Capital Cities of Europe — All 44 Countries

50 articles in Europe

Europe has 44 countries in this country-and-capital reference list. The count follows the common statistical grouping used for Europe, with countries arranged across Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe. The purpose is simple: one clean page where readers can find every European country, its capital city, and useful technical identifiers without sorting through long explanations.

Most European capitals are also the main seat of national institutions, public administration, transport links, culture, and education. A few entries need extra care. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, while The Hague hosts many national institutions. Bern is widely used as the capital of Switzerland, although Switzerland formally describes it as the federal city. The Holy See is listed with Vatican City as its capital.

Europe’s 44 Countries and Their Capital Cities

The table below lists all 44 European countries with their capital cities. It also includes the broad European subregion, ISO alpha-2 code, and UN M49 code. These technical fields are useful for geography study, country databases, map labels, educational quizzes, and structured reference pages.

Country	Capital City	European Subregion	ISO Alpha-2	M49 Code
Albania	Tirana	Southern Europe	AL	008
Andorra	Andorra la Vella	Southern Europe	AD	020
Austria	Vienna	Western Europe	AT	040
Belarus	Minsk	Eastern Europe	BY	112
Belgium	Brussels	Western Europe	BE	056
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	Southern Europe	BA	070
Bulgaria	Sofia	Eastern Europe	BG	100
Croatia	Zagreb	Southern Europe	HR	191
Czechia	Prague	Eastern Europe	CZ	203
Denmark	Copenhagen	Northern Europe	DK	208
Estonia	Tallinn	Northern Europe	EE	233
Finland	Helsinki	Northern Europe	FI	246
France	Paris	Western Europe	FR	250
Germany	Berlin	Western Europe	DE	276
Greece	Athens	Southern Europe	GR	300
Holy See	Vatican City	Southern Europe	VA	336
Hungary	Budapest	Eastern Europe	HU	348
Iceland	Reykjavík	Northern Europe	IS	352
Ireland	Dublin	Northern Europe	IE	372
Italy	Rome	Southern Europe	IT	380
Latvia	Riga	Northern Europe	LV	428
Liechtenstein	Vaduz	Western Europe	LI	438
Lithuania	Vilnius	Northern Europe	LT	440
Luxembourg	Luxembourg City	Western Europe	LU	442
Malta	Valletta	Southern Europe	MT	470
Monaco	Monaco	Western Europe	MC	492
Montenegro	Podgorica	Southern Europe	ME	499
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Western Europe	NL	528
North Macedonia	Skopje	Southern Europe	MK	807
Norway	Oslo	Northern Europe	NO	578
Poland	Warsaw	Eastern Europe	PL	616
Portugal	Lisbon	Southern Europe	PT	620
Republic of Moldova	Chișinău	Eastern Europe	MD	498
Romania	Bucharest	Eastern Europe	RO	642
Russian Federation	Moscow	Eastern Europe	RU	643
San Marino	San Marino	Southern Europe	SM	674
Serbia	Belgrade	Southern Europe	RS	688
Slovakia	Bratislava	Eastern Europe	SK	703
Slovenia	Ljubljana	Southern Europe	SI	705
Spain	Madrid	Southern Europe	ES	724
Sweden	Stockholm	Northern Europe	SE	752
Switzerland	Bern	Western Europe	CH	756
Ukraine	Kyiv	Eastern Europe	UA	804
United Kingdom	London	Northern Europe	GB	826

How To Read The Capital City List

A capital city is the city officially linked to a country’s national government, national identity, or main state institutions. In many European countries, the capital is also the largest city. Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Stockholm, and Warsaw are good examples of capitals that are also major urban centers.

Not every capital works in the same way. Some capitals are compact administrative centers. Some are old cultural cities with long civic histories. A few belong to very small countries where the capital and the country name are the same. That is why a clear table is more useful than a simple memorization list.

Country Names and Short Names

Some countries have short names and longer formal names. Czechia is widely used as the short country name, while Czech Republic is still common in education and older materials. Moldova is often written as Republic of Moldova in formal lists. Russia may appear as Russian Federation. The United Kingdom is the short form for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

For a clean capital city page, the country name should stay readable while still matching recognized country data. The table uses names that are clear for general readers and useful for geography reference.

Capital Names With Accents

Several European capital names include accents or special letters. Reykjavík, Chișinău, and Ljubljana are examples that readers may see written in slightly different ways online. Kyiv is now the common English spelling for Ukraine’s capital. Lisbon, Rome, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid rarely create spelling issues, but smaller capitals may require more care.

