The first hour of a city break sets the tone. Get the airport transfer right and you're checked in with a coffee before the taxi queue has moved. Get it wrong and you've paid €60 to sit in traffic.

This table pulls together the airport transfer details from every ConciseTravel city guide in one place. For each city it gives the cheapest public option, the fastest option, rough journey times and what a taxi usually costs. Prices are approximate and were correct when each guide was researched (2025–2026). Fares change, so check the operator's site before you fly.

The full comparison

City Airport Cheapest way in Fastest way in Taxi (approx.)
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) Train to Centraal, €5–6, 15–20 min Same train Not covered
Athens Athens Intl (ATH), 30 km X95 bus to Syntagma, ~€5, 50–60 min, 24/7 Metro Line 3, ~€9, ~40 min Flat ~€40 day, ~€55 night
Barcelona El Prat (BCN), 15 km Metro L9 Sud or R2 Nord train, ~€5, 30–40 min Aerobús to Plaça de Catalunya, ~€6, ~30 min, 24/7 Not covered
Berlin Brandenburg (BER) S-Bahn S9/S45 FEX Airport Express, 30–40 min €45–50
Bruges No airport; use Brussels (BRU) Direct train from BRU, ~1 hr Same train Not covered
Brussels Brussels (BRU) Airport Express bus Train to Central, ~20 min Not covered
Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD) 100E airport bus, direct to centre 100E bus Metered official taxis
Dublin Dublin (DUB) City bus route 41 Aircoach or Dublin Express, ~€7 €25–35
Dubrovnik Čilipi (DBV), 20 km Shuttle bus after every arrival to Pile Gate Taxi or Uber Not covered
Edinburgh Edinburgh (EDI) Airlink 100 bus, £5.50, 24/7 Tram to city centre, £7.50 Not covered
Florence Peretola (FLR), 5 km Tram T2, €1.50, ~20 min Tram T2 Flat ~€22
Galway No airport; Shannon (1 hr) Citylink or GoBus coach Coach Not covered
Geneva Geneva (GVA), 4 km Free train ticket from the baggage hall, 7 min Same train 35–50 CHF
Krakow John Paul II (KRK), 11 km Airport buses, 24/7 Train to Kraków Główny, ~17 min 70–100 PLN
Las Vegas Harry Reid (LAS) Shared shuttle Uber or Lyft Flat-fare zones
Lisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS) Metro red line, ~20 min Taxi, 15–20 min off-peak €12–18
Ljubljana Ljubljana (LJU), 25 km Public shuttle bus, €10–12, ~30 min Taxi €30–35
Los Angeles LAX FlyAway bus to Union Station or Hollywood, ~$10 Taxi or rideshare Not covered
Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS), 25 km Tram T3 + bus 47, ~€2, ~1 hr Rhônexpress tram, ~€16, ~30 min Not covered
Milan Malpensa (MXP) / Linate (LIN) Linate: M4 metro, standard fare, 15 min Malpensa Express train, ~€13, 50 min Not covered
Munich Munich (MUC) S1 or S8 S-Bahn, ~€11, ~40 min S-Bahn €70+
Naples Capodichino (NAP), 6 km Alibus shuttle, every 20–30 min Taxi Fixed €20–25
New York JFK / LGA / EWR LGA: free Q70 bus + subway $2.90, 30–40 min JFK: AirTrain + subway or LIRR, $10–15, 45–60 min JFK flat ~$70; LGA $30–50
Ostuni Brindisi (BDS), 35 km Train via Bari Centrale (from BRI) Car or taxi from BDS, ~30 min Not covered
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) RER B train RER B Fixed ~€56 Right Bank, ~€65 Left Bank
Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro (OPO) Metro Line E, ~€3, ~30 min Taxi or Uber €20–25
Prague Václav Havel (PRG), 17 km Bus 119 + metro line A, ~20 min to the metro Airport Express (AE) bus to the main station Not covered
Reykjavik Keflavík (KEF), 50 km Strætó bus 55 Flybus or Airport Direct, ~45 min 18,000+ ISK (~£100)
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) Shuttle bus, ~€6 Leonardo Express to Termini, ~€14 Fixed rates
Salzburg W.A. Mozart (SZG), 5 km Bus 10 or 2, 15–20 min Same bus €15–25
San Francisco SFO BART, ~30 min BART Not covered
Seville San Pablo (SVQ), 10 km EA airport bus, €4–6 Taxi Fixed ~€25 by day
Tallinn Lennart Meri (TLL), 4 km Tram 4, €2, ~15 min Taxi or Bolt, ~10 min €10–15
Venice Marco Polo (VCE), 8 km ACTV bus 5 or ATVO coach, ~€8, ~20 min Water taxi Alilaguna water bus ~€15, ~1 hr
Vienna Vienna (VIE), 20 km S7 S-Bahn, ~€4, ~25 min City Airport Train, ~€12, 16 min €30–40
Warsaw Chopin (WAW), 8 km SKM or KM train, a few złoty, ~20 min Same train ~40 zł

What the table tells you

The cheapest transfer is often also the fastest. In Geneva, Florence, Tallinn, Amsterdam, Munich, Salzburg and Warsaw, the public option is as quick as a taxi and costs a fraction of the price.

Geneva wins outright. Arriving passengers can take a free 80-minute public transport ticket from a machine in the baggage hall, and the train reaches Cornavin station in seven minutes.

Florence is the bargain. A standard €1.50 tram ticket takes you from the terminal to the edge of the historic centre in about 20 minutes.

Taxis are worst value at the far-out airports. Reykjavik's Keflavík sits 50 km from town and a taxi can cost around £100. Munich's taxis run €70 and up. In both cases the train or shuttle is the sensible choice unless you're splitting the fare four ways.

Fixed taxi fares protect you in some cities. Athens, Paris, Naples, Seville, Florence and New York's JFK all have flat or fixed airport fares. Confirm the fare before you get in, and only use the official rank.

Two cities on the list have no airport of their own. Bruges and Galway are reached by train or coach from Brussels and Shannon (or Dublin). Budget that into your arrival day.

How this data was gathered

Every row comes from the "Getting there" or "Transportation" section of the matching ConciseTravel guide, written and checked between 2025 and 2026. Where a guide doesn't give a reliable figure, the table says "Not covered" rather than guessing. If you spot a fare that has changed, tell us and we'll update the table.

Use this data

You're welcome to use this table in your own articles or guides. Please credit it with a link to this page:

Source: <a href="https://www.concisetravel.com/airport-to-city-centre-cheapest-and-fastest-transfers-for-35-cities-compared-travel-guide/">ConciseTravel airport transfer comparison</a>

For the full picture on any city (neighbourhoods, transport passes, food and the scams to avoid), each city name links to its ConciseTravel hub page.