The Big List of Charades Place Names - 170 Ideas (2021)
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It’s not always easy trying to come up with ideas on the spot for charades - which is why we’re here to help.
And if you’re looking for place name ideas to act out in a game of charades, excuse the pun but, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we have a huge list of ideas based on places for you to choose from. Although if you would prefer, you could use our Charades Ideas Generator for even more ideas.
Acting out place names can be a great way to include some education in charades. If everyone playing has to pick a place name to perform, players can dust up on their geography and maybe even learn a little something. All of this is possible while keeping things nice and fun - it doesn’t even feel like learning! Adults can of course learn from this too, but it’s especially useful for kids, so if you’re here to think of ideas to choose for your children, why not use our Kids Charades Ideas Generator or check out our article on Charades Ideas for Kids of All Ages for more help.
How to Signal You’re Acting Out a Place in Charades
It’s common enough to act out places in charades, but it’s easy to forget how to signal that that’s what you’re going to do. Signalling this is quite simple - all you have to do is draw a circle in the air with your finger, and then point to the centre of it. We always recommend running through the signals for charades before playing, so everyone knows what each one means. Of course, if you’re veteran players, this may not be necessary, but it’s always good to know everyone is on the same page!
Our list of place ideas below are separated into 7 different categories of Continents and seas, Countries, Capitals, US states, Famous cities, Tourist attractions, and General places.
Continents and seas ideas
There are of course only seven continents in the world which are in our list, however we have also included some more seas in addition to the Seven Seas below. Some of these can be very difficult to act out, so if you like that and you want more hard ideas to perform, why not have a look at our article on Easy and Hard Charades Ideas for more choices.
- Africa
- Antarctica
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- Oceania/Australia
- South America
- Antarctic Ocean
- Arctic Ocean
- Indian Ocean
- North Atlantic Ocean
- South Atlantic Ocean
- North Pacific Ocean
- South Pacific Ocean
- Irish Sea
- Red Sea
- Black Sea
- Caribbean Sea
- Persian Gulf
- Baltic Sea
Country ideas
In our list below, we have mentioned different countries both easy and hard to act out and guess in charades. If you are trying to keep things simple, starting with your own country is usually best. If you want to create more of a challenge, performing some irregular and longer named countries can be key.
- Ireland
- Azerbaijan
- New Zealand
- Japan
- Dominican Republic
- United States of America
- Kyrgyzstan
- Spain
- Lesotho
- Italy
- Federated States of Micronesia
- United Kingdom
- Mozambique
- Belgium
- Papua New Guinea
- China
- Malta
- Russia
- Liechtenstein
- Germany
Capital ideas
Similar to the last list, starting with your own capital city can be easiest to guess in charades. If you are doing this for educational reasons, why not try to come up with some yourself? Or you could even use our generator to filter through place names and name the capital city of each country that pops up - and vice versa!
- London
- Kabul
- Luxembourg
- Beirut
- Paris
- Port-au-Prince
- Dublin
- New Delhi
- Rome
- Montevideo
- Vatican City
- Damascus
- Brussels
- Santiago
- Beijing
- Copenhagen
- Tokyo
- Prague
- Yamoussoukro
- Ottawa
US state ideas
Again, if you would like to use this as an added opportunity to make the game more educational, why not try to come up with US states yourself? Don’t worry, we have the full list of 50 states in alphabetical order below in case you get stuck!
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Famous city ideas
Even though there were multiple capital cities mentioned above, we thought it best to include some famous cities that aren't capitals too, as sometimes a country’s capital can be outshined by another city. Check out our list of famous cities below.
- Sydney
- Istanbul
- Nice
- Rio de Janeiro
- Marrakesh
- Auckland
- Geneva
- Timbuktu
- Vancouver
- São Paulo
- Johannesburg
- Toronto
- St Petersburg
- Casablanca
- Mumbai
- Dubai
- Barcelona
- Dubrovnik
- Zürich
- Shanghai
Tourist attraction ideas
Our list of tourist attractions includes the old and new seven wonders of the world, mentioned first, while also taking note of other attractions that may be well known to some readers. Have a look at our list of tourist attractions for a fun game of charades.
- Great Pyramid of Giza
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Lighthouse of Alexandria
- Colossus of Rhodes
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- Temple of Artemis at Olympia
- The Colosseum in Rome
- Christ the Redeemer Statue
- The Taj Mahal
- Machu Picchu
- The Great Wall of China
- Chichen Itza
- Petra
- Eiffel Tower
- Cliffs of Moher
- Statue of Liberty
- Grand Canyon
- Niagara Falls
- The Louvre
General places
In addition to all of these famous countries, cities and one-of-a-kind places, we wanted to include some general places that people could go to on a normal day. Whether that be a day of leisure or work, we wanted to mention it in this article. Check out our list of general places to act out in charades.
- Cinema
- Restaurant
- School
- Park
- Library
- Stadium
- Grocery store
- Beach
- Pub
- Nightclub
- Bowling alley
- University
- Office
- Golf course
- Concert
- Zoo
- Circus
- Theatre
- Farm
- Church
Looking for Even More Ideas?
If you want even more ideas, I recommend using our Charades Ideas Generator for more help. There are tons of great ideas on there for you to choose from, all you have to do is pick your favourite categories and get generating! If you would rather look at more written out lists like this one, we have a lot more available on our Resources page - have fun!