The best places for stopover

Stopover – the best cities and airlines that offer stopovers in Europe and Asia, free hotels and tours during a stopover.

A stopover is the perfect opportunity to add extra experiences to your journey during a transit layover. Instead of spending a long time at the airport, you can see a new city, go on tours, taste the flavors of a new country, and even spend the night in a hotel paid for by the airline.

From my own experience, I share information about stopovers in Istanbul, Amsterdam, Paris, Lisbon and in Iceland – how to use the service, the airlines that offer it, and how to best spend your time in these places.

What is a stopover?

Stopover is an intermediate stop at an airport for more than 24 hours, during which you can explore a new city. You can do this at your own expense or use a “stopover” offer from an airline. Many carriers offer tours for their passengers during stopovers. Some even offer not only a free opportunity to make a stop in a transit city but also provide free accommodation in a hotel for 1-2 nights. Most airlines offer a 24-hour free stopover. But there are also those who offer from one to seven days of free stay in the country between flights.

A transfer is no more than a connection between flights. For domestic flights, you need 45-50 minutes for a connection, and for international flights, it’s better to allow 90 minutes, if not more. And often airlines set a lower price for flights if you choose a longer layover.

The main difference between transit and stopover is the amount of time you spend between flights. The duration of stopovers is usually from 20 hours to 3 days, but can be longer. Most of the time, if tickets are available for your desired date, this arrangement is free for the passenger.

To arrange a stopover, you first need to come up with a route—where exactly you plan to fly. Then choose an airline that offers this service, go to its website, and select booking through a multi-city route (multiply rout or multy city). However, some airlines sometimes charge a small fee for their services. For example, airlines do not store baggage during a stopover. Suitcases can be left in the airport luggage storage for an additional fee or taken with you.

What about visas for stopovers?

Regarding visas, Ukrainians do not need them in European countries to leave the airport and explore a new city. In addition, in many cities in Asia, there is free stay from 24 to 96 hours as part of a transit trip. You can check visa requirements during transit on the website of the International Air Transport Association www.iatatravelcentre.com.

Best cities for a stopover

The company Nerflight made a complete list of the best cities for a stopover, with information about transport to the airport, its cost, and the time required to reach the city.

According to the latest data for 2025 from Stasher, the best cities for a stopover in Europe are:

Istanbul, Türkiye

Istanbul is one of the best cities for a stopover. No visa is required to visit, and Istanbul has affordable prices for tours, transport, and restaurant food. Moreover, the main attractions are close to each other—you can see a lot in 24 hours.

Airline: Turkish Airlines

Stopover terms: Your stop must last more than 20 hours. You can also qualify for free accommodation in Istanbul if you are traveling in business or economy class. You can use the free accommodation service in a 4-5* hotel in Istanbul during your stopover. Also, for Turkish Airlines passengers traveling via Istanbul airport with a layover from 6 to 24 hours, the airline organizes, as part of the stopover program, TourIstanbul—free tours with a guide. To participate in the tour, after passing through passport and customs control, go to the registration desk.

No registration or booking is required to participate in the free tour. Tours are held daily from 8:30 to 12:00, 8:30 to 15:00, 8:30 to 18:00, 12:00 to 18:00, 16:00 to 21:30, and from 18:30 to 23:00. You simply need to choose the time that matches your flight arrival. Also, the tour includes the opportunity to taste Ottoman cuisine for free, and museum visits included in the tour are also free.

During one trip, passengers can use either the accommodation service or the TourIstanbul service. For complete information, visit www.turkishairlines.com.

How to book:

You need to send an email 72 hours before the flight to freehotelukraine@thy.com. In the email, indicate your name and surname, booking code (PNR) or ticket number, date range for the intended accommodation, room type (single, double, or triple), phone number, and email address.

How to get from the airport to the city: From Istanbul Havalimani airport, you can take Havaist shuttle buses to most parts of the city. Payment to the driver is possible by contactless bank card (at the airport), or in cash at the kiosk at the stop. You can check timetables and routes on the site hava.ist.

What to see in Istanbul in 24 hours

Go to the Blue Mosque—open 24 hours a day, visits are allowed between prayers.
See how fishermen catch fish on the Galata Bridge, and then go down to the fish market and taste the fresh catch grilled.
Go down to the Theodosius Cistern—an alternative to the Basilica Cistern, where there are no huge lines. The Theodosius Cisterns are located in Sultanahmet, behind the Pierre Loti Hotel, open daily from 9:00 to 18:30.
Buy spices at the Egyptian bazaar near Eminönü pier.
Take a boat to the Asian side, have tea at the Üsküdar pier with a view of the Maiden’s Tower.
Visit Hagia Sophia—be amazed by the might of the ancient building where Christian frescoes are side by side with Quran quotations. Entry is free.

