Top Tips for Booking Multi-City Flights

Need to plan a multi-city trip but not sure where to start? Discover how to book multi-city flights with our guide:

• Learn about different multi-city travel
• Tips for booking flight itineraries
• How to book and save on multi-city flights with Booking.com

A holiday is always nice – but a multi-destination trip is a true adventure.

If you want to visit multiple cities, regions or countries on your next trip, booking your itinerary may be easier than you think. Instead of booking several one-way tickets and working out all the logistics yourself, you can simply search for multi-city flights .

What are multi-city flights?

Multi-city flights allow you to visit multiple destinations on one booking. Booking a flight with many stops is often cheaper and more convenient than booking one-way flights to a series of different destinations. It’s also much less confusing to book all your flights at once.

What are the different types of multi-city flights?

If you’re considering booking multi-city flights, you can choose from several different options, including extended layovers, multi-destination trips, and open-jaw flights.

Here’s what that means.

Extended layovers and stopovers

Extended layovers are a great way to see an extra destination without splashing too much cash.

Layovers generally range from 30 minutes to 24 hours – any longer and it’s considered a stopover. Domestic flights typically have shorter layovers of somewhere between 30 minutes and four hours, while on an international flight, your layover can stretch from one hour to 24 hours.

The great thing about choosing a journey with a long layover or stopover is that you get to see a whole extra destination, without paying for an extra flight. If you opt for a stopover, you will need to pay for accommodation, but time your long layover right and you can spend a day in a bonus destination on a budget. This means finding a flight that arrives at your layover airport first thing in the morning and leaves for your final destination late at night.

Interested in a stopover? Some airlines allow you to extend your stopover for up to ten days, adding a whole extra leg to your travel itinerary.

Multi-destination trips

On a multi-destination trip, you can visit several countries, regions or cities in a single trip – and on a single booking. For example, if you’re travelling in from the US to Europe, you could make a multi-city flight booking that takes you from New York to London, London to Paris, Paris to Rome and then Rome back to New York.

Open-jaw flights

An open-jaw flight is a type of ticket that allows you to fly into one airport and depart from another, without returning to your original destination.

Say you want to visit Croatia and take a road trip up the beautiful Dalmatian coast while you’re there. You could fly into Dubrovnik Airport and explore the city’s iconic old town, before hiring a car and driving north towards the Croatian capital of Zagreb, stopping at multiple attractions on the way. Instead of motoring all the way back to Dubrovnik to catch your flight, an open-jaw ticket would allow you to fly back home from Zagreb Airport.

Top tips for booking a multi-city trip

Like the sound of a multi-city trip? Here are some handy tips to keep in mind when booking your adventure.

1. Pick a logical route

If you want to save money on flights and make the most of your vacation time, it’s vital you think about your route logically. Put simply, you want to spend as little time in the air as possible.

Say you live in Maine and you’re taking a multi-city domestic trip to take in some of the US’ most famous attractions: New York’s Times Square, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It wouldn’t make sense to fly from Maine over to San Francisco, come all the way back to New York, cross the country again to get to Arizona and then fly all the way back to Maine. Instead, you could start with nearby New York, fly across the US to Arizona, stay on the west coast to visit San Francisco and then travel back to Maine.

2. Extend existing layovers by a day or two

If you’re lucky enough to land a layover in an appealing destination, then simply contact your airline to extend your layover into a stopover. This way you get to add a whole extra leg onto your trip without shelling out for another flight.

3. Choose stops with similar climates

When you’re booking a multi-destination trip, packing to suit your itinerary can be tricky. However, it becomes next to impossible if you choose destinations with vastly different climates. For example, it would be very difficult to pack for a multi-destination trip that incorporates both a sunny coastal leg and a skiing trip.

Adding extra luggage to your booking is expensive, and on a multi-destination vacation, you’ll have to pay this charge for more than two flights.

4. Use flight comparison tools

While you can book multi-city itineraries with one airline, you’ll likely find the best deals using flight search tools like Booking.com. These platforms scan all available flights from all airlines, giving you much more choice. You can then play around with your destinations and flight dates until you find the best-value tickets.

5. Don’t overpack your itinerary

While a multi-destination trip gives you the chance to see a lot more than a standard vacation, don’t overpack your itinerary. Be realistic with how much time you’ll need in each destination – for relaxing, as well as sightseeing – and give yourself enough time to actually enjoy each stop.

