22 Cheapest European Cities & Airports to Fly into in 2023

For each and every city that we tested, we searched for the cheapest fare starting from the 5 largest cities in the US (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta) and Canada’s largest city (Toronto) in early August, and the cheapest fare in mid October. After finding the cheapest fares for both those dates, we averaged the two fares together and then averaged the fares into all 6 cities into on Index number. The cheap flights to Europe from the USA are mainly from the east coast, but there are many great deals from other regions as well.

The rankings starting in individual cities can vary from the combined list, but generally they aren’t very far apart. Only a handful of the cheapest flights were non-stops, and because of this, almost everyone will be changing planes exactly once in each direction over the Atlantic. The cheapest flights from New York to Europe are most often non-stops, but from a lot of other cities you have to change planes indoor to get a decent fare.

Because a lot of the cheapest cities to fly into are remote and out of the way, the best way for you to use this list is to continue to scroll through until you find one of the cities you are planning a visit to. Hopefully you can then find a cheap flight and use that as the hub to explore other cities by rail or low-cost airlines.

Overall, the differences in fares from the top to the bottom of this list are not large enough to justify flying into one and then booking another separate round-trip to your final destination on a low-cost airline.

Related information

• Cheapest European cities for backpackers (54 cities ranked by price)
• Cheapest European cities for 3-star travelers (54 cities ranked by price)

(prices shown below are listed for cheapest summer/autumn – average)

Paris, France

City code: PAR
Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Orly Airport (ORY)

Charles de Gaulle Airport is another of Europe’s largest and best connected airports and is considered the main hub of Air France. While conducting our tests, we found some competitive flights that start from some cities (New York, Chicago, and Toronto), but more expensive from others. Because of this, you might find that flying into another city and then moving on to Paris is a cheaper option unless you are starting from either NYC or Toronto.

• New York City: $938/$401 – $670
• Chicago: $975/$547 – $761
• Los Angeles: $1,059/$835 – $947
• Houston: $1,190/$835 – $1,013
• Atlanta: $1,090/$600 – $845
• Toronto: $781/$343 – $562
• Index average: $800

London, England

City code: LON
London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Gatwick Airport (LGW)
London Stansted Airport (STN)
Luton Airport (LTN)

London currently is home to 4 large airports (plus the London City Airport for short-haul flights) and the cheapest trans-Atlantic fares could be into any one of them. Heathrow is the busiest, but you’ll often find that Gatwick is the cheapest. If you’d like to start your vacation in London, then this year you should be able to get a fairly cheap flight.

• New York City: $1,006/$438 – $722
• Chicago: $978/$549 – $764
• Los Angeles: $786/$628 – $707
• Houston: $867/$640 – $754
• Atlanta: $828/$614 – $721
• Toronto: $746/$422 – $584
• Index average: $709

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)

This is Europe’s 4th busiest airport and because of that, offers nonstop connections to destinations around the world as the main hub of KLM. Amsterdam is once again a good airport for bargains.

• New York City: $1,052/$425 – $739
• Chicago: $1,157/$517 – $837
• Los Angeles: $1,103/$714 – $909
• Houston: $1,188/$838 – $1,013
• Atlanta: $1,105/$727 – $916
• Toronto: $659/$396 – $528
• Index average: $824

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels Airport (BRU)

This is the home of Brussels Airlines, which flies nonstop to New York-JFK. This airport is also served by most of Europe’s majors so fares are pretty competitive.

• New York City: $828/$403 – $616
• Chicago: $1,165/$656 – $911
• Los Angeles: $1,252/$782 – $1,017
• Houston: $1,578/$916 – $1,247
• Atlanta: $1,600/$838 – $1,219
• Toronto: $927/$558 – $743
• Index average: $790

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich Airport (ZRH)

Zurich Airport is the main hub of Swiss International AirLines (aka SWISS), and it’s quite surprising that they offer fairly competitive fares on incoming flights, including many destinations in Germany. You’ll just want to note that everything else in Zurich is incredibly expensive once you are through security.

• New York City: $828/$562 – $695
• Chicago: $1,201/$567 – $884
• Los Angeles: $1,112/$789 – $951
• Houston: $1,583/$845 – $1,241
• Atlanta: $1,074/$779 – $927
• Toronto: $1,261/$941 – $1,101
• Index average: $967

Madrid, Spain

Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)

Here you’ll find Spain’s busiest airport and Europe’s 4th busiest, but being home to Iberia Airline doesn’t mean it’ll always have cheap non-stop trans-Atlantic flights.

