European Airports...Which is the best?

Munich is a nice easy airport to fly into and out of. Lots of space, doesnt seem anywhere close to as crowded or as busy as Frankfurt. Seems to be surrounded by famers fileds, so easy driving in and out- also good rail connectiobns to downtown Munich

I usually fly from Seattle to Prague and my options are changing planes in New York, Atlanta, London, Frankfurt, Paris or Amsterdam. From these options I consider Amsterdam the best airport to change planes. Very well marked. Immigration check fast. (So much faster than in Seattle).

I agree Frankfurt Airport is the pits, especially for connecting flights. The best would be Schipol Amsterdam or Munich. I was just changing planes in Munich a few days ago and it was wonderful!!! Not only do you not have to go through a security screening for connecting flights within Schengen, but in the terminal that Lufthansa uses all passengers get free unlimited coffee, tea, and hot chocolate!

I have flown into Amsterdam and out of Munich, but not changed plans at either. They were both easy airports to navigate. Where are you going? And more importantly, can I go with you? ;-)

A couple of years ago, I had a change of Lufthansa planes in Düsseldorf. It's a small airport, and, as I recall, I never had to leave the concourse or go through security, just walk down the hall and go through passport control. My outbound flight was on Lufthansa to Chicago, so you can probably fly in from the US, at least from Chicago. It's been a long time since I changed planes in Heathrow, but I remember it as the worst in Europe, but nowhere near as bad as Philly (the worst ever) or Newark. As for Frankf U rt, I've flown in or out eleven times since 2000, including a one hour change of planes, and I've never felt it was a bad experience. I think it's well laid out and, rail stations are easily accessible, and there is good transportation between terminals. From FRA, you can even catch express trains to all part of Europe without going through Frankfurt Hbf. When I've arrived in FRA, immigration has always been just one floor down from the gate. Compare that to Chicago, where I had to walk what seemed like at least 1/4 miles through the international terminal to get to immigration. Munich is great as long as you fly in/out internationally or entirely on Lufthansa, but most non-Lufthansa intra-Europe flights use Terminal 1, whereas Lufthansa and flight from the US (at least Star Alliance flights) use Terminal 2. Going between terminals at MUC would not be easy.

To elaborate on why I hate FRA so much, yesterday I flew out of there to Newark on United from a connecting flight to Amsterdam. The gate was at the Z section of terminal 1. In terms of amenities, there were no sit down restaurants. I had a 7am flight out of Amsterdam and had three hours to kill so I was looking forward to good hot leisurely breakfast. Not possible, the only food available was a sel-ec-tion fruits salad cups as the newsstand, or tables that were selling pre-made baguettes. Bathroom facilities were laughable, any international terminal that uses "one at a time" bathrooms in this day and age needs to be torn down and rebuilt. I've been to airports in third world countries with better bathroom facilities than this. Buses...from both my flight from AMS and flight to EWR, buses were used transport passenger to/from the aircraft...very antiquated! Security....alarmingly lax......continued......

.......continued....When I used this airport in 2006 I had to go through three security screenings to get my gate for my transatlantic flight. This time no security screening. At Schipol because of some sort of computer problems, Lufthansa wasn't able to give me a boarding pass on United from FRA to EWR even though it was all part of the same ticket and part of the same alliance. There was a security screening to get into the Z part of the terminal. The catch was that you needed a boarding pass to go through the screening, the staff told me I would have to exit the airport and head to the ticketing desks to get a boarding pass:( As I was heading towards the exit, I passed by a Lufthansa transfer desk and figured I would ask them if they can print a pass. They said no but told me that if I used a different entrance to the Z section from the opposite end of the corridor I could enter without a security screening or boarding pass(I could get it at the gate). And they were right, so from AMS to FRA to EWR, I only went through security in Amsterdam! I believe that's a against of US regs.

I've been thru Heathrow and Frankfurt, and certainly would not recommend either one for ease of travel, friendliness (Heathrow in particular), or comfort of facilities. I'm hoping Milan will be better this go around. I've also been thru Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Chennai/Madras, and Coimbatore. Singapore is the best I've been to. Madras was the worst in Asia.

