Match Every European Country to Its Capital
Bern or Zurich? Amsterdam or The Hague? The globe lights up a country, you click its capital. Free, browser-based, no signup.
Play nowA French traveller arriving in Bern for the first time is often surprised. The city is small, low-rise, and quiet, with arcaded streets and a slow river bend. It does not feel like the capital of one of Europe's wealthiest economies — but it is. Zurich, the obvious guess, is only the largest city. The Netherlands plays the same trick: Amsterdam is constitutionally the capital, while the government and most embassies sit in The Hague. This quiz highlights one European country at a time on the 3D globe and asks you to click its capital from a short list. Expect Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, Athens, and Warsaw early, then smaller answers like Vaduz, Valletta, and Podgorica.
The 45 countries — Europe
Albania
Tirana
Andorra
Andorra la Vella
Austria
Vienna
Belarus
Minsk
Belgium
Brussels
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo
Bulgaria
Sofia
Croatia
Zagreb
Czech Republic
Prague
Denmark
Copenhagen
Estonia
Tallinn
Finland
Helsinki
France
Paris
Germany
Berlin
Greece
Athens
Hungary
Budapest
Iceland
Reykjavik
Italy
Rome
Latvia
Riga
Liechtenstein
Vaduz
Lithuania
Vilnius
Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Malta
Valletta
Moldova
Chișinău
Monaco
Monaco
Montenegro
Podgorica
Netherlands
Amsterdam
North Macedonia
Skopje
Norway
Oslo
Poland
Warsaw
Portugal
Lisbon
Republic of Ireland
Dublin
Republic of Kosovo
Pristina
Romania
Bucharest
Russia
Moscow
San Marino
City of San Marino
Serbia
Belgrade
Slovakia
Bratislava
Slovenia
Ljubljana
Spain
Madrid
Sweden
Stockholm
Switzerland
Bern
Ukraine
Kyiv
United Kingdom
London
Vatican City
Vatican City
Tips to play better
The Bern–Zurich rule
Switzerland's capital is Bern, not Zurich and not Geneva. Bern was chosen in 1848 as a federal compromise between French-speaking and German-speaking regions. Zurich is the financial centre, Geneva the diplomatic one. Bern stays small on purpose, and the shortlist will offer you the bigger names as bait.
Amsterdam and The Hague
Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands per the constitution. The seat of government, the Supreme Court, and the royal residence are all in The Hague. The quiz uses Amsterdam as the primary answer because that is the constitutional reference, but both are valid in everyday use.
Six micro-state capitals
Vaduz for Liechtenstein, Monaco for Monaco, Andorra la Vella for Andorra, San Marino for San Marino, Vatican City for Vatican City, Valletta for Malta. Three of these capitals share their name exactly with the country, plus Andorra la Vella which echoes Andorra: a useful trick when in doubt with a tiny European state.
Balkan capitals run south
Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina, Skopje, Tirana — eight capitals stacked roughly north to south through the western Balkans. Add Athens at the bottom and Sofia and Bucharest to the east. Once you can list them in order, no shortlist surprises you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Istanbul the capital of Turkey?
No. Ankara has been the capital since 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk relocated it from Istanbul to symbolise the new republic. Istanbul remains the largest city and the historic centre but holds no political role. The quiz uses Ankara, and Istanbul is one of the deliberate trap options.
Why is Vatican City both a country and a capital?
Vatican City is a sovereign state with an area of 0.49 square kilometres, the smallest in the world. Because the entire territory is the city, the country and the capital are the same. The quiz lists Vatican City as the answer for itself; there is no separate capital.
Does Kosovo count?
Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and is recognised by about half of UN members. The quiz includes it because the territory has functioning institutions and a clear capital, Pristina. If you use a UN-only list at home, simply skip the Kosovo round.
What changed about Kyiv versus Kiev?
Kyiv is the romanisation from Ukrainian, Kiev from Russian. Most international media moved to Kyiv after 2019, and the change accelerated after 2022. The quiz uses Kyiv as the primary answer for Ukraine, but Kiev is still recognised as the older spelling of the same city.
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