Europe is a continent full of history, culture, breathtaking landscapes, and quirky traditions. Whether you’ve traveled extensively through its cobbled streets and ancient castles or you’re just starting to explore it through books, films, or dreams, there’s always something new to discover.
And what better way to dive into Europe’s fascinating treasures than with a fun trivia game? Trivia questions are not only a great way to test your knowledge but also perfect for family game nights, classroom activities, road trips, or even as a way to prepare for your next big European adventure.
In this article, we’ve collected up to 175 Europe travel trivia questions, carefully grouped into categories so you can play by theme. Some are easy and familiar, while others will challenge even the most seasoned traveler with unusual facts and hidden gems. The last section is for experts All the questions and answers are fact-checked.
Did you know there’s a village called Hell, or that in another country you can spot a sunken church tower rising from the middle of a lake? Europe is also home to a museum dedicated entirely to failed relationships, a centuries-old amusement park that predates Disneyland, and even a church decorated with thousands of human bones. Oh, and one country chose the unicorn as its national animal. From castles and champagne to volcanic eruptions and quirky traditions, these trivia questions will take you far beyond the usual guidebook highlights.
Grab a notebook, keep score with your friends or family, and see how many you can get right – let’s go on a trivia journey across Europe! Check out my other trivia challenge: 75 Superlative Travel Trivia Questions.
If you’re looking for the ultimate collection of Europe travel trivia questions and answers – from easy and fun to tricky and little-known facts – this is the quiz for you.
Popular Destinations
1. Which Italian city is famous for its canals and gondolas?
Answer: Venice
2. Which European capital is home to the Eiffel Tower?
Answer: Paris, France
3. What Spanish city is famous for Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia?
Answer: Barcelona
4. In which city would you find the Anne Frank House?
Answer: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
5. What nickname is given to Bruges because of its canals?
Answer: The Venice of the North
6. Which Eastern European capital is known as the “Little Paris of the East”?
Answer: Bucharest, Romania
7. Which city is home to the Acropolis and Parthenon?
Answer: Athens, Greece
8. Which UK city is famous for its Roman baths and Georgian architecture?
Answer: Bath, England
9. Which German city is home to Oktoberfest?
Answer: Munich
Munich – Oktoberfest
10. What Portuguese city is known for its colorful tiled buildings and port wine?
Answer: Porto
11. Which Scandinavian capital is built on 14 islands and connected by more than 50 bridges?
Answer: Stockholm, Sweden
12. What Swiss city hosts the headquarters of the Red Cross?
Answer: Geneva
13. Which French city is known as the “Capital of Champagne”?
Answer: Reims
14. What Croatian city’s Old Town was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones’ King’s Landing?
Answer: Dubrovnik
15. Which Russian city is nicknamed the “Venice of the North” because of its canals?
Answer: Saint Petersburg
16. Which city is home to the Trevi Fountain, where visitors toss coins for good luck?
Answer: Rome, Italy
17. Which European city’s main square is called the Grand Place or Grote Markt?
Answer: Brussels, Belgium
18. What is the most visited museum in the United Kingdom?
Answer: The British Museum, London
19. Which Eastern European capital is home to Heroes’ Square and the Parliament Building, one of the largest in the world?
Answer: Budapest, Hungary
20. Which Nordic city is famous for its harbor-side statue of The Little Mermaid?
Answer: Copenhagen, Denmark
Historical Facts
21. Which European country was the birthplace of democracy?
Answer: Greece
22. In which European city did the 1815 Congress take place that reshaped the continent after the Napoleonic Wars?
Answer: Vienna, Austria
23. Which European wall fell in 1989, symbolizing the end of the Cold War?
Answer: The Berlin Wall, Germany
24. Who was the famous queen of France executed during the French Revolution?
Answer: Marie Antoinette
25. Which European royal family ruled for over 600 years until being overthrown in 1918, ending one of the continent’s longest dynasties?
Answer: The Habsburgs of Austria-Hungary
26. Which city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD?
Answer: Pompeii, Italy
27. What was the name of the Viking explorer believed to have reached North America around the year 1000?
Answer: Leif Erikson
28. Which 16th-century Spanish monarch was also the Holy Roman Emperor, ruling over an empire where the sun famously “never set”?
