Getting around
Airport to city: what is actually waiting for you in six cities
This leg almost never makes it into the price comparison, and it is the one that decides how the first day starts.
Why it is worth five minutes
The airfare gets compared to the last shekel. The transfer almost never does. The result is familiar: an awkward arrival time, a taxi queue, and a cost that was not in the plan.
Most European cities have a direct train or bus, it costs far less than a taxi, and in traffic it is often quicker too. Here is what exists in six cities we hold structured data for.
Six cities, and what they offer
Rome: Leonardo Express from FCO to Termini, about 32 minutes, €14. A taxi is a fixed €50.
Barcelona: the Aerobús in about 35 minutes (€6.75) or the R2 Nord train in about 35 minutes (€4.60). Taxi €30–40.
Amsterdam: a direct train to Centraal in 17 minutes, €5.40. Taxi €45–55 — the widest gap of the six.
Vienna: the CAT in 16 minutes (€12) or the S-Bahn in 25 minutes (€4.30). Taxi €40–50.
Athens: metro line 3, about 45 minutes, €9. Taxi €38–45.
Prague: bus 119 to the metro, about 35 minutes, 40 CZK. Bolt runs roughly 250–350 CZK.
The pattern that repeats
In all six, the public connection costs under half of the taxi, and in three of them under a tenth. Vienna and Amsterdam are the extremes: 16 to 17 minutes on a train, against a ride costing three to ten times as much.
What does change is how comfortable it is. With two suitcases, a tired child, or a landing after midnight, the taxi is sometimes the right call. The point is to make that call in advance rather than in the queue.
Buy the day pass, not the single
In several of these cities the airport ticket is part of a network you will use anyway. Vienna sells a 24-hour pass at €8, Barcelona a ten-journey T-Casual at €11.35, Prague a 24-hour ticket at 120 CZK. For a two or three day stay that is almost always cheaper than singles.
The transfer is part of the price of the flight. All six cities here have a direct public connection that costs far less than a taxi — but only if you looked it up before you landed.
Where to go from here
- When to fly to Rome — and when not to
- Where to stay in Barcelona: what each price level buys
- Search flights
- Plan a trip
The facts in this article come from our own destination knowledge. They are not a measured price: prices on this site always carry the date they were measured.
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