16 Ways to Find Cheap Flights to Europe

Have you noticed lately that the cost of flying to Europe seems higher than ever? With the downfall of many low-cost carriers, the continuation of never-ending inflation, and the post-pandemic rebound of travel, finding cheap flights to popular destinations on the other side of the pond is becoming impossible.

While finding cheap Europe flights has become more difficult, it’s not impossible. Great deals are still available to travelers who know how, where, and when to look.

In order to find cheap airfares, it’s more essential than ever to be familiar with the best tools and tricks. Travelers looking to snag a cheap Europe flight should be signed up for a fare finder like Going and perform manual searches on a site like Skyscanner. Plus, there are loads of other facts to know and tricks to try to secure the cheapest flight possible.

As you plan your dream getaway to the continent of old towns, picturesque countryside, and idyllic Mediterranean beaches, follow these tips to ensure your wallet isn’t empty upon landing. You’ll appreciate the extra Euros when the server asks if you’d like another Aperol Spritz.

1. Sign Up for a Flight Deal Finder

First, let’s ensure you are signed up for the simplest and least time-consuming way to find flights at the best price: deal-finding services.

Rather than sit in front of your computer for an unknown amount of time to run endless searches, wouldn’t you rather someone else do it for you? That is a reality; it is one of the best ways to get the cheapest ticket with the least effort.

Flight deal finders have real people working around the clock to find amazing flight deals. Here are some of the best:

• Going (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights)
• Thrifty Traveler
• Airfarewatchdog

Here’s how it works – when you sign up, you tell them which airport or airports you can depart from. Then, you wait. When there’s a notably great deal, they will send you an email immediately with the information, which you can use to take a look yourself and take action if you want to buy it.

If you’re too anxious to wait, Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) has a great feature that allows you to go on and see the best deals they’ve been finding lately. You can also input a specific destination and see the average price they’ve been finding.

Here’s a comparison of each of these flight deal finders:

Service Name	Annual Subscription Fee	Key Features	Average Savings	User Ratings
Going.com	$49	Error fare alerts, premium economy/business deals, 24/7 monitoring, deals from your home airport	$500+ per ticket	4.7/5
Thrifty Traveler	Free (Premium: $74.88/year)	Mistake fare alerts, domestic and international deals, premium booking assistance	$300+ per ticket	4.5/5
Airfarewatchdog	Free	Fare alerts, deals from major US cities, fare calendars, blogs/guides	$200+ per ticket	4.2/5

They often find flight deals to European countries, especially from the east coast, particularly from John F. Kennedy International Airport.

I find that the majority are roundtrip flights, but one-way options do appear from time to time. If you want to receive all the Europe flight deals, you can, ensure you are signed up for one of these.

See Related: Next Vacay vs Scott’s Cheap Flights

2. Use a Flight Search Engine

Now that the tip requiring the least effort is out of the way let’s move on to the tools needed to actually put in the work. Flight search engines are especially important in Europe, as more potential airlines are serving the route and airports in the region, and you are less likely to know who they all are.

Rather than going to your favorite airline’s website and plugging in some dates and a route, head straight to a flight search engine and search way more in less time.

\With one click, you’ll see prices for every airline operating the route, the lowest price possible, and much more. These sites are some of the best, in no particular order:

• Momondo and Kayak (same company and similar layout, although I typically prefer Kayak)
• Skyscanner
• Hopper
• Google Flights

Each allows you to find flights without knowing which airlines fly your route, immediately showing who can offer you the best deal. If you have specific needs like a departure or arrival time, a maximum number of stops, baggage needs, and more, you can add filters to see only what applies.

There are a ton of other functionalities, like using flexible travel dates and alternative airports, which we’ll elaborate on further below. I have one important tip for using flight search engines, though: when it comes time to book flights, go straight to the airline’s website and make the purchase there.

The search engine is great for finding a deal, but as for actually buying your plane ticket, you don’t want to be dealing with a third party.

