I have walked to and from these 5 airports — as well as more airports that I have not documented — and you can walk as well if you choose to do so.
I Have Walked To and From These 5 Airports — and You Can Too
Airports seem to be designed to be complex and confusing; and — more often than not — they are so large that simply leaving the grounds of an airport can be a long distance in and of itself…
…plus, some airports are located very far out of town. Denver International Airport comes to mind as an example, as when it was first built, it seemed like it was located in the middle of nowhere out on the Great Plains — but as the years passed on, the surrounding area continues to become more populated.
In no particular order, the four airports to and from which I have walked are as follows:
Omaha in Nebraska in the United States — Eppley Airfield: You can actually go through another state to walk between the airport and the city — Carter Lake in Iowa, to be more specific. I spent 57 minutes on this walk, which was approximately three miles.
Las Vegas in Nevada in the United States — Harry Reid International Airport: If the weather is nice, you are not in a hurry, and too much chaos is going on at the airport with everyone trying to get to The Strip, walking is absolutely a viable option. Time and distance depends on your final destination in either Las Vegas or Paradise.
Kiruna in Sweden — Kiruna Airport: Transportation options in this small city in the Lapplands of northern Sweden are surprisingly minimal; but that may be because the city is divided into the old city and the new city, as Kiruna is slowly moving east. I walked 4.7 kilometers in the Arctic so that I could pick up a car I rented at the airport in a reasonable amount of time.
Lisbon in Portugal — Lisbon Airport: I was forced to walk from the airport to Lisbon because the Aeroporto station of the Metropolitano de Lisboa was not operating due to a labor dispute that led to a strike. The terminal was crowded. Long lines of people were queued at the information areas. The wait for buses was unknown, with hundreds of people wanting to use that option. Traffic was at a standstill…
…so I walked five kilometers to Lisbon.
Mascot in Australia — Sydney Airport: I have not written an article about this yet, which is why no link was included in this section; but I have stayed at hotel properties near this airport and walked to either Terminal 2 or Terminal 3 at the airport, which are the terminals for domestic flights. The complimentary shuttle bus between terminals is needed to access Terminal 1, which is the international terminal and is located at the west end of the airport. Bonus: when I used the AirportLink from Sydney and left one stop early at the Mascot station — as one would need to do to stay at some of the hotel properties near the airport — I paid less money when I walked the rest of the way.
Bonus: you can walk between Terminal B and Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport in New York — and this article contains information on how to do it instead of having to wait for the free shuttle bus, which can take a while.
Final Boarding Call
I have almost walked to or from other airports worldwide as well; but at least one impediment stopped me from doing so. For example, I was warned not to walk from Manila International Airport to the city itself in the Philippines because doing so was not safe.
I typically do not go out of my way to walk to or from airports — but sometimes circumstances lead me to doing so. Side benefits include less pollution, good exercise, and saving money — plus, one gets to see more of an area by walking instead of zipping by in a motor vehicle.
Have you ever walked to or from an airport? If so, please let us know in the Comments section below about your experiences.
All photographs ©2018, ©2023, ©2024, and ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
