What are the best places for a capital city?

What are the best places for a capital city?

Would it be monotonous if all kingdoms had their capital city on the sea?

>What are the best places for a capital city?
On a river or some other body of water, so that shipping food for the inhabitants to buy isn't exorbitantly expensive.

Most capital cities are either by the sea or a river.

Turns out water and wind is a great way to carry heavy shit.

On top of a very tall inhospitable mountain for no discernible reason other than maybe defensibly.

>Would it be monotonous if all kingdoms had their capital city on the sea?
Probably. Just put some of them on rivers a few miles inland, with major port cities at the actual mouth of the river (Paris and Le Havre on the Seine, Rome and Ostia on the Tiber, Beijing and Tianjin on the Northern Canal...).

Always near a major river/s, if possible.

Wherever three or four major trade lanes intersect. One of those trade lanes should be the ocean or a river.

Somewhere near the sea, preferably at least a few miles inland, close to at least one river which is capable of moving large numbers of goods and people.
Aside from that it will probably be located in a relatively fertile, densely populated area of the territory it governs, because those resources will facilitate the political power of the people who rule from the capital.

coastal tend to be the best bet for trade and military reasons

The patron god of your civ wanted it there because of mysterious circumstances.

Or it likes the view and wants a temple there.