For anyone who’s ever heard of the Blue Lagoon, you can mostly thank stopover programs for making Iceland so popular to visit. Stopovers allow travelers to add a long layover in a fun hub before getting to their final destinations. Rather than waiting around in an airport, the idea is to give travelers enough time to get out and explore the layover city.
In recent years, more carriers have started offering such programs. Depending on the airline, travelers get to spend between 24 hours and 10 days in a location without racking up additional airfare charges. Stopovers are typically free to schedule and often include complimentary or heavily discounted hotel stays, restaurants, activities, or on-ground transit. It’s an opportunity for the airline to direct more tourism dollars to a capital city or flagship country and allow travelers to visit multiple destinations for (more or less) the price of one.
Here are nine of the best airline stopover programs to help extend your vacation.
Explore masterful design and architecture, such as the public Rikhardinkatu library (pictured), and coffee shops galore in Helsinki, Finland.
Photo by Natalya Letunova/Unsplash
Helsinki, Finland
For those interested in experiencing the happiest country in the world, take advantage of Finnair’s stopover service in the capital city of Helsinki. The program allows travelers to stay in Helsinki for up to five days at no additional cost, and booking it is incredibly easy.
When you start booking on Finnair’s website, select “multicity” (as opposed to “round-trip” or “one-way”); enter your departure and destination cities, intended travel dates, and how many days you’d like to stay in the country; and choose whether you want to make your stopover on the outbound or return journey, and how many days you’d like to stay in the country.
Finnair doesn’t offer discounted hotel stays, but the airline does suggest some itineraries to help visitors maximize their visit—be that cold-plunging into the sea from a sauna deck in Helsinki or chasing the northern lights farther north.
Take a detour to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
Photo by Katerina Kerdi/Unsplash
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Those transiting through Abu Dhabi can opt to stay in the capital of the United Arab Emirates for a spell with Etihad Airways’ stopover program.
Travelers transiting through Etihad’s home base can choose a complimentary one- or two-night stay at various three-, four-, and even five-star hotels across the capital city. Some of the luxury options include the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri, Bab Al Qasr, and the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl. You can find the full spread of hotel options on Etihad’s stopover page.
The program is available only to those who book directly through Etihad’s website. To be eligible, you must book at least three days before you arrive in the Persian Gulf city. Other stipulations include a handful of blackout periods (including November 2 through 8, December 3 through 8, and December 23 through January 3), and the offer is only valid in one direction (so you can’t score a free stay on both your away and return tickets).
Spend at least one day in Panama City, and venture to islands or the canal if you stay for up to a week.
Photo by Sol Cerrud/Unsplash
Panama City, Panama
Whether flying to the Caribbean or South America, pause to enjoy Panama’s beaches, islands, or cocktail-fueled nightlife. Copa Airlines’ stopover program allows travelers to stay in Panama for one to seven days at no additional cost.
You can add the stopover to one-way flights or to either leg of a round-trip flight (you can even add a stopover to both ends of the journey if you pay an additional $250). You can only participate in the program if you book directly through Copa; on the booking website, click “multicity” to be directed to a page with “stopover” options.
The program also has deals on hotels, restaurants, and activities like sightseeing or spa experiences, from 15 to 40 percent off.
Ethiopia Airlines lets you stay in the airport hotel so that you can explore the parks and shopping in Addis Ababa.
Photos by Michelle Heimerman
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
If you’re traveling to or over Africa, hope to connect in Ethiopia. If your layover in Addis Ababa is at least eight hours long, you’re automatically given a hotel room at the airport’s Skylight In-Terminal Hotel, which has 97 rooms and a selection of suites.
The complimentary one-night stay is available for travelers who have flight connections lasting up to 24 hours, and it includes breakfast and a transfer. Be sure to pick up your hotel voucher at the check-in desk before departure or at the Ethiopian Airlines customer service desk upon arrival at the airport.
Soak up art, architecture, and culture at the National Museum of Qatar during an extended Doha layover.
Photo by Deepak Siva/Unsplash
Doha, Qatar
If you’re interested in exploring Doha, Qatar’s capital city, on the cheap, the country’s airline can help. Under the Qatar Airways stopover program, travelers can book a stopover of up to four days and then choose from a handful of heavily discounted accommodation packages. For example, fliers staying a single night in Doha can choose between the Standard option (which includes a four-star hotel for $14 per person) or the Luxury option (a five-star hotel for $83 per person).
