Earlier this month I published a list of the 13 most affordable European destinations from the U.S. in 2020, and while national averages can provide a good birds eye perspective of where you might like to go, the price of your next European vacation will be largely dependent on where you’re departing from. Here’s the list, revised for each of the ten busiest airports in the United States.
-From the East-
Queens, New York (JFK)
The Winners
1. Madrid: $307.75
2. Barcelona: $314.25
3. Paris: $325.00
The Runners Up
- London: $349.25
- Reykjavik: $430.00
- Oslo: $434.50
- Milan: $476.50
- Stockholm: $519.25
- Dublin: $536.00
- Budapest: $537.25
- Zurich: $545.25
- Berlin: $577.75
- Warsaw: $636.25
Atlanta, Georgia (ATL)
The Winners
1. Reykjavik: $686.25
2. Dublin: $794.50
3. Zurich: $807.00
The Runners Up
- London: $808.25
- Barcelona: $817.75
- Budapest: $903.50
- Milan: $939.25
- Paris: $950.00
- Berlin: $1,013.50
- Madrid: $1,079.75
- Warsaw: $1,086.75
- Stockholm:; $1,093.00
- Oslo: $1,132.50
Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT)
The Winners
1. Reykjavik: $688.75
2. Dublin: $798.50
3. Oslo: $945.25
The Runners Up
- Barcelona: $951.75
- Milan: $1,039.75
- Zurich: $1,070.25
- Warsaw: $1,071.75
- Madrid: $1,111.00
- Stockholm: $1,111.00
- Budapest: $1,119.00
- London: $1,166.25
- Paris: $1,190.75
- Berlin: $1,199.75
-From the Middle-
Chicago-O’Hare, Illinois (ORD)
The Winners
1. Oslo: $449.25
2. Dublin: $459.75
3. Barcelona: $493.50
The Runners Up
- Reykjavik: $506.25
- Stockholm: $517.75
- London: $521.25
- Berlin: $582.00
- Paris: $590.50
- Madrid: $644.25
- Budapest: $650.75
- Milan: $769.00
- Warsaw: $847.25
- Zurich: $941.25
Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (DFW)
The Winners
1. Reykjavik: $752.00
2. Budapest: $886.00
3. Dublin: $903.50
The Runners Up
- Madrid: $941.75
- Barcelona: $955.75
- London: $977.25
- Berlin: $1,014.25
- Milan: $1,024.50
- Zurich: $1,034.75
- Paris: $1,110.50
- Oslo: $1,170.00
- Stockholm: $1,178.75
- Warsaw: $1,191.25
-From the Mountains-
Denver, Colorado (DEN)
The Winners
1. Dublin: $569.50
2. Reykjavik: $572.00
3. London: $661.00
The Runners Up
- Paris: $665.50
- Zurich: $748.50
- Oslo: $820.75
- Stockholm: $843.25
- Madrid: $956.00
- Berlin: $1,036.00
- Barcelona: $1,063.75
- Budapest: $1,077.25
- Milan: $1,117.00
- Warsaw: $1,337.50
Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS)
The Winners
2. London: $539.50
2. Madrid: $594.00
3. Stockholm: $620.50
The Runners Up
- Reykjavik: $631.00
- Barcelona: $658.25
- Oslo: $672.50
- Budapest: $789.25
- Zurich: $792.50
- Paris: $807.50
- Berlin: $811.25
- Milan: $815.00
- Warsaw: $838.25
- Dublin: $838.50
-From the Pacific-
Los Angeles, California (LAX)
The Winners
1. London: $396.75
2. Paris: $432.50
3. Barcelona: $446.00
The Runners Up
- Oslo: $500.00
- Madrid: $501.00
- Stockholm: $505.00
- Dublin: $511.00
- Milan: $702.50
- Reykjavik: $717.00
- Budapest: $753.50
- Berlin: $761.00
- Zurich: $769.50
- Warsaw: $822.00
San Francisco, California (SFO)
The Winners
1. Paris: $407.25
2. London: $418.00
3. Barcelona: $433.75
The Runners Up
- Milan: $433.75
- Oslo: $558.50
- Stockholm: $589.00
- Madrid: $611.75
- Budapest: $666.50
- Dublin: $676.25
- Reykjavik: $684.25
- Berlin: $695.50
- Zurich: $823.25
- Warsaw: $858.50
Seattle, Washington (SEA)
The Winners
1. Dublin: $533.75
2. London: $544.75
3. Oslo: $546.50
The Runners Up
- Stockholm: $570.50
- Reykjavik: $621.75
- Barcelona: $635.25
- Madrid: $654.25
- Berlin: $705.25
- Zurich: $765.50
- Paris: $790.25
- Budapest: $883.00
- Milan: $945.00
- Warsaw: $1,187.75
When to Go
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive time of year to fly to Europe is during peak tourist season in June and July; these months saw an average cost of $917.66. Springtime contained the lowest prices overall, with a combined average cost of $674.68; however, winter came in close second for cheapest time of year with a negligibly larger average price of just $686.12. And the second most expensive time of year for travel to Europe was fall with an average cost of $759.01; still significantly cheaper than summer. These trends remained true for each region of the U.S.
In general, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday and Wednesday, and while I’ve certainly seen exceptions, this largely remains true across the board. The prices in this article are reflective of round-trip tickets, but you can also experiment with one-way tickets and vary the cities you fly into and out of. This can give you the opportunity to potentially save money on flights while adding some variety to your vacation.
A Note on Layovers
Some small foreign airlines, namely Tap Air Portugal and Turkish Airlines, offer tickets for many of these trips at a significant discount, sometimes several hundred dollars, if you are willing to spend a day-long layover (dayover?) in Lisbon or Istanbul. I did not use these prices in my data set, because I can’t decide for you whether this is worth it. If you keep an open mind and do a bit of exploring, the extra ground time could enhance your vacation. But if you’re the type that just wants to get to their destination as efficiently as possible, this is unlikely to be an appealing option.
When it comes to layovers, I like to look at the savings in ticket price in exchange for ground time as an hourly wage. For example: if you purchase a ticket that is $200 cheaper but includes a four-hour layover that could be otherwise avoided, you can look at it as earning $50/hour while you’re grounded that can be used toward your trip (200/4=50). The best example I saw in researching for this article was a trip from Chicago to Paris that included a 2-hour layover in Copenhagen for a $260 discount; that’s $130/hour! What “wage” makes a layover worth it, or if voluntary layovers are worth it at all, is entirely up to you.
Some Important Takeaways
Conventional wisdom maintains that plane tickets purchased far in advance will be cheaper than those purchased last minute, and while this is mostly true, I’ve found trips with great prices just one month in advance. Conversely, I’ve also seen trips nearly a year in advance sell for little to no discount. It is also intuitive to assume that direct flights will be more expensive than multi-city flights because of the convenience, but this is also not always the case.
This article encompasses departures from the ten busiest airports in the U.S. Because of their size, these airports generally have the lowest prices for international flights. If you live in a smaller city, your itinerary will likely take you through one of these major hubs anyway. Unfortunately, this is likely to incur an added cost.
Of course, these prices are always subject to change, but the trends should remain relatively consistent. Nonetheless, consider it motivation to plan your trip sooner than later! Use this article as a guide for your own research and you can plan a fantastic vacation for an equally fantastic price!
Wander&Wonder 