Top 13+ Stopover Flights to Help You Get the Most Out of International Airfare

Booking stopover flights is one of the most underrated travel hacks to maximize your vacation time and budget. The best airline stopover programs essentially provide a free mini-visit to a city in an international airline’s home country—typically the capital city or the location of the carrier's main airport hub.

Usually booked as an extended layover, stopover flights can range anywhere from 24 hours all the way up to 10 days. Did we mention they’re free to add on to your itinerary? You heard that right: there’s no extra fee when booking a stopover, a true rarity in the airline world these days. Some carriers will even throw in a complimentary hotel stay, and other perks like discounted sightseeing tours coordinated through the destination’s tourism board, which is eager to impress travelers. But whether your airline offers a long stopover with tons of freebies, or you simply get the chance to immerse yourself in a new destination for a night, the programs are almost always worth booking.

Here's a look at 13 of the best airline stopover programs, that will allow you to explore Madrid, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Reykjavik, Istanbul, Panama City, Porto, Lisbon, Helsinki, Addis Ababa, and multiple cities in Japan and Australia for hardly any additional costs to your airfare.

For more air travel tips and tricks, check out our guides to open jaw flights, skiplagged flights, how to get cheap last-minute flights, and some of the best flights you can buy with points and miles.

This story has been updated with new information since its original publication date.

TAP Air Portugal offers free stopovers in Porto and Lisbon with discounted hotel stays.

TAP Air Portugal

Offering free stopovers in two cities—Porto and Lisbon—TAP Air Portugal has one of the most flexible programs out there. Plus, it allows travelers to stay in either city for up to 10 days. The stopover booking process is super simple, as TAP has integrated it into its standard booking field. All you need to do is choose your travel dates, departure city, and destination as usual, then click the “Add Stopover” button. This will open a pop-up window where you can input the details of your stopover, including whether you'd like to visit Porto or Lisbon and for how long.

When your flights are squared away, you can book a discounted hotel stay by browsing TAP's list of hotel partners. The list offers booking codes with average savings of 10-20% off your stay. You'll also have access to discounts for restaurants, museums, and walking tours. Browse the airline's stopover offers page to see the full list. And once you wrap up your stopover, you also get a 25% discount on airfare to a second destination in Portugal, like the Azores archipelago.

Turkish Airlines' stopover program includes a free hotel stay in Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines

Travelers on Turkish Airlines on any itinerary from the US with at least a 20-hour connection in Istanbul qualify for the carrier's Stopover in Istanbul offering. The program is one of the most generous when it comes to accommodations, giving all fliers a free hotel stay: Passengers flying from the US in economy class can stay two nights in a four-star hotel free of charge, and business class passengers get three free nights in a five-star hotel. There's also an option book additional nights at contracted hotels offering discounted stays starting at $49 USD per night.

Turkish Airlines has recently simplified its stopover booking process, making it easier than ever to take advantage of the program. There is now a “Stopover in Istanbul” button right on the airline's booking page.

Travelers can stay in Madrid for up to six nights with no extra airfare costs through Iberia's stopover program.

Iberia

With its Stopover Hola Madrid program, Iberia allows travelers to stay in the Spanish capital for as little as 24 hours, all the way up to seven days and six nights at no extra cost in airfare. Passengers can add a stopover to either their outbound or return flight and select the length of their stay on the airline's booking page. Stopover customers are also afforded a host of discounts, including 20% off tickets to the Prado museum, a free public transportation card valid for two days that can be picked up at the airport, and reduced hotel stays through the airline's partners.

Icelandair offers free stopovers in Reykjavik.

IcelandAir

If you're interested in adding a few days in Reykjavik to your next vacation, book with IcelandAir, which offers free Reykjavik stopovers from one to seven days for its transatlantic passengers. When booking your flights, simply click the “Stopover in Iceland” button and choose how many days you'd like to stay. While there's no additional airfare involved, IcelandAir's program does not include a free or discounted hotel stay, so passengers will need to factor that in as an extra cost. However, the airline's stopover page does offer suggestions for a wide range of affordable sightseeing tours, like an abbreviated tour of the Golden Circle (from $81), a Reykjavik walking tour (from $40), and a Blue Lagoon experience (from $172).

The low-cost carrier Play Airlines offers free stopovers in its home base of Reykjavik for up to 10 days.

Play Airlines

A second option for enjoying the natural wonders of Iceland on a budget is with Play Airlines’ free stopover deal. The low-cost carrier offers free stopovers at its home base of Reykjavik for up to 10 days. Aside from that long window to stay in Iceland, the budget airline doesn’t offer too many extra perks—you’ll have to secure your own accommodations and tours. But given that Play’s airfares are so cheap, starting at $129 for a one-way flight from the US to Europe, you’ll have plenty of extra budget to put toward an affordable place to stay, like hybrid property Hlemmur Square, which offers both hostel-style rooms and traditional private hotel rooms. To book the stopover, go to Play’s booking page and select “Stopover in Iceland” from the ticket type dropdown menu (the button that says “Roundtrip”).

Qatar Airways' popular stopover program offers steep discounts on luxury hotels in Doha.

Qatar Airways

One of the best airline stopover programs is Qatar Airways', which offers a valuable hotel bundle. The carrier offers stays of up to four days in Doha, with bundle rates for four-star hotels starting at just $14 USD per person per night. If you want to upgrade to a luxury five-star hotel, the fee starts at $23 USD per person per night, which is still a deep discount. And of course, the stopover will cost you nothing in terms of extra airfare fees.

To score the bundle, book your stopover through Qatar Airways' dedicated page, which allows you to select the leg of the journey you'd like to stop in Doha and for how many days. Once your flights are booked, visit the airline's stopover hotel booking page to browse options for your stay. Choose your hotel and input your flight information during the booking process to receive the discount.

