What Is the Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe in 2024?

Discover the cheapest place to fly into Europe with cost estimates for different budget-friendly cities across the continent. Flying into Europe can be incredibly expensive in some cities.

You’ll save a lot of money by flying into Europe’s most affordable cities and driving a rental car to your destination instead. Ready to put more of your trip budget toward fun stuff and spend less just getting there and back? Take a look at the cheapest place to fly into Europe.

What’s the Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe?

When we set out to analyze flight prices to different cities in Europe, we started with some general expectations – surely the cheapest cities in Europe would also be the most affordable places to fly into!

Since Eastern European countries like Albania and Croatia are the cheapest places to travel in Europe, we figured that would be mirrored in the average round trip flight prices.

We were wrong.

Turns out, airfare in the cheapest place to fly into Europe is a lot less expensive than flying to the traditionally more-affordable European countries. 

The results of our analysis really surprised us, so take a look below to see which cities take the cake as the cheapest places to fly into Europe overall and during the shoulder, peak, and low seasons!

Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe Overall

1. Porto, Portugal: $502 round trip average
2. Paris, France: $507 round trip average
3. London, England: $508 round trip average

When all seasons and tourist timeframes are considered, the cheapest place to fly into Europe overall is Porto, Portugal with an average round trip flight price from New York around $502. 

Porto is a fascinating artistic and historic city on Portugal’s Costa Verde that places a huge focus on good food and wine. You’ll pay anywhere from $428 (spring) to $663 (summer) to fly here round trip from New York. 

Famous for its uniquely boozy Port wine, beaches, colorful homes, amazing old architecture, and walkable layout, you’ll want to spend some time here when you fly into Europe. 

Next on the list is Paris, France – an unexpectedly affordable place to fly, especially during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall and during the low winter season. 

You can fly into Paris for about $507 round trip from New York on average, but round trip airfare ranges from $360 (spring) to $733 (summer) throughout the year. 

London, England is the 3rd-cheapest place to fly into Europe overall with an average round trip flight price of $508 from New York. You’ll find airfare as low as $333, peaking around $825 round trip in the summer. 

Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe During Peak Season

Peak season in most of Europe is the summertime, with July being one of the most-traveled months for European tourists with its toasty temps and activities in full swing coming at the expense of much higher flight prices. 

1. Porto, Portugal: $663 round trip average
2. Reykjavik, Iceland: $728 round trip average
3. Paris, France: $733 round trip average
4. Lyon, France: $819 round trip average
5. Strasbourg, France: $819 round trip average
6. Angers, France: $819 round trip average
7. Brussels, Belgium: $819 round trip average
8. London, England: $825 round trip average
9. Valencia, Spain: $857 round trip average
10. Barcelona, Spain: $879 round trip average
11. Dublin, Ireland: $891 round trip average
12. Stockholm, Sweden: $897 round trip average

The cheapest place to fly into Europe during peak season is Porto, Portugal. With round trip flights from New York hovering around $660, colorful Porto is the most affordable city to fly to during summer. 

Also notable on our list is Reykjavik, Iceland with a stunning mix of scenery, metropolitan flair, and Viking history. Round trip flights to Iceland’s capital from New York were around $730 in July, making it the second-cheapest place to fly into Europe in summer. 

But France had the most cities on the list of the 12 cheapest cities to fly into Europe during the summer with 4 surprisingly affordable destinations: Paris (~$730 round trip), Lyon, Strasbourg, and Angers (all ~$819 round trip). 

Also budget-friendly? Spain, with the cities of Valencia (~$857 round trip) and Barcelona (~$879 round trip) giving international travelers a welcome financial break on the usually-high airfare to Europe in summer. 

Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe During the Shoulder Seasons

Europe’s shoulder seasons – the spring and fall – tend to bring the most affordable prices of the year, even lower than you’ll find during the winter low season. 

Cheapest Europe Airfare in Spring

1. London, England: $333 round trip average
2. Paris, France: $360 round trip average
3. Porto, Portugal: $428 round trip average
4. Milan, Italy: $436 round trip average
5. Barcelona, Spain: $440 round trip average
6. Nice, France: $446 round trip average
7. Bordeaux, France: $448 round trip average
8. Venice, Italy: $448 round trip average
9. Pisa, Italy: $460 round trip average
10. Toulouse, France: $463 round trip average
11. Marseille, France: $464 round trip average
12. Geneva, Switzerland: $465 round trip average

Cheapest Europe Airfare in Fall 

1. London, England: $424 round trip average
2. Dublin, Ireland: $433 round trip average
3. Warsaw, Poland: $451 round trip average
4. Glasgow, Scotland: $460 round trip average
5. Milan, Italy: $486 round trip average
6. Porto, Portugal: $484 round trip average
7. Copenhagen, Denmark: $484 round trip average
8. Paris, France: $492 round trip average
9. Vienna, Austria: $494 round trip average
10. Riga, Latvia: $496 round trip average
11. Oslo, Norway: $497 round trip average
12. Stockholm, Sweden: $497 round trip average

London, England tops the list of both fall and spring for the cheapest place to fly into Europe. Round trip averages from New York to London range from $333 in March to about $424 in November. 