Using the correct spelling helps the page serve students, travelers, researchers, map users, and anyone building a country-capital dataset.

Capital City Notes That Readers Often Need

Amsterdam and The Hague

The Netherlands is one of the most common cases where readers ask for clarification. Amsterdam is the capital city. The Hague is not the listed capital, but it is home to many national institutions and official offices. For a country-capital table, Amsterdam is the correct capital entry.

Bern and Switzerland

Switzerland is another entry that needs care. Bern is widely used as the capital in country-capital lists. Switzerland often refers to Bern as the federal city. For a simple geography page, Bern is the expected answer.

Holy See and Vatican City

The Holy See appears in the 44-country Europe list. Its capital is Vatican City. Many general education lists write Vatican City as the country name, while technical country lists may use Holy See. On a capital city page, both names should be handled clearly so readers understand why the entry appears.

City-State Capitals

Europe includes several very small countries where the capital name is the same as the country name or nearly the same. Monaco has Monaco as its capital. San Marino has San Marino as its capital. Luxembourg is clearer when written as Luxembourg City, because the country and the capital share the same name in many contexts.

Countries and Capitals By European Subregion

European countries are often grouped into four broad subregions. These groups are useful for sorting capital cities, building map sections, and helping readers study the list in smaller parts.

Subregion	Countries In This List	Example Capitals
Eastern Europe	10	Minsk, Sofia, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Chișinău, Bucharest, Moscow, Bratislava, Kyiv
Northern Europe	10	Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki, Reykjavík, Dublin, Riga, Vilnius, Oslo, Stockholm, London
Southern Europe	15	Tirana, Andorra la Vella, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Athens, Vatican City, Rome, Valletta, Podgorica, Skopje, Lisbon, San Marino, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Madrid
Western Europe	9	Vienna, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Vaduz, Luxembourg City, Monaco, Amsterdam, Bern

What This 44-Country Count Does Not Include

Some Europe capital lists show more than 44 entries. The difference usually comes from scope. A longer list may include dependent territories, partially transcontinental countries, or other entries used in wider geography lessons. This page keeps the 44-country count consistent.

That means the list does not add territories such as Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Åland Islands, or Svalbard and Jan Mayen. These places may have their own local capitals or administrative centers, but they are not counted as separate countries in this 44-country table.

Some educational resources also include countries that are often discussed in a wider European geography context. When they are added, the total number changes. For readers looking for a clean “all 44 countries” answer, the table above is the safer format because every entry follows the same count.

Why Capital Cities Matter In Geography

Capital cities help readers connect a country name to a real place on the map. They also make it easier to understand time zones, transport routes, language patterns, national institutions, and regional location. A capital is not just a name to memorize. It is often the point where maps, education, public records, and travel information meet.

In Europe, capitals are especially useful because many countries are close together. Vienna and Bratislava are near each other. Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius help readers follow the Baltic region from north to south. Madrid and Lisbon make the Iberian Peninsula easier to read. Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Reykjavík give Northern Europe a clear pattern on the map.

European Capitals With Shared Or Similar Names

Several capital names can confuse readers because the country and capital look similar. Luxembourg and Luxembourg City are the main example. Monaco and San Marino also use the same name for the country and the capital. Andorra la Vella is the capital of Andorra, but the country name is only part of the city name.

Other capitals are easy to mix up because of language forms. Kyiv may appear as Kiev in older materials. Chișinău may be written without diacritics as Chisinau. Reykjavík may appear as Reykjavik when accents are removed. These forms are common in search results, but the table keeps the clearer modern spellings.

FAQ About European Capital Cities

How Many Capital Cities Are In Europe?

This list has 44 capital cities, one for each country in the 44-country Europe count. The number can change in other lists if the scope includes territories or wider regional entries.

What Is The Capital Of The Netherlands?

The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. The Hague hosts many national institutions, so both cities are often mentioned together, but Amsterdam is the capital used in country-capital lists.

What Is The Capital Of Switzerland?

Bern is the capital used in most country-capital references. Switzerland often describes Bern as its federal city, which is why some sources explain the entry more carefully.

Which European Capital Has The Same Name As Its Country?

Monaco and San Marino have capitals with the same name as the country. Luxembourg is often written as Luxembourg City to make the capital clearer.

Is Vatican City Included In The 44 European Countries?

The 44-country list includes the Holy See, with Vatican City as its capital. Many general lists use Vatican City as the familiar name for the entry.

Which European Subregion Has The Most Countries In This List?

Southern Europe has the most entries in this 44-country list, with 15 countries. Eastern Europe and Northern Europe each have 10, while Western Europe has 9.