• New York City: $1,018/$523 – $771
• Chicago: $1,232/$735 – $984
• Los Angeles: $1,410/$743 – $1,077
• Houston: $1,458/$795 – $1,127
• Atlanta: $1,333/$658 – $996
• Toronto: $933/$729 – $831
• Index average: $964

Oslo, Norway

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL)

For those flying from the US or Canada to Norway, you’ll find that flights into Oslo are strangely cheap from major North American cities. The bad news is that certain things like food and drinks once you are there are on the expensive side.

• New York City: $658/$445 – $552
• Chicago: $977/$504 – $741
• Los Angeles: $1,087/$536 – $812
• Houston: $1,085/$845 – $965
• Atlanta: $938/$690 – $814
• Toronto: $1,009/$628 – $819
• Index average: $784

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS)

The city of Lisbon is a very good travel bargain once you get there and the inbound flights are now fairly expensive, that is unless you are starting in Toronto.

• New York City: $1,158/$570 – $864
• Chicago: $1,350/$651 – $1,001
• Los Angeles: $1,292/$801 – $1,047
• Houston: $1,341/$836 – $1,049
• Atlanta: $1,132/$757 – $945
• Toronto: $1,096/$587 – $842
• Index average: $958

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG)

Prague Airport is the hub of Czech Airlines, but few of the cheapest trans-Atlantic flights are on the carrier. Over the years, this airport has become more and more expensive.

• New York City: $941/$623 – $787
• Chicago: $1,224/$588 – $906
• Los Angeles: $1,371/$802 – $1,087
• Houston: $1,447/$828 – $1,138
• Atlanta: $1,304/$832 – $1,068
• Toronto: $947/$719 – $833
• Index average: $970

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen Airport (CPH)

Scandinavian Airlines which is also known as SAS, operates the largest of its three hubs in the city of Copenhagen, and that leads to low airfares, especially on its non-stop flights from New York, Chicago, and Toronto.

• New York City: $766/$302 – $534
• Chicago: $974/$517 – $732
• Los Angeles: $1,134/$623 – $879
• Houston: $1,094/$666 – $880
• Atlanta: $1,070/$829 – $950
• Toronto: $619/$335 – $447
• Index average: $737

Milan, Italy

City code: MIL
Malpensa Airport (MXP)
Linate Airport (LIN)

The smaller of the two hubs of Alitalia, Milan’s tends to be cheaper than flying into Rome, but if you don’t plan to visit Milan then flying into Rome is a better option. Strangely, Alitalia never seems to have the best fares.

• New York City: $1,009/$409 – $709
• Chicago: $1,447/$549 – $998
• Los Angeles: $1,419/$811 – $1,115
• Houston: $1,487/$842 – $1,165
• Atlanta: $1,317/$680 – $999
• Toronto: $1,140/$845 – $993
• Index average: $997

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona–El Prat Airport

A little bit smaller and noticeably quieter than Madrid, the Barcelona Airport has a few trans-Atlantic flights of its own. It is serviced by all of Europe’s major airlines, which makes it a good option.

• New York City: $855/$441 – $648
• Chicago: $1,111/$702 – $907
• Los Angeles: $947/$779 – $863
• Houston: $1,481/$800 – $1,141
• Atlanta: $950/$673 – $812
• Toronto: $863/$702 – $783
• Index average: $859

Dublin/Shannon, Ireland

Dublin Airport (DUB)
Shannon Airport (SNN)

The Dublin and Shannon airports are on complete opposite sides of Ireland, with both being busy hubs of Aer Lingus, which offers cheap flights. You’ll also find that both are similar in airfare price (with Dublin usually being just a bit cheaper) so we’ve combined them both here. Basically, if you want to start your Ireland visit in Dublin, fly into Dublin, and if you want to start your visit elsewhere, then you’ll want to fly into Shannon.

• New York City: $963/$325 – $644
• Chicago: $1,002/$627 – $815
• Los Angeles: $1,098/$613 – $856
• Houston: $1,092/$766 – $856
• Atlanta: $1,044/$656 – $850
• Toronto: $887/$376 – $632
• Index average: $776

Stockholm, Sweden

City code: STO
Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN)
Stockholm Bromma Airport (BMA)

Scandinavian Airlines operates its second busiest hub out of Arlanda Airport so fares there are usually cheapest there. However, Bromma Airport is closer to the city center and its fares are usually only a bit higher.