Answer: Charles V (also known as Charles I of Spain)
29. Which European capital was devastated by the Great Fire of 1666?
Answer: London, United Kingdom
30. Which French leader crowned himself Emperor in 1804?
Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte
31. Which European city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
Answer: Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey)
32. What year did the Euro currency officially launch?
Answer: 1999 (banking); 2002 (cash and coins)
33. Which 15th-century invention by Johannes Gutenberg in Europe revolutionized the spread of knowledge?
Answer: The printing press
34. Which treaty, signed in 1648, ended the Thirty Years’ War and is considered a foundational moment in modern international diplomacy?
Answer: The Treaty of Westphalia
35. Which castle in Romania is often linked to the Dracula legend, although historically inaccurate?
Answer: Bran Castle
Bran Castle, Romania
36. Which European country was divided into East and West until 1990?
Answer: Germany
37. Which Viking-founded city became a European capital?
Answer: Dublin
38. Which European country granted women the right to vote in national elections first, in 1906?
Answer: Finland (Finland was the first to establish universal suffrage for both men and women, and also the first to allow women to run for office.)
39. Which European capital was destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755?
Answer: Lisbon, Portugal
40. In which country did the Industrial Revolution begin?
Answer: England (United Kingdom)
Superlatives
41. Which European country has the longest national anthem by lyrics?
Answer: Greece (158 verses – “Hymn to Liberty”)
42. What is the smallest independent country in Europe (and the world)?
Answer: Vatican City
Vatican
43. What is the tallest mountain in Europe?
Answer: Mount Elbrus, Russia (5642m)
44. Which European country has the longest coastline?
Answer: Norway (100,915 km, 2011 recalculation)
45. Which European airport is located at the highest altitude above sea level?
Answer: Courchevel Altiport, France (2,008 meters / 6,588 feet)
46. Which is the tallest waterfall in Europe?
Answer: Vinnufossen, Norway (860 meters)
47. Which European country has the highest capital city above sea level?
Answer: Andorra (Andorra la Vella, at around 1,023 meters)
48. Which European country has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
Answer: Italy
49. What is the busiest airport in Europe?
Answer: London Heathrow Airport
50. Which European train is considered the fastest, reaching speeds of up to 320 km/h (199 mph)?
Answer: The French TGV
51. Which European stadium is the largest by capacity?
Answer: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
52. What is the deepest lake in Europe?
Answer: Lake Hornindalsvatnet in Norway (People usually say Lake Baikal, Russia, but that is in Siberia, which is Asia)
53. Which European city has the most bridges within its city limits?
Answer: Hamburg, Germany (over 2,500 bridges – more than Venice and Amsterdam combined)
54. Which European country has the highest percentage of land covered by forests?
Answer: Finland (approximately 73% forest coverage)
55. Which European country has the most islands?
Answer: Sweden (over 260,000 islands)
56. Which European city has the oldest still-operational stock exchange building?
Answer: Amsterdam, Netherlands (founded in 1602)
57. What is the oldest zoo in Europe, founded in 1752?
Answer: Schönbrunn Zoo, Vienna, Austria
58. Which country has the highest number of castles per square kilometer in the world?
Answer: Wales
Conwy Castle
59. Which European country is home to the oldest glacier cave
Answer: Romania: Scărișoara Cave, which contains the continent’s largest underground glacier(Yeah, I wanted to include something from my country too – apart from the famous Bran Castle)
60. What is the largest active volcano in Europe by area?
Answer: Mount Etna, Italy
Bonus Question: What is the northernmost capital city in continental Europe?
Answer: Helsinki, Finland
Oldest…
61. What is the oldest university in Europe still in operation?
Answer: University of Bologna, Italy (1088)
62. What is the oldest parliament in Europe?
Answer: Iceland’s Althing (930 AD)
63. Which European city has the oldest metro system?
Answer: London (opened in 1863)
64. What is the oldest amusement park in Europe, operating since 1583?
Answer: Dyrehavsbakken, commonly known as Bakken, Denmark
65. What is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe?
Answer: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
66. Which European country is home to the oldest operating brewery?
Answer: Germany (Weihenstephan Brewery, founded 1040)
67. What is the oldest castle still inhabited in Europe?
Answer: Windsor Castle, United Kingdom
68. What is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Europe and the world still in use?
Answer: Tower of Hercules, A Coruña, Spain (Roman origin, 2nd century AD)
69. What is the oldest botanical garden in Europe?
Answer: Orto Botanico di Padova, Italy (The Botanical Garden of Padua) (1545)
70. Which European country has the oldest national flag still in use?
Answer: Denmark (the Dannebrog, adopted in 1219)
71. What is the oldest museum in Europe?
Answer: The Capitoline Museum in Rome, Italy (1471)
72. Which is the oldest working clock in the world, built in 1386?
Answer: Salisbury Cathedral Clock, England (1386)
73. What is the oldest public theater in Europe still operating?
Answer: Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy (1585). The theater is still used for performances, although on a limited basis to preserve the structure. However, Hvar Public Theatre (Hvar, Croatia), established in 1612, is widely considered the first public theater in Europe.