See Related: Best Skyscanner Alternatives to Book Travel

3. Set Up Deal Alerts

As you probably know, airfare fluctuates unpredictably, and Europe flight prices are no exception. The flight search engines mentioned above all offer deal alert notifications that can keep you informed when the lowest prices are found.

The difference between this and services like Going is that you need to configure the alerts manually rather than receive all the best deals from your airport. You’ll need to set a departure point, destination, and, depending on your preference, some dates. Then, the sites can let you know when there are significant price changes.

Another major difference is that you won’t only receive low price alerts but rather all major price changes. If your preferred flights to Europe go up in price, you will receive that (unfortunate) notification, too. This can be equally as useful.

How you use these deal alerts will depend on the specifics of your trip. You may already set the dates and destination with no major changes possible, in which case your deal alert is simple.

If you haven’t decided on a destination or are quite flexible on dates, you have more to set up and more potential deals to be found. Either way, this is a highly useful trick.

See Related: Best Ways to Get Cheap Flight Alerts

4. Search With Flexible Dates

Sometimes, your vacation time is set in stone, and there’s no way to change it. But if that’s not the case, try to have any degree of flexibility with your travel dates. Opening the door to more flights on more days increases your chances of finding cheap flights to Europe.

Your flexibility in dates can range from extreme to limited, and either way can significantly impact your results. At one extreme, you may have no dates and simply want to find a cheap time of the year to go to Europe – in this case, sites like Momondo and Kayak can show you the cheapest month to travel and even the cheapest days within it.

Alternatively, you might be able to leave a day late, return a day early, or otherwise adjust your schedule slightly. The same sites can show you a grid of departure and return dates with every combination in between, yielding the lowest price. The same is possible with one-way flights.

You never know what could be causing an extremely high price one day but a significantly lower one just the next day – things like holidays, special events, and other things happening at your destination can cause this. Another factor is that airlines don’t fly every route every day.

For example, TAP Air Portugal only flies to San Francisco a few days per week – try to search for yourself and see how much that can impact prices from one day to the next.

5. Don’t Filter for Direct Flights Only!

One thing that surprises many travelers is that a direct flight is NOT always the cheapest – it’s often the most expensive. While most people prefer to get on one plane and not worry about connecting, filtering your search results for direct flights only is not a good way to find cheap flights to Europe.

The reason is simple: airlines know travelers prefer to fly directly and will charge a premium. They also know that business travelers are less sensitive to prices and more likely to travel based on convenience, which raises prices. That’s why this rule holds especially true on business-heavy routes.

For example, look at flights from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow. My results show that a number of airlines offer convenient nonstop flights, including United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines.

However, I could save almost $300 by flying with Aer Lingus and stopping for under 90 minutes in Dublin – enough to cover 2-5 hotel nights in London.

Therefore, as tempted as you may be, try not to check the “direct flights only” box on your flight search engine to severely constrain your potential deals. If it happens to be that the cheapest routes are nonstop, then all the better.

See Related: How to Use Google Flight Search Anywhere for Cheap Flights

6. Consider the Destination’s Low Season

If the most important part of the trip is the price of your plane ticket, traveling in the off-season is an easy way to get a deal. The peak seasons around Europe are not all the same, and the cheapest month for one destination is not necessarily the same as another.

For Greece and the Mediterranean, the high season is between June and August, when there’s pleasant weather for swimming and sunbathing under the hot summer sun. If these activities aren’t important to you, and you’re just interested in seeing the ancient treasures of Athens or Rome, you can get a serious deal in the fall and winter months.

Northern countries are also more expensive in the summer, as tourists can explore in the warmth. However, the height of winter isn’t the cheapest in some places – it’s peak ski season in the Swiss Alps, for example, and prime Northern Lights viewing season in Iceland and Norway.

Generally, remember that Europe is most expensive in the summer, but always research other seasonal peaks. My best tip is to travel in May, June, and September, as you’ll get perfect weather and great deals. The picture above is from the famous Fyriplaka Beach in Milos in June – nearly empty.

