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Most Guessed Cities in Europe - Not Capitals

Name the most well-known European urban areas that are not the capital of their country.
Based on JetPunk stats from this quiz, January 2023
One city is partially in Asia
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: January 21, 2023
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First submittedOctober 26, 2017
Times taken74,859
Average score70.0%
Rating4.85
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%
City
93
Barcelona
89
Manchester
89
Milan
88
Istanbul
88
Saint Petersburg
87
Munich
82
Edinburgh
%
City
81
Glasgow
81
Liverpool
81
Naples
80
Hamburg
79
Marseille
79
Rotterdam / The Hague
78
Frankfurt
%
City
78
Lyon
77
Venice
76
Birmingham
76
Zürich
74
Porto
73
Cologne / Düsseldorf
106 Comments
+7
Level 59
Oct 26, 2017
Could you please accept the names of the cities in their native language ? Den Haag for The Hague, Coln for Cologne, Munchen for Munich ? Thanks
+23
Level ∞
Oct 26, 2017
Koln would have worked. Munchen would have worked.
+6
Level 45
Jan 11, 2021
You should do one for Asia, and Africa
+2
Level 77
Dec 12, 2023
+7
Level 72
Aug 8, 2019
's Gravenhage? ;)
+9
Level 60
Sep 14, 2020
Embra and Glesga as well?
+3
Level 35
Jan 19, 2021
who tf says embra? I'm from the west of Scotland, I've only ever heard "Edinbruh." Americans say "Edinburo"
+5
Level 82
Oct 15, 2022
We do?
+1
Level 72
Feb 12, 2023
You’ve confused accent with language. Edinburgh in Scottish Gaelic is Dun Èidann, and some people call it ‘Auld Reekie’ in Scots. Either way, it’s very much the capital of its country. But by all means, try to tell any Scot otherwise to their face! Lol
+6
Level 96
Dec 4, 2020
One may argue that The Hague is actually the capital of the Netherlands.
+53
Level 83
Jan 5, 2021
One may, but one would be wrong.
+5
Level 74
Jan 5, 2021
If you define "capital" as "seat of government", you'd be absolutely right. Every function of the Dutch government is located in The Hague.
+4
Level 66
Jan 11, 2022
Yes, but the final say in where a nation's capital is goes to the nation itself.
+6
Level 75
Oct 26, 2017
It took me an embarrassingly long time to remember the non-English cities in the UK.
+4
Level 66
Oct 26, 2017
Why do more people remember Manchester than Birmingham.
+58
Level 76
Oct 26, 2017
Football
+10
Level 60
Feb 15, 2018
Soccer
+9
Level 57
Nov 6, 2020
Footsoc
+11
Level 79
Jan 6, 2021
Sockball!
+5
Level 46
Jan 6, 2021
Baller
+1
Level 89
Feb 12, 2023
Epcot ball
+27
Level 69
Nov 4, 2017
Actually, Manchester is usually reported as the second most important city of the UK, and lots of people think it's also the second largest by population. Sports, music, arts, economy, industry, university... Manchester is by far more famous and relevant abroad than Birmingham.
+2
Level 48
Feb 10, 2018
In football terms, yes, in all things that is rubbish, universities, arts, music, industry etc, but we have the media to blame for those opinions!
+3
Level 38
Feb 15, 2018
Birmingham has a higher population than Manchester
+3
Level 43
Jun 4, 2020
Yes manchester urban area is bigger than Birmingham's
+5
Level 60
Jan 5, 2021
Manchester is smaller in population than Birmingham because of the way Greater Manchester is split out between is different boroughs. In the same way, you wouldn't say Birmingham is bigger than London but if you look at the London Boroughs in the same way you would Manchester's, it would be true. Plus, lets not overlook the fact that Birmingham is a crap city.
+3
Level 91
Feb 10, 2018
Recent terrorist attacks might also help jog someone's memory.
+9
Level 86
Feb 11, 2018
Whyshould more people remember Birmingham than Manchester? As a Turkish person I know that Birmingham's population is bigger than Manchester but Manchester is by far more popular anywhere around Europe(and probably world). Manchester is the birthplace of İndustrial Revolution, It has two of the most popular teams in Premier League and generally people hears it more than Birmingham
+6
Level 47
Feb 12, 2018
Actually, Ironbridge or more specifically Coalbrookdale in Shropshire is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
+2
Level 76
Dec 4, 2020
There's a huge concentration at the top of this list of cities with prominent football clubs.
+1
Level 84
Aug 16, 2024
More prominent football clubs tend to come from wealthier, more important cities in the first place. Don't confuse the cause and effect here.
+3
Level 67
Jan 5, 2021
What memorable comes from Birmingham?
+3
Level 75
Jan 5, 2021
Dexys Midnight Runners?
+1
Level 52
Jan 5, 2021
The English Beat
+5
Level 89
Jan 6, 2021
Ozzy but he can't remember it.
+4
Level 40
Feb 11, 2018
Accept Koeln and Muenchen for Köln and München?
+2
Level 90
Feb 12, 2018
Why? If anything it should be accepted in English and German which it is. Maybe if someone misspelled something but you're making up words now
+15
Level 58
Feb 12, 2018
Koeln and Muenchen ARE the names in German!
+13
Level 91
Feb 12, 2018
They are the Anglicized versions of the German name used by Germans speakers using an English keyboard. No German with an German keyboard would spell it ue. Though purely speculation I would imagine that most German speakers under the age of 40 would write it without the e on an English keyboard anyway.
+6
Level 68
Mar 16, 2018
I agree. As a german, I never used Koeln or Muenchen. On Jetpunk, I usually use u instead of ü and so on.
+1
Level 57
Nov 6, 2020
Actually on a recent trip to Berlin I saw the "ue"/"oe"/"ae" spelling quite a few times. (I couldn't work out why.)
+5
Level 74
Dec 4, 2020
Using ue/ae/oe is an older way of writing and now standard way to subsidize umlaute.

