A car-free village clinging to a glacier. A lonely island without a runway. A tiny port that looks like it slipped from a myth.
These places exist in Europe, but you will not reach them by scrolling through flight comparison websites. To get there, you need a different mindset: not “which airline flies here,” but “how can I reach this exact dot on the map?”
Why Look Beyond Commercial Flights?
Europe’s airspace is crowded. In 2024, Eurocontrol recorded about 10.7 million flights, with summer peaks exceeding 35,000 movements per day. The delays are small on paper, but when you are trying to make a tight connection, a few minutes per flight will cost you missing the train or the only ferry running that day.
Commercial airlines are built around profit and density, so it’s more efficient to serve hubs rather than remote corners. The European Business Aviation Association reports that business aviation connects around 1,500 airports throughout Europe, with roughly 1,000 having no airline service at all. In other words, the remote places do have runways, just not scheduled flights.
The European Commission also notes that almost 9% of flights in the EU are non-scheduled, including charters, and travellers already know that point-to-point beats connection-to-connection.
Option 1: Book a Legal Private Air Charter
Think of small aerodromes as Europe’s secret entrances. Many began as military strips or community airports and still operate under EU safety rules, even if traffic is minimal. While commercial airlines ignore them because they aren’t financially interesting, these quiet, accessible runways are perfect for private aviation. Oftentimes, they are just minutes from the remote places you want to reach.
Private jet hire, or a small aircraft charter, gives you the freedom to land on these runways and access Europe’s most remote corners. You pick the departure time and fly directly to the nearest airfield without first travelling all the way to the closest international hub. If you want to reduce the cost, look for empty-leg flights or shared charters. You maintain your convenience without paying for the hefty bill of an entire flight.
Whatever your reasons for convenience, safety should remain non-negotiable. Any operator offering private flights in Europe must hold an Air Operator Certificate (AOC). Always check the operator’s name against the official AOC list, or ask them to provide proof. If they can’t, find a reliable operator that can give you clear answers about insurance, pilot qualifications, and the aircraft being used.
Option 2: Helicopter Links for the Final Stretch
Helicopters help you reach the places that roads and scheduled flights can not. When commercial routes drop you “near” your destination but not there, a helicopter might be your only practical solution.
Zermatt in Switzerland is a good example of the remote places you can reach by helicopter. In this idyllic village with some of the most scenic slopes, cars are banned. The road stops at Täsch, roughly 5 kilometres from Zermatt, so most travellers board the short shuttle train for the final stretch, but if you have skis, heavy luggage, or limited time, Air Zermatt offers helicopter transfers straight into the valley. For some, it may feel extravagant, but in winter, when daylight is limited, every minute saved on transportation is worthwhile.
The Faroe Islands are even more remote. The archipelago has one commercial airport, Vágar Airport (FAE), located on the island of Vágar and connected to the rest of the islands by a subsea tunnel. However, several outer islands are not accessible by road or scheduled flights. They rely on a public helicopter service operated by the Faroese Government, with bookings handled through Atlantic Airways and the national transport company. Contrary to what many imagine, these helicopter flights are not sightseeing tours; they are part and parcel of daily life for the Islands’ residents.
Option 3: Seaplanes and Small Craft
Sometimes there is no runway at all.
Hydra in Greece is car-free and airport-free. The island is accessible only by ferry from Piraeus. High-speed boats run frequently in peak season, but you step off at the harbour and suddenly find yourself in stone lanes where even bicycles feel noisy. Here, there are no busy airports nor traffic — mornings are slow, life is calm, and noise pollution is an unknown concept.
If you want to visit remote islands in Greece, rushing is pointless. Here, ferries are part of the culture, and adapting is part of the experience.
Option 4: Expedition Boats to UNESCO Outposts
Some destinations are virtually unreachable.
St Kilda in Scotland has no scheduled air service. To reach it, you travel by boat with licensed operators or join an expedition, and the weather decides whether you leave or stay. So patience and good timing are essential to get to a place like this, because there’s no notion that you can bend the elements to your needs. But once you arrive, you sense another world where you are rewarded with silence, seabirds, and untouched nature.
Option 5: Slow Routes That Beat the Plane
Slow travel doesn’t need to be romantic or nostalgic – sometimes, it’s simply the most efficient route. Europe’s rail and ferry network lets you build calmer itineraries where, instead of racing between terminals, you settle into a slower pace that still gets you exactly where you want to be.
For example, fly into Zurich or Geneva, take the train to Visp, and then connect to the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn straight to Zermatt. You enjoy panoramic mountain views without parking stress or traffic.
For island trips in Greece, match your arrival time to ferry schedules. In peak season, fast catamarans run multiple times per day. A two-step trip is sometimes the most effortless: airport to port to island.
What It Costs and What To Expect
Private flights are priced by aircraft size and distance. Empty leg deals reduce cost if you’re flexible on timing. Helicopters require patience. Ferries and trains offer the best value.
If you want the ultimate flexibility, private jet hire remains the strongest option. It cuts out the middle segments and places you close to your final destination. You avoid delays, avoid urgent bookings in hotels, and avoid the fatigue of crowded hubs.
Replace the Flight Search App With a Map
Most travellers stop where the airlines stop. You don’t have to.
When you use air charters, helicopter hops, rail networks, and ferries, you unlock access to the wilder reaches of Europe. You can connect with places that stay untouched precisely because they are harder to reach for the average person. These are experiences you can’t plan with a quick search on a flight app. They take a bit more time, a bigger budget, and some extra research to find the best route, but that effort pays you back every moment you’re there.
If you’re ready to choose the unbeaten path, open the map. Here, the exceptional experiences are where commercial flights can’t go.
