Oct 2, 2013, 4:45 am
Last edit by: linglingfool
FRA is quite easy with a train from the city to the airport.
GVA is a 6 minute train ride to the city and you get a free ticket for the ride. If you stay in a hotel you'll get a free transportation pass for the duration of your stay. Taking the bus (number 5) is about 15/20 minutes but a bit more scenic (also covered by the free ticket).
Add DUB, AMS, VIE and BRU to the list ... all with good transport connections.
Pretty much any of the main German airports have good, quick connections (just not the Ryanairports...)
CPH has the metro - 15 minutes to Kongens Nytorv (or train 20 minutes to Malmo C!)
MAN has a good train service - 15 minutes to Piccadilly (although the station is a bit of a hike from the terminals)
List of European airports and the "cheapest"/easiest options to get into the city.
Belgium
BRU - Train from airport (level -2) to Brussels Central Station (Centraal/Centrale).
Frequent (up to 8 per hour) departures from 05:27 to 00:27. Slightly less on Sundays. Takes about 20 minutes.
€7.80 each way.
Belgian Railways
Brussels Airport
Germany
MUC - Train (lines S1 or S8) from airport to main train station (40 min) every 20 minutes. €10.80 for a one-way whole-network ticket, or €12 for a day ticket. Good value with the Group Day Ticket (also sold as the Group Airport-City-Day-Ticket), which allows unlimited travel for up to 5 people until 6am the following day; €22.30. Lufthansa Airport Bus is a good alternative when there is construction work or delays on the train. Non-stop from the airport to the main train station for €10.50 one-way or €17 return.
TXL - TXL Bus from airport to main train station (25 min) and Alexanderplatz (40 min), every 6-7 minutes during peak hours. €2.60 for a one-way Zone AB ticket, or €6.70 for a Zone AB day ticket. Outdoor ticket machines away from main entrance near buses usually have shorter lines.
Greece
ATH - Metro from airport to city centre, every 30 min; takes about 40 minutes.
Train from airport to main station (have to change), every 30 min; takes about 40 minutes.
Both cost €8 one way, €14 return.
Bus from airport to city centre, every 20 min; takes about 60 minutes, €5 one way.
Bus from airport to Piraeus, every 20 min; takes about 90 minutes, €5 one way.
Bus from airport to Over-land bus station, every 20 min; takes about 70 minutes, €5 one way.
Italy
LIN - Bus 73 serves Piazza S. Babila - Airport directly. Ticket cost is 1.50€. Trip is 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic.
Poland
KRK - There is a train going from the main railway station to the airport station (200m from the terminal). It departs every 30minish and takes some 20min. Cost is 12PLN ($4) each way. LINK
WAW - There is a train going from the airport to parts of Warsaw (including the main train station). They depart quite frequently and take some 20min. Cost I believe is around 4.5PLN ($1.25) each way. LINK
Spain
MAD - There are several very cheap options. A Cercanías commuter type train from T4 (Line C-1). A Metro station for T4 and another for T1-T2-T3. There is also a 24 hour bus with a stop in T1, another at T2 and finally at T4. All of these options should be 5€ or less.
Switzerland
ZRH - train from the airport to the main train station and takes about 20 mins, cost CHF 6.60 single or CHF 13.20 return (which also gets you free travel for the rest of the day). You can also take various trams to the airport if you want to see the suburbs
UK
LHR - There is the subway(tube) that goes from the airport (all terminals) to the city. It is the Piccadilly line. It takes about 50min and is quite frequent. Cost for a single is £5.50 (cheaper if you have the Oyster card) LINK
GVA is a 6 minute train ride to the city and you get a free ticket for the ride. If you stay in a hotel you'll get a free transportation pass for the duration of your stay. Taking the bus (number 5) is about 15/20 minutes but a bit more scenic (also covered by the free ticket).
Add DUB, AMS, VIE and BRU to the list ... all with good transport connections.
Pretty much any of the main German airports have good, quick connections (just not the Ryanairports...)
CPH has the metro - 15 minutes to Kongens Nytorv (or train 20 minutes to Malmo C!)
MAN has a good train service - 15 minutes to Piccadilly (although the station is a bit of a hike from the terminals)
List of European airports and the "cheapest"/easiest options to get into the city.
Belgium
BRU - Train from airport (level -2) to Brussels Central Station (Centraal/Centrale).
Frequent (up to 8 per hour) departures from 05:27 to 00:27. Slightly less on Sundays. Takes about 20 minutes.
€7.80 each way.
Belgian Railways
Brussels Airport
Germany
MUC - Train (lines S1 or S8) from airport to main train station (40 min) every 20 minutes. €10.80 for a one-way whole-network ticket, or €12 for a day ticket. Good value with the Group Day Ticket (also sold as the Group Airport-City-Day-Ticket), which allows unlimited travel for up to 5 people until 6am the following day; €22.30. Lufthansa Airport Bus is a good alternative when there is construction work or delays on the train. Non-stop from the airport to the main train station for €10.50 one-way or €17 return.
TXL - TXL Bus from airport to main train station (25 min) and Alexanderplatz (40 min), every 6-7 minutes during peak hours. €2.60 for a one-way Zone AB ticket, or €6.70 for a Zone AB day ticket. Outdoor ticket machines away from main entrance near buses usually have shorter lines.
Greece
ATH - Metro from airport to city centre, every 30 min; takes about 40 minutes.
Train from airport to main station (have to change), every 30 min; takes about 40 minutes.
Both cost €8 one way, €14 return.
Bus from airport to city centre, every 20 min; takes about 60 minutes, €5 one way.
