The cheapest order to fly Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona from New York

There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $632 a person and the most expensive at $778, a difference of $146 for visiting exactly the same places.

Fly them in this order

New York → Barcelona → Lisbon → Madrid → New York

About $632 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.

Every order, priced

  1. New York → Barcelona → Lisbon → Madrid → New York$632
    cheapest order
  2. New York → Lisbon → Barcelona → Madrid → New York$692
    $60 more per person
  3. New York → Madrid → Lisbon → Barcelona → New York$716
    $84 more per person
  4. New York → Lisbon → Madrid → Barcelona → New York$744
    $112 more per person
  5. New York → Barcelona → Madrid → Lisbon → New York$744
    $112 more per person
  6. New York → Madrid → Barcelona → Lisbon → New York$778
    $146 more per person

Why Barcelona first

  1. New York to Barcelona$293
  2. Barcelona to Lisbon$30
  3. Lisbon to Madrid$31
  4. Madrid to New York$278
  • Out of New York, Barcelona is the cheapest first stop at about $293. Lisbon would be $352.
  • Going home, Madrid is the cheapest city to leave from at about $278, against $386 from Lisbon.
  • The dearest order pays $386 for Lisbon to New York, a flight the cheapest order never takes.
  • New York to Barcelona is 46% of what the cheapest order spends on flights, so it is the leg to watch.

Between the cities

  • Barcelona to Lisbon: about 1,010 km (630 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
  • Lisbon to Madrid: about 500 km (310 miles) as the crow flies. Also by ground: ALSA / FlixBus (overnight), about 8h, usually $25 to $50.
  • US passport: visa-free in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180. The Entry/Exit System registers biometrics at the border, and the ETIAS pre-travel authorisation may now be required; check the official site. Official source

Rules change; check the official source for your passport and dates before you book.

How much the order matters here

Getting the order right is worth $146 a person on this trip, 23% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 34 for how much the order matters, about the middle: worth getting right, and worth checking against your own dates.

The same cities from other airports

The cheapest order depends on where you start. From New York it starts in Barcelona.

  • From Torontostart in Madrid, about $698 a person, $182 less than the dearest order
  • From Los Angelesstart in Madrid, about $934 a person, $110 less than the dearest order
  • From Washingtonstart in Madrid, about $1,013 a person, $446 less than the dearest order

What these numbers are

Cached one-way fares, 12 of 12 legs priced from real observations, put together on October 29, 2026, from fares departing November 2, 2026 onwards. Right for comparing one order with another, not a quote for your dates.

A plan prices your own dates and weighs hours as well as fares, so it can pick a different order from this page.

Put dates on it

Same cities on real dates, plus what one search cannot show: layovers long enough to count as a free city, two tickets that beat one, and cheaper days either side. No account and no card.

One press starts it on January 2, 2027 to January 16, 2027, 14 days, for 2 travelers. Our dates, not yours, and about two minutes.

Plan Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona from New York nowOpen the form instead and pick your own dates

Signed out, 3 plans a day per address, priced from cached fares and the free sources, so some legs may be estimates and the plan says which. Signed in, legs are checked live, with 2 free trips you can change afterwards.