Recommended reading: Istanbul in transit – 4 routes around the city

Dubai, UAE

Emirates offers an attractive stopover program that allows passengers to explore Dubai on the way to one of the airline’s 150 global destinations, including discounts on hotels and transportation to your hotel.

Airline: Emirates Airlines

Stopover terms: Emirates allows a short stopover for several days or a week at no extra charge. Moreover, the longer the stop, the cheaper the flights. Emirates offers short stopover packages. The airline cooperates with over a hundred local hotels and resorts, offering 24/7 check-in, airport meet-and-greet, transfers, and breakfast at a low cost as part of stopover packages.

How to book: use the advanced search option to book flights including the total stopover duration on the Emirates.com website. For those interested in a stopover package, you can contact your local Emirates office to add a hotel and/or activities to your booking. Note – the hotel during a stopover is not free. So, of course, you can book a hotel yourself on Booking.com and explore the city during a long layover.

How to get from the airport to the city: Dubai airport is served by metro, but at night you will most likely have to use a taxi. Note! Unlike other airports, in Dubai it is more advantageous to take a taxi from the lot than to order Uber—it will be cheaper that way.

What to see in Dubai in two days:

Marvel at the tall skyscraper Burj Khalifa, upon arriving in this futuristic metropolis.
Spend a relaxing day on the man-made Jumeirah Beach.
Explore the historic Bastakiya quarter to see its Arabic architecture.
If you want to buy a souvenir or two, head to the impressive Ibn Battuta Mall shopping center.
See millions of flowers in Dubai Miracle Garden—the world’s largest natural flower garden.
Be sure to visit a beach club, for example Nikki Beach Dubai, to swim in the pool or in the Persian Gulf.
Book a desert tour—rally through sand dunes, camel rides, and dinner by the campfire are unforgettable.

Reykjavik, Iceland

In the past two decades, Iceland has experienced a tourism boom. And the generous policy of Icelandair has definitely contributed to this growth. Icelandair gives its passengers a free stopover from 1 to 7 days! However, “free” means that when you book tickets with a stopover, the price does not increase. The rest—hotel, transfer, meals during the stopover—are the traveler’s own expense.

Still, spending a couple of days on a volcanic island during a flight is a truly great opportunity to see the beauty of Iceland in one big journey to the USA or Canada. Icelandair connects 23 European cities with 18 North American cities. Nice bonus from Icelandair: the Stopover Performances program offers free access to private concerts or comedy shows during your stop. You can arrange a stopover in Iceland on the website https://www.icelandair.com/flights/stopover

Airline: Icelandair

Stopover terms: add from one to seven days in Reykjavik to your trip at no extra cost in terms of air tickets. Accommodation is not included, but there are travel packages available.

How to book: book your flight in the icelandair.com booking system. Select the “Stopover in Iceland” option. Then you can choose how many days you want to spend in Iceland and see the booking options.

How to get from the airport to the city: use a transfer to the city, or rent a car to see the best places in Iceland!

What to see in Iceland in 24 hours

You can drive the entire “Golden Circle” in a rented car—the most popular Icelandic nature route, which includes visits to Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Valley, and the Gullfoss Waterfall.
See in the Geysir Valley how hot springs erupt from the ground and the Great Geysir, which wakes up and blasts boiling water up to 60 m high.
Visit the geothermal complex “Blue Lagoon“—located 50 km from Reykjavik. Here you can soak in hot springs where the water reaches +37…+40°C. The waters of the lagoon are considered healing thanks to mineral salts and a temperature at which harmful bacteria do not survive. Day passes—€60.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is a breath of freedom in the steel grip of rules and prohibitions of prim Europe. In this city, you can allow yourself if not everything, then a lot. KLM offers a stopover on a round-trip journey through Amsterdam (absolutely the same conditions as if you book a flight with a layover in Paris). You can fly through Amsterdam to many cities in Europe as well as to North and South America.

Airline: KLM

Stopover terms: KLM allows a free stopover on each segment of your journey, both inbound and outbound, with virtually no time restrictions (except for the ticket validity period and immigration rules).

How to book: How to arrange a stopover with KLM? When booking a ticket to America or Asia, go to https://stopover.klm.com/, select the “Multi-city” option, enter your route (for example: Buenos Aires – Amsterdam – Venice), and enjoy a stroll in Amsterdam at the regular ticket price. You can include a stopover of more than 24 hours between two flights.

How to get from the airport: the train that serves the airport will bring you directly to Amsterdam Central Station in 15 minutes.