Manila make Madras look like Schiphol.

From my experience, I think AMS and MUC are the most user-friendly transit airports. I think CDG is one of the worst airports for transfers; at least, every time I have connected or flown out of there, it has just seemed so inefficient. I actually don't mind LHR although I know many people hate it. It could be simply because it is the European airport that I am most familiar with. I've never had a major problem there. I think the experience is highly dependent on whether or not you have to change terminals. For example, I had a T5 to T5 connection last year with a 2 hour layover and I zipped through security and had plenty of time to have a nice meal at the Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the airport before I had to go to the gate. I do think the airport connections when a bus to another terminal is involved can be confusing for someone who does not expect this or doesn't travel much. I haven't connected in FRA in over 10 years. There was a period of time in the late 90s where I went through it multiple times and everytime it seemed to be a big construction mess. I have a connection in ZRH this year with only one hour to connect. I've connected in ZRH before, but not recently and never with such a tight connection. My other choice was a flight with a connection in EWR and I decided if I was going to get stuck somewhere along the way, I'd rather it be in Switzerland.

I would be happy flying into any airport as long as it landed me in a European country! I have flown to FRA a number of times and found it to be fine...(Delta) I thought it seemed well organized, especially returning rental car, but I always tend to forget the hassels once I am out. However, I do like Amsterdam and the last few times at CDG I had to take a bus ride all around the airport to change planes.

I don't mind LHR. I'd rather fly into Glasgow, it's smaller and you are in and out so very, very fast, which you won't be at many other UK airports. But I don't mind the big airports either. O'Hare is a great airport, but I probably think so because I've flown there sooooo many times. I found CDG to be confusing, but I've only traveled through it on one trip, so I don't think it's fair to judge it. I thought that the Stuttgart airport was easy to navigate. Pam

I was going to say...Frankfurt LOL! Guess not ;-) I don't change airplanes in Europe, so I can't help you there. Stay. the. ____. outta. FCO. Certainly don't fly out of there if you can help it. I've heard people wax poetically over Schiphol... If Andrea's going with you, then I'm going, too.

So....... the take-home msg I'm hearing is to be sure you have plenty of time for international connections? No matter where you stop over, right? When I flew to CDG years ago, I had a connection in Los Angeles at LAX and it was the worst. I couldn't even find anyone who spoke english to help me find where I was going. In Los Angeles! For my upcoming trip in Sept, I made the mistake of booking a flight with only a 1-hr connection between Amsterdam and CDG. I booked it all on the Delta website. I wasn't sure if I could take a different code share flight if I missed my connection (not much flying experience.) Instead I paid a bunch of money last week and changed my flight to allow a longer connection in Amsterdam. Ouch. $300. I'm flying FCO home and it sounds like an airport you should arrive early at. Kat, have a GREAT time, when are you going?

Pick one of the big ones and use it all the time - then you'll get to like it as you know where everything is. I always use t5 lhr as i like ba and know all the shops, restaurants, lounges, toilets, etc ... (amsterdam is quite good and user friendly)
S

Susan has the best advice! ; )

I definitely agree that Susan's advice is good. I think that is why I don't mind transiting through Heathrow ... it is very familiar. Holly, Just for future reference, the airline is responsible for getting you to the final destination on your ticket. If you buy a ticket with a legal connection and miss your connection, they still need to get you there. Just as an example, twice I have missed connections at London Heathrow. It had nothing to do with London Heathrow as in both cases my flight left the U.S. late due to a problem. I knew I would miss my connection before the plane even landed. Both times, they got me a seat on the next flight.

I read once in one of these travel magazines (don't recall which one) that in comparing airports in every aspect Munich was among the world's top ten. I myself never been there. I had one time a connecting flight at Heathrow for CDG coming from Calif. It wasn't pleasant and would have have missed the flight had some assistance not been forthcoming, allowing me to skip standing in line. But, landing and departing from Heathrow, to and from the SFO, is great....well organised, great facilities, good restaurants. I try to avoid connecting flights, be it in FRA, LHR, or CDG. No problems flying directly to FRA, or CDG or LHR. Sticking to one is maybe the best course of action since in spite of its shortcomings, as those levelled at CDG, some of which are valid, you get used to them and the airport itself.