Paris lands on both lists as well, and you’ll find shockingly low round trip airfare to this famed city in the springtime around $360 from New York. Porto is reliably affordable to fly into, seeing average round trip airfare from $428 to $484 during the spring and fall shoulder seasons.

Milan, Italy is the only other European city to make both the spring and fall cheapest airfare lists with averages ranging from $436-$486 round trip from New York during the shoulder seasons. 

But France lands on the list an amazing 6 times – Paris twice, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Marseille offering affordable places to fly into Europe during the spring and fall. 

Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe During the Low Season

What about the cheapest place to fly into Europe during the low season in winter? January being one of the coldest months for much of Europe means airfare prices take a dip as low as the temperatures. 

1. Porto, Portugal: $434 round trip average
2. Paris, France: $445 round trip average
3. London, England: $450 round trip average
4. Reykjavik, Iceland: $486 round trip average
5. Madrid, Spain: $503 round trip average
6. Lyon, France: $510 round trip average
7. Strasbourg, France: $510 round trip average
8. Barcelona, Spain: $532 round trip average
9. Lille, France: $534 round trip average
10. Valencia, Spain: $540 round trip average
11. Jersey, British Isles: $547 round trip average
12. Edinburgh, Scotland: $548 round trip average

The cheapest place to fly into Europe during the winter low season is Porto, Portugal. In our sample search, we found round trip flights to Porto from New York for a mere $434. 

France made the list of the 12 most affordable European cities to fly to during the low season a whopping 4 times.

That’s because it’s easy to find cheap winter flights to Paris (~$445 round trip and the 2nd cheapest place to fly into Europe during the low season), Lyon and Strasbourg (~$510 round trip), and Lille (~$534 round trip).

London, England came in 3rd place among the cheapest cities to fly to in Europe during the low season (~$450 round trip), while Reykjavik, Iceland (~$450 round trip) and Madrid, Spain (~$503 round trip) were other notably affordable cities. 

Surprisingly, the flight prices to Europe were lower during the spring by as much as $100 less per round trip flight. If you’re looking for the most budget-friendly flight, consider flying in March or April. 

Things to Consider

We’ve looked at the cheapest place to fly into Europe along with a big list of runners-up that can offer your wallet a nice little break when you’re planning a trip to Europe. 

What else should you keep in mind as you start building an itinerary and getting ready for your trip? Here are a few things to consider.

• Know what to expect when you visit. If you’re interested in visiting the overall cheapest place to fly into Europe – Porto, Portugal – and exploring the city, read up on the best time to visit Porto. Spring, summer, and fall are all excellent periods to experience Porto’s unique and lively vibe. 
• Hack your way to cheaper flights. We’ve listed average round trip flight prices here from New York to different European cities, but it’s possible to use some travel hacks to find even lower airfare. Booking your flights on Sunday, using a VPN for flight searches, and planning to fly in and out on Wednesdays or Thursdays are all examples of how to find cheap flights.
• Stay and explore your arrival city. If you’re planning on finding the cheapest place to fly into Europe and then driving to your destination in a rental car, don’t waste the opportunity to stick around for a day or two and explore the city! Museums, restaurants, parks, beaches, and natural wonders are all potential stops to make in the most affordable European cities to fly into.
• See where else you can trim your budget. From choosing budget airlines and signing up for city passes to using public transportation and finding free activities while abroad, it’s easy to trim your European trip budget by making a few tweaks to your plans. 
• Find the best price on a rental car. If you’ll be renting a car once you land in Europe, make sure you’re shopping around to find the lowest price. The 3 best rental car companies – Enterprise, Hertz, and National – have airport locations in many of the cities on our list to make getting your wheels easy and convenient once you touch down. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Get a better sense of the cheapest place to fly into Europe by taking a look at the most common questions other travelers have on the topic below.

So, What’s the Cheapest Place to Fly Into Europe?

Porto, Portugal comes out on top as the cheapest place to fly into Europe overall, but Paris, France and London, England are hot on its heels.

With average round trip flight prices from New York ranging from $502-$508 from these extremely affordable arrival cities, you’ll be able to trim your European trip budget considerably by rearranging your itinerary to touch down in one of these places. 

Keep in mind the season you’re flying and try to plan your trip around the cheapest dates to book (Sunday) and fly (Wednesday-Thursday) international flights to save even more!