Royal capitals share the field with Arctic harbours and small university towns, and some of the strongest contenders sit far from any capital. Fjords, canals, cathedrals and northern lights all pull in different directions.
1CopenhagenCapital of Denmark, known for the Nyhavn canal, Tivoli Gardens (opened 1843) and the cycling-heavy city centre.
2StockholmCapital of Sweden, built across 14 islands where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic, with the medieval Gamla stan old town.
3OsloCapital of Norway at the head of the Oslofjord, home to the Opera House (2008), Vigeland Park and the Munch museum.
4HelsinkiCapital of Finland on the Gulf of Finland, known for Senate Square, Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress.
5ReykjavíkCapital of Iceland and the world's northernmost national capital, centred on the Hallgrimskirkja church.
6BergenNorway's second-largest city, ringed by seven mountains, with the Hanseatic Bryggen wharf listed by UNESCO in 1979.
7GothenburgSweden's second-largest city on the west coast, known for its canals, the Liseberg amusement park and its archipelago.
8TromsøArctic city in northern Norway, about 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, a base for northern lights trips and home to the Arctic Cathedral.
9AarhusDenmark's second-largest city, home to the ARoS art museum with its rainbow panorama walkway and the Den Gamle By open-air museum.
10MalmöSweden's third-largest city, linked to Copenhagen by the Oresund Bridge (2000) and known for the Turning Torso tower.
11StavangerNorwegian city on the southwest coast with a preserved old town of white wooden houses, the gateway to the Lysefjord and Preikestolen.
12TrondheimNorway's third-largest city and former Viking-era capital, site of Nidaros Cathedral, the northernmost medieval cathedral.
13TurkuFinland's oldest city, on the Aura river, with Turku Castle and Turku Cathedral dating from the 13th century.
14ÅlesundNorwegian port town rebuilt in Art Nouveau style after a fire destroyed most of it in 1904.
15RovaniemiCapital of Finnish Lapland on the Arctic Circle, home to the Santa Claus Village and the Arktikum science museum.
16OdenseDenmark's third-largest city on the island of Funen, birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen.
17UppsalaSwedish university city north of Stockholm, with Uppsala Cathedral and a university founded in 1477.
18AalborgDanish city on the Limfjord in northern Jutland, known for its waterfront, Jomfru Ane Gade and the Utzon Center.
Photo credits
- Copenhagen — Moahim, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Stockholm — OleNeitzel, CC BY 4.0
- Oslo — Orjanarvola, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Helsinki — Michal Pise, Michal.Pise, CC BY 2.0
- Reykjavík — Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bergen — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gothenburg — Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0
- Tromsø — The Municipality of Tromsø from Tromsø, Norway, CC BY 2.0
- Stavanger — Jarvin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Trondheim — Trondheim Havn from Trondheim, Norway, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Turku — Markus Koljonen ( Dilaudid ) with thanks to Jontts and Turku Cathedral, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ålesund — Ysgrimor, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rovaniemi — Jari Kolehmainen , Flickr user lindstormORG , Idobi , Andriychenko , Biergerry , Arktikum , and Vincent Guth vingtcent, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Uppsala — Kateryna Baiduzha, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Aalborg — ClausFalk, CC BY-SA 4.0
