The vehicle hire company StressFreeCarRental.com has shared a list of the most stressful airports in Europe that can easily overwhelm visitors.

Whilst flights are often the fastest way to reach a holiday destination, negotiating long queues and trying to avoid getting lost can make a visit to the airport feel nerve-racking.

John Charnock, CEO of StressFreeCarRental.com advised tourists booking a holiday that choosing the right airport can help them relax from the moment the trip begins.

He explained: “For those heading to Europe this summer, it’s important that a long-haul flight and arrival at the airport isn’t a stressful experience that could make or break your vacation.

“There are certain airports in Europe which can make travellers feel more stressed than others – and the 2024 Stressful Airport Index has shown us which factors at certain destinations are worse than others.”

Using factors such as the amount of passengers, parking charges, the number of destinations travelling from there and distance from the nearest city, StressFreeCarRental.com found that the most stressful airport is Charles-de-Gaulle in France.

Opened in 1974, Charles-de-Gaulle Airport is the main international airport of Paris, with more than 67.4 million people using it in 2023 alone.

The airport also features 270 flight destinations, more than any other on the list, and costs tourists an average of €100 (£86) to park their car there per week.

John suggested that, in many cases, the more widely used an airport is, the more stressful it can be to encounter, comparing Charles-de-Gaulle Airport to Zagreb Airport in Croatia.

He continued: “Charles-de-Gaulle Airport has been named the most stress-inducing, largely due to the high volumes of passengers travelling through, expensive car parking charges and the high departure of delay scores.

“Out of the ten popular European airports that have been analyzed, Zagreb in Croatia has been named the least stress-inducing, with low passenger numbers, a close distance to the city centre and the lowest departure delay scores.”

Top 10 most stressful European airports (score out of 100):

1. Charles-de-Gaulle (France) – 44
2. Schiphol (The Netherlands) – 39
3. Heathrow (UK) – 39
4. Rome (Italy) – 32
5. Athens (Greece) – 26
6. Madrid (Spain) – 24
7. Lisbon (Portugal) – 23
8. Dublin (Ireland) – 22
9. Berlin (Germany) – 21
10. Zagreb (Croatia) – 13