For me, the worst in Europe is definitely Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Both times I connected there they lost my luggage and the layout was extremely confusing to me. I refuse to go through there anymore. I've never had a problem with Frankfurt. Schipol in Amsterdam is really good, as is Venice. Venice isn't quite as big as most of the others on here but has pretty good amenities. I'd agree with Ed that Manilla is possibly the worst in the world although I think Tegucigalpa probably takes that title to anybody who has flown into it.

Zurich! Sleek and modern, VERY clean (in that typical Swiss way); very clean restrooms (unlike some of the disgusting restrooms one finds here at some U.S. airports, such as JFK and LGA here in New York or Newark), and just seems to run like clock-work (also in that typical Swiss way!). And connections are easy, too I also liked Schiphol in Amsterdam a lot. Very efficient, getting into Amsterdam was a snap and I even recall the airport workers being nice/friendly (again, unlike at many U.S. airports!).

Don't forget the Brussels airport
Very small and user friendly :)

I probably like ZRH and MUC the most...very similar...smaller, clean, modern, and easy to navigate. For connections, I prefer KEF in Reykjavik over all others in Europe...light on extras but very small, super easy, fast, and immigration is completed there, so you can hit the ground running in Europe. As for the best in the world, it's ICN in Seoul IMHO. It is by far the best airport I have ever traveled through anywhere. I won't even attempt to list all of the reasons why it's so great, but it's been number 1 in the world for 8 straight years for a reason.

I agree on Zurich! They were having a chocolate festival whe. I was there, and I had freshly made truffles for free, which cemented my love of it.

My nomination for worst is SJU San Juan, Puerto Rico. Don't expect to ever see anything again that is in your checked baggage. Don't expect anyone who works there to be helpful or polite to you. If your flight is canceled and you are trying to book another flight, standing right at the desk in the airport, nobody cares, no one is helpful. Heathrow is OK, because I know my way around there after many trips. I know others feel differently. If I were changing planes here, I would not make the connections tight. Leave yourself some extra time in case your flight coming in from the US is late.

Zurich and Schiphol are my favorites.

Thank heavens it isn't only me who finds CDG extremely confusing and difficult to navigate. Zurich's interior design is nearly flawless. As I move through it I feel as if the pathway is perfectly intuitive and designed deliberately to guide me to where I need to be. Schiphol was utterly chaotic when I was there in April this year, but once that died down I realized it was very user friendly. I don't mind LHR because I find it well signed. And to my great surprise the last time I was at FCO I even found it relatively easy to navigate.

opps just deleted post I would avoid FCO also. The bathrooms were so ichy that I did not sit down all the way on the tiolets.
At least passport control was quick. I have not been to frankfort in a while but could find where i needed to be. Both O'Hara and Dullas get Meh's from me. I try not to connect through the east coast but sometimes its not easy. I would rather pay more to spend less time transferring and connecting flights. At any US airport I have been to its the TSA people that usually make or break my experience with that airport.

Flew into Heathrow with no problems. Flew into Paris CDG, which was a mass of confusion. Had no problem flying out of Rome FCO, but went 3 hours early. Easy departure from Brussels.

