Most relaxing airports in Europe
The least stressful airports in Europe
A new study has revealed the ten least stressful airports in Europe, with Corfu Airport coming out on top.
Holiday car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have analysed the ten quietest airports in Europe and ranked them based on factors that make holidaymakers feel relaxed before take off.
Airports close to the city centre with cheap parking and a relaxing space with plenty of restaurant options were considered less stressful. A customer airport rating was also used.
The research revealed all ten airports scored highly for stress-free categories – but a number of airports were marked down due to stress-inducing factors.
Corfu Airport in Greece has been named the least stressful and most relaxing airport for holidaymakers to fly from, with just 3.7 million passengers passing through annually.
Incredibly, Corfu Airport doesn’t change for parking so passengers can arrive knowing its one less expense they need to cover.
The picturesque island is just over 3 km away from the city centre, despite having just a 68% rating on FlightRadar24.
Billund Airport in Norway, home to Legoland, ranks in second place, with a rating of 80%, yet features some of the most expensive parking for a week (€133.42).
Not all airports are as accessible as Corfu – Norway’s Trondheim airport is over 32 km away from the city centre, adding more stress for travellers.
Newcastle Airport in the UK ranks in seventh place, with high passenger numbers and being one of the most expensive airports in the index to park at, marking it down.
The airport however, scores well on the number of restaurants, has a customer review rating of 80% and is close to the centre of Newcastle which is just over 10 km away.
The two Italian airports on the index, Turin and Cagliari, rank in 6th and 9th place respectively – both with over four million annual passengers and the lowest airport ratings at 74% and 72%.
That being said, all of the top 10 least stressful airports in Europe scored over 65% as a rating on FlightRadar24, and all had under five million annual passengers, making the experience less anxiety-ridden for travellers.
The busiest airports in Europe process more than ten times the number of flyers such as Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, which handled almost 60 million passengers in 2022.
John Charnock, CEO of StressFreeCarRental.com said that the whole airport experience for tourists can seriously make or break their holiday.
He said: “The time spent travelling to the airport and waiting inside is usually the most stressful part of a holiday as travellers contend with expensive parking fees and try to find a decent bite to eat.
“Journeying far to even get to the airport itself can make passengers feel like they have already had enough of travelling before they have even boarded the plane.
“We’ve tried to give passengers seeking the easy life a better understanding of what makes airports stressful and which ones across Europe will allow them to sit back and relax.
“The 10 least stressful airports across Europe were found by taking into account the number travellers that pass through every year, as well as the number of restaurants, distance from the city centre, car parking charges and score ratings on FlightRadar24.
“The study has shown that Corfu Airport, Greece is the least stressful airport in Europe, closely followed by Billund Airport in Denmark and Menorca Airport in Spain making it into the top three.
“Tourists will likely find their holiday significantly more relaxing and be able to travel with less anxiety, when using any of these ten airports across the continent.”