What to see in Amsterdam in 24 hours

Amsterdam is worth not taking the metro even once. To feel the spirit of Amsterdam, you can rent a bike and ride the countless bike lanes.
Drop by Jordaan district located in the west with its floating houses, flower markets, art galleries, cafes, and trendy shops.
Have lunch at the library with a view of Amsterdam.
If you want to see Amsterdam’s bridges from an unusual angle, you’ll have to part with at least €20 for a one-hour tourist boat ride.
But there’s an alternative: free NDSM ferries running from the Central Railway Station to several docks on the opposite bank of the IJ Bay.
Plan a museum trip. Don’t forget to leave time to visit some of the world’s best museums, such as the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, where there are many priceless works, as well as Rembrandt’s house-museum.
Or have a beer at the Heineken Beer Museum. For €18, after standing in a huge line with other beer lovers, you enter the holy of holies—where this golden drink is brewed (the price includes 1 glass of Heineken).

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon—the gem of Western Europe. The city on the Atlantic coast has amazing charm and charisma, and you want to come back again and again. At least I’ve already been there 4 times. Portuguese national carrier TAP offers its passengers a stopover in Lisbon at no extra cost.

Airline: TAP Portugal

Stopover terms: enjoy a free stopover for up to five days in Lisbon (a stopover in Porto also qualifies!). TAP Portugal offers international travelers various discounts on hotels, wine tastings, and restaurants in Lisbon and Porto.

How to book: visit Stopover on flytap.com to book a stopover in Lisbon or Porto.

How to leave the airport: Take the metro (Aeroporto-Saldanha line) straight to the city center—it’ll take about 20 minutes.

The stopover allows up to five nights in Lisbon or Porto—it’s available for both one-way and round-trip tickets. You can also combine flights: on the way there, you can arrange a stopover in Lisbon, and on the way back—in Porto. In addition, the airline offers special partner hotel rates as part of the stopover.

What to do in Lisbon in 24 hours

Ride all day around the city on old trams, funiculars, and the cable car. Buy a 24-hour pass—with it you can ride around the city and climb any of the viewing platforms offering beautiful views of Lisbon’s red roofs.
Walk the narrow streets of old Alfama—the historic district of two- and three-story houses, with zigzagging stairs climbing the hill to St. George’s Castle.
Feast on Portuguese pastries pastéis—crunchy puff pastry baskets with custard. They are sold in all cafes and bakeries—price from €0.5 to €1 each. A couple of pastéis with a cup of coffee is the perfect Lisbon breakfast.
Visit the edge of Europe—Cabo da Roca. From Lisbon, you can get there by train and bus—€7 one way. It’s best to go to Cape Roca at sunset—to watch the sun dip into the ocean.
If you want to extend your stopover for a few days, then you should visit the palaces and castles in Sintra: the colorful Pena Palace, the castle and park Quinta da Regaleira, the Capuchin Monastery, and climb to the top of the hill and look at the ocean from the towers of the Moorish Castle.

Recommended reading – TOP-20 places to see in Lisbon

Paris, France

Paris is a city that takes time to truly explore. A quick exploration will take you 3-4 days without visiting museums, palaces, or landmarks. Even so, some prior planning is required in terms of logistics or geography. You’ll have no trouble finding the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, or anything else along the Seine, but you’ll want to set aside time to see Montmartre, Montparnasse, the Latin Quarter, and of course, the Champs-Élysées.

Airline: Air France

Policy: Air France has the same rules as KLM. So the airline allows a free stopover on every segment of your journey through Paris, with no time restrictions (except for ticket validity and immigration rules).

How to book: use the online booking tool on AirFrance.com (choose your region or country), then select the multi-booking option. Create your stopover in Paris on one or both legs.

How to get from the airport to the city: the train from Charles de Gaulle Airport takes you directly to Gare du Nord in central Paris.

What to do in Paris during a stopover:

See the Eiffel Tower at night. Plan an evening walk across the Champ de Mars—you must see the tower sparkling with strobe lights, reflected in the Seine.
Experience local life at Parisian markets. There are dozens of markets in Paris, where you can not only buy products, but also taste France.
Go treasure-hunting at the Louvre. But buy tickets online in advance, and allow a whole day for the museum—there’s plenty to see apart from Mona Lisa.
See the iconic rooftops of Paris. You can do it for free by going up to the observation deck on the roof of the Printemps department store.
Walk the parks of Paris—sit on chairs in the Luxembourg Gardens, feeding giant pigeons with baguette.
Take a boat trip on the Seine—one ticket is valid all day, you can board at one stop and get off at another.

Recommended reading – 10 things to do in Paris to feel like a local

Useful articles and links:

Route schedules and tickets for buses – on InfoBus.ua
Green card and Travel insurance for traveling abroad – online at the portal HotlineFinance
Hotel and apartment bookings – Booking.com

The best cities for a stopover – what to do in 24 hours

What is a stopover?

What about visas for stopovers?

Best cities for a stopover