These 7 Airport Terminals Are So Beautiful, You May Forget You’re at an Airport
Most travelers expect an airport to be the worst part of a trip: long lines, hard seats, and a gate far away. Seven terminals around the world are trying to change that. This year, the Prix Versailles architecture awards named them the most beautiful airports of 2026. Some look like flowers. Others look like forests or mountains. Two are in the United States, and a few may make you forget you are about to fly.
These Airports Won by Telling a Local Story
These airports won because they tell a local story. The Prix Versailles, a respected series of international architecture awards, picked winners that reflect their regions’ landscapes and cultures. That makes each terminal feel less like a generic building and more like a welcome. Visitors and locals both benefit. The first stop on the list borrows its design from the city’s nickname. What does a terminal built like a flower look like?
Guangzhou Built Its Terminal Like a Flower
Guangzhou, China, built its new terminal to look like a flower. The city is nicknamed the City of Flowers, so Terminal 3 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport follows the theme “Blossom in Guangzhou.” Curved shapes, terraces, gardens, and open atria bring nature indoors. Much of the terminal is made of wood instead of metal and plastic, which gives it an earthy feel. Could another terminal take a very different path?
Frankfurt’s Terminal Is Almost as Big as a City Center
Frankfurt, Germany, designed its terminal like a city. Instead of copying nature, Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport arranges gates and lounges like streets and squares. A shopping and dining marketplace covers about 694,000 square feet. The whole terminal spans 1.89 million square feet, nearly the size of Frankfurt’s city center. A traveler heading to a gate is walking through something built like a small town. What if the inspiration came from a plant?
In Guwahati, a Rare Orchid Became an Airport
In India, an orchid inspired an entire terminal. Architect Nuru Karim based Terminal 2 at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati on the bamboo orchid. The result looks like an oversized bamboo forest. Waiting and transit areas also show indigenous art and local handicrafts, so travelers see the region before they leave the building. Another Indian airport chose a different flower.
Navi Mumbai Turned a Lotus Into a Roof
Navi Mumbai’s airport grew from the shape of a lotus. Zaha Hadid Architects used the flower to shape the design of Terminal 1, from its massive roof to its fluted, flowerlike columns. Interactive digital artworks sit among the columns and add color to the transit areas. It is a mix of old symbolism and new technology. Can a beautiful terminal also be a green one?
Cambodia Proves Beauty and Sustainability Can Share a Roof
Cambodia’s new airport shows beauty and sustainability can go together. Foster + Partners designed Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh with a sweeping roof that recalls the country’s palaces and temples. The ceiling looks woven like bamboo and rattan, and it filters tropical sunlight, so the building needs less mechanical cooling. A solar farm, rainwater harvesting, and vertical gardens add to its green credentials. Now, to the United States.
Pittsburgh’s Airport Pulls the Mountains Indoors
Pittsburgh International Airport looks like a piece of the mountains. Its roof seems to rise from Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains, and 38 treelike steel columns create the feel of an indoor forest. Gensler and HDR designed it with Luis Vidal + Architects. Large glass walls let daylight pour in, and four outdoor terraces give passengers fresh air while they wait. Could an older airport win a place on the list too?
San Diego Shows an Old Terminal Can Glow Again
San Diego proved an older terminal can earn a second life. Terminal 1 opened in 1967 and is now one of the busiest airports in the country. Gensler redesigned it, adding an 800-foot curved glass facade developed with artist and architect James Carpenter. The glass floods the spaces with natural light. For travelers, a crowded gate area now feels bright and open. So what do these seven airports add up to?
The Journey Can Be as Memorable as the Destination
The old idea that an airport is just a place to endure is starting to fade. These terminals borrow from flowers, forests, cities, and mountains, and they make the trip start well before takeoff. Next time you are stuck waiting for a flight, look up. Notice the ceiling and the walls. You may find that the journey really can be as memorable as the destination.