The Most Expensive European Airports To Fly Into Aren't Worth The Extra Cost

There are plenty of ways to discover that the European trip you budgeted for did not, in fact, stay on budget. Between the various types of travel insurance that will only cost you more to the unnecessary upgrades on European transportation, there are many methods to needlessly draining your wallet. One way that might not be on your radar is the cost of flying into certain European airports.

Alpen Air documented a variety of ways that European airports can upcharge you in ways that are not worth it — from food to parking to public transportation. For instance, if an airport has higher security, it also tends to have higher food prices. Such is the case with Dublin Airport in Ireland, where the average cost of a small snack tends to come to €8.65, or $10.16. Knowing which airports in Europe might cost you the most can help you avoid flying in or out of them the next time you take a European flight.

Alpen Air named Oslo-Gardemoen (OSL) as the most expensive airport in Europe. If you are not looking to spend a sizable amount of your income on traveling, then do all you can to avoid flying in or out of OSL. In this case, it is less about what you will pay inside the Norwegian airport, and more about what you will pay for transportation to and from.

The Norway Guide broke down that the average time it takes to get from Gardermoen to Oslo City Center is about 40 minutes by taxi, which costs between 700 and 1300 NOK ($69.45 – $128.98 USD), or Uber, with an average ride that falls in the range of 900 to 1800 NOK ($89.29 to $178.58 USD). Riding the bus to OSL is less expensive at roughly 114 to 199 NOK ($11.31 to $19.74 USD), though the train tends to be the fastest and most cost effective way to get to and from the airport, with a ticket costing at most 210 NOK or $20.83, and getting you to city center in under 30 minutes. If you do not have a lot of luggage and can navigate a map, this might be your most frugal option for getting to and from Oslo-Gardemoen without draining your wallet.

There are a few simple ways to save money when flying, but parking at the airport usually is not one of them, especially in Germany. Typically, a German airport charges between €30 and €70 per day just to park your car. That's between $35.24 and $82.88. Alpen Air found that Hamburg Airport had the lowest cost when it came to parking for 24 hours with only €30 for the day while Berlin tended to charge €60 for the same amount of parking time, earning it the airport with the highest parking fees in Europe.

Should you find yourself needing to park a car at a German airport, Parkwell recommends that travelers reserve a space in advance and analyze costs across long-term parking options, adding that the proximity of the lot to the airport can also bring the price up or down. That's because offsite alternatives might take a little longer to get travelers from their car to their gate, so what you end up paying for is convenience. Still, if you give yourself enough time to get to a German airport, park, and take advantage of the numerous shuttle services offered, you can significantly save yourself some euros in the process.