7. Use Alternative Airport Choices

Don’t ever forget to include all possible nearby airports in your searches and alerts. This includes checking the appropriate box on flight search engines, as well as adding multiple airports to your profile on Going.com, Dollar Flight Club, and similar sites.

Using a nearby secondary airport can greatly affect your search results. Some major airports are simply more expensive for airlines to operate from, and nearby alternatives might be cheaper and offer a wider range of carriers. They also usually open the door to low-cost carriers.

This is especially important in Western Europe. For example, we all know Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport – but the smaller Orly Airport is usually much cheaper to fly to. Budget airline French Bee operates from here, and Air France also has a daily flight to New York.

It’s even easier to enter a special city code for the destination, eliminating the need to check the box. Enter PAR to search all airports in Paris or NYC to search all of New York City. My favorite example is LON, which includes London Heathrow, Gatwick Airport, Stansted, Luton, London City, and even Southend. That’s six airports for three letters.

See Related: How Early Should I Arrive at the Airport?

8. Search with Multiple Airports

Yes, this is different than the above tip. Most flight search engines, including Kayak and Google Flights, will allow you to specify more than one airport manually, and they don’t even need to be related. It’s a great feature if you plan to visit multiple cities and your final destination is flexible.

To use this function, click the little plus sign in the destination field on the search form. You can continue adding airports to however many apply to you, and your results will include the cheapest of them all!

For example, let’s say that in your two-week trip, you plan to visit Madrid, Barcelona, and Rome, but you don’t care about the order. It makes sense to determine the cheapest city to arrive and depart from like this.

Or maybe you want to be on any Greek island eating pita and gyros – plug in the airports for all the Greek islands you can think of!

Note that this also works with the full-city codes mentioned above, so you can plug in LON and PAR together if you want the cheapest city escape you can find. You won’t believe how quick it is to see the cheapest routes to nine different airports.

See Related: Guide To Ryanair Flights: Expert Tips & Tricks For Budget Travel

9. Try Searching for One-Way Flights

Sometimes, it pays off to search for your departure and return flights separately rather than standard round-trip flights. However, in my experience, this method is only valid under certain circumstances when it comes to flights to Europe.

On trans-Atlantic flights, flying one-way is far less common than round-trip. Airlines that fly these long-haul routes also want to be sure that the seats they fill on the outbound route are also filled on the return to avoid lost revenue.

Therefore, you’ll find one-way flights to Europe on legacy carriers, like British Airways, Brussels Airlines, and United Airlines, which are far more expensive than round-trip flights.

There are ways to take advantage of the cheapest one-way flights, however. I’ve found that searching well in advance (as in six months or more) can, for whatever reason, return low fares on legacy carriers. Recently, I found a one-way ticket from Paris to New York on American Airlines for just over $200 – an excellent deal.

The other way to consistently find cheap one-way flights is to fly on a budget airline. These airlines don’t follow the logic of the full-service carriers and are happy to sell you a one-way ticket for a low price at any time.

To get across the pond, your best bet is the newly-formed Norse Atlantic Airways, which flies to popular airports like London Gatwick and Berlin from major US cities. You’ll find many low-cost options within Europe with cheap one-way flights – more on those next.

See Related: Ways to Get Free Flights and Airfare

10. Consider a Budget Airline

You should consider flying on a low-cost airline when you don’t need a specific seat, an in-flight meal, a checked bag, or even a full-sized carry-on bag. These airlines base their business on customers only buying what they need, with an extra charge for everything possible, and this opens the door to some potentially ridiculously low fares.

Before the pandemic, we had a number of these carriers flying across the Atlantic. But nowadays, there are far fewer long-haul low-cost airlines. As mentioned, one of the newest is Norse Atlantic Airways, which is expanding quickly and recently announced a new route from Paris.

There’s also PLAY Airlines, connecting the eastern US to Europe via Iceland, and Air Europa, with their main hub at Madrid Barajas Airport.

