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A two segment panorama of Champ de Mars from the Eiffel Tower. In the distance is Tour Montparnasse and the dome on the left is Les Invalide
Photo: Diliff, edited by Fir0002, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

European Capitals Quiz

15 questions, one score, zero sign-ups. This European Capitals Quiz mixes easy and tricky questions, and every answer comes with a quick explanation.

15 questionsMixed (easy → hard)~3 minNo timer

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About this European Capitals quiz

This European capitals quiz tests how well you know the capital cities of Europe, from the easy ones every traveller knows to a few that catch out even seasoned quizzers. Across 15 questions you will name capitals, match them to their countries, spot the odd one out and work out which city fits a historical clue, such as a siege, a renamed city or a famous birthplace.

The questions move from Western Europe through Scandinavia and the Baltics to the Balkans, so the quiz gives a good spread of the continent rather than just the big five. It suits students revising geography, travellers planning an interrail trip and anyone who enjoys a capital city quiz on Europe with a bit of history thrown in. Every answer comes with a short explanation, so you learn why the answer is right, not just which option to click.

Try playing once cold, then again after reading the explanations to see how your score improves. Capitals can be surprisingly tricky in Europe: Switzerland's constitution does not name a capital at all, and the Netherlands keeps its government in The Hague while Amsterdam holds the title. Here is one more fact to take away: Vatican City, a whole country inside Rome, has no separate capital city at all, because the country and the city are the same place.

European Capitals questions with answers

Show answers

  1. This royal palace stands in the capital of Spain. Which city is it?

    A grand white palace facade with columns and a wide plaza in front.
    Photo: Tim Adams, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Barcelona
    • Seville
    • Madrid
    • Valencia

    Answer: Madrid. Madrid sits almost in the geographic centre of Spain and has been the capital since 1561. Barcelona is the second-largest city.

  2. This tower guards the river mouth of the capital of Portugal. Which city is it?

    A small ornate stone tower standing at the edge of a wide river.
    Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Lisbon
    • Porto
    • Coimbra
    • Faro

    Answer: Lisbon. Lisbon, on the Tagus estuary, is one of the oldest capitals in Western Europe. It was largely rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1755.

  3. This medieval old town is the capital of which country?

    Red-roofed medieval buildings and church spires of an old walled town.
    Photo: Ben Bender, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Latvia
    • Estonia
    • Lithuania
    • Finland

    Answer: Estonia. Tallinn is Estonia's capital, with a medieval Old Town on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Riga is Latvia's capital and Vilnius is Lithuania's.

  4. This domed building is the seat of the Swiss federal government. Which city is it in?

    A stately domed stone building above a green river.
    Photo: Mike Lehmann, Mike Switzerland (talk) 05:54, 14 July 2010 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Zurich
    • Geneva
    • Basel
    • Bern

    Answer: Bern. Switzerland's constitution names no capital, but Bern is the 'federal city' where the government and parliament sit. Zurich is the largest city.

  5. Canals like this run through the city the Dutch constitution names as their capital. Which city is it?

    Narrow gabled houses lining a canal with bicycles and boats.
    Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Amsterdam
    • Rotterdam
    • Utrecht
    • Leiden

    Answer: Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the constitutional capital, while The Hague hosts the government, parliament and the King's working palace.

  6. This parliament stands on the Danube in a capital formed in 1873 by uniting towns on opposite banks. Which city is it?

    A huge neo-gothic parliament with a central dome on a riverbank.
    Photo: Vsatinet, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Vienna
    • Belgrade
    • Budapest
    • Bratislava

    Answer: Budapest. Budapest was created by merging hilly Buda and Obuda on the west bank with flat Pest on the east bank of the Danube.

  7. Leaving out Rome and Vatican City, which two European capitals are closest to each other, only about 55 to 60 km apart?