To book, choose “Qatar Stopover” in the flight search panel on Qatar’s dedicated page for the program. From there, you’ll need to enter the preferred trip and stopover details, then click “Show Flights.” The site will show your options, which work for any flight that connects through Doha. After you’ve purchased your tickets, you’ll need to visit the stopover hotel booking page to score the deal on accommodation.
Look for Japanese cherry blossoms in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and other cities across the country.
Photo by Geoff Haggray
Japan
Many who fly to Tokyo want to tack on a trip to Kyoto, Hokkaido, or Osaka. Luckily, it’s possible to see more of the country by taking advantage of Japan Airlines’ stopover program. With this offer, overseas visitors can add stops to any airport in Japan for free, as long as both the international and domestic flights are booked in the same reservation. The bookings can be made on the multicity/stopover website, and there’s even a handy guide with examples of how it works.
If U.S. travelers choose to stay in the transit destination for longer than one day, they’ll need to pay a $100 fee. Though the program doesn’t provide any additional discounts, the option is ideal for those who want to visit as much of the country as possible in one trip.
When in Türkiye, eat all the bazaar sweets.
Photo by Michael Parulava/Unsplash
Istanbul, Türkiye
Turkish Airlines’ stopover program is somewhat tricky to navigate. There’s no option to search for itineraries with long stopovers on the website, so you’ll have to hunt for one. However, once you figure it out, this program is one of the more generous schemes that exist.
Any passenger with at least a 20-hour connection period in Istanbul qualifies for the Stopover in Istanbul program, wherein you’ll be granted a hotel room free of charge. Economy-class passengers are awarded one night in a four-star hotel (two nights if you’re traveling from the U.S. and other select countries), and business-class fliers get two nights in a five-star or boutique hotel (three nights if traveling from the U.S. and other select countries).
Once you’ve booked the flight (and it’s at least 72 hours before departure), you’ll need to email a program representative your ticket number, name, desired accommodation dates, preferred room type (single, double, or triple), and phone number. The representative differs depending on what country you’re departing from, but all contact information is available on the airline’s online stopover page. Vouchers for the accommodation will be sent via email.
Beyond the complimentary rooms, travelers can also take advantage of a free city tour, which is sponsored by Turkish Airlines’ Touristanbul. To sign up, passengers need to go to the Hotel Desk at the International Arrivals Terminal of Istanbul Airport.
There are worse ways to spend a layover than exploring the Portuguese coastal city of Porto.
Renan/Unsplash
Lisbon and Porto, Portugal
What sets TAP Air Portugal apart from the other stopover programs is that it’s not limited to just one city, and it allows fliers to stay for up to 10 days.
TAP Air Portugal’s stopover system is incredibly easy to navigate; when you’re booking, all you need to do is input your dates, departure, and destination cities and select the “Add Stopover” button. After that, a pop-up will allow you to choose between a stopover in Lisbon or Porto, a stopover on the inbound or outbound flight, and the stopover duration.
After you’ve finished booking, TAP Air Portugal offers discounts on hotels, attractions, and more on its mobile app.
Spending some time in the utterly charming city of Reykjavík, Iceland.
Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Reykjavík, Iceland
Icelandair is credited as the pioneer of the free airline stopover; it has offered some iteration of the program since the early 1960s, which greatly helped increase tourism to the land of fire and ice.
The current program allows travelers to book a stopover in Reykjavík, Iceland, for one to seven days, at no additional cost. All you have to do is select the “Stopover in Iceland” option and input how many days you’d like to stay when booking your ticket. It’s particularly useful for flights between the United States and mainland Europe.
Unlike some other destinations, Icelandair’s program doesn’t offer free or discounted accommodation or transportation, so be sure to factor travel within the country into your costs. However, it is possible to book some tours (like an abbreviated Golden Circle tour, on which guests can visit Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir geothermal area, two of Iceland’s most famous natural wonders) directly through the airline.
This story was originally published in July 2023 and was updated on June 9, 2025, to include current information. Danielle Hallock contributed to the reporting of this story.