With round-trip fairs as low as a few hundred dollars, you can find some serious deals on these airlines. However, remember that you will be charged for anything more than the bare fare – changes, seats, bags, water, and more. If you add even one or two of these things, comparing prices with full-service airlines is very much worth it. You’ll often pay a similar price with fare better service in the end.

Regarding getting around Europe by air, low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet are lifesavers. My personal record is paying 1 Euro (yes, one Euro; about a dollar) for a flight from Italy to Greece.

Remember that they, too, charge for everything, and Ryanair even has a fee if you don’t print your boarding pass. But it’s still unbelievably cheap, so don’t be so quick to buy a rail pass.

11. Time Your Purchase Properly

Most travelers should know that buying a plane ticket at the last minute is a great way to guarantee a high price. However, what’s a bit less known is that buying your ticket too far in advance can actually be a bad idea, too.

Airlines know that smart travelers are planning. When it comes to flights to Europe, those smart travelers are planning even further in advance than usual. Planning a trip on another continent is a lot more complicated than planning a few days in Florida, and most visitors to Europe want to avoid headaches and stress by booking far ahead.

The airlines take advantage of that and often charge higher fares for trips over six or eight months. In my experience, you can save up to hundreds of dollars by waiting until the calendar moves closer to your travel dates. Everyone’s experience will vary, but experts say the prime period is around three or four months before the flight – and I’d agree.

So, if the warm weather is fading and you’re eager to plan your Mediterranean getaway for next summer, don’t be discouraged by high prices so far in advance. Follow our other tips, like signing up for a fare-finder and price-change alerts, and wait it out.

See Related: Is It Possible to Buy Bulk Airline Tickets?

12. Check Out Vacation Packages

Sometimes, the prices of flights can appear low but become scary when you do the math – you still need a hotel, rental car, tours, and food. Bundling two or more of these together in a package can sometimes yield great savings. Plus, many travelers are happy not only to see one price for everything but also with the simplicity of not having to plan as much.

Many of America’s favorite airlines offer vacation packages, eliminating the need to go through a travel agent. For example, Delta Air Lines has Delta Vacations, offering packages for all budgets to stay at some beautiful European resorts.

Plus, each person booked on the package receives at least 1,000 bonus miles, depending on the price – meaning your next trip could be free.

British Airways Holidays is a hugely popular package provider for destinations all over the continent and beyond. You can even search by the type of vacation you’re looking for – adults-only, all-inclusive, beach holidays, cheap destinations, and Christmas markets are some categories.

Prices for package vacations are usually displayed per person and are based on two adults, so solo travelers may not benefit from a deal. You should always compare prices with booking à-la-carte to ensure you aren’t spending extra money.

13. Use Loyalty Points or Miles

This is my favorite method of all to get cheap flights to Europe – or even free flights to Europe. The best flights are the ones you don’t pay for, and it’s not as hard as you think. You don’t have to be a business traveler who constantly flies to rack up miles.

The best way to quickly get frequent flier miles is to use the right credit cards. There are loads of airline, hotel, and general travel credit cards out there, and they all offer huge sign-up bonuses. Your normal monthly expenses could be enough to net you thousands of miles and have you flying across the pond for free.

Therefore, ensure you have the right credit cards in your pocket and use them to make purchases wisely – every dollar you spend should be at least a point or mile earned. Don’t forget that airline miles are also usually usable on their partners.

For example, if you’ve got thousands of United miles, you can spend them on Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian Airlines, as well as on Singapore Airlines’ daily flight from New York to Frankfurt.

We love The Platinum Card from American Express for its extensive benefits and that American Express points can be used to book nearly any flight.

There’s also the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which has a similarly excellent general travel program. Every major airline offers a co-branded credit card, like the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card.

See Related: Best Credit Cards With Lounge Access (Ranked!)