74. Where is Europe’s oldest underwater restaurant located?
Answer: Lindesnes, Norway (it is called Under). Opened in 2019, it is new, but it is the only one, so it is also the oldest
75. Where is the oldest purpose-built opera house in Europe still in use?
Answer: Naples, Italy (Teatro di San Carlo, opened in 1737)
Quirky & Fun
76. Which European country has a village named “Hell”?
Answer: Norway
77. In which city does the annual La Tomatina tomato fight take place?
Answer: Buñol, Spain
78. Which European country celebrates Krampus, a horned creature who punishes naughty children at Christmas?
Answer: Austria. (Krampus is celebrated in other parts of other countries: the Alpine regions of Germany (especially Bavaria), and in parts of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, and Northern Italy.)
79. Where in Europe can you visit a library with chained books still attached to the shelves?
Answer: Hereford, England (Hereford Cathedral Chained Library). Another one? The Librije Chained Library at St. Walburga’s Church in Zutphen, Netherlands.
80. In which country is it common to throw furniture out the window on New Year’s Eve as a tradition?
Answer: Italy (especially in Naples)
81. Which European city has a “Dog Collar Museum”?
Answer: Leeds Castle in Kent, England, near Maidstone.
82. In which country is cheese rolling down a hill a famous annual tradition?
Answer: England (Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester)
83. Which European country has a tradition of celebrating Christmas with a pooping log character called “Caga Tió”?
Answer: Spain (Catalonia region)
Photo 239763987 | Caga Tio © Xavier Hidalgo Vitales | Dreamstime.com
84. Where in Europe would you find a museum dedicated entirely to failed relationships?
Answer: Zagreb, Croatia (Museum of Broken Relationships)
85. Which European country has a church decorated with human bones?
Answer: Czech Republic (Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora)
86. Where in Europe can you sleep in a crane converted into a luxury hotel room?
Answer: Amsterdam, Netherlands (Faralda Crane Hotel)
87. Where in Europe can you visit an entire underground salt cathedral?
Answer: Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Krakow, Poland
88. Which European country hosts an annual wife-carrying championship?
Answer: Finland
89. Where in Europe can you eat dinner suspended in the air by a crane?
Answer: Brussels, Belgium (Dinner in the Sky)
90. Which European country has a traditional dish made of fermented shark, considered a delicacy?
Answer: Iceland (Hákarl)
91. Which European country is famous for cuckoo clocks?
Answer: Germany (Black Forest region)
92. Where in Europe can you visit a museum dedicated entirely to microbes and bacteria?
Answer: Amsterdam, Netherlands (ARTIS-Micropia Museum)
93. Which European country has the unicorn as its national animal?
Answer: Scotland
Royal Scotland Horse. Bas Relief of Unicorn the symbol of Royal Emblem of Scotland, near the Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland
ID 27728310 ©Andrea La Corte | Dreamstime.com
94. In which country can you find Lake Reschensee, with a submerged bell tower sticking out of the water?
Answer: Italy (South Tyrol)
95. Which city has a public park where parrots live freely in flocks?
Answer: Barcelona, Spain
Lesser Known
96. Which European microstate has no airport and is only accessible through Italy?
Answer: San Marino
97. Which small country between France and Spain is famous for skiing and low taxes?
Answer: Andorra
98. Which Baltic country is known for its Hill of Crosses pilgrimage site?
Answer: Lithuania
99. What tiny European country has a prince who still rules today and is one of the richest monarchs in the world?
Answer: Liechtenstein
100. Which Portuguese island is nicknamed the “Island of Eternal Spring”?
Answer: Madeira
101. In which Balkan country can you visit the Tara River Canyon, one of the deepest in the world?
Answer: Montenegro
102. Which European country has the Curonian Spit, a unique sand-dune UNESCO site?
Answer: Lithuania (the southern part is in the Russian Federation)
