European Capitals Quiz: 10 Questions That Test What You Know

This European capitals quiz goes beyond Paris and Rome to Bern, Ljubljana, Valletta, Tallinn and other capitals people often miss. Ten questions test what you know.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Switzerland
What is the capital of Switzerland?
Slovenia
What is the capital of Slovenia?
Malta
Which capital was built by the Knights of St. John after 1566?
Estonia
Which capital has one of the best-preserved medieval old towns on the Baltic Sea?
Portugal
Which capital lies at the mouth of the Tagus River?
Hungary
Budapest was formed in 1873 by joining Buda, Óbuda and which city?
Romania
What is the capital of Romania?
Iceland
Which is the northernmost capital of a sovereign country?
Belgium
Which capital is home to the main offices of the European Commission?
Moldova
What is the capital of Moldova?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is the capital of Switzerland?
Answer: Bern
Bern is the federal city where Switzerland's parliament meets, even though Zurich is larger and Geneva is better known abroad.
Q2: What is the capital of Slovenia?
Answer: Ljubljana
Ljubljana's symbol is a dragon, and the city's Dragon Bridge has four green dragon statues guarding its corners.
Q3: Which capital was built by the Knights of St. John after 1566?
Answer: Valletta
Valletta in Malta is one of the smallest capitals in the EU and its whole old city is a UNESCO site.
Q4: Which capital has one of the best-preserved medieval old towns on the Baltic Sea?
Answer: Tallinn
Tallinn's Old Town keeps much of its city wall and towers from the Hanseatic trading era of the Middle Ages.
Q5: Which capital lies at the mouth of the Tagus River?
Answer: Lisbon
Lisbon is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe and was largely rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1755.
Q6: Budapest was formed in 1873 by joining Buda, Óbuda and which city?
Answer: Pest
Buda and Óbuda lie on the hilly west bank of the Danube, and Pest spreads across the flat east bank.
Q7: What is the capital of Romania?
Answer: Bucharest
Bucharest is home to the Palace of the Parliament, one of the heaviest and largest administrative buildings in the world.
Q8: Which is the northernmost capital of a sovereign country?
Answer: Reykjavík
Reykjavík lies at about 64 degrees north. Its name means smoky bay, from the steam rising from hot springs.
Q9: Which capital is home to the main offices of the European Commission?
Answer: Brussels
Brussels hosts the European Commission and NATO headquarters, so it is often called the capital of Europe.
Q10: What is the capital of Moldova?
Answer: Chișinău
Chișinău is known for its many parks and for the huge underground wine cellars found nearby at Mileștii Mici and Cricova.

European Capitals Quiz – Capitals Off the Beaten Path

Europe has more than 40 capitals, and many are surprisingly small. Valletta, Vaduz and San Marino City have only a few thousand residents, while London, Moscow and Paris have millions. Some capitals, such as Bern, are not the largest city in their country.

Many European capitals grew along rivers and trade routes. The Danube links Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade, the Vltava flows through Prague and the Thames, Seine and Tiber shaped London, Paris and Rome.

Learning capitals is easier with a few anchors. Remember river cities, small capitals and places where the capital is not the largest city, such as Bern in Switzerland and The Hague's special role in the Netherlands.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz helps travelers and students learn Europe's lesser-known capitals.

Why Bern is Switzerland's capital
Which capitals the Danube connects
How Budapest was formed
Which capital is northernmost
Where the EU's main offices are

Did You Know?

Four capitals lie on the Danube: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
Vienna and Bratislava are only about 55 kilometers apart.
Vatican City is the smallest capital and country in the world.
Amsterdam is the constitutional capital of the Netherlands, but the government sits in The Hague.
Athens is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe.