🇧🇪 Brussels vs 🇳🇴 Oslo

Brussels sits in a broad valley carved by the Senne river, with the city climbing from the low-lying lower town (~15m elevation) to the upper town and surrounding plateaus (~100m). This topographic split creates distinct microclimates: the lower town is prone to fog, temperature inversions, and trapped humidity, while the higher southeastern districts enjoy better ventilation and slightly cooler summers. The city's extensive parks and forested edges — particularly the Sonian Forest to the southeast — provide significant cooling corridors, but the dense 19th-century urban core generates a pronounced heat island effect.

Humid continental — cold snowy winters, warm short summers, sheltered fjord location

Oslo benefits from its position at the head of the Oslofjord, which moderates temperatures compared to Norway's exposed coastline. Summers are genuinely warm and long-daylit; winters are cold and snowy with some of Scandinavia's best skiing on the doorstep.