Also available during your time in Doha are discounted tour packages that range from activities like kitesurfing lessons, a private Bedouin dinner in the desert, souq tours, and many more.

Etihad's stopover in Abu Dhabi includes a free stay at a three-star hotel, subject to availability.

Etihad

With its “Stopover on Us” package, Etihad is offering free stopovers in Abu Dhabi. The one- or two-night packages include a free stay at a three-star hotel in the city, plus perks like 24-hour check-in and free in-room Wi-Fi. Among the hotel partners are the Centro Al Manhal, the Millennium Al Rawdah Hotel, and the Traders Hotel Al Maqta.

To add the stopover, you need to first book a flight connecting through Abu Dhabi in any cabin class. Then, select your stopover package and check hotel availability on the airline's stopover page. It's important to note that a flight reservation is required to check the program's hotel availability (which is not guaranteed) and bookings must be made at least 72 hours before travel.

Copa's free stopover program lets travelers stay in Panama City for up to one week.

Copa Airlines

Travelers can take up to seven days to explore Panama City with Copa Airlines’ stopover program. Copa passengers can add a stopover in the capital city—one of the best places to go in South America in 2024—on either the outgoing or return leg of their journey. Travelers can stay in Panama for as little as 24 hours all the way up to one week without needing to pay extra airfare. (Copa also offers the option to add a second stopover to your flight itinerary for $250 USD.) To book the stopover, simply go to the booking page on Copa’s website and toggle to the “Multi-city/Stopover” tab. Although the stopover program does not include a free or discounted hotel stay, there are many exciting new hotels in Panama City that would be well-worth the splurge, like the boutique eight-room Amarla, located in the city’s Casco Viejo historic district, or the waterfront Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo.

Emirates offers two options for travelers looking to extend their layover in Dubai.

Emirates

With its Dubai Connect program, Emirates offers travelers with extended layovers in Dubai an array of complimentary perks, including a one-night hotel stay, visa, meals, and transfers to and from the airport. Passengers in economy through first class are eligible for these perks. To qualify for the program, your layover must be between eight to 26 hours for economy and premium economy tickets or six and 26 hours for business and first class tickets. Your connection time must be the shortest available—meaning you have to depart Dubai on the next available flight to your destination or your itinerary won’t be eligible.

When passengers arrive in Dubai, they can head to the Dubai Connect desk in the arrivals terminal for their free car transfer to their hotel. The airline usually puts Dubai Connect passengers in the Copthorne Hotel Dubai, the Le Méridien Airport Hotel Dubai, or the JW Marriott Marquis, but it’s possible travelers will be booked at a different property at the carrier’s discretion. While at the hotel, all applicable meals will be included as part of the service. You can book Dubai Connect online at least 24 hours before your layover.

For a longer stopover experience, travelers can book a multi-city itinerary on the airline’s booking page. Toggle the “advanced search” feature and input Dubai International airport as an additional destination between your city of origin and final destination. When your flights are booked, you can add on Dubai hotels and experiences through Emirates’ Dubai stopover page, which offers discounts and extra perks like 24-hour hotel check-in.

Japan Airlines is billing itself as one of the most “stopover friendly” airlines in the travel industry.

Japan Airlines

Billing itself as one of the most “stopover friendly” airlines in the industry, Japan Airlines offers extended layovers in cities like Osaka and Kyoto. Essentially, JAL’s program allows fliers to book multi-city itineraries with stays in stopover destinations of at least 24 hours. Although the airline doesn’t offer free perks once you arrive in your stopover city, it’s definitely still worth taking advantage of the feature to see more stunning destinations throughout Japan. Plus, booking is easy. Simply use JAL’s “multi-city/stopover” search tool to find options for your free pit stops in some of the nation’s most popular destinations.

If your layover in Addis Ababa is long enough, Ethiopian Airlines offers a a complimentary, one-night hotel stay in the city.

Ethiopian Airlines

Among one of the only stopover flight programs in Africa is Ethiopian Airlines' initiative, which offers passengers with layovers at Addis Ababa airport ranging between 8 and 24 hours a complimentary, one-night hotel stay in the city and transfers to and from the airport. The airline books most of its passengers in the modern Skylight Hotel, a portion of whose rooms are accessible directly from the airport’s arrivals terminal. Eligible passengers can claim their hotel voucher at the check-in desk before departing on their flight or Ethiopian customer service desks upon landing.

With Qantas, Australia's flag carrier, fliers can add up to three or four stopovers before reaching their final destination for free.

Qantas

Australian carrier Qantas allows its passengers to book multi-city trips at no extra cost, meaning that fliers can add up to three or four stopovers before reaching their final destination for free. You’ll be on your own for booking sightseeing tours and hotel accommodations—the airline doesn’t facilitate any deals for those—but you’ll still be able to explore several destinations Down Under without racking up an ultra-expensive fare. To book, simply use the airline’s multi-city tool to find flights that work for you.

With Finnair’s stopover program, you can spend up to five days in Helsinki.

Finnair

Spend up to five days in Helsinki soaking up Nordic culture with Finnair’s stopover program. The airline offers extended stays in Finland’s capital city at no extra cost to fliers—the itineraries can be booked as a multi-city trip. (Just select the “multi-city” option under the trip type drop down menu when booking.) Although Finnair doesn’t offer any deals on activities or accommodations in Helsinki, the carrier has curated layover guides to the city that offer recommendations on what to see and do—perhaps a spin through the Helsinki Design Museum, followed by a French-Finnish meal at Restaurant Savoy?—plus logistics on the fastest ways to get to and from the airport.