103. Which country is home to Meteora, monasteries built on giant rock formations?
Answer: Greece
104. What is the only European country with no official capital city?
Answer: Switzerland (Bern is the de facto capital, but not constitutionally declared)
105. Which European country has more sheep than people?
Answer: Iceland
106. Which country has a natural stone bridge called the Devil’s Bridge, famous for its perfect circular reflection?
Answer: Germany (Rakotzbrücke)
107. Which tiny European nation has the world’s only co-princes as heads of state?
Answer: Andorra
108. Which European country has the Rila Monastery, a UNESCO site hidden in the mountains?
Answer: Bulgaria
109. Which Balkan capital has a mix of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Yugoslav architecture all in one place?
Answer: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
110. Which small European island nation has prehistoric temples older than the pyramids of Egypt?
Answer: Malta (Ġgantija Temples)
Food & Drink
111. Which country invented pizza?
Answer: Italy
112. What is the national dish of Scotland made from sheep’s organs?
Answer: Haggis
113. Which country is famous for goulash?
Answer: Hungary
114. Which Balkan country is known for ajvar, a spread made from roasted red peppers and eggplant?
Answer: Serbia
115. Which country is famous for tapas?
Answer: Spain
116. What strong-smelling fish is a Swedish delicacy eaten from a can?
Answer: Surströmming
117. Which European country is known for fondue?
Answer: Switzerland
118. What country produces feta cheese?
Answer: Greece
119. Which country invented croissants?
Answer: Austria
120. Which country is famous for Guinness beer?
Answer: Ireland
121. Which Alpine country is famous for its apple strudel?
Answer: Austria (Apfelstrudel)
122. Which country produces Tokaji wine, famously called “the wine of kings, the king of wines”?
Answer: Hungary
123. Which European country is famous for rye bread as a staple?
Answer: Latvia
124. Which Mediterranean country is known for moussaka?
Answer: Greece
125. Which European country is home to Becherovka, a unique herbal liqueur?
Answer: Czech Republic
Natural Wonders
126. Which European country has the geothermal Blue Lagoon spa?
Answer: Iceland
127. Which country is home to the Plitvice Lakes National Park?
Answer: Croatia
128, Which European country is home to the Błędów Desert, one of the only deserts in Central Europe?
Answer: Poland
129. Which European country is home to the Giant’s Causeway?
Answer: Northern Ireland (UK)
130. Which mountain range separates France and Spain?
Answer: The Pyrenees
131. Which volcano in Italy is the only active volcano on mainland Europe?
Answer: Mount Vesuvius
132. Which country has the Lofoten Islands, known for dramatic peaks and Northern Lights?
Answer: Norway
133. What European mountain range stretches across 8 countries?
Answer: The Alps
134. Which European lake is the largest Alpine lake?
Answer: Lake Geneva (between Switzerland and France) also known as Lac Léma
135. Where can you visit the Skaftafell Glacier and ice caves?
Answer: Iceland
The Dolomites
136. Which European country is home to the Dolomites mountain range?
Answer: Italy
137. What unique pink lake can be visited in Spain?
Answer: Lake Torrevieja / Laguna Rosa
Lake Torrevieja / Laguna Rosa
138. Which European country is home to the Saimaa Lake region, known for its rare freshwater seals?
Answer: Finland
139. Which European country is home to Lake Ohrid, one of the oldest lakes in the world?
Answer: North Macedonia (also borders Albania)
140. Which European country has the Fairy Pools, a set of crystal-clear streams and waterfalls?
Answer: Scotland (Isle of Skye, UK)
Art & Culture
141. Which Italian city is home to Michelangelo’s David?
Answer: Florence
142. Which museum in Paris is the most visited in Europe?
Answer: The Louvre
143. Which playwright from England wrote Hamlet?
Answer: William Shakespeare
144. Which Spanish painter is famous for Guernica?
Answer: Pablo Picasso
145. Which Dutch painter is known for Starry Night?
Answer: Vincent van Gogh
146. Which composer from Austria wrote The Magic Flute?
Answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
147. Which museum in Madrid houses Las Meninas by Velázquez?
Answer: The Prado Museum
148. Which Norwegian painter created The Scream?
Answer: Edvard Munch
149. Which European artist is famous for the surrealist painting “The Persistence of Memory” featuring melting clocks?
Answer: Salvador Dalí (Spain)
150. Which French cathedral is known for its stained glass Rose Windows?
Answer: Notre-Dame de Paris
For Experts: Only Real Europe Geeks Will Know These
151. What is the name of the medieval astronomical clock in Prague that features moving zodiac signs and apostles?
Answer: The Prague Orloj or just The Orloj
152. Which European monastery complex includes over 20 painted churches, known for their exterior frescoes and UNESCO status?
