An airport doesn’t have to be beautiful to be useful—we'd all trade a faster TSA line for a little less aesthetic beauty in the terminals. But when all goes well and you speed through the checkpoints, it honestly makes the whole journey better the airport has put in a little effort to make the site attractive. Maybe that includes spectacular airport art, luxuriously appointed lounges or simply wide windows to watch those planes take off. And this year's Prix Versailles celebrates all of the above, honoring the six most stunning travel hubs in the world—and two of them are right here in the U.S.
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The awards body acknowledges that making an attractive airport has its difficulties, especially "in terms of flow management and the aircraft themselves.” Moving and seating herds of people doesn’t exactly make an architect’s spirits rise, but when it’s done right, it’s incredibly satisfying. (Anyone who has ever fought through the slot machine-filled terminal at Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport knows it was a fun idea but ultimately very impractical).
One of those gorgeous homegrown airports is Portland International Airport in Oregon, which earns a coveted place on the Prix Versailles list for its main terminal renovation by ZGF. The space is evocative of a forest and is intended to calm passengers with its sense of light flow and greenery—a massive nine-acre timber roof harks to Oregon’s forestry history and was built with wood sourced no further than 300 miles from the airport. The roof line curves as branches do and creates a beautiful relaxing art installation that also lets in natural light that dapples as if you’re in an actual forest.
The renovation doubled the footprint of the original 1958 terminal, and the undulating roofline makes the space “break off” into smaller rooms, which also helps passengers feel relaxed. Glazing permits passengers to look out onto the airfield and the surrounding forest, while interior tree groupings bring the woods into the airport. Sustainability details are equally impressive: Renovating in place rather than starting new construction created a 70-percent reduction in carbon footprint, while 60-percent of the terminal is naturally daylit.
The other airport garnering this honor is San Francisco International. It has erected 25 new gates in Terminal 1 with Gensler architectural firm, and the renovation reduced the airport’s carbon footprint by 79-percent and its energy usage by 59-percent. Much like the Portland airport’s renovation, San Francisco’s also allows soft, natural light to filter into the space to soothe passengers.
The airport is the only one in the world with an accredited on-site museum and impressive art is also found all throughout the airport space. Harvey Milk Terminal 1 opened in June 2024 and is named for San Francisco trailblazer Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California—a permanent exhibit in the SFO Museum celebrates the life and legacy of the LGBTQ trailblazer.
The terminal showcases colorful artworks with bright, white curving walls and ceilings, and unusually shaped window portholes. Most helpful for those who cringe every time a loud announcement goes over the PA system, Gensler worked with SFO to incorporate biophilic (a.k.a. nature-based) design principles to make the space quieter—and gate announcements are only made at the boarding area where you’re at. Neurodivergent passengers will also want to check out Terminal 1’s Sensory Room.
The world's most beautiful airports, according to Prix Versailles
- Yantai Penglai International Airport
Terminal 2 (Yantai, China) - Marseille Provence Airport
Terminal 1 (Marignane, France) - Roland Garros Airport
Arrivals Terminal (Réunion Island, France) - Kansai International Airport
Terminal 1 (Osaka, Japan) - Portland International Airport
Main Terminal (Portland, United States) - San Francisco International Airport
Terminal 1 (San Francisco, United States)