The reason for that is, that i.e. U and Ü are pronounced very differently and often change a word entirely. So the added e makes sure that the reader knows, that there shall be umlaute.

In standard German, Koln and Munchen would be considered incorrect. Of course, that doesn't really matter on Jetpunkt.

+10
Level 43
Feb 17, 2018
Where is Florence :O
+18
Level 62
Jul 22, 2018
Florence just missed the cut. The next cities are Florence, Turin, Seville and Nice
+2
Level 43
Mar 12, 2018
IS TURKEY PART OF EUROPE???
+7
Level 68
Mar 16, 2018
Qoute: One city is partially in Asia
+5
Level 72
Aug 3, 2019
It's a transcontinental country.
+10
Level 78
Jun 20, 2019
Birmingham is also called Birmingstan.
+8
Level 79
Jan 6, 2021
Why not Birmingabad? 😁
+1
Level 34
Sep 24, 2019
Belfast is a capital.... Northern Ireland
+9
Level 58
Oct 18, 2019
Northern Ireland is included in the country of The United Kingdom / UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The single capital of The UK is London, and not Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast.
+5
Level 69
Jan 5, 2021
Most of these cities are the capital of something, just not of independant countries.
+1
Level 26
Jun 25, 2021
uk isnt a country but scotland wales and england are so edinbrugh shouldnt be there and northern ireland isnt a country its more of a region so belfast could count...
+2
Level 89
Feb 12, 2023
Can an ambassador from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, or England itself negotiate treaties with foreign countries that go against U.K. agreements? What can those "countries" actually do independently on the international stage besides play a football match?
+8
Level 65
Feb 27, 2020
bUt BaRCeLoNa iS tHe CaPiTaL oF CaTaLoNia....
+2
Level 69
Sep 17, 2020
No.
+9
Level 79
Jan 5, 2021
It is the capital of Catalonia, however it is not a sovereign country.
+2
Level 69
Sep 17, 2020
Extremely surprised by the lack of St. Petersburg.
+7
Level 47
Oct 5, 2020
It's there on #3
+7
Level 85
Dec 3, 2020
Dortmund, Essen, and Duisburg, will continue to be infrequently guessed if we keep hiding them behind that blasted Ruhrgebiet moniker.
+5
Level 76
Dec 3, 2020
Surprised Geneva isn't here
+10
Level 89
Dec 3, 2020
I'm quite surprised Porto is more guessed than famed cultural cities like Florence, Krakow, Belfast, Dresden, etc. Maybe Porto appears on more quizzes as a second city and for population size...
+1
Level 67
Jul 24, 2022
I've no idea why but it's the first city that popped into my head
+2
Level 65
Dec 5, 2020
Istanbul.. in Europe.. seriously?

Thanks!

+3
Level 78
Dec 16, 2020
According to the Istanbul Wikipedia page:

"Istanbul, formerly Byzantium and Constantinople, is the largest city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural and historic center. The city straddles the Bosphorus, and lies in both Europe and Asia, with a population of over 15 million residents."

