Disclaimer: I will only be discussing about airports that I have personally been to, so I know I will leave many fan favorites and most hated out of my list.
Best Airports
1. Singapore’s Changi International Airport (SIN)
Changi International Airport is famous for being the best airport in the world, and it deserves all the praise it gets! The airport looks like it was made in your dreams with tons of foundations and nature brought into this modern architecture. They have movie theaters, open food markets, sleeping pods, Koi ponds, butterfly enclosure, multimedia areas, spas and shopping.. A fun little fact is that most of the bathrooms are nicer than a lot of department stores. I have visited this airport twice, both over night layovers, and I had a blast taking advantage of everything this airport had to offer. A lot of stuff is shut down during the super early hours of the morning (like from 3 am to 5 am) but it is a very unique experience seeing this place basically empty.
2. Zurich Airport (ZRH)
Zurich Airport is only eight miles from Zurich, making it the perfect layover destination. The airport itself has a modern and fresh look. It is also super easy to move around the airport with their fantastic transit system. Like many other airports it has great shopping and dining, but it also has observation decks with views of the mountains as well as watching the planes land. This is a photographer’s dream location! When I visited this airport I was leaving from Zurich to go back to the US, so this was not a layover destination for me. My favorite memory is when my friends and I found a Laduree store so that I could bring home boxes of macaroons.
3. Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Frankfurt Airport is another beautiful airport with tons of shopping, but my favorite part about it is the dining selection. They truly have every style of cuisine in this airport. I was able to get a fresh pressed green juice. This is the only airport I have ever done gotten that in. Frankfurt’s lounges there are also next level, from what I have heard, all of them are spacious and comfortable. I also found the people working at this airport to be some of the sweetest and kindest people out there, which can sometimes be rare in airports. During my layover, I did not have time to use the lounges which was a shame because I am Star Alliance member so I had multiple to pick from. They also have a flight simulator, that’s pretty cool.
4. Chicago O’hare International Airport (ORD)
This by far is the most controversial pick, but I stand by this one whole heartedly. O’hare is what I consider my “home” airport and I have probably flown out of this airport more than any other in the world. I love this airport as much as you can love an airport. The dining selection is amazing with many iconic Chicago restaurants having small locations there, most of the airport is stunning especially the rainbow tunnel (the uglier parts are just old and are getting redone now, YAY) and it is super easy to get around. Signs are literally everywhere, I have been to this airport so many times, I do not even look at them any more. Now the big draw back of this airport, does it always have delays, yes, but thats just because it the largest hub airport for my airline United. Say what you want about United, if you like to travel, Star Alliance is your best friend.
5. Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Whenever I am at Heathrow Airport, I cannot help but compare it to John F. Kennedy International Airport. They look very similar, but Heathrow is by far better than JFK. Like O’hare, Heathrow also has a ton of signs. Like you really have to try to get lost here. Duty free shopping here is massive open floor plan of tons of shops, I find this to be the case in many European or Canadian airports that I have visited. The regular shopping has all the name brands like the other airports, but they have something special, a Harry Potter store. This mainly attracts tourist, but it is still fun! Dining here is on par with many of the listed airports. Heathrow has one of Gordon Ramsey’s Michelin star restaurant, Plane Food. The transit is super fun here, it is designed to look like mini trains. I have seen and ridden them, they really do look like tiny trains. It was a cute, unexpected surprise. I have flown out of Heathrow a few times now and my only complain about it is the same one I have about O’hare, delays every time I fly. It is understandable being that it is the second busiest airport in the world.
Travel with Hannah 