The Best Tips to Pass the Waiting Time at the Airport

Power napping in the sleeping pod

More and more airport terminals are offering their guests soundproof sleeping cabins: for example the “NapCabs” in Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich, which are equipped with a bed, desk and internet connection. Or the Minute Suites in New York JFK, Atlanta and Philadelphia, which even have a bath and shower. For those who simply long to stretch out and close their eyes, the narrow GoSleep sleeping pods at Helsinki, Amsterdam or Warsaw airports, which can be booked by the hour, are also sufficient.

Unique restaurant experiences

Only fast food at airports? Not at all. LAX Airport in Los Angeles is known worldwide for its gluten-free food, and Istanbul Airport was voted the best airport in the world in 2024 by the readers of the travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller for its first-class restaurants. At Changi Airport in Singapore, robot Toni has been mixing drinks in the Lotte Duty Free Store since 2024, and in Bangkok, the airport restaurant Luk Kai Thong serves the favorite dishes of the Thai royal family. Michelin-starred chef Guy Martin's restaurant I love Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport is known for its exquisite French classics - and the best beer is of course available at Munich Airport at Airbräu, the world's first airport brewery.

Relax in the pool

Want to swim or splash around a little before your flight or during a stopover? At Changi Airport in Singapore, travelers can float in the water at tropical temperatures in an outdoor pool. Passengers at Punta Cana Airport in the Dominican Republic can take a dip in the infinity pool with a view over the tarmac. In Bangkok, the pool at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel in the middle of a tropical garden is the perfect place to relax - and is also available to non-hotel guests for a fee. And at the Mountain Hub Spa in the Hilton Hotel at Munich Airport, a 17-metre indoor pool attracts guests from all over the world, who gain access to the wellness oasis with a two-hour ticket.

Art in the airport museum

You never have time to visit exhibitions? Then treat yourself to some art and culture at the airport. At the new Istanbul Airport, for example, you can marvel at cultural and natural history exhibits from Turkey Airport Museum since 2020. In Oslo, the Munch Museum near the D-Gates at the international terminal exhibits paintings by Edvard Munch, and in Paris Charles de Gaulle, regularly changing exhibitions from renowned Parisian museums and artists can be seen at Terminals 1 and 2. At Athens Airport, on the other hand, there is a small archaeological museum above the departure hall that exhibits over 170 archaeological artifacts.

Finally time to play games

Fancy a round of “Pac-Man” or “Donkey Kong” before your flight? Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport invites you to play arcade games from the 1980s at Terminals 2 C + E - and to play Playstation games in other gaming areas. In the Gaming Word Frankfurt Airport, travelers can pass the time with dance games and Tetris; Narita Airport in Tokyo offers a Nintendo Check In in the Visitor Center at Terminal 1. There you can try out the latest games on the Nintendo Switch and pose for photos with the Mario mascot.

Wellness at the airport

Do you long for a massage or yoga after (or before) a ten-hour flight? With its many quiet zones and silent chairs with integrated loudspeakers for listening to music, Frankfurt Airport is a global pioneer when it comes to wellness and relaxation. At Terminals 1 and 2, transit passengers can use two fully equipped yoga rooms behind the security checkpoint free of charge - just like in San Francisco, Chicago and many other airports around the world. It is also possible to treat yourself to a beauty treatment or massage in airport spas. For example, at the Xpres Spa branches in Miami, Istanbul and Amsterdam or Be Relax Spa in Frankfurt, New York, Toronto and other airports.

Cycling, sliding and getting married

Your connecting flight doesn't leave for another five hours? No problem. At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, you will find a library with books in numerous languages behind passport control between Terminals 2 and 3 - and you can listen to birdsong in an indoor forest or generate your own energy for your cell phone on bicycles. At Changi Airport in Singapore, the largest airport slide and the world's highest indoor waterfall will delight young and old alike. You can even get married at the airport in the Asian city-state: under a three-metre-high flower arch, surrounded by tropical greenery and travelers from all over the world.

Buy till you fly: shopping at the airport

The first duty-free store opened at Shannon Airport in Ireland in 1947 - since then, airports around the world have been transformed into gigantic shopping temples.London Heathrow is a shopper's paradise with 345 stores, food stalls and restaurants.At Terminals 2, 3 and 5, you can even book a personal shopping assistant and get styling advice while you shop.Or marvel at the latest collections of a world-famous fashion brand in a luxury boutique with a café - and feast on exquisite food creations by Michelin-starred chef Cyril Lignac.Delicacies, designer fashion and duty-free bargains in over 150 stores await travelers at Munich Airport. In the world capital of fashion in Paris, you can continue shopping in 280 stores at Charles de Gaulle Airport until shortly before departure. For example at Terminal 2E, where you will find branches of the most famous French fashion houses.