I cringe when I hear travelers setting aside $1,200 or more to fly to Europe. Those travelers are doing it wrong, because you can cross the pond for half that if you time your trip to Europe right. 

For months, we've been telling travelers that flight prices to Europe were dropping to record lows … and that those prices were too good to last. Yet every time we think airfare to Europe can't possibly get any cheaper, the airlines prove us wrong. 

For travelers willing to travel to Europe this winter, we've found thousands of deals in the $500s, $400s, and even $300s roundtrip!

We search for flight deals to Europe every single day for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, and we have been for years. So trust us when we say that what we're seeing right now is special – the flight deals to Europe are cheaper and more frequent than we've seen in years.  

 

 

So, let's plan your trip. Where should you go to book that magical Christmas trip, a ski adventure in the Alps, or a seaside escape? 

 

Where to Find Cheap Flights to Europe

 

If you think I'm going to send you to secondary European cities or less-than-ideal destinations in search of cheap flights, think again. Because the airlines fly so often to the most popular destinations, prices to places like, say, Italy, often stay very cheap. 

Or in the case of our last Italy deal, they get crazy cheap. 

 

Italy flight deal in the $400s roundtrip

 

We rounded up these fares in the $400s to Milan (MXP), Rome (FCO), Naples (NAP), and Venice (VCE) flying this winter and into spring 2026 and couldn't believe how many airports you could snag fares like this from. If you're in the mountain west with a home airport like Bozeman (BZN), you might have written off cheap flights to Italy altogether. Not this year! 

A similar trend is taking hold all over Southern Europe this year, where destinations like Portugal keep getting more and more popular.

 

Portugal fligth deal in the $400s and $500s roundtrip

 

This flight deal to Lisbon (LIS) or Porto (OPO) included several fares in the $300s roundtrip from the east coast, too. Travelers in places like Montreal (YUL), Los Angeles (LAX), and more could also take advantage of some steeply discounted nonstop flights to Lisbon as well. 

One of my favorite places in Europe is Croatia. Croatia has everything you would want in a travel experience. The Mediterranean climate is amazing, it shirks Europe's highest prices on the ground, and it's rocky coves and coastline are immaculate. But it's typically a little more expensive to get to Croatia. I said “typically…”

 

Croatia flight deal with airfares in the $500s

 

Croatia fares – flying to Dubrovnik (DBV), Zagreb (ZAG), and Split (SPU) – don't often dip below $700 roundtrip, so when they dipped into the $500s for travel this winter, we were all over it so our members could book something incredible. 

The same airfare pattern works for Greece, too. If you see Athens (ATH) dive into the $500s roundtrip, it's time to get booking. That's a great deal. But when they hit the $400s, that's when you've got something special. 

 

Athens flight deal with fares in the $400s and $500s

 

And if you want to get off the beaten path even further, a cheap flight to Istanbul, Turkiye (IST) could be exactly what you need. Istanbul is one of the greatest cities in the world. My editor Kyle Potter is obsessed with Istanbul. Honestly, he won't shut up about it. His gushing has made me and many of our subscribers infinitely curious…almost as much as these fares have made me curious, too. 

 

Istanbul flight deal

 

Southern European destinations like Greece and Italy get all the buzz, but if you want the truly cheapest flight deals, don't overlook Northern Europe.

Of course, you'll face more wintry weather up north than you will in the Mediterranean, but the countries of the north embrace winter in spectacular ways. Plus, you won't deal with big crowds or high hotel prices either. 

And the best reason to head north in the winter? The prices…

 

Ireland, the Baltics, and the Nordics flight deal

This roundup of airfare in the $300s roundtrip to Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and the Baltics left many of our subscribers stunned. Thanks to cutthroat competition from airlines like SAS, Icelandair, and Finnair, many of the major airlines had to slash rates to compete on these routes. That's how you can get to the Fjords of Norway for $397 roundtrip, up to Finland for $390, or roundtrip to Dublin (DUB) for $379! 

The king of cheap flights to Europe, of course, is Iceland. 

 

Iceland nonstop flight deal

 

Thanks to Icelandair, airfare to scenic Iceland typically stays low, meaning you can book any one of these nonstop flights to Iceland this winter for some mind-blowingly cheap rates.

Just look at that Boston (BOS) fare! It's cheaper to fly to Iceland than Florida this winter! 

 

Bottom Line

Flights to Europe don't have to be expensive. If you time your trip right, you could visit Europe during the most magical time of year for less than half what you budgeted for. 

The flight deals to Europe we're seeing lately are unparalleled – cheaper and more frequent than we've seen in years … maybe ever. Something is changing in travel and it's resulting in sub-$500 roundtrip fares to Europe becoming the norm – especially this time of year. And the points deals just keep coming, too.