Easy airport links to smaller charming places? Let's make a list

Also, feel free to include cities that bear the airport's name, as long as they have frequent flights that connect to hubs for intercontinental destinations.

Bologna for instance. 8 minutes. Probably bigger than my intention, but don't want to be too restrictive

This is an excellent idea Hank. I wont be able to contribute much (still thinking) because most of my travel in recent years has been to places with less public transportation infrastructure (no trams and few trains). In September the night before my return from Podgorica (TGD) I will stay in a small EcoLodge 20 min from the airport. You know, one of those plsces where they grow and raise all they eat and drink (including wine and brandy) and do cooking classes anf family meals with everyone staying tger and tge ownership. But the lodge provides the transfer. Kotor is 15 min from TIV but thats a taxi. Brasov has international fliggts now ... but taxi again. But how beautiful and laid back after Bucharest. All a tad off from your intent. Sorry.

The small town of Freising is 15 minutes by direct train into Munich Airport, they run about hourly. Pleasant old centre with a variety of restaurants and cafes, and outdoor dining in the right months, with the Weihenstephaner brewery in the old monastery at the top of the hill. And hotels, and this is where it gets a little contradictory because the proximity to the airport means some of them brand themselves as airport hotels and run shuttle vans to the terminals! So you could have the convenience of a hotel geared for early departures with airport shuttle and still be in a normal little town and feel like you are still on vacation. And on top of that the local bus network route 635 runs every 10 minutes (from very early) and only takes 2 minutes longer than the train so all the bases are covered.

East side of Munich airport is Erding, which also has a nice old centre with etc. etc. and it's own brewery. This time bus 512 runs evey 20 minutes and takes about 30 minutes - and once again some of the hotels think they are at the airport so are set up for people with flights to catch.

Both these towns have frequent trains from central Munich for arrival. Freising is also connect north side, like Regensburg and Passau

To be honest I would use either town as a Munich base at start or end of a tour and not bother with a central hotel

Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria is only 17 minutes by Austrian bus 260 to Salzburg airport, hourly weekdays. It's a very nice old town and a small resort in it's own right so plenty hotels and restaurants and a spa. And it's own brewery (obviously...). Sunday morning bus not so useful though.

Konstanz in Germany is only 65 minutes by fast Swiss train to Zurich airport, hourly from 05:09. And guess what, it's a nice old centre etc etc, this time the brewery is a bit of a hike outside the centre, but to make up for that Konstanz instead has a lake with dining options along the side.

North Queensferry (Edinburgh) 25m by bus

If I have to fly out of Edinburgh airport and don't want to stay at the airport then I like to stay at the Doubletree Hilton North Queensferry. This is decent hotel with excellent views of the 3 bridges across the Firth of Forth. I then wander down into the village of North Queensferry and have a wonderful meal at The Wee Restaurant before either walking, or getting a taxi depending how 'tired' I am, back to the hotel.

There's a bus (Stagecoach Jet 747 - yes really) from very close to the hotel to the airport

It would depend on how reliable one thinks the train might be. I consider Swiss trains to be quite reliable, and Luzern is a good place to sleep before a flight out of Zurich. Lausanne or Montreux for flights out of Geneva.

Verona is a good one!

This is going great thanks, I will compile into the original post at some point for easy reference.

Since you mentioned Amsterdam, there would be quite a few, I think. We love Haarlem!

Frequency Every 10–15 minutes throughout the day
Travel Time 25–28 minutes total (including connection)
Transfer Point Amsterdam Sloterdijk
Operator NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)
Standard Ticket Price ~€5.00–€8.00 (2nd Class)

I just love this thread potential! As a person who has current time restrictions on their travel plans, finding European options for a shorter stay that allows close proximity to the airport is really appealing. Thanks for starting this idea, Hank!

Bremen is about 90 minutes from Hamburg Airport (train + S-Bahn) but more usefully for this thread, it has an airport of its own which is a very short tram ride from the city centre and has regular flights to Munich and Amsterdam (and Istanbul, plus Zürich and Vienna, just not daily.)

[A little further: Lübeck and Lüneburg are both around 90 minutes from Hamburg Airport (regional train + S-Bahn - will be quicker once trackwork on the S-Bahn is done). So is Glückstadt (train + bus).]

As well as the already mentioned Mainz, Wiesbaden is also about 40 minutes from Frankfurt Airport depending on the (direct) train. (I was actually coming from Eltville on that occasion - very easy change of train when there's no trackwork.)

Nuremburg has an airport about 15 minutes by U-Bahn from the Hbf with connections to Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris. (And a direct Lufthansa Express bus to Munich airport.)

Seconding Konstanz for Zurich - I've made an early flight from there pretty easily.

Oh, and since Arles has been mentioned already, Aix is also only 30 minutes from Marseilles Airport by direct airport bus (I've easily made a very early flight).

And admittedly much further away (2 and a half hours) but surprisingly handy - there's another direct Lufthansa Express bus from Strasbourg to Frankfurt, and you can book it as a flight connection [XER].

A few which come to mind:

Ones we have stayed at, either at the start or end of a trip:
-Cavtat for Dubrovnik airport (tho not sure if there's a public transport option- it's a short taxi ride)
-We recently spent the night in beautiful Helmsdale before a flight home from Inverness airport- it's right on the train line that goes direct to the airport- something like two hours
-Saint Louis for Basel airport- very short bus ride from the airport, cute town

Suggestions for the UK:
-Lots of options south of Gatwick on the Thameslink- including Brighton
-Windsor or Oxford for Heathrow

There are lots of near-by towns to Frankfurt, but also including the neighborhood of Frankfurt, Höchst, which is part of the Half-timbered route in Germany. Easy bus ride directly to Terminal 1 at the airport. https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

Bad Homburg would be good, Kronberg is lovely, or Idstein or Seligenstadt.

Mainz is quite a large city (225,000 residents), so though nice, you might just as well stay in Frankfurt in one of the beautiful residential neighborhoods, like the Westend. Frankfurt is only 11km from the airport.

How about Bacharach? 58 minutes by train to Frankfurt airport.

We have stayed in Villefranche sur Mer, France the night before a morning flight out of Nice, France. We ordered a taxi in advance to take us from our hotel to the airport. It was lovely to have an extra night in Villefranche sur Mer.