Key points from the map
- Oslo has the highest score of the 19 European capital metro systems, 8.06 out of 10.
- Sofia (7.64), Athens (7.29), Madrid (6.74) and Warsaw (6.60) complete the top five, all ahead of London in sixth (6.04).
- Copenhagen, Bucharest and Lisbon tie for seventh on 5.97, so there is no eighth or ninth place.
- Some of the largest systems score low: Berlin and Paris tie for 14th on 4.38.
- Budapest is last on 3.13, just behind Brussels on 3.20 and Rome on 3.75.
European metro systems scores in text
Title: Scoring Europe’s Metro Systems. Subtitle: “Index scores across 19 capital cities are based on each system’s number of stations, distance covered, annual ridership, passenger scores, and share of positive/negative media reactions.” A key explains each pin: rank, city, country and index score. The colour scale runs from High, 8.06 (blue) to Low, 3.13 (yellow). Footer: “Source: Bounce”, with the Visual Capitalist logo bottom right.
| Rank | City | Country | Index score (out of 10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oslo | Norway | 8.06 |
| 2 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 7.64 |
| 3 | Athens | Greece | 7.29 |
| 4 | Madrid | Spain | 6.74 |
| 5 | Warsaw | Poland | 6.60 |
| 6 | London | UK | 6.04 |
| 7 (tied) | Copenhagen | Denmark | 5.97 |
| 7 (tied) | Bucharest | Romania | 5.97 |
| 7 (tied) | Lisbon | Portugal | 5.97 |
| 10 | Prague | Czechia | 5.83 |
| 11 | Vienna | Austria | 5.42 |
| 12 | Helsinki | Finland | 5.14 |
| 13 | Stockholm | Sweden | 4.65 |
| 14 (tied) | Berlin | Germany | 4.38 |
| 14 (tied) | Paris | France | 4.38 |
| 16 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 4.03 |
| 17 | Rome | Italy | 3.75 |
| 18 | Brussels | Belgium | 3.20 |
| 19 | Budapest | Hungary | 3.13 |
How Bounce built the index
The scores come from Bounce’s Underground Index, a study by the luggage storage company [2]. Bounce recorded the Google review score of every metro station in each capital, the share of stations rated four or higher and the share rated below two [2]. It added each system’s number of stations, track length and latest annual ridership from Wikipedia, and the share of “love” and “hate” reactions to online articles about each metro, measured with Buzzsumo [2]. These were combined into one score out of 10.
Moscow and Kyiv were left out because of the war in Ukraine, and Minsk because of a US State Department travel advisory [2]. The study does not publish the weight given to each factor.
What the study says about individual systems
Oslo’s metro has 101 stations on 52.8 miles of track, serving all 15 city boroughs, and its stations average 4.13 out of 5 on Google [2]. Sofia’s metro, which opened in 1998, has 47 stations on 32.3 miles of track, and 95% of online reactions to articles about it were “love”, with none “hate” [2].
The size of a network does not decide its score. Paris has the most stations, 320 on 152.6 miles of track, and London covers the greatest distance, 249.8 miles with 272 stations [2]. Warsaw’s system is one of the smallest, 39 stations on 25.7 miles, yet Bounce says it has the highest average station review score, 4.37 out of 5 [2].
At the bottom, Budapest has 48 stations on 24.7 miles of track and more than 382 million passengers a year. 75% of online reactions to articles about it were “hate” and 1% “love” [2]. Brussels has 59 stations and 26% “hate” reactions, and Rome’s stations average 3.60 out of 5 [2].
Visual Capitalist adds that Copenhagen’s automated metro runs 24 hours a day with trains every two minutes for most of the day, and is often called the world’s best for its reliability despite placing seventh here [1].
Notes on this infographic
- The index mixes size, ridership, online reviews and social media reactions, so it measures reputation and scale together, not service quality alone. Bounce does not publish the factor weights or the raw scores behind each component [2].
- Only capital cities are included, so metro systems in other European cities are not ranked.
- Bounce’s study is not fully consistent: it calls Warsaw’s 4.37 the highest average station review score, but gives Paris an average of 4.40 [2].
- The map shows 19 capitals, the same count as the Bounce study [2]; tied ranks mean the numbering skips 8, 9 and 15.
Questions about European metro systems
Which European city has the best metro?
Oslo has the highest score of the 19 European capital metro systems in Bounce's Underground Index, 8.06 out of 10. Sofia (7.64), Athens (7.29), Madrid (6.74) and Warsaw (6.60) complete the top five, all ahead of London in sixth on 6.04. Oslo's metro has 101 stations on 52.8 miles of track and its stations average 4.13 out of 5 on Google [2].
Which European capital has the worst metro?
Budapest is last of the 19 capitals on 3.13 out of 10, just behind Brussels on 3.20 and Rome on 3.75. Budapest has 48 stations on 24.7 miles of track and more than 382 million passengers a year [2]. Of the online reactions to articles about it, 75% were "hate" and 1% "love" [2].
How are European metro systems scored in the Underground Index?
Bounce combined each system's number of stations, track length and latest annual ridership from Wikipedia with Google review scores for every station, the share of stations rated four or higher and the share rated below two [2]. It also measured the share of "love" and "hate" reactions to online articles about each metro with Buzzsumo [2]. These were combined into one score out of 10, but the study does not publish the weight given to each factor.
Which European city has the largest metro system?
Paris has the most stations, 320 on 152.6 miles of track, and London covers the greatest distance, 249.8 miles with 272 stations [2]. Size does not decide the score, though, as London ranks sixth on 6.04 and Paris ties with Berlin for 14th on 4.38. Only capital cities are included, so metro systems in other European cities are not ranked.
Sources
- Visual Capitalist, Ranked: The Best Metro Systems Across European Capital Cities. The creator’s page for this map.
- Bounce, The Underground Index. The study the scores come from.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
