How to Book Multi-City European Flights Cheaper Than Round-Trip

Hey there, fellow adventure-seeking parents! Planning a family trip to Europe is so exciting – imagining your kids' faces lighting up at the Eiffel Tower, tossing coins in Rome's Trevi Fountain, or chasing pigeons in Prague's squares. But let's be real: with a family, those flight costs can add up fast. The good news? You don't have to stick to a simple round-trip ticket that forces you to backtrack to your starting city. Multi-city (or "open-jaw") flights can often save you money and time, letting you explore more without the hassle of returning to the same airport.

We've done this on several of our family trips to Europe, and it's a game-changer – especially when traveling with kids who get antsy on long trains or extra flights. Here's our step-by-step guide to booking multi-city flights cheaper than a traditional round-trip.

Why Multi-City Flights Are Perfect for Families Traveling Europe

A round-trip ticket means flying into (say) Paris and out of Paris – even if you've moved on to Italy or Spain. That often means expensive trains or extra flights back, plus wasted time that could be spent making memories.

Multi-city (or open-jaw) lets you fly into one city and out of another. For example:

• Home to Paris

• (Train or budget flight to Rome)

• Rome back home

Airlines often price these as roughly the average of two round-trips (half to Paris + half from Rome). Surprisingly, this can be cheaper than a round-trip to the more expensive city, and you save on ground transport. For families, we've seen savings of hundreds (or even thousands) per trip, plus more relaxed travel days.

Bonus: Europe’s trains and budget airlines make hopping between cities easy and kid-friendly!

Step-by-Step: How to Book Cheaper Multi-City Flights

1. Start with the Best Search Tools Use sites with strong multi-city options:

   • Google Flights (our favorite – super easy to add legs and see calendars)

   • Skyscanner or Kayak (great for comparing deals)

   • Airline sites directly (like Delta, United, or Star Alliance partners) for the best alliances. Switch to "Multi-city" instead of round-trip.

2. Be Flexible with Cities and Dates Fly into a cheaper hub (like London or Frankfurt) and out of another (like Rome or Barcelona). Midweek flights (Tuesday/Wednesday) are often cheapest. Shoulder seasons (spring or fall) save big with fewer crowds – ideal for families!

3. Compare Options Always check:

   • Multi-city vs. round-trip to one city

   • Multi-city vs. separate one-ways (but one-ways to Europe can be pricey) Play with arrival/departure cities – sometimes reversing them drops the price.

4. Factor in Intra-Europe Travel Use trains (Eurail passes for families are awesome) or budget carriers like Ryanair/EasyJet for short hops. These are cheap and often more fun for kids than another long flight.

5. Book Early and Set Alerts Start searching 4-6 months out. Set price alerts on Google Flights or apps.

Our Family's Real Example

On one trip, a round-trip to Paris was $1,200/person. But multi-city (into Paris, out of Rome) was $900 – saving us $1,200 for a family of four! We trained from Paris to Rome (scenic and relaxing with kids), skipped the backtrack, and had extra cash for gelato and souvenirs.

Pro Tip for Parents: Choose routes with shorter flights or good layovers. Pack snacks, games, and headphones – happy kids make everything smoother.

Multi-city flights have let our family see more of Europe without breaking the bank or exhausting everyone. Give it a try on your next trip – you'll wonder why you ever did round-trips!

What's your dream European multi-city itinerary? Share in the comments – we'd love to hear!

Safe travels, The Explore With Your Kids Team 🌍👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

PS - Don't forget, we offer customized trip itineraries built to your specifications! Trip length, destination, budget, family size, and preferences are all taken into account when designing your trip. Hotels, restaurant recommendations, things to do, what not to miss, interesting food dishes in that area and much more are included in your personalized itinerary. Click here for more information.