The 10 worst airport lounges in Europe: 2026

Lisbon's main contract lounge is the lowest-rated lounge in Europe on this site, and it is not close. Below it, things get crowded fast: the other nine all score between 2.1 and 2.6, against a regional median of 3.4.

How I built this: I took every lounge in Europe (Turkey excluded; it is in the Middle East list) that has at least eight rated metrics, dropped anything closed, and left out nap suites, spas, and restaurants or bars sold as Priority Pass "experiences." What remains is ranked by our overall score, worst first.

The bottom is mostly British, Irish and Italian. Three UK lounges, three Italian ones and Dublin make up seven of the ten, and if Faro's two lounges had photos, Portugal would have three. That is less a verdict on those countries than a reflection of where a lot of small, busy, card-access rooms sit.

The one that stands apart#

1. ANA Lounge, Lisbon (1.8). Lisbon's airport-run lounge is big, about 900 m² on Floor 6 of Terminal 1, and it is the lounge almost every card network sends you to. Wi-Fi, at 4, is the only thing that rates well. It sits before passport control, so non-Schengen passengers can use it too, but they then have the border queue ahead of them.

Go here instead: with Star Alliance Gold or a business ticket, TAP Premium Lounge Tejo (3.1) is in the same terminal on the Schengen side, near Gate 26; our listing says paid entry starts at about EUR 28. On a non-Schengen flight, TAP Premium Lounge Atlântico (3.0) is the only lounge after the border.

Small airports, one lounge#

2. The Spitfire Lounge, Southampton (2.1). Two small rooms behind a restaurant, room for about 50 people. Exclusivity scores 5, which means the place is not overrun with card holders; the problem is that the space itself is tight. It is the only lounge at Southampton, so if you are flying from there, the choice is this or the gate.

4. Prima Vista Lounge by Aviapartner, Cagliari (2.5). Scores 2 for food, crowding, quiet, power, workspace and views, and 3 for everything else. Nothing is terrible, but nothing is good either. It serves both Schengen and non-Schengen departures and has a smoking room. It is the only lounge at Cagliari on our site.

10. VIP Lounge 'Angelo D'Arrigo', Catania (2.6). Scores 2 for crowding, quiet, power and workspace. The only lounge at Catania that rates higher is the ITA Airways lounge (2.7). It is landside, before security, and open only to ITA premium passengers and status holders.

Big airports, better rooms nearby#

3. Saudia Lounge, London Heathrow T4 (2.3). Opened in April 2025 on the upper floor of the old SkyTeam lounge. It is a dry lounge for Saudia First and Business passengers and Alfursan Gold members only; other SkyTeam elites are not admitted. Go here instead: downstairs, in the same building, the Plaza Premium Lounge rates 4.9 and takes Priority Pass, DragonPass, LoungeKey or a paid walk-in.

5. Goldair Handling Lounge Intra, Athens (2.5). It has only eight rated metrics, the minimum for this list, so treat the score as less settled than the others. Go here instead: Priority Pass members can walk 10 to 15 minutes through the underground passage to the Goldair Handling Lounge x AIA in the Satellite Terminal (3.3, open 06:30 to 21:30). With Star Alliance Gold, the Aegean Business Lounge (Schengen) (3.6) is in the same hall.

6. Monteverdi Classic Lounge, Milan Malpensa T1 (2.6). Exclusivity scores 1 and food 2. It is the only Priority Pass lounge on the Schengen side of Terminal 1, with a two-hour limit. Go here instead: with Star Alliance Gold or a Lufthansa Group business ticket, the Lufthansa Lounge in the same area rates 4.2. On a non-Schengen flight, Priority Pass gets you into Montale Exclusive Lounge (3.2).

7. Plaza Premium Lounge (Non-Schengen), Budapest (2.6). Another lounge with only eight rated metrics. Go here instead: the Platinum Lounge (Non-Schengen) next to Gate B7 in the same Terminal 2B area rates 3.0 and also takes Priority Pass.

8. The Suite by Aspire, Newcastle (2.6). The odd one here: this is the top, adults-only tier of Newcastle's three-room Aspire complex, sold for about £60 in 2024 or as a Priority Pass upgrade. Go here instead: the regular Aspire Lounge in the same complex rates 2.9 and is free with Priority Pass or DragonPass.

9. The Liffey Lounge, Dublin (2.6). Opened in 2025 in the old T2 Lounge space, in the corridor between Terminals 1 and 2. Priority Pass notes that access may be restricted from 11:00 to 15:00. Go here instead: the Phoenix Lounge on the T1 mezzanine rates 3.5. It takes DragonPass or paid entry, not Priority Pass. US-bound passengers past preclearance have 51st & Green (3.5), the only lounge you can reach once you have cleared.

The scores are close#

From fourth place down, the gaps are tiny. Cagliari and Athens both score 2.5, and the four lounges from Milan to Catania all show 2.6, as do half a dozen others that are not on the list.

Also low, but not on the list#

These lounges score low enough to be here but have no photos yet, so they cannot appear in a list: Cluj-Napoca's Business Lounge (2.4, which would rank fourth), Faro's two ANA lounges (Schengen and non-Schengen, 2.5 each), Varna's VIP/Business Lounge (2.6, with a 1 for food), and Hannover's Melli-Beese-Lounge and Karl-Jatho-Lounge (2.6 each).

For country-level versions of this list, see the UK and Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal, Eastern Europe and Greece, Germany and Switzerland and Austria pieces. For the other end of the scale, here are the best airport lounges in Europe. Scores follow our methodology.