From Oslo to Budapest: These are the best and worst metro systems in Europe
Have you ever wondered which European cities have the best, worst and busiest metro networks? New research reveals the answers. Luggage storage company Bounce has looked into all of the services across the continent’s capital cities - and made some surprising discoveries.
While the London Underground is perhaps the most famous of all of Europe’s metro networks, it doesn’t even come in the top five best.
It lost points for its huge numbers of passengers and confusing layout, making it difficult for tourists to navigate.
In its research, the company considered a wide range of factors, from the average Google review score of stations and the distance covered by the system to the number of stations, the annual ridership, and the percentage of positive and negative online reactions to each service. The data was then combined into an ‘underground index’ score.
It’s important to note that Moscow and Kyiv’s metro systems were excluded due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Minsk metro was not included due to the US Department of State’s level 4 ad visory against travel to Belarus.
Where has the best metro system in Europe?
Oslo came top of the ranking, with an index score of 8.06 out of 10.
The Norwegian capital’s system, known locally as the Oslo T-Bane or T-banen i Oslo, boasts 101 stations covering 85km of track. It serves all 15 of the city’s boroughs, as well as extending part-way into the neighbouring Baerum municipality. The Oslo Metro comprises five separate lines - and another is currently under construction.
The system’s busiest station is Jernbanetorget. It’s part of the largest transport hub in Norway, along with the Oslo Bus Terminal, Oslo’s Central Station, and the attached tram station. Jernbanetorget itself has been described as “easy to get around”, “very well organised”, and “nice and clean” in its many online reviews.
Up next is Sofia’s metro system with an index score of 7.64 out of
10
The Bulgarian capital’s metro is the only one in the country as well as one of the youngest in the study, having only opened to passengers in 1998.
The city’s metro system covers 52km of track and is accessible via 47 stations, including one at Sofia Airport.
That particular station has a
Google review score of 4.10 out of 5 and is a favourite with passengers, who say there’s plenty of English language signage, including payment instructions which, they say, makes it simple and accessible for foreign visitors.
Tourists and locals alike also enjoy the Aleksandar Malinov and Moesia/NBU stations, which both earned Google review scores of
4.70 out of 5.
Aleksandar Malinov station is situated in the Mladost area of southern Sofia and is frequently praised for its attractive architecture and decor, in particular the modern forest-like artwork that decorates one of its platforms.
The Moesia/NBU metro station, located in a suburban area of western Sofia has, according to reviewers, exceptional cleanliness.
Athens Metro offffers cheap, quick and regular public transport
In third place is the Greek capital, with a score of 7.29 out of 10. Athens Metro provides a di rect link to the airport, which allows travellers to access the city centre with cheap, quick and regular public transport.
It also connects to the city’s busy Piraeus port area, which supports travel by ferry to many Greek island destinations.
The Athens Metro has 62 stations across 70km of track and sees more than a quarter of a mil lion passengers every year, something that makes it an integral part of the city’s transport infrastructure.
The average Google review score for all metro stations in the city is 4.10 out of 5, although the busiest, Syntagma station, netted a score of just 3.50 out of 5.
Bounce says this is likely down to how busy it can be, although some reviews do praise it for being “modern, spacious, clean”, and others appreciate exhibits on the ticket hall level.
Rounding out the top 10 are Madrid in Spain and Warsaw in Poland, which received overall scores of 6.74 and 6.60 respectively.
The rest of the top ranking is made up of London’s Underground, Lisbon’s and Copenhagen’s systems, which scored equally, and Bucharest and Prague’s metros.
The worst metro systems are located in some of Europe’s most visited cities
Despite Budapest’s many charms, its metro is nothing to write home about.
In fact, the Hungarian capital’s offering has been given the dubious honour of the worst of its kind in Europe, with an index score of just 3.13 out of 10.
Although the Budapest metro system is relatively small, with 48 stations across 39km of track, it has a very large number of annual passengers at over 382 million. While the average Google review score across all metro stations was a respectable 4.05 out of 5, 75 per cent of online reactions to articles about the metro system were “hate”, while just 1 per cent of reactions were “love”.
Határ út station is the city’s lowestrated metro stop, earning a Google review score of just 2.80 out of 5. The station receives a lot of criticism, with comments describing it as “a rather