After 10 trips to Europe, here is my personal opinion of the European airports I have flown into or out of... #1-(not even close) Amsterdam...Well laid out, plenty to do, easy connections. Top Tier -Barcelona...easy connections...easy to get to downtown...fast customs -Venice...smaller...easy to navigate...easy to get to from Venice -London Heathrow...easy to fly into and out of -Zurich...fast arrivals...good train connections -Madrid...fast arrivals...good train connections Mid Tier -London Gatwick...huge airport...spread out...long connections -Rome...old and run down...departure is chaotic...arrivals disorganized -Shannon...easy to get in and out of...rental cars within walking distance -Rennes (France)...easy in and out -Athens...nice and new but connections are rough to get into town -Dublin...sort of old...check in was chaotic Bottom of the Pack -Berlin Schoenfield - old and run down...not many food or shopping options -Berlin Tegel - old and run down Last Place (not even close)
-Paris CDG - too big - security screening nightmare...long gate to gate connections - hard to navigate - connecting gates far away...not many food options...customs delays coming and going...lack of information booths to help figure things out

I had a choice between Heathrow and CDG for my last flight to the U.S. British Airways and Air France seemed to get similar reviews but I'd heard nothing about horror stories abut CDG so I chose BA and Heathrow. Wasn't TOO bad. It's huge, of course, I had a 90 minute connection going west and I was able to get to my gate right at bording time - both at terminal 5, but there's a train that connects places within the same terminal? Plus security, British security is kind of crazy and unique. When I flew into Frankfurt to connect in 2011 I found it fine and really like Lufthansa compard to United, seats were fine, but it was a short flight but felt nice, whereas coach in United is horrible. I've picked people up at Frankfurt and found that pretty easy to, all told. Honestly smaller airpots are easier to deal with (Stuttgart is quite small and a breeze) but it costs so much to fly into those that I'm fine with hubs. Still, coming back east I thought I'd have loads of time with my Healthrow connection of 4 hours, but we were waiting to park for nearly an hour, and I only had time for a 30 minute meal before I had to run to my gate. In Stuttgart you can get through security in 5 minutes. If you can find a cheap flight to a smaller airport, I'd take it.

Thanks to my last trip last month, I'm changing my votes for the top two best airports I've been to because of a transatlantic flight. Both Heathrow and Munich are the tops. I agree LHR is well signed. That's where you have to pay attention. MUC is great, good food service, well organised, easy to access and leave for Munich Hbf.

Best: Amsterdam and Munich Worst in the World: Philadelphia
Frankfurt is next but not nearly as bad. Not rating my hometown Dallas/Fort Worth because I am so familiar with it.

Amsterdam Schipol and Munich airports are my favorite (also loved Reykjavik because it's super small and easy to get in and out of) Never had any problems with Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt - any one of these is preferable to a US airport

Munich is my favourite for connecting flights from Canada to other European places. I've had mixed experiences at Frankfurt and would prefer not to transfer there, but sometimes have to. The most annoying thing was being shunted from not one but two security lines after passing passport control as they were too full - I got waved off of two indifferent parts of the airport and finally got through a third and didn't really know how to then get to the gate. I've also had a major security check done (they didn't like all of the electronics in my carry on, but approved in the end of the way I packed everything in clear plastic bags) and have been forced to gate check a bag which had made it through two other flights as carry on. And, of course, they left all of the gate checked bags sitting on the tarmac in Frankfurt. We waved goodbye to our suitcases as we taxied off. Also had friends who lost their luggage during a transfer out of Frankfurt - that took three days to resolve. I just did a transfer in Zurich - it was ok, but there was a train to take to transfer from the arrival gate to passport control. I thought the signage was pretty confusing there. There are signs with arrows pointing you in certain directions, but then suddenly they seem to disappear just as you approach the spot you want (eg. the lounge). I ended up asking for directions more than once. I've transferred in Copenhagen (long walk possible between gates, no moving sidewalks to help) and Vienna (small,pretty easy but then I was going within Europe, not arriving from outside of Schengen)

I used to think PHL was the worst airport in the world. So when I had a choice, I used EWR. I now consider Philly second worst in the world. BTW, I just changed planes (USAir) twice in PHX this weekend. It has to rank near the bottom. I've flown into MUC multiple times. Lufthansa gates are in the middle of the terminal, a short walk across the terminal to immigration and customs. United had the last gate at the end of Terminal 2. I thought I was walking to Munich. I've also flown in and out of Stuttgart (STR). It's laid out like FRA, but a lot smaller. It was easy. But the only flight to/from the US (at the time) was a Delta flight from Atlanta.