• New York City: $790/$434 – $612
• Chicago: $993/$527 – $760
• Los Angeles: $1,091/$581 – $836
• Houston: $1,157/$809 – $983
• Atlanta: $1,072/$641 – $857
• Toronto: $931/$661 – $796
• Index average: $807

Munich, Germany

Munich Airport (MUC)

Munich’s airport is busier than the one in Berlin, which makes it Germany’s number two for flights. Fares tend to be a bit more expensive than the other German airports, but it can still make the most sense if you want Munich to be part of your trip.

• New York City: $1,274/$423 – $849
• Chicago: $1,267/$751 – $1,009
• Los Angeles: $1,239/$730 – $985
• Houston: $1,133/$812 – $973
• Atlanta: $1,134/$733 – $934
• Toronto: $/1,192/$790 – $991
• Index average: $957

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD)

The cheapest fares into Budapest are often those that change planes in Moscow or Helsinki. However, SWISS isn’t that much more expensive for a change in Zurich.

• New York City: $1,017/$516 – $767
• Chicago: $1,317/$551 – $934
• Los Angeles: $1,269/$807 – $1,038
• Houston: $1,168/$824 – $996
• Atlanta: $1,001/$678 – $839
• Toronto: $884/$770 – $827
• Index average: $900

Rome, Italy

City code: ROM
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

Italy’s largest airport and the home of Alitalia, Rome isn’t exactly known for cheap trans-Atlantic flights, though you’ll still find that it’s a good choice for anyone starting in Rome and then heading north on a larger tour of Europe.

• New York City: $1,243/$498 – $871
• Chicago: $1,245/$644 – $945
• Los Angeles: $1,444/$771 – $1,108
• Houston: $1,585/$708 – $1,147
• Atlanta: $1,327/$721 – $1,024
• Toronto: $1,247/$879 – $1,063
• Index average: $1,026

Athens, Greece

Athens International Airport (ATH)

This airport is the hub of both Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air, and prices for hotels have come down a bit, but incoming flights aren’t know to be bargains. If you will be touring Greece along with some other European countries, it’s probably a better idea to first land somewhere else and hop over to Greece somewhere along your trip.

• New York City: $909/$595 – $752
• Chicago: $1,069/$798 – $934
• Los Angeles: $1,376/$687 – $1,032
• Houston: $827/$687 – $757
• Atlanta: $1,532/$732 – $1,132
• Toronto: $903/$796 – $850
• Index average: $910

Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)

Warsaw is the home of LOT Polish Airlines, but that one is rarely the cheapest option for trans-Atlantic flights. Once upon a time, it used to be one of the cheaper cities to fly into Europe.

• New York City: $862/$506 – $684
• Chicago: $1,405/$517 – $961
• Los Angeles: $1,139/$519 – $829
• Houston: $1,537/$857 – $1,197
• Atlanta: $1,211/$822 – $1,017
• Toronto: $926/$608 – $767
• Index average: $909

Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt Airport (FRA)

Frankfurt Airport is the 3rd busiest airport in the entirety of Europe, making it the busiest in Germany, and it’s also home to Lufthansa. And these days its trans-Atlantic flights are trending a bit pricier than those to Berlin, though the city itself isn’t much of a tourist hub so if you do fly there, you might be leaving shortly after.

• New York City: $841/$425 – $633
• Chicago: $1,911/$613 – $1,262
• Los Angeles: $1,310/$1,097 – $1,204
• Houston: $1,145/$1,103 – $1,124
• Atlanta: $1,326/$931 – $1,129
• Toronto: $881/$640 – $761
• Index average: $1,019

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST)

Regardless of the greater distance, Istanbul once offered cheap fares. There is another airport in the Asian suburbs (SAW) but the cheap flights there tend to be from nearby.

• New York City: $878/$612 – $745
• Chicago: $1,302/$906 – $1,104
• Los Angeles: $1,429/$776 – $1,103
• Houston: $1,192/$1,104 – $1,148
• Atlanta: $1,321/$886 – $1,104
• Toronto: $1,411/$1,040 – $1,226
• Index average: $1,072

Berlin, Germany

City code: BER
Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL)
Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF)
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)

With the rise of Air Berlin and a greater popularity for Berlin itself, it’s now a bit cheaper in fares compared to flying into Frankfurt. Because there is a lot to do and see within the city, flying here is a great option for all.

• New York City: $725/$417 – $571
• Chicago: $1,233/$583 – $908
• Los Angeles: $1,480/$670 – $1,075
• Houston: $1,112/$820 – $966
• Atlanta: $1,475/$972 – $1,223
• Toronto: $1,070/$636 – $853
• Index average: $933

 

NOTE: This post was originally published in May, 2013 with 2013 data. It’s been totally updated in in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and most recently in May 2023 with current fare data.