Discover Europe’s hidden gems for mental wellness, top 10 cities revealed

• Copenhagen revealed as Europe’s best city for mental wellbeing, with fantastic air quality (81.9 out of 100) and low pollution levels (21.2)
• Denmark is also home to the happiest people, scoring 7.6 out of a possible 10
• Barcelona ranks as the number one European city to spend time outdoors in, with the highest number of walking trails (1,972) 

The demands of student life and the pressures of starting a career can be overwhelming, and having so much to juggle all at once sometimes means being left with no time to take care of your wellbeing. This can take a big toll on your mental health. 

But did you know that where you live can also have a big impact on your psychological wellbeing? The hybrid hospitality brand The Social Hub has crunched the numbers to reveal the best cities in Europe for supporting mental health, analysing metrics such as happiness scores, green space, pollution levels, and sunshine hours.

You can find the full research here: https://www.thesocialhub.co/blog/europe-best-cities-for-mental-wellbeing/

Copenhagen revealed as Europe’s best city for mental wellbeing, with the best happiness score in Europe

Home to some of the happiest people in Europe, Denmark’s capital Copenhagen ranks at the top of the list. Denmark, as a whole, scores better than any country in this list for happiness with a score of 7.6 out of a possible 10. Copenhagen is also one of the more LGBTQ+-friendly countries on this list, ranking second after Oslo for this metric with a social progress score of 90.5.

Vienna ranks as the second-best city in Europe for mental wellbeing. A monthly gym membership in Vienna costs an average of just €27.94, which is great for anyone whose favourite way to deal with stress is to exercise.

Stockholm follows closely behind Vienna in third place, with an overall happiness score of 7.4. The city also offers the third-highest number of walking trails of all cities analysed (734), and the second-best air quality (84.3). 

The table below shows the top 10 best cities in Europe for mental wellbeing.

Rank	City	Avg sunshine hours per year	Pollution index	Air Quality	Walking trails	Avg cost of gym membership (€)	LGBTQ+ acceptance	Happiness index	Prevalence of depression
1	Copenhagen	1,912	21.2	81.9	85	€38.93	90.5	7.64	3.85%
2	Vienna	1,884	16.3	83.6	163	€27.94	88.1	7.16	3.42%
3	Stockholm	1,803	18.4	84.3	734	€41.25	89.4	7.38	4.47%
4	Oslo	1,668	21.7	77.1	218	€39.77	90.7	7.37	3.51%
5	Amsterdam	1,779	27.1	74.8	62	€35.81	89.0	7.41	3.90%
6	Reykjavik	1,326	14.3	87.5	44	€58.96	89.5	7.56	3.22%
7	Bruges	1,546	21.5	82.5	17	€27.00	87.2	6.80	3.90%
8	Munich	1,644	25.0	74.6	131	€42.82	88.7	7.03	3.70%
9	Hamburg	1,644	28.4	73.1	254	€50.60	88.7	7.03	3.70%
10	Zurich	1,566	19.2	82.7	864	€87.95	90.3	7.51	4.08%

Barcelona ranks as the best European city to spend time outdoors in, with the largest amount of walking trails and high levels of sunlight

For those looking to soak up some serotonin and de-stress in nature, Barcelona tops the list as the best European city to spend time outdoors, boasting the highest number of walking trails (1,972) and 2,591 hours of sunlight per year. Despite this, the city’s overall air quality is among the worst, with a rating of just 36.2.

Following in second place for environmental factors is Lisbon, with 2,806 hours of sunshine per year, along with 715 walking trails. Seville rounds off the top three with the highest number of sunshine hours per year at 2,921.

The table below shows the top 5 cities in Europe for spending time outdoors.

Index	City	Country	Avg sunshine hours per year	Air Quality	Walking trails
1	Barcelona	Spain	2,591	36.2	1,972
2	Lisbon	Portugal	2,806	64.3	715
3	Seville	Spain	2,921	58.6	151
4	Stockholm	Sweden	1,803	84.3	734
5	Porto	Portugal	2,468	67.7	307

Lucien van Geffen, Director Community & Partnerships at The Social Hub says, “We know first-hand from our community that mental health is very important to wellbeing. Trying to find your place in a new city can be a very difficult, stressful and often lonely experience. This is why we provide lots of events where our community can come together to learn new things and get to know each other. It’s also why we have Connectors in each of our hubs, who are dedicated to helping people connect to each other and to the city they are in. Our aim is to make our spaces feel like a home away from home and where our community can develop and thrive. We’re proud of the results from our efforts, which include alumni founding mental health charities and students starting their own businesses after meeting at our city-centre hubs.”