ADVERTISEMENTThere’s nothing worse than landing at your long-awaited holiday destination only to find a lengthy transfer from the airport to the city.
Despite the names of some airports, they’re located woefully far away from the cities they serve. Ever flown into Paris-Vatry Airport? If you have, you’ll have been surprised to find yourself around 160 km away from the City of Lights.
Similar situations can be found at ‘Munich West,’ an airport that is 120 km from Munich, and at Frankfurt Hahn, 125 km from the city of Frankfurt and closer, in fact, to Luxembourg.
If you’d rather not face a two-hour coach ride at the end of your journey, opting for a city with a very close airport is a much better bet. We take a look at the cities with the closest airports, and the average cost to transfer.
Which airports are closest to the city they serve?
If you’ve ever flown into the airport in Gibraltar, you’ll understand why it’s the closest airport to the city in all of Europe. The planes practically touch down in the centre, just 1.4 km away from the Moorish Castle and Market Place.
The Gibraltar Bus Company picks up from the airport and transfers passengers to the centre in five minutes for a cost of less than €2. Alternatively, it’s a nice experience to walk, which should only take 15 minutes and includes crossing the airport’s runway to get to the city.
Over in Italy, Pisa International Airport is built right on top of the city centre. To the central railway station, it’s only 1.5 km away, although the historic centre is more like 3 km distant.
But the beauty of Pisa is its people-mover, which shuttles people between the airport and the central railway station. Transfer time is around five minutes and costs €6.50 one way.
If you’re heading to Estonia, you’ll be pleased to hear Tallinn Airport is super-close to the city centre. At just 4 km to the historic centre, the transfer can be easily completed in around 15 minutes for a cost of just €2 on the bus or tram.
Staying in the Baltics, a visit to Lithuania will be made even more pleasant by the fact that Vilnius airport is located just 5.9 km south of the city centre. Direct buses run every 10 minutes, costing from just €0.65.
Which airports have the best transport links?
Like Pisa, many European cities have invested in efficient people movers to get their passengers right into the city as quickly as possible.
Lisbon Airport, for example, is a good 10 km from the city centre, but thanks to its direct connection by rail, the Aeroporto-Saldanha line will get you into the historic centre for just a few euros and in less than 20 minutes.
Malaga is another well-equipped airport, with a train station located right outside the terminal building. Although it’s a 12 km transfer, the C-1 line gets into the city in around 12 minutes, and also has connections into popular destinations such as Fuengirola, Benalmadena and Torremolinos.
Zurich has a rapid transfer time of just 10 minutes, using the S2 or S16 train lines to transfer into Hauptbahnhof main station. Also deserving of a shout is Copenhagen with its direct train to Central Station from the airport, completing the transfer in 13 minutes and for less than €5.
While it may be tempting to immediately order an Uber when you arrive, European airports are working hard to make public transport a cheap and accessible option. The environmental benefits speak for themselves, so rather than hoping straight in a cab or rideshare, consider the alternatives for a greener and less stressful transfer.