Europe’s full list of most ‘relaxing’ airports has been revealed – and only one major hub from the UK makes the cut.
If you’ve ever spent an hour trapped in a security queue only to have to complete an iron man marathon racing through the terminal pulling 20kg behind you, you’ll know that a chaotic airport experience can bring a sour start to your holiday. In fact, according to a 2024 survey by Censuswide, almost one in four Brits say they would travel more if they could avoid the stress of the airport.
Of course, not all flying terminals are made equal. Expensive or overfull parking, packed security queues, frequent delays and a lack of food options can turn any flying experience into a nightmare. So, if you’re planning to travel from the UK, which airport should you book from for the most relaxing journey possible?
To help you decide, rental company StressFreeCarRental.com has put together the ultimate list of the most relaxing airports in Europe. The study was based on major stress-inducing factors such as the business of the airport, the distance to the nearest city, the number of destinations you can fly to, the cost of parking, and the frequency of delays. Customer reviews from Flightradar24 were also taken into account.
The company’s CEO, John Charnock, said he believes holidaymaker’s experiences at the airport can have one of the biggest impacts over how much they enjoy their break – and that he hoped this survey would help make the whole experience less of an ordeal.
“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,” he said. “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,” he added.
So, with all of these elements in consideration, what is the UK’s least stressful airport? Apparently, it’s Newcastle. Ranked seventh most relaxing airport across all of Europe, Newcastle was particularly highly rated for its choice of restaurants, high customer rating of 80 per cent and its close proximity to the city of Newcastle – just 10 kilometres away.
Where the regional airport fell down was its expensive parking and its high passenger numbers – with more than 1.2 million travellers passing through in 2024.
Full list of most relaxing airports in Europe
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Corfu Intl Airport
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Billund Airport, Denmark
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Menorca Airport, Spain
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Luxembourg Airport
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Vilnius Intl Airport, Lithuania
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Turin Airport, Italy
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Newcastle Airport, UK
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Trondheim Airport, Norway
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Cagliari Elmas Airport, Italy
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Hannover Airport, Germany