Answer: The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina, Northern Moldavia, Romania
153. In which European city can you find the 15th-century Skënderbej Statue, dedicated to Albania’s national hero?
Answer: Tirana, Albania
154. Which European island is home to the Valley of the Temples, one of the best-preserved archaeological sites of ancient Greek architecture?
Answer: Sicily, Italy
155. Which remote Scottish archipelago was evacuated in 1930, with its culture and language preserved in literature?
Answer: St. Kilda
156. What is the name of the prehistoric cave in France featuring some of the oldest known cave paintings in the world?
Answer: Chauvet Cave
157. Which country’s capital has a UNESCO-listed historic center called “Gamla Stan,” known for its narrow medieval streets and colorful buildings?
Answer: Sweden (Stockholm)
158. Which city in Belgium is renowned for its béguinages, semi-monastic communities for lay religious women?
Answer: Bruges
159. Which European country is home to the “Iron Trail of the Erzberg,” an industrial marvel and UNESCO Global Geopark that tells the story of over 1,300 years of mining?
Answer: Austria
160. Which European capital was known as Singidunum during Roman times?
Answer: Belgrade, Serbia
161. What is the name of the sea fortress built by Sweden in the 18th century to protect Helsinki from naval attacks?
Answer: Suomenlinna
162. Which Portuguese town is famous for its giant waves and is a hotspot for big-wave surfing?
Answer: Nazaré
163. Which Italian city is home to the Scrovegni Chapel, known for its groundbreaking fresco cycle by Giotto?
Answer: Padua
164. What is the name of the 19th-century underground lake in Austria once used for mining, now open for boat tours?
Answer: Seegrotte Hinterbrühl
165. What unusual museum can you visit in Sigurður Hjartarson’s hometown of Húsavík, Iceland?
Answer: The Icelandic Phallological Museum
166. In which city would you find the Church of St. Michael, where Vlad the Impaler (considered by many Dracula) is believed to be buried?
Answer: Snagov, Romania (about Dracula and Vlad the Impaler and Bran Castle I am recommending you my article – I am a local and I know the historical facts, the truths, and the myths.
167. What is the name of the oldest wooden structure in Venice, used as a covered market since 1097?
Answer: Rialto Market
168. Which city in the Baltics has an Art Nouveau district that makes up over one-third of its architecture?
Answer: Riga, Latvia
169. What’s the name of the monastery carved into a cliff in Georgia (the country), overlooking the river valley?
Answer: Vardzia
170. What is the traditional name of the region spanning southern Poland and parts of Slovakia, known for wooden architecture and mountain culture?
Answer: Podhale
171. Which European city is home to the Mezquita, a mosque-cathedral blending Islamic and Christian architecture?
Answer: Córdoba, Spain
172. Which national park in the UK contains the source of the River Thames?
Answer: Cotswolds (near Thames Head, Gloucestershire)
173. Which narrow sea strait separates Europe from Asia at Istanbul?
Answer: The Bosphorus
Bosphorus
174. Which now-uninhabited city in Ukraine was evacuated in 1986 following a nuclear disaster?
Answer: Pripyat
175. Which fortress in southern Spain blends Moorish and Christian architecture and overlooks the city of Granada?
Answer: The Alhambra
Exploring Europe through trivia is a fun way to uncover just how diverse, historic, and surprising this continent really is. From ancient temples older than the pyramids to quirky festivals where people chase cheese down a hill, Europe is packed with fascinating stories, cultural gems, and natural wonders waiting to be discovered.
Whether you got most of the answers right or learned something new along the way, these trivia questions are a reminder of why Europe is one of the most exciting travel destinations in the world.
This article is just the beginning of our Europe travel trivia series. We’ll be publishing more themed collections of trivia questions – from city-specific challenges to global travel quizzes – so you can keep testing your knowledge and discovering new facts to share with family and friends. Be sure to bookmark this page or subscribe so you don’t miss the next round of fun and educational travel trivia. Until then, how many of today’s questions did you get right?
Photo sources (apart from the collage and the photos from Dreamstime): 1, 2 – own photo, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, pin 1