+7
Level 77
Jan 5, 2021
Half of Istanbul is in Europe. When I lived there, I slept in Asia and studied in Europe.
+1
Level 34
Dec 26, 2020
I got them all and only got one "strike" in the process...Antwerp.
+2
Level 53
Jan 5, 2021
Got 20/20. But with a few more strikes: Belfast, Amsterdam (out of curiosity), Antwerp, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Nice, Valencia, Sevilla, Geneva, Stuttgart, Ruhr, Dresden, Krakow... and then it hit me. Venice! :)
+1
Level 79
Jan 5, 2021
Aaarrgghhh... Just missed Istanbul. I initially thought of Turkey, but remembered JetPunk considers it to be an Asian country, so I just ignored the whole country!
+2
Level 75
Jan 5, 2021
Read the caveats - they practically give it to you!
+1
Level 79
Jan 8, 2021
Arrgghhh
+1
Level 54
Jan 5, 2021
Omg I actually got all of them
+4
Level 77
Jan 5, 2021
The Hague? Should have separated it from Rotterdam.
+2
Level 48
Jan 5, 2021
No Zurich/ Florence..surprising
+2
Level ∞
Jan 21, 2023
Zurich is there
+2
Level 56
Jan 5, 2021
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland?
+9
Level 69
Jan 5, 2021
But Scotland isn't independent yet
+3
Level 57
Jan 5, 2021
...Still, it is considered a "country", and Edinburgh is its capital.
+9
Level 60
Jan 5, 2021
Country as in the British equivalent of state so no.
+2
Level 44
Feb 12, 2023
Country in having its own laws, its own education system, its own tax rates, its own health service etc. It shares quite a lot with English as part of the United Kingdom. The clue is in the name, United not integrated.
+4
Level 89
Feb 12, 2023
By that logic, there are over 100 countries in Mexico, the United (not Integrated) States, and Canada.
+2
Level 61
Apr 6, 2023
yes like how sacramento is the capital of california, or Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang. They dont have to be independant to have capitals.
+2
Level 50
Jan 5, 2021
I tried Bremen, Hannover, Dresden and Leipzig but totally forgot Hamburg *facepalm*
+2
Level 57
Jan 5, 2021
missed zurich and edinburgh, guess porto out of curiousity
+3
Level 33
Jan 7, 2021
Re Edinburgh, the quiz clearly states 'country' and not state, so the argument doesn't stand, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is a country, one of 4.
+2
Level 51
Jul 25, 2024
And Bavaria is a "State" of Germany. In German you sometimes even call the states "Land", which literally means country, yet no one would ever call Bavaria a country.

What you are missing is that Bavaria is a FEDERAL State and Scotland is a CONSTITUENT country. Very different from independent countries. Scotland is it's own Nation though

+2
Level 58
Jan 7, 2021
When you guess Thessaloniki before the second biggest city in Europe.

Sorry, Istanbul. Only one I missed

+1
Level 26
Jun 25, 2021
edinburgh is the capital of scotland... how is it in this list
+7
Level 42
Aug 26, 2021
Scotland isn't independent from the UK
+3
Level 72
Feb 12, 2023
Wow, it’s difficult for people to get anomalies, ain’t it. It’s just a quirk of history/politics and culture that the UK is one sovereign nation, made up of four countries. In the same way as every other country has a capital city, but South Africa has 3, or that France’s overseas territories are integral parts of the French Republic, so the UK just happens to have its own, very bizarre (and interesting) constitutional structure. We don’t need everything in the world to conform to a strict regime of standards and definitions, quirks are what make things interesting.
+1
Level 66
Sep 13, 2023
Still isn't considered a country on this website.
+2
Level 37
Dec 4, 2021
Why is The Hague not separated from Rotterdam? As far as I know they're completely different cities.
+4
Level 76
Jul 13, 2022
Can you accept Shamadopopoupolis for Glasgow? That's just how I say and spell it.
+2
Level 66
Sep 13, 2023
You have created a word that is nowhere on the internet other than on this quiz. Good job.
+1
Level 27
Feb 12, 2023
edinburgh is the capital of scotland
+3
Level 63
Feb 12, 2023
And Scotland is not an independent country.
+2
Level 47
Feb 12, 2023
Rotterdam and The Hague are different cities...
+2
Level 65
Feb 12, 2023
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland
+4
Level 58
Feb 13, 2023
Scotland isn't independent of the UK.
+2
Level 61
Jul 27, 2023
i know. they also put Rotterdam and Hague as the same city. LOL
+1
Level 59
Feb 17, 2023
Shouldn't Rotterdam and The Hague be separate?
+3
Level 45
Aug 11, 2023
Agree with some of the comments above. Whilst I realise the London is the capital of the UK, Scotland is still a country and Edinburgh is still its capital city.
+2
Level 66
Sep 22, 2023
Scotland is not a country
+1
Level 77
Dec 12, 2023
Made a version for Africa Click here
+1
Level 74
Feb 23, 2024
Forgot Barcelona…
+1
Level 23
Aug 31, 2024
Mate edinburgh is the capital