Before T1 security, Relay is your last-minute newsstand stop
Relay sits landside in Terminal T1, listed in the airport’s official “step 4” guide as a bookshop before security. It runs like a classic newsagent: magazines, paperback novels, newspapers and basic travel bits for anyone flying Ryanair or Wizz with only cabin baggage. A reviewer talks about grabbing a magazine and a bottle of water here before boarding, which sums up the use case: quick top-up, not full grocery run.
The shop sits in the public zone of T1, so you can duck in even if you’re just dropping someone off. Snacks and drinks come at typical airport mark‑ups; Google reviewers call out “airport prices” versus supermarkets in Charleroi or Brussels, especially on bottled water and soda. Think 2–3 € for water and more for branded soft drinks. Treat it as backup if you forgot to stock up in town.
SleepingInAirports notes that Charleroi Airport stays open 24 hours, but Relay is not listed among the overnight options, so don’t count on it for 03:00 departures. Regular CRL flyers on Reddit say they usually bring their own snacks and only hit Relay for a last‑minute newspaper, sudoku book or a single drink. Tip: if you care about price, buy your bigger snack haul before arriving and use Relay only for reading material and a top-up bottle of water.