How to book and save on multi-city flights with Booking.com

So, how to book multi-city flights?

Booking’s flight tool makes searching for, comparing and buying multi-city flights easy. Simply select the ‘multi-city’ option above the search bar and you can search for up to five flights at once.

If saving money is a priority, once you reach the search results page, click on the ‘cheapest’ tab and you’ll be presented with a list of multi-city itineraries with the cheapest options at the top. To compare prices further, perform the search a few times with different dates.

Other handy tools for booking multi-city flights include the filters down the side, which allow you to input your maximum travel time. Click on the ‘view details’ tab of any of the options on the search result page to see a comprehensive itinerary that includes layovers and baggage allowances.

Ideas for your multi-city itinerary

Like the sound of a multi-city itinerary but looking for some inspiration? Here are three exciting routes.

Western Europe

Keen to tick some European highlights off your bucket list? Take a look at this multi-city itinerary, which incorporates plenty of culture, history and leisure, below:

1. Start in London, UK, where you can visit historic royal landmarks such as the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace and enjoy the English capital’s vibrant foodie and fashion scenes.
2. Fly to Paris, France, to soak up the romantic atmosphere, sample French food and visit iconic cultural attractions like the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral.
3. Travel to Rome, Italy for some truly ancient sightseeing and sumptuous Italian cuisine. The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Roman Forum are high on any tourist’s agenda.
4. End your trip in Barcelona, Spain – a super-hip city with a buzzing nightlife known for its unique buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí.

Australia

Always dreamed of a trip to Australia? It would be a shame to travel all that way to just see one destination. The route below offers a mix of iconic cityscapes, natural wonders and cultural experiences.

1. Start in Cairns, Queensland, which you can use as an entry point to the Great Barrier Reef. Ensure you follow guidance to minimize your environmental impact when visiting the reef.
2. Fly to Sydney, New South Wales, where you can explore the iconic Sydney Opera House, walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and relax at Bondi Beach.
3. End your trip in Melbourne, Victoria for a healthy dose of coffee culture. Wander through the city’s famous laneways and street art and take a scenic drive along the Great Ocean Road.

The United States

How about a domestic multi-city trip to visit some of the most famous places in the US?

• New York, New York: see Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and explore the art and culture of Central Park, Broadway and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Washington DC: you can tour the National Mall to visit iconic monuments like the Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol and the Smithsonian museums.
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: hike or take a scenic drive along the South Rim to enjoy breathtaking views.
• Las Vegas, Nevada: see the bright lights, take in a show and enjoy the vibrant nightlife.
• San Francisco, California: you can walk over the famous Golden Gate Bridge and explore the city’s hip neighbourhoods.

FAQs about multi-city flights

Is it cheaper to book one-way or multi-city flights?

There’s no definite answer to whether one-way or multi-city flights are more affordable because flight prices vary depending on a number of factors such as the dates of booking and travel. However, it’s generally thought to be cheaper to buy multi-city flights, especially if you’re buying in bulk for a group of passengers. There will be instances where one-way is cheaper, however – such as flash sales on one-way tickets or on competitive routes – so it’s always worth comparing the prices for your dates and destinations.

How complicated is it to book multi-city flights?

Booking multi-city flights is more complicated than booking a simple one-way or round-trip fare, as there are more logistics involved. You need to consider multiple times and dates of flights, as well as the fact that different flights may have different baggage allowance rules.

However, the process can be simplified by using a flight search tool that allows you to search for multi-city flights. Booking’s flight tool, for example, enables a search of up to five flights at once, generating full itineraries for each multi-city journey, including layovers and baggage allowances. This makes it much easier to compare different options and purchase your tickets.

Can you book multi-city flights with more than one airline?

Yes, many flight booking websites allow you to book multi-city flights with more than one airline. This is useful for keeping costs down and giving you more choice around dates and flight times.

What are the benefits of booking multi-city flights?

Booking multi-city flights allows you to explore several destinations in one exciting trip. What’s more, they’re often cheaper than one-way fares and booking all of your flights at once is much more convenient. Multi-destination flights tie your trip together, allowing you to plan a concrete itinerary.