Bus from airport to Piraeus, every 20 min; takes about 90 minutes, €5 one way.
Bus from airport to Over-land bus station, every 20 min; takes about 70 minutes, €5 one way.
Italy
LIN - Bus 73 serves Piazza S. Babila - Airport directly. Ticket cost is 1.50€. Trip is 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic.
Poland
KRK - There is a train going from the main railway station to the airport station (200m from the terminal). It departs every 30minish and takes some 20min. Cost is 12PLN ($4) each way. LINK
WAW - There is a train going from the airport to parts of Warsaw (including the main train station). They depart quite frequently and take some 20min. Cost I believe is around 4.5PLN ($1.25) each way. LINK
Spain
MAD - There are several very cheap options. A Cercanías commuter type train from T4 (Line C-1). A Metro station for T4 and another for T1-T2-T3. There is also a 24 hour bus with a stop in T1, another at T2 and finally at T4. All of these options should be 5€ or less.
Switzerland
ZRH - train from the airport to the main train station and takes about 20 mins, cost CHF 6.60 single or CHF 13.20 return (which also gets you free travel for the rest of the day). You can also take various trams to the airport if you want to see the suburbs
UK
LHR - There is the subway(tube) that goes from the airport (all terminals) to the city. It is the Piccadilly line. It takes about 50min and is quite frequent. Cost for a single is £5.50 (cheaper if you have the Oyster card) LINK
Best airports to city in Europe for overnight?
Oct 2, 2013, 6:21 am
#16
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
I personally would say that LHR convenience depends on which terminal and where you are going to in centre - terminal 4 has no tube connection for example so you have to transfer. I also find the tube journey to be quite long but it does at least get you directly to an interesting area i.e West End.
LIS does also now have a metro connection, but it is impressively slow, given the short distance involved.
Oct 2, 2013, 11:23 am
#17
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: AA EXPLAT, HH DIAMOND, IHG PLAT, RYANAIR NO OTHER OPTION FLYER
Posts: 386
sorry stand corrected. I was doing just such a stopover at LHR Terminal 4 Hilton this weekend and was advised to take Heathrow Express - no mention of tube! my comments were based on my taking over an hour to get from Terminal 5 to 4 and 2 hours to get into central london. Due to 1) lack of info and assistance at the airport on a saturday night, 2) my jet lag leading me to misunderstand the difference between heathrow connect and express (both different aspects of the fast rail link), 3) bus drivers stopping in the wrong place and 4) train delays. have also had many past delays on the piccadilly tube line. I personally would allow plenty of time for a quick London visit from LHR.
Oct 4, 2013, 9:30 am
#19
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: WRO/LCY/LHR/WAW/KTW/BRU
Programs: M&M FTL
Posts: 133
Some better links for WAW, from the ZTM (local transport authority) website.
Prices for various ticket types (single trip, 1-day, multiple-day, etc.) for metro, bus, tram, and the SKM rail lines which serve the airport.
The airport is in zone 1.
http://www.ztm.waw.pl/index.php?c=110&l=2
The airport is served by SKM lines S2 and S3 (which accept all ZTM tickets) as well as KM1, which is operated by the Koleje Mazowieckie regional railways (single trip ZTM tickets are not accepted, but they do accept ZTM 1-day tickets and anything longer than that).
Rail line maps here: http://www.ztm.waw.pl/?c=574&l=2
Buses 148, 175, 188, 331, and night bus N32 also serve the airport.
From personal experience I recommend buying a 1-day or 3-day ticket for zone 1. It saves a lot of hassle and they're cheap.
Remember also that the 1-day/3day tickets are in fact valid for a full 24/72 hours from the first moment you use them, not just until the end of the day as in some cities. So even if you arrive one day and leave the next a 1-day ticket may be sufficient if you're there for less than 24 hours.
Prices for various ticket types (single trip, 1-day, multiple-day, etc.) for metro, bus, tram, and the SKM rail lines which serve the airport.
The airport is in zone 1.
http://www.ztm.waw.pl/index.php?c=110&l=2
The airport is served by SKM lines S2 and S3 (which accept all ZTM tickets) as well as KM1, which is operated by the Koleje Mazowieckie regional railways (single trip ZTM tickets are not accepted, but they do accept ZTM 1-day tickets and anything longer than that).
Rail line maps here: http://www.ztm.waw.pl/?c=574&l=2
Buses 148, 175, 188, 331, and night bus N32 also serve the airport.
From personal experience I recommend buying a 1-day or 3-day ticket for zone 1. It saves a lot of hassle and they're cheap.
Remember also that the 1-day/3day tickets are in fact valid for a full 24/72 hours from the first moment you use them, not just until the end of the day as in some cities. So even if you arrive one day and leave the next a 1-day ticket may be sufficient if you're there for less than 24 hours.
Oct 6, 2013, 9:06 am
#20
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,781
I suppose it's all relative as to what is "close". I had a long layover at LHR yesterday and took the tube into Piccadilly Circus, which, as always, was enjoyable but not something I would have thought would make a list like this. I suspect you're able to make it into most major city centers if you allow for a 50 minute public transit ride.
OTOH, somewhere like TXL is quite easy -- already located in the city center with public transit connections to virtually anywhere in the city available in ~30 minutes.
OTOH, somewhere like TXL is quite easy -- already located in the city center with public transit connections to virtually anywhere in the city available in ~30 minutes.
Dec 12, 2014, 8:34 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
KRK Airpoprt Train service has been suspended for an extended period:
http://www.krakowairport.pl/en/airpo...ded,a1188.html
http://www.krakowairport.pl/en/airpo...ded,a1188.html