14. Save Money Before You Leave

Whether you find an amazing deal or not, airline tickets are bound to be a big component of your vacation budget. If you think of your trip as one total expense, there are a few more things you can do to help shave a few dollars off:

Get Your Passport Early

If this is your first trip overseas or your passport has expired, don’t waste time applying for one. You will definitely need a valid passport to leave the country, and waiting too long can cost you hundreds.

Standard US passport processing time is six to nine weeks, but delays are not unheard of. An expedited service can cut that time in half but will cost you $60 more. Even more urgent requests are possible, but the price only continues to rise – so get your passport as early as possible.

See Related: Cheap Places to Visit in Europe

Plan Your Route Carefully

Many European visitors try to see several cities and countries on the continent. This is a great idea, as movement between places is so easy and there are many sights and cultures among them.

However, planning each place in a misguided order or on the wrong days can cost you a ton of unnecessary money. While Europe has loads of cheap flights and trains among its countries, not all of them operate daily. Being sure you fly to the right places on the right days can save you hundreds.

For example, if you’re trip starts in Nice, and you want to visit Munich and Vienna, you might decide to fly first to Munich Airport, as it’s closer to Nice and connected to Vienna by rail.

However, that flight costs $150, while Wizz Air offers a route from Nice to Vienna three times per week for $20. By experimenting with the order and days of your trip, you’ve saved about 750%.

15. Save Money At Your Destination

Again, if you’re looking at the various costs of your trip as one combined expense, minimizing your spending on the ground in Europe will help bring that total expense down and make spending money on a flight easier overall. Here are a few tips and tricks:

Consider the Bus

For shorter distances within Europe, long-distance buses can be a comfortable way to travel for a fraction of the price. Coach buses travel between major cities, smaller towns, and villages that might not even be air-accessible.

The biggest bus operator on the continent is FlixBus, which has thousands of weekly routes and free Wi-Fi onboard. In the UK, you can make long-distance coach trips with National Express.

For European bus travel, I use Omio.com to see all the route options. Prices are pretty favorable, to begin with, and can be seriously low if booked in advance. Plus, you’ll never pay extra to bring your luggage!

Save on Accommodation

It’s no secret that big cities in Europe are not cheap to stay in. London, Paris, Berlin, and Rome have been known to charge tourists hundreds of dollars per night for a basic hotel room. If you want to see Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, and the Coliseum, you must be smart about it.

For starters, don’t look in the areas around the city center and the top hotel attractions, as these will be the most expensive. European cities have exceptional public transport systems, and staying several miles away from it all costs exponentially less. A quick metro or tram ride can have you in the center of all the action for a few dollars at the maximum.

Don’t hesitate to check out accommodations on Booking.com and VRBO, too. Besides being generally cheaper, you could have more space and amenities to cook, saving money on food.

See Related: Booking Sites for Cheap Flights and Hotels

Use Cash Wisely

Restaurants (with the exception of Germany), shops, and attractions in Europe usually accept credit cards for payment, sometimes with a minimum purchase. In that case, be sure to use a card with no foreign transaction fees. I always try to use my cards when it’s possible because it conserves cash and earns me points.

However, there will be situations when you need cash (including to use the bathroom). I recommend withdrawing a large amount of money from the ATM to avoid having to do it again and, therefore, minimize the transaction fee that your bank will surely impose. Remember never to accept the ATM’s currency exchange rate, as it is never better than your bank’s.

16. Visit the Cheapest Destinations in Europe

Finally, one of the best ways to find cheap flights and have a cheap vacation in Europe is to visit the cheapest destinations on the continent! You’d be amazed at how much a vacation to some of these cities costs compared to the most expensive places.

These destinations are hidden gems compared to cliched European destinations like Paris, Madrid, or Venice, meaning fewer tourists to compete with.

See Related: Cheapest Places to Fly Around the World

Croatia

While it was a hidden gem for years, Croatia and its Adriatic Sea coast have been discovered by the masses. However, that hasn’t driven up prices as badly as other destinations, and this is still one of the cheapest places in Europe to visit.

