It’s a consensus that holidays begin at the airport. Once you’ve gone through security, offloaded your luggage and started to question how early it is too early to have a drink – that’s when your brain has officially decided it is now in the holiday timezone. No airport is perfect – long queues, busy terminals and delays are what we’ve come to expect – but airports with decent food offerings, proximity to the city centre and cheap car parking help create a less stressful environment for entering into holiday mode.
However, most of us are willing to put up with certain areas of the airport being slightly chaotic as long as other aspects are prioritised – for example, if the airport is relatively close to the city centre, passengers may be more forgiving regarding fewer restaurant options. Each year, Condé Nast Traveller asks our readers to vote on the world’s best airports. We’ve reported on everything from the best airports in the world for food and the first UK airport to scrap the 100ml liquid rule to European airport strikes and even an analysis of how early you should really be arriving at the airport – all to help travellers make informed decisions on which airports genuinely are the best ones to travel from.
Now, holiday car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have gathered data from airports around Europe to create a list of the ones that are the least stressful to visit. The criteria include statistics on the total number of passengers per year, distance from the city centre, car parking charges for one week, the total number of restaurants and a quality rating score (taken from live flight tracker site Flight Radar airport reviews of passengers that have travelled to and from each airport). Each factor was given a point score between one and 10 and added up for each airport to provide a total number of points.
The results include a few surprising entries. There’s one UK airport, two Italian entries and even a Spanish island. Below, find the 10 least stressful airports in Europe, in reverse ranking. Scroll down to see the results and discover our top tips to make your airport experience less chaotic. For more advice, see 19 airport hacks to help you survive the holiday travel chaos.
Billund AirportAlamy
10. Cagliari Elmas Airport, Italy
Number of passengers in 2022: 4,396,594
Distance from city centre (km): 10.4
One week car park charge (€): 63
Number of restaurants: 11
Rating out of 100%: 71
Total Points: 18
9. Turin Airport, Italy
Number of passengers in 2022: 4,193,881
Distance from city centre (km): 18.8
1 week car park charge (€): 40
Number of restaurants: 13
Rating out of 100%: 74
Total Points: 20
8. Trondheim Airport, Norway
Number of passengers in 2022: 3,803,933
Distance from city centre (km): 32.5|
One week car park charge (€): 53.97
Number of restaurants: 7
Rating out of 100%: 78
Total Points: 22
7. Corfu International Airport, Greece
Number of passengers in 2022: 3,749,106
Distance from city centre (km): 3.3
One week car park charge (€): 0
Number of restaurants: 12
Rating out of 100%: 68
Total Points: 23
6. Newcastle Airport, UK
Number of passengers in 2022: 4,127,000
Distance from city centre (km): 10.3
One week car park charge (€): 102.82
Number of restaurants: 9
Rating out of 100%: 80
Total Points: 25
5. Hannover Airport, Germany
Number of passengers in 2022: 3,955,425
Distance from city centre (km): 13.3
One week car park charge (€): 44
Number of restaurants: 6
Rating out of 100%: 76
Total Points: 27
4. Menorca Airport, Spain
Number of passengers in 2022: 3,900,935
Distance from city centre (km): 6.8
One week car park charge (€): 36
Number of restaurants: 5
Rating out of 100%: 81
Total Points: 30
3. Vilnius International Airport, Lithuania
Number of passengers in 2022: 3,915,960
Distance from city centre (km): 6.4
One week car park charge (€): 45.5
Number of restaurants: 10
Rating out of 100%: 80
Total Points: 33
2. Luxembourg Airport, Luxembourg
Number of passengers in 2022: 4,114,291
Distance from city centre (km): 7.6
One week car park charge (€): 91.21
Number of restaurants: 9
Rating out of 100%: 83
Total Points: 34
1. Billund Airport, Denmark
Number of passengers in 2022: 3,712,400
Distance from city centre (km): 5.9
One week car park charge (€): 62.41
Number of restaurants: 5
Rating out of 100%: 80
Total Points: 39
5 ways to make your airport experience less stressful
1. Prepare for security before you get to the airport
Nothing is worse than getting stuck behind someone not suitably prepared for security. You can feel the stress emanating from them as they scramble to sort through their luggage, adding delays to the rest of the queue. Pack your liquids in a transparent bag beforehand, place your electrics in a separate compartment so they’re easily accessible, and keep your passport, documents, and visas close to hand. Here is our ultimate guide on getting through security quickly.
2. Pack for a delay
There is a worry that your flight may get delayed, and the best way to soothe any anxieties is to prepare for that eventuality. In your hand luggage, pack a change of clothes, snacks, a reusable water bottle, small security-friendly toiletries and any medication you might need overnight to avoid any unnecessary stress and panic buying.
3. Research your airline’s baggage allowance
If you know you’ll need to pack your suitcase to the brim, it’s best to prepare in advance to ensure you avoid an awkward unpacking by the check-in desks. Visit the airline’s website before you travel to double-check any weight and size restrictions and pack accordingly, and remember to check any further airline requirements if you’ll be swapping aircraft during the journey.
4. Arrive early
It’s an obvious one, but somehow, it’s one so many of us manage to get wrong. No matter how hard we try, something always goes wrong that causes a slight delay on the day of travel – a sudden last-minute desire to open luggage and check we haven’t forgotten something, too much traffic en route or issues with public transport, etc. Plan extra time to get to the airport into your itinerary – you won’t regret it when you arrive at the airport feeling relaxed.
5. Wear suitable clothes
We’ve moved on from the days when travelling by plane meant wearing your finest clothes. Comfort is key here – see top tips on what to wear on a plane from our fashion editor. Remember to wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off for security, such as the trending UGG Tasman (the controversial shoe our commerce editor swears by)
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