAPPY MAP
A map of Oslo, sorted by feeling.
HAPPY MAP is our final project in The Science of Happiness. We wanted to make Oslo easier to explore for tourists, international students, people who have just moved here, and locals who want to try something new.
Ordinary map services show you where things are. We want to help you find what you actually feel like doing, and what could be good for you. That is why every place says how it feels to come alone, what it costs, and which parts of well-being it supports.
We especially want to help with loneliness and make it easier to become socially active. At the same time, happiness is not always about being surrounded by people. Time alone, in nature, or trying something new can be just as valuable.
Our vision: make Oslo easier to explore, help people create meaningful experiences, and build a happier and more connected community.
Our academic basis
The Five Ways to Wellbeing
Every place on the map is tagged with the ways it supports. The framework comes from the New Economics Foundation's review of well-being research for the UK Government's Foresight project.
- Connect
Relationships are one of the strongest predictors of happiness and health. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed people since 1938 and keeps finding the same thing.
- Be active
Physical activity lifts mood and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, even in small doses like a walk around a lake.
- Take notice
Time in nature and paying attention to your surroundings are linked to better well-being. One large study found benefits from about two hours a week in nature.
- Keep learning
Trying something new, like ceramics, chess or a new language, builds confidence and a sense of mastery.
- Give
Helping others makes us happier too. Sending a tip about a good place is a small way to give.