The cheapest order to fly Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona from Washington
There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $860 a person and the most expensive at $1,094, a difference of $234 for visiting exactly the same places.
Fly them in this order
Washington → Barcelona → Lisbon → Madrid → Washington
About $860 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.
Every order, priced
- Washington → Barcelona → Lisbon → Madrid → Washington$860cheapest order
- Washington → Madrid → Lisbon → Barcelona → Washington$883$23 more per person
- Washington → Barcelona → Madrid → Lisbon → Washington$896$36 more per person
- Washington → Madrid → Barcelona → Lisbon → Washington$938$78 more per person
- Washington → Lisbon → Madrid → Barcelona → Washington$1,077$217 more per person
- Washington → Lisbon → Barcelona → Madrid → Washington$1,094$234 more per person
Why Barcelona first
- Washington to Barcelona$341
- Barcelona to Lisbon$30
- Lisbon to Madrid$31
- Madrid to Washington$458
- Out of Washington, Barcelona is the cheapest first stop at about $341. Lisbon would be $574.
- Going home, the cheapest flight leaves from Barcelona at about $440, but the cheapest order ends in Madrid at $458 because the rest of the route is cheaper that way.
- The dearest order pays $574 for Washington to Lisbon, a flight the cheapest order never takes.
- Madrid to Washington is 53% 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.
Entry rules on a US passport
- 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 $234 a person on this trip, 27% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 28 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 Washington it starts in Barcelona.
- From New Yorkstart in Madrid, about $508 a person, $225 less than the dearest order
- 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
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 October 30, 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 Washington nowOpen the form instead and pick your own datesSigned 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.