The 5 Countries That Don’t Have Airports

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Here in the United States, we have it pretty easy. Every state has at least 1 airport (fun fact! There’s only 1 state that has only 1 commercial airport – Vermont. Connecticut has 2, and New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island have 3 each. The other 45 states each have 4 or more commercial airports). In fact, all told, our entire country has over 500 commercial airports. And if you include non-commercial airports, as of 2020, the U.S. has over 13,500 of them – more than 3 times the country with the next highest amount of airports (Brazil, with just over 4,000).

On the other end of the spectrum, there are 5 countries that have no airports:

Andorra

Photo: Peterfitzgerald / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Andorra is a tiny country surrounded by France, Spain and the Pyrenees mountains. It’s known for its ski resorts and shopping. But if you want to visit Andorra, you’ll have to fly to Spain or France, and continue your travels by road (The closest airports in Spain are La Seu d’Urgell, Barcelona, Lleida, Reus and Girona. The nearest airports in France are Toulouse, Carcassonne and Perpignan. Most offer coach or minibus service to Andorra).

Liechtenstein

Photo: worldmap1.com

Liechtenstein also has no airport of its own. Known for its medieval castles, alpine landscapes and villages, the small country of 38,254 (as of 2021) is surrounded by Switzerland and Austria. If you plan to drive to Lichtenstein from either country, heads up that you have to buy a Swiss or Austrian toll sticker (vignette), which must be affixed to the car’s windshield. These are available online, at gas stations, and at border crossings. Failure to comply with traffic rules can result in large fines.

Monaco

Photo: TUBS / wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

Monaco is known as a “Billionaires’ Playground.” It’s mostly famous for its lavish wealth, casinos, and glamorous events that include the Monaco Yacht Show and the Monaco Grand Prix. Actress Grace Kelly was one of the few Americans who became a princess, after she married Monaco’s Prince Rainier III in April 1956.

As rich as Monaco is, it has no airports. The tiny country is bordered by France to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The closest major airport is Nice Côte d’Azur airport (NCE), which is about 30km away. From there you can rent a car or get a taxi.

San Marino

Photo: © Sémhur / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0

San Marino, which is said to be the world’s oldest surviving republic, is surrounded by north-central Italy. Tourism dominates San Marino’s economy, and it has over three million visitors every year.

Visitors to San Marino will have to fly into one of the nearby airports around the region. Federico Fellini International Airport is only 10 miles from the heart of the San Marino City.

Vatican City

Photo: Public Domain

Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, Italy and is, of course, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. It’s also home to a trove of iconic art and architecture. Vatican City hosts about 19,000 people per day, or nearly 7,000,000 people per year.

However, Vatican City, with a population of 825 (including the Pope) is also tiny, at only 0.19 square miles (109 acres). To travel there, visitors can fly into either of Rome’s airports.

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