The small city of Zadar is beautiful and historic and provides close access to the amazing Plitvička Jezera lakes and waterfalls. Further south, Split also has an ancient past, along with a lively nightlife scene. Dubrovnik is Croatia’s crown jewel and should be on any trip to the country.

Greece

Greece can be made a very expensive vacation – but it does not have to be that way. Flocking with the rest of the crowds to vacation hotspots like Santorini and Mykonos or cultural centers like Athens can cost you hundreds, if not thousands, per day.

Head to lesser-visited islands for equally amazing views, beaches, and food at a fraction of the cost. Paros and Amorgos are two incredibly beautiful Cyclades that are just a short ferry ride from Athens. Don’t forget about the Ionian Islands, like Kefalonia and Zakynthos, either, especially if you are looking for beaches.

See Related: Italy vs Greece: What’s the Difference?

Poland

If you don’t need islands and beaches, Poland is a place to discover a huge piece of Europe’s history and experience a fascinating culture. This large country has major airports all over and is well-connected by train both internally and to its neighbors.

Warsaw, the capital, has a rich history and is known for its indestructibility, surviving war after war. In the south, Krakow has a wonderfully-preserved medieval center and walls with both fascinating and frightening stories spanning centuries. In the summertime, the colorful Baltic Sea city of Gdansk comes alive with beachgoers and partiers enjoying the sand.

The biggest draw for me in Poland is the Polish. They are some of the friendliest, most welcoming, and endearingly cheeky folk I’ve ever met.

Hungary

I just returned from a trip to Budapest, and I can confirm that Hungary is an outstanding European vacation destination for just about anyone, especially for budget travelers. Food, accommodation, and transport prices are far lower than in Western Europe. Plus, this country is also becoming very popular with digital nomads.

Budapest is incredibly charming, with a fascinating history and a ton of things to do, like the Szechenyi Thermal Baths and Buda Castle. A metro, bus, or tram ticket costs less than one Euro. To make your Hungary trip even cheaper, get out of the capital and visit places in the countryside like Lake Balaton or Debrecen.

Romania

This eastern Balkan country is a member of the European Union that is far too underappreciated by non-European travelers. It’s also possibly the cheapest country in the bloc for almost anything. Best of all, Romania is a gorgeous, fairytale country with breathtaking landscapes and incredible historic architecture – not to mention a storied history.

The capital of Romania, Bucharest, is lively and beautiful, as well as an operating base for ultra-low-cost airline Wizz Air. Bran Castle, known as the real Dracula castle, is just to the north in the scenic hills of Transylvania. On the coast of the Black Sea, calm water and golden sand are a secret that locals nearly have all to themselves every summer.

If European road trips are a thing you’re considering, it’s also home to the Transfăgărășan (or Transfagarasan Highway). This mountain highway (also known as Ceaușescu’s Folly after the Romanian dictator), is dubbed by some as the greatest driving road in the whole world!

See Related: Destination Weddings in Europe

The Baltics

Northern Europe, specifically Scandinavia, is known as one of the most expensive parts of the continent to live and travel to. The exceptions are in the small former-Soviet republics on the Baltic Sea: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

These countries have a fascinating past that mixed Russian architecture, language, and culture with local identities, creating a wonderful travel experience for the curious visitor. Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius are quickly gaining reputations for their young and lively atmospheres. You’ll be shocked to see how much a few nights in each will cost.

Montenegro

I like to refer to Montenegro as Croatia, which hasn’t been discovered yet. With an amazing Adriatic coastline, vast mountain ranges, and a unique Balkan history, Montenegro is the unobvious European destination that belongs on your itinerary.

This tiny country is even cheaper to visit than its already cheap neighbor, Croatia. Don’t miss a few summer days on the shores of Budva and explore the ancient city of Kotor. To get to Montenegro, I recommend flying into Dubrovnik or elsewhere in Croatia and either taking a bus or renting a car to cross the border.

FAQ

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