    • Copenhagen and Stockholm
    • Vienna and Bratislava
    • Brussels and Amsterdam
    • Tallinn and Helsinki

    Answer: Vienna and Bratislava. Vienna and Bratislava both lie on the Danube close to the Austria-Slovakia border, so you can travel between them in about an hour.

  8. This dragon-guarded bridge is in a European capital whose symbol is a dragon. Which city is it?

    A stone bridge guarded by green dragon statues over a small river.
    Photo: Thomas Ledl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Zagreb
    • Sarajevo
    • Prague
    • Ljubljana

    Answer: Ljubljana. The dragon appears on Ljubljana's coat of arms and guards its Dragon Bridge. Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia.

  9. Which of these cities is NOT a national capital?

    • Krakow
    • Warsaw
    • Vilnius
    • Riga

    Answer: Krakow. Krakow was Poland's royal capital for centuries, but Warsaw has been the capital since around 1596. Vilnius and Riga are the capitals of Lithuania and Latvia.

  10. This church towers over the northernmost capital of a sovereign country in the world. Which city is it?

    A tall concrete church tower shaped like stepped basalt columns.
    Photo: Steinninn, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Oslo
    • Helsinki
    • Reykjavik
    • Stockholm

    Answer: Reykjavik. Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, lies at about 64 degrees north, a little over two degrees south of the Arctic Circle. Helsinki and Oslo are both near 60 degrees north.

  11. This old town sits on one of 14 islands where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea. Which Scandinavian capital is it?

    Colourful old waterfront buildings and a palace on a small island.
    Photo: Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Copenhagen
    • Oslo
    • Helsinki
    • Stockholm

    Answer: Stockholm. Stockholm, Sweden's capital, is built on 14 islands linked by more than 50 bridges, which is why it is often called the Venice of the North.

  12. This triumphal arch stands in the capital of which country, Chisinau?

    A stone triumphal arch in a city park with a wide avenue.
    Photo: Tomasz Bladyniec, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Romania
    • Moldova
    • Ukraine
    • Bulgaria

    Answer: Moldova. Chisinau is the capital of Moldova, which lies between Romania and Ukraine. Romania's capital is Bucharest.

  13. This fortified harbour city was built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565. Which EU capital is it?

    Honey-coloured fortified walls and domes rising above a harbour.
    Photo: MrPanyGoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Valletta
    • Nicosia
    • Luxembourg
    • Monaco

    Answer: Valletta. Valletta, Malta's capital, is named after Grand Master Jean de Valette. The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe's smallest capitals.

  14. Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in the capital where this old bridge stands. Which city is it?

    An old arched stone bridge over a river in a city centre.
    Photo: Делфина, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Tirana
    • Skopje
    • Pristina
    • Sofia

    Answer: Skopje. Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, now the capital of North Macedonia. The city has a memorial house in her honour.

  15. This bridge is in the capital that was called Titograd from 1946 to 1992. Which city is it?

    A modern cable-stayed bridge with a tall pylon over a river.
    Photo: Avi1111 dr. avishai teicher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    • Belgrade
    • Sarajevo
    • Podgorica
    • Zagreb

    Answer: Podgorica. Podgorica, now the capital of Montenegro, was renamed Titograd after the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito and took back its old name in 1992.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find European capitals questions with answers?

This page has 15 European capitals questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz to see each answer as you go, or scroll down to the answer key, which lists every question and the correct answer.

How many questions are in this European capitals quiz?

There are 15 multiple-choice questions with four options each. They range from easy picks like Madrid and Lisbon to harder ones on Balkan and Baltic capitals. It takes only a few minutes to play.

Can I play the European capitals quiz online for free without signing up?

Yes. The quiz is free to play online with no sign-up or login. You get your score instantly at the end and can share it to challenge friends to a capital quiz on Europe.

How many capital cities are there in Europe?

It depends on where you draw Europe's borders, but there are roughly 44 to 50 sovereign states in Europe, each with a capital. Some countries, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands, have unusual arrangements where the official capital